uld not eat; and she sent a plague of cats to John Bell's
house, and tormented him and his wife by appearing at their hearth-side at
night, combing her hair: so Margaret Hutchison was no better than she
should be, and the world was well rid of her.

Isabel Ramsey for her part was convicted of taking sixpence from the
devil, and entering into a long chat with him upon sundry local matters;
and, indeed, she herself confessed that he gave her a dollar, which turned
into a sklaitt stane: for nothing that the devil did for these witches
ever turned to good, so that one is more surprised at their stupidity than
offended by their guilt.

Jennet Cock[52] had an ill name, past all forbearance or overlooking. She
was never easy unless she was after some evil, and the world must
positively be quit of her. She bewitched William Scott's bonny bay horse,
worth pounds and pounds of money, and made him mad; and she told a brute
who beat her that he should live to be hanged, which not very unlikely
prediction was fulfilled; and she kept company with the devil on terms
that no honest woman should endure; and she and Jean Dickson, another
witch, cured a neighbour's child by cutting off a dog's head, with which
they played some devilish cantrip that healed the bairn; and she it was
who made that speech concerning Christiane Wilson and the gaff of wind; so
Jennet Cock was adjudged dangerous to be at large, and was put into
prison, there to await her trial. And she was tried, but, strange to say,
acquitted of the charges brought against her; she was not let loose
though, but kept still in durance till a fresh case could be completed
against her. Jennet Cock was rather notorious for her evil eye and power
of overlooking, and in her dittay is thus charged:--"There being an
outcast betwixt yow and Jeane Forrest, because schoe had called yow a
witch, yow came to the said Jeane, her landlord's house, where she was
with some nyghboures, desyreing to make aggriement betwixt yow. Ye
malitiouslie and bitterlie girneing and gnashing your teeth, and beating
your hands upon your knies, said, 'O them that called me a witch! O them
that called me a witch!' And at that tyme, the said Jeane Forrest, her
chylde being in good health, on the morne the chylde, by your sorceries
and witchcraft dyed; and the mother, at the chylde's departour, called out
with a loud voyce upone her nighbours, saying, 'Alace! that ever I had
adoe with that witch Janet Cock, for sho