ery day
or so scratching poor Nan till her face and back and hands were one mass
of scars and wounds. And then the Assize time came, and the three
Samuels--father, mother, and daughter--were put upon their trial for
bewitching Lady Cromwell to death, and tormenting Mrs. Joan Throckmorton
and her sisters. There could be no mistake about it now, for not only had
they all three convicted themselves by their own confessions in the
conjuration which they had been obliged to repeat, but even before the
judge, Mrs. Jane played off the like trick, falling into a terrible fit
which only old Samuel could get her out of by repeating the charm. At
first he was obstinate and sturdily refused to say the words; but on the
judge telling him that he should be brought in guilty if he did not, he
consented, and had no sooner said--"As I am a witch, and did consent to
the death of the Lady Cromwell, so I charge thee, Devil, to suffer Mrs.
Jane to come out of her Fit at this present"--than Mrs. Jane wiped her
eyes, looked round her, and said, "O Lord father where am I?" pretending
to be quite amazed at her position. No hand is wanting when there is
stoning to be done. Now that the Samuels were fairly convicted of
witchcraft in one instance, witnesses came forward to prove them guilty of
the like in others. It was remembered how certain persons had died who had
offended the old dame; how others had lost their cows and whole farm stock
in consequence of giving her rough language; how, even since she had been
in gaol, she had bewitched to his death one of the turnkeys who had
chained her to a bedpost, and had cruelly afflicted the gaoler's own son,
so that he could not be recovered but by "scratching" her; with the
further proof that when the grand jury returned a true bill, "billa vera,"
against them, old father Samuel burst out passionately to her with, "A
plague of God light on thee, for thou art she that has brought us all to
this, and we may thank thee for it." So the judge, "after good divine
counsel given to them, proceeded to Judgment, which was to death." But the
poor old woman set up a plea of being with child, though she was near
fourscore years of age; at which all the court laughed, and she herself
most of all, thinking it might save her. Some one standing near to Agnes
counselled her to try the like plea; but the brave young girl, who had
something of her father's spirit in her, indignantly refused. "No," said
Agnes, with the gallo