rsay, both
as to its evil effects and its remedy.

About the year 1815 an old woman, supposed to be a witch, lived at Ffridd
Ucha, Llanfrothen, and she got her living by begging. One day she called
at Ty mawr, in the same parish, requesting a charity of milk; but she was
refused. The next time they churned, the milk would not turn to butter,
they continued their labours for many hours, but at last they were
compelled to desist in consequence of the unpleasant odour which
proceeded from the churn. The milk was thrown away, and the farmer, John
Griffiths, divining that the milk had been witched by the woman who had
been begging at their house, went to consult a conjuror, who lived near
Pwllheli. This man told him that he was to put a red hot crowbar into
the milk the next time they churned. This was done, and the milk was
successfully churned. For several weeks the crowbar served as an
antidote, but at last it failed, and again the milk could not be churned,
and the unpleasant smell made it again impossible for anyone to stand
near the churn. Griffiths, as before, consulted the Pwllheli conjuror,
who gave him a charm to place underneath the churn, stating, when he did
so, that if it failed, he could render no further assistance. The charm
did not act, and a gentleman whom he next consulted advised him to go to
Bell, or Bella, the Denbigh witch. Griffiths did so, and to his great
surprise he found that Bell could describe the position of his house, and
she knew the names of his fields. Her instructions were--Gather all the
cattle to Gors Goch field, a meadow in front of the house, and then she
said that the farmer and a friend were to go to a certain holly tree, and
stand out of sight underneath this tree, which to this day stands in the
hedge that surrounds the meadow mentioned by Bell. This was to be done
by night, and the farmer was told that he should then see the person who
had injured him. The instructions were literally carried out. When the
cows came to the field they herded together in a frightened manner, and
commenced bellowing fearfully. In a very short time, who should enter
the field but the suspected woman in evident bodily pain, and Griffiths
and his friend heard her uttering some words unintelligible to them, and
having done so, she disappeared, and the cattle became quiet, and ever
after they had no difficulty in churning the milk of those cows.

The two following tales were told the writer