be let
out with the chance of bewitching mankind to death. This she could do, and
work all other miracles; but she could not help herself to sunlight and
liberty.

BRAVE OLD KATHERINE LIDDELL.[60]

In 1678 two old women of Prestonpans were burnt. They made a voluntary
confession, and accused a few more of their craft. These in their turn
accusing others, in a very short time seventeen unhappy creatures were
collected together, all charged with the sin of witchcraft, intercommuning
with the devil, voluntary transformation into ravens, cats, crows, &c.,
with all the other stock pieces of the hallucination. The judges seemed
inclined to favour them, and Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik, when desired to
sit on the commission appointed to try the seven given up by the parish of
Loanhead, declined, "alleging drily that he did not feel himself warlock
(that is, conjuror) enough to be judge upon such an inquisition." These
poor creatures had deep sleeps, during which no pinching would awake them;
but though the judges saw them when in these sleeps, and heard their
confessions as to where they had been and what they had been doing during
the time, they were regarded as diabolical trances, and dealt with
accordingly. Nine of the East Lothian women were burnt, and the "seven of
Loanhead were reserved for future procedure." Among the accused was one
Katherine Liddell, a strong-minded, stout-hearted, old widow, who feared
no man, spoke her mind freely, and had a body with nerves like cart ropes
and muscles of iron. The bailie of Prestonpans, John Rutherford, had
caused her to be seized in the late panic, and, though there was nothing
against her, he had her pricked in various parts of her body "to the great
effusion of her blood, and whereby her skin is raised and her body highly
swelled, and she is in danger of life." A drummer, two salt-makers, and
others, assisted him in this torture; for John Kincaid had found zealous
followers: and any man with a peculiar temperament, and a heart hardened
by superstition against suffering, might take on himself the office of
pricker to his own soul's satisfaction, and the torture and murder of his
fellow-creatures. Katherine Liddell, besides being actively tortured, was
kept without sleep for six days and nights, but the stout old woman would
confess nothing. On the contrary, she presented a petition to the
Council, charging John Rutherford and the rest with "defamation, false
imprisonment, and o