the compact by which a woman became a witch
have been already referred to. It was almost an essential
condition in the vulgar creed that she should be, as Gaule
('Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches,' &c., 1646)
represents, an old woman with a wrinkled face, a furred brow, a
hairy lip, a gobber tooth, a squint eye, a squeaking voice, a
scolding tongue, having a ragged coat on her back, a skull-cap on
her head, a spindle in her hand, a dog or cat by her side. There
are three sorts of the devil's agents on earth--the black, the
gray, and the white witches. The first are omnipotent for evil,
but powerless for good. The white have the power to help, but not
to hurt.[91] As for the third species (a mixture of white and
black), they are equally effective for good or evil.

[91] A writer at the beginning of the seventeenth century
(Cotta, _Tryall of Witchcraft_) says, 'This kind is not
obscure at this day, swarming in this kingdom, whereof no
man can be ignorant who lusteth to observe the uncontrouled
liberty and licence of open and ordinary resort in all
places unto _wise_ men and _wise_ women, so vulgarly termed
for their reputed knowledge concerning such diseased persons
as are supposed to be bewitched.' And (_Short Discoverie of
Unobserved Dangers, 1612_) 'the mention of witchecraft doth
now occasion the remembrance in the next place of a sort of
practitioners whom our custom and country doth call wise men
and wise women, reputed a kind of good and honest harmless
witches or wizards, who, by good words, by hallowed herbs
and salves, and other superstitious ceremonies, promise to
allay and calm devils, practices of other witches, and the
forces of many diseases.' Another writer of the same date
considers 'it were a thousand times better for the land if
all witches, but specially the _blessing witch_, might
suffer death. Men do commonly hate and spit at the
_damnifying_ sorcerer as unworthy to live among them,
whereas they fly unto the other in necessity; they depend
upon him as their God, and by this means thousands are
carried away, to their final confusion. Death, therefore, is
the just and deserved portion of the _good_
witch.'--_Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great
Britain_, by Brand, ed. by Sir H. Ellis.

Equally various and contradictory are the motives and acts
assigned to witches. Nothing is too great or too mean for their
practice: they e