or Boethius, a story which has blanched the cheek and
spoiled the rest of many a youthful reader, is too well known to need
extracting. Even so late as 1676, Sir George Maxwell, of Pollock, (See
Scott's _Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft_, p. 323,) apparently a
man of melancholy and valetudinarian habits, believed himself
bewitched to death by six witches, one man and five women, who were
leagued for the purpose of tormenting a clay image in his likeness.
Five of the accused were executed, and the sixth only escaped on
account of extreme youth.

Isabel Gowdie, the famous Scotch witch before referred to, in her
confessions gives a very particular account of the mode in which these
images were manufactured. It is curious, and worth quoting:--

_Johne Taylor_ and _Janet Breadhead_, his wyff, in
Bellnakeith, _Bessie Wilsone_, in Aulderne, and _Margret
Wilsone_, spows to _Donald Callam_ in Aulderne, and I, maid
an pictur of clay, to distroy _the Laird of Parkis_
meall[62] children. _Johne Taylor_ browght hom the clay, in
his plaid newk;[63] his wyff brak it verie small, lyk
meall,[64] and sifted it with a siew,[65] and powred in
water among it, in _the Divellis_ nam, and vrought it werie
sore, lyk rye-bowt;[66] and maid of it a pictur of _the
Lairdis_ sones. It haid all the pairtis and merkis of a
child, such as heid, eyes, nose, handis, foot, mowth, and
little lippes. It wanted no mark of a child; and the handis
of it folded down by its sydes. It was lyk a pow,[67] or a
flain gryce.[68] We laid the face of it to the fyre, till it
strakned;[69] and a cleir fyre round abowt it, till it ves
read lyk a cole.[70] After that, we wold rest it now and
then; each other day[71] ther wold be an piece of it weill
rosten. _The Laird of Parkis_ heall maill children by it ar
to suffer, if it be not gotten and brokin, als weill as thes
that ar borne and dead alreadie. It ves still putt in and
taken out of the fyre, in _the Divellis_ name. It wes hung
wp wpon an knag. It is yet in _Johne Taylor's_ hows, and it
hes a cradle of clay abowt it. Onlie _Johne Taylor_ and his
wyff, _Janet Breadhead_, _Bessie_ and _Margret Wilsones_ in
Aulderne, and _Margret Brodie_, thair, and I, were onlie at
the making of it. All the multitud of our number of WITCHES,
of all the COEVENS, kent[72] all of it, at owr nixt meit