d
her to fancies and delusions, as, that she saw shapes and apparitions, and
a young child without feet or legs looking at her from out a well. She
also had fits, which she afterwards confessed were simulated in order to
make her father-in-law, who was generally exceedingly severe with her,
more kind and pliable: but Mr. Darrel said they were the fits of
possession, and, as a proof, cast eight devils out of her; specially one
sturdy devil, called Middlecub, which had been sent into her by Margaret
Roper. Mr. Darrel at once seized Margaret Roper, accusing her of this
Middlecub imp, and sending her off to the magistrate, Mr. Fouliamb; and in
the meanwhile Katherine suffered herself to be repossessed, having been
imprudent enough to talk with the devil in the likeness of a handsome
young man who met her in the lanes, where he entertained her with
propositions of marriage, and gave her some bread to eat. Mr. Fouliamb
happened to be a man of sense, and discharged Margaret Roper, at the same
time threatening to send Darrel to prison in her stead if he took on
himself to calumniate honest folk without cause. This rebuff cooled the
young lawyer parson's ardour a little; but in 1594 the Starkies of
Lancashire announced themselves possessed, and Mr. Darrel must needs go
down to vex the foul fiend that had gotten them. For he was so holy a man
that the devils hated him mightily, being sorely vexed in his presence,
and crying out, "Now he is gone; now he is gone; now blacke coate is
gone," as soon as he quitted them, wearied with his wrestling. The story
of the Starkies was this:--

Anne, aged nine, and John, of ten, were taken with "dumpish heavie
countenances," and fearful startings of their bodies, loud shouting fits,
and convulsions. The father went to Hartley, a known conjuror, who came to
their aid with popish charms and certain herbs; and so stilled them for a
year and a half. But when he "fained as thought he would haue gone into
another countrey," the children fell ill again, and Mr. Starkie thought it
best to secure the perpetual services of the conjuror by a fee of forty
shillings yearly. But Hartley wanted more, and thereupon began a quarrel
which ended in the Possession of the children, of three scholars living at
the Starkies, of Margaret Byron, and lastly of Hartley himself. Now
Hartley had a devil, and whomsoever he kissed he inoculated with this
devil and breathed it into them. And as he was always kissing some
one