The Reverend and Worthy Author, having at the Direction of His Excellency the Governour, so far Obliged the Publick, as to give some Account of the Sufferings brought upon the Countrey by Witchcraft; and of the Tryals which have passed upon several Executed for the Same:
Upon Perusal thereof, We find the Matters of Fact and Evidence, Truly reported. And a Prospect given, of the Methods of Conviction, used in the Proceedings of the Court at Salem
| Boston Octob. 11. 1692. | William Stoughton Samuel Sewall. |
But is New-England, the only Christian Countrey, that hath undergone such Diabolical Molestations? No, there are other Good people, that have in this way been harassed; but none in circumstances more like to Ours, than the people of God, in Sweedland. The story is a very Famous one; and it comes to Speak English by the Acute Pen of the Excellent and Renowned Dr. Horneck. I shall only single out a few of the more Memorable passages therein Occurring; and where it agrees with what happened among ourselves, my Reader shall understand, by my inserting a Word of every such thing in Black Letter.
I. It was in the Year 1669. and 1670. That at Mohra in Sweedland, the Devils by the help of Witches, committed a most horrible outrage. Among other Instances of Hellish Tyranny there exercised. One was, that Hundreds of their Children, were usually in the Night fetcht from their Lodgings, to a Diabolical Rendezvouz, at a place they called, Blockula, where the Monsters that so Spirited them, Tempted them all manner of Ways to Associate with them. Yea, such was the perillous Growth of this Witchcraft, that Persons of Quality began to send their Children into other Countries to avoid it.
II. The Inhabitants had earnestly sought God by Prayer; and Yet their Affliction Continued. Whereupon Judges had a Special Commission to find and root out the Hellish Crew; and the rather, because another County in the Kingdom, which had been so molested, was delivered upon the Execution of the Witches.
III. The Examination, was begun with a Day of Humiliation; appointed by Authority. Whereupon the Commissioners Consulting, how they might resist such a Dangerous Flood, the Suffering Children, were first Examined; and tho' they were Questioned One by One apart, yet their Declarations All Agreed. The Witches Accus'd in these Declarations, were then Examined; and tho' at first they obstinately Denied, yet at length many of them ingeniously Confessed the Truth of what the children had said; owning with Tears, that the Devil, whom they call'd Locyta, had Stopt their Mouths; but he being now Gone from them, they could No Longer Conceal the Business. The things by them Acknowledged, most wonderfully Agreed with what other Witches, in other places had confessed.
IV. They confessed, that they did use to Call upon the Devil, who thereupon would Carry them away, over the Tops of Houses, to a Green Meadow, where they gave themselves unto him. Only one of them said, That sometimes the Devil only took away her Strength, leaving her Body on the ground; but she went at other times in Body too.
V. Their manner was to come into the Chambers of people, and fetch away their children upon Beasts, of the Devils providing: promising Fine Cloaths and other Fine Things unto them, to inveagle them. They said, they never had power to do thus, till of late; but now the Devil did Plague and Beat them, if they did not gratifie him, in this piece of Mischief. They said, they made use of all sorts of Instruments in their Journeys! Of Men, of Beasts, of Posts; the Men they commonly laid asleep at the place, whereto they rode them; and if the children mentioned the Names of them that stole them away, they were miserably Scurged for it, until some of them were killed. The Judges found the marks of the Lashes on some of them; but the Witches said, They would Quickly vanish. Moreover the Children would be in strange Fits, after they were brought Home from these Transportations.
VI. The First Thing, they said, they were to do at Blockula, was to give themselves unto the Devil, and Vow that they would serve him. Hereupon, they cut their Fingers, and with Blood writ their Names in his Book. And he also caused them to be Baptised by such Priests, as he had, in this Horrid company. In some of them, the Mark of the cut Finger was to be found; they said, that the Devil gave Meat and Drink, as to Them, so to the Children they brought with them: that afterwards their Custom was to Dance before him; and swear and curse most horribly; they said, that the Devil show'd them a great, Frightful, Cruel Dragon, telling them, If they confessed any Thing, he would let loose that Great Devil upon them; they added, that the Devil had a Church, and that when the Judges were coming, he told them, he would kill them all; and that some of them had Attempted to Murder the Judges, but could not.
VII. Some of the Children, talked much of a White Angel, which did use to Forbid them, what the Devil had bid them to do, and Assure them that these doings would Not last long; but that what had been done was permitted for the wickedness of the People. This White Angel, would sometimes rescue the Children, from Going in, with the Witches.
VIII. The Witches confessed many mischiefs done by them, declaring with what kind of Enchanted Tools, they did their Mischiefs. They sought especially to kill the Minister of Elfdale, but could not. But some of them said, that such as they wounded, would Be recovered, upon or before their Execution.
IX. The Judges would fain have seen them show some of their Tricks; but they Unanimously declared, that, Since they had confessed, all, they found all their Witchcraft gone; and the Devil then Appeared very Terrible unto them, threatning with an Iron Fork, to thrust them into a Burning Pit, if they persisted in their Confession.
X. There were discovered no less than threescore and ten Witches in One Village, three and twenty of which freely confessing their Crimes, were condemned to dy. The rest, (One pretending she was with Child) were sent to Fahluna, where most of them were afterwards executed. Fifteen Children, which confessed themselves engaged in this Witchery, dyed as the rest. Six and Thirty of them between nine and sixteen years of Age, who had been less guilty, were forced to run the Gantlet, and be lashed on their hands once a Week, for a year together; twenty more who had less inclination to these Infernal enterprises, were lashed with Rods upon their Hands for three Sundays together, at the Church door; the number of the seduced Children, was about three hundred. This course, together with Prayers, in all the Churches thro' the Kingdom, issued in the deliverance of the Country.
XI. The most Accomplished Dr. Horneck inserts a most wise caution, in his preface to this Narrative, says he, there is no Public Calamity, but some ill people, will serve themselves of the sad providence, and make use of it for their own ends; as Thieves when an house or town is on fire, will steal what they can. And he mentions a Remarkable Story of a young Woman, at Stockholm, in the year 1676, Who accused her own Mother of being a Witch; and swore positively, that she had carried her away in the Night; the poor Woman was burnt upon it: professing her innocency to the last. But tho' she had been an Ill Woman, yet it afterwards prov'd that she was not such an one; for her Daughter came to the Judges, with hideous Lamentations, Confessing, That she had wronged her Mother, out of a wicked spite against her; whereupon the Judges gave order for her Execution too.
But, so much of these things; And, now, Lord, make these Labours of thy Servant, Profitable to thy People.