nfess before she suffered; but nothing, we are informed, would move
the obdurate and hardened old witch--so she perished, denying her
guilt.

In the case of Alison Pearson, who suffered for witchcraft in
Scotland in 1586, several strange revelations were made. She had had a
stroke of paralysis, which so affected her that at times she suffered
severely. She was a reputed witch, averred to have done serious
mischief to her neighbours. For this reason, she was indicted for
holding communication with demons. She admitted having intercourse
with the Queen of Elfland and the good neighbours. When she fell into
a trance, which happened often, she saw her cousin, William Sympsoune,
of Stirling (who had been conveyed away to the hills by the fairies),
from whom she received a salve that could cure every disease; and from
this ointment the Archbishop of St. Andrews confessed he derived
benefit. In an indictment framed against her, it was set forth that
she, being in Grangemuir, lay down sick, and that there came a man to
her, clad in green, who said, if she would be faithful to him, he
would do her much good; but she, being afraid, cried out, and he went
away; that he appeared to her another time, accompanied by many men
and women, making merry with good cheer and music; that she was
carried away by them; and that, when she revealed anything, one of the
folk chastised her so unmercifully as to leave ugly marks and take
away the power from one of her sides. In her declaration she stated
she saw the good neighbours (fairies) making their salves, with pans
and fires, from herbs gathered under certain planets, and on
particular days before the sun rose. Among other revelations, she
stated that her cousin, William Sympsoune, appeared to her in the
shape of a fairy, and bade her sign herself with the cross, to prevent
her being carried to Elfland; for it was dangerous to go there, as
one-tenth of the witches were annually conveyed thence to the place of
everlasting torment.

Another witch story. One night a gentleman in the west, riding home,
was suddenly stopped by an unseen hand seizing his horse's bridle
rein. Having a sword, he first struck at one side of his horse's
head, and then at the other. The animal, now unrestrained, galloped
home, when, on putting the horse into the stable, the gentleman found
a hand cut off at the wrist, hanging to the bridle reins. Suspecting
he had been waylaid by Janet Wood (a reputed witch in the
n