an
to vomit nails and pieces of nails, brass, and handles of spoons, and so
continued to do for six months and more; all the while crying out against
Margery Coombes and Ann More, who, she said, appeared to her and tormented
her. These two poor creatures were immediately apprehended and committed
to the county gaol; but Margery died as soon as she was imprisoned: and
when my Lord Chief Justice Holt came to try old Ann, he said there was not
sufficient evidence against her, so directed the jury to acquit her. But
the maid was worse than ever after this acquittal, and took to vomiting
pieces of glass, and several pieces of bread and butter besmeared with a
poisonous matter, adjudged to be white mercury, and a great board nail,
and, in short, Mr. May Hill and the neighbours did not know what she might
not throw up at last, her mouth was so capacious, and the space against
her gums so flexible. But as it was observed that she never vomited these
things save in the morning, and that in the afternoon she was quiet; and
when, upon inquiry, it was found that she always slept with her mouth wide
open, and slept so soundly, that she could not be awakened by pulling, or
jogging, or calling; then Mr. Hill commanded that some one should sit up
with her, and keep her mouth rigidly and pertinaciously shut. And when
they did this she vomited nothing, for the witches had not been able to
convey their trash into her mouth. This experiment was satisfactorily
tried for thirteen nights; but as soon as she was left to sleep by
herself, and with her mouth open, the wicked witches were sure to come to
her and force all kinds of trash into it. But at last she wearied of her
work; and, Sir John Holt not holding out much inducement to ill-tempered
young women to declare themselves possessed because they had a
disagreeable neighbour or two, she owned herself quite cured, and no more
was heard of her fits or her nails.

Poor old Widow Chambers,[154] of Upaston, in Suffolk, "a diligent,
industrious, poor woman," was accused of witchcraft, upon what grounds
does not appear. "After she had been walk'd betwixt two," and, we may
naturally suppose, pressed and plied with questions, she became confused
and overwrought, and began to confess a great many things of herself. She
said that she had killed both her husband and Lady Blois, though the last
had died a fair and evident death, "without any Hurt from that poor
Woman:" and then some, to make trial of he