he saw a
neighbour's wife, of the name of Loynd, sitting upon a cross piece of
wood within the chimney of his father's dwelling-house. He called to
her, saying, "Come down, thou Loynd wife," and immediately she went up
out of sight. Likewise upon the evening of All-Saints before-named, his
father sent him to seal up the kine, when, coming through a certain
field, he met a boy who began to quarrel with him, and they fought until
his face and ears were bloody. Looking down, he saw the boy had cloven
feet, and away he ran. It was now nearly dark; but he descried at a
distance a light like a lantern. Thinking this was carried by some of
his friends, he made all haste towards it, and saw a woman standing on a
bridge, whom he knew to be Loynd's wife; turning from her he again met
with the boy, who gave him a heavy blow on the back, after which he
escaped. On being asked the names of the women he saw at the feast, he
mentioned seventeen persons, all of whom were committed to Lancaster for
trial. They were found guilty, and sentenced to be executed. The judge,
however, respited them, and reported the case to the king in council.

The celebrated John Webster, author of _The Discovery of Pretended
Witchcraft_, afterwards took this young witch-finder in hand. He says:--

"This said boy was brought into the church at Kildwick (in Craven), a
large parish church, where I, being curate there, was preaching in the
afternoon, and was set upon a stall to look about him, which moved some
little disturbance in the congregation for a while. After prayers, I,
inquiring what the matter was, the people told me it was the boy that
discovered witches; upon which I went to the house where he was to stay
all night, where I found him, and two very unlikely persons that did
conduct him, and manage the business.

"I desired to have some discourse with the boy in private; but that they
utterly refused. Then, in the presence of a great many people, I took
the boy near me, and said, 'Good boy, tell me truly and in earnest,
didst thou see and hear such strange things of the meeting of witches as
is reported by many that thou didst relate?'--But the two men, not
giving the boy leave to answer, did pluck him from me, and said he had
been examined by two _able_ justices of the peace, _and they did never
ask him such a question_. To whom I replied, the persons accused had the
more wrong. As the laws of England, and the opinions of mankind then
stood, a ma