nnection with witchcraft. But by the Act 9
George II. cap. 5 it is ordained that no prosecution, suit, or
proceeding shall be commenced or carried on against any person for
witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment, or conjuration, nor shall any one
charge another with any such offence, in any court whatever. But if
any person shall pretend to exercise or use any kind of witchcraft,
sorcery, enchantment, or conjuration, or undertake to tell fortunes;
or pretend, from his skill or knowledge in any occult or crafty
science, to discover where or in what manner any goods supposed to
have been stolen or lost may be found: every person so offending,
being convicted on indictment or information, shall suffer
imprisonment for a year, and once in every quarter of the said year,
in some market town of the county, upon the market day there, stand
openly in the pillory for one hour, and also (if the court by which
such judgment shall be given shall think fit) be obliged to give
sureties for his good behaviour, in such sum, and for such time, as
the said court shall judge proper, according to the circumstances of
the offence, and in such case shall be further imprisoned until such
sureties shall be given.

Sir George M'Kenzie, the distinguished Scotch lawyer, thought there
was such a craft as witchcraft; and so did William Forbes, a member of
the Faculty of Advocates, a professor of law in the University of
Glasgow, and author of several works of considerable merit. The
following extracts from Forbes's _Institute of the Law of Scotland_
prove to some extent what was the legal creed in Scotland last century
in regard to witches:--

"Witchcraft is that black art whereby strange and
wonderful things are wrought by a power derived from
the devil. It goes under several names, taken from
particular effects and ways of its operation: As
those of magic, because it is a knowledge of more
than is lawful to be known; divination, from a
revealing of things past, present, or to come;
enchantment, from a working by charms or ceremonious
rites; sorcery, from the casting of lots to bring
hidden things to light; necromancy, from the calling
up and consulting the devil, in form of some dead
person; fascination, from the hurting creatures by
envious looks, and eye-biting, or by words, etc. Those
who practise this art are, in like manner, termed
witches, magicians, di