hew'd them, which was a stronger testimony than her treading
water that she was the same that their imagination thought her for to be."
Then one of the men set his carbine against her breast and fired; but the
bullet rebounded like a ball, and narrowly missed the face of the shooter,
which "so enraged the Gentleman, that one drew out his sword and manfully
run at her with all the force his strength had power to make, but it
prevailed no more than did the shot, the woman though still speechlesse,
yet in a most contemptible way of Scorn still laughing at them, which did
the more exhaust their furie against her life; yet one amongst the rest
had heard that piercing or drawing bloud from forth the veines that
crosse the temples of the head, it would prevail against the strongest
sorcery, and quell the force of Witchcraft, which was allowed for Triall:
the woman, hearing this, knew then the Devill had left her, and her power
was gone; wherefore she began alowd to cry and roare, tearing her haire,
and making pitious moan, which in these words expressed were: And is it
come to passe that I must dye indeed? Why then his Excellency the Earle of
Essex shall be fortunate and win the field. After which no more words
could be got from her; wherewith they immediately discharged a Pistoll
underneath her eare, at which she straight sunk down and dyed, leaving her
legacy of a detested carcasse to the wormes, her soul we ought not to
iudge of, though the euills of her wicked life and death can scape no
censure. Finis. This Book is not Printed according to order."

THE WITCH-FINDING OF HOPKINS.

And now the reign of Matthew Hopkins, of Mannington, gent., begins--that
most infamous follower of an infamous trade--the witch-finder general of
England. It was Hopkins who first reduced the practice of witch-finding to
a science, and established rules as precise as any to be made for
mathematics or logic. His method of proceeding was to "walk" a suspected
witch between two inquisitors, who kept her from food and sleep, and
incessantly walking, for four-and-twenty hours; or if she could not be
thus walked she was cross-bound--her right toe fastened to her left thumb,
and her left toe to her right thumb--care being taken to draw the cords as
tightly as possible, and to keep her as uneasily, and in this state she
was placed on a high stool or chair, kept without food or sleep for the
prescribed four-and-twenty hours, and vigilantly watched. And Ho