[55] Rachel Pinder and Agnes Bridges, who pretended to be possessed by
the Devil, were examined before the "person of St. Margarets in
Lothberry," and the Mayor of London, as well as some justices of the
peace. They later made confession before the Archbishop of Canterbury
and some justices of the peace. See the black letter pamphlet, _The
discloysing of a late counterfeyted possession by the devyl in two
maydens within the Citie of London_ [1574].

[56] Francis Coxe came before the queen rather than the church. He
narrates his experiences in _A short treatise declaringe the detestable
wickednesse of magicall sciences, ..._ (1561). Yet John Walsh, a man
with a similar record, came before the commissary of the Bishop of
Exeter. See _The Examination of John Walsh before Master Thomas
Williams, Commissary to the Reverend father in God, William, bishop of
Excester, upon certayne Interrogatories touchyng Wytch-crafte and
Sorcerye, in the presence of divers gentlemen and others, the XX of
August, 1566_.

[57] We say "practically," because instances of church jurisdiction come
to light now and again throughout the seventeenth century.

CHAPTER II.

WITCHCRAFT UNDER ELIZABETH.

The year 1566 is hardly less interesting in the history of English
witchcraft than 1563. It has been seen that the new statute passed in
1563 was the beginning of a vigorous prosecution by the state of the
detested agents of the evil one. In 1566 occurred the first important
trial known to us in the new period. That trial deserves note not only
on its own account, but because it was recorded in the first of the long
series of witch chap-books--if we may so call them. A very large
proportion of our information about the execution of the witches is
derived from these crude pamphlets, briefly recounting the trials. The
witch chap-book was a distinct species. In the days when the chronicles
were the only newspapers it was what is now the "extra," brought out to
catch the public before the sensation had lost its flavor. It was of
course a partisan document, usually a vindication of the worthy judge
who had condemned the guilty, with some moral and religious
considerations by the respectable and righteous author. A terribly
serious bit of history it was that he had to tell and he told it grimly
and without pity. Such comedy as lights up the gloomy black-letter pages
was quite unintentional. He told a story too that was full of details
trivial