‘In most of his fits he did swell in his body, and, in some of them, did so greatly exceed therein, as he seemed to be twice so big as his naturall body. He was often seene to haue a certaine swelling or variable lumpe, to a great bignesse, swiftly running up and downe betweene the flesh and the skin.
‘Then would they carry the same Alexander downe the Chamber, willing him to call upon God for grace, and earnestly to repent him, and to put his trust only in Christ Jesus. And, setting him in a chaire, desired his Father to send for all his neighbours, to helpe to pray for him. And, on a suddaine, he would be strangely handled, for, (sitting in a chaire when the fit came) he would be cast headlong upon the ground, or fall downe, drawing then his lips away, gnashing with his teeth, wallowing and foming, and the Spirit would uexe him monstrously, and transforme his body, and alter the same by many violences. Then the said Edward, his brother, with one Thomas Wakefield, would lay hands on Alexander, and set him in the Chaire againe, and there hold him. All that were in the house praying earnestly.
‘And the said Edward charging the Spirit with these words, Thou fowle Fiend, I coniure thee, in the name of Iesus our Sauiour, the Sonne of Almighty God, that thou speake unto us.
‘Whereat the Spirit transformed him very ugly against his Chest, swelling upwards to his throat, plucking his belly iust to his backe, and so ceased for a time.
‘The partie tormented, being somewhat restored, uttered these words, Sirs, He will speake with me, I pray you let him not speak with mee. Whereupon all that were present did pray earnestly, at which the Spirit began to vexe him very grieuously, and swelled sore in his Chest, and, in a base sounding, and hollow voyce, uttered these words, I will, I will, I will. Then replyed the said Edward, and said, Thou shalt not, and I charge thee in the Name of Jesus Christ that thou speak unto us, and not unto him. Then the Spirit, in a hollow voyce said, Why didst thou tell them? Then the said Edward did charge the Spirit, (as aforesaid) to tell them the cause of his comming, and why he did torment his brother? To the which the Spirit answered, I come for his Soule. Then the said Edward said unto the Spirit, Wee have a warrant in the Holy Scriptures, that such as doe earnestly repent them of their sins, and turn unto God, with the only hope of Saluation, through the merits of Iesus Christ, thou mayest not have them, for Christ is his Redeemer. The Spirit uttered (in a base, hollow sounding voyce) these words, Christ, that was my Redeemer. Then Edward said, Christ that is his Redeemer, not thy Redeemer but my brother Alexander, his Redeemer.
‘Then the Spirit said in his hollow voyce, I will haue his Soule and body too, and so began to torment and racke the same Alexander, and disfigure him more horribly than before, forcing him to such strange and fearefull skriking, as cannot bee uttered by man’s power, and was of such strength, as, sometimes, foure or fiue men, though they had much aduantage against him by binding him to a chaire, yet could they not rule him. And in shewing that strength, he was not perceiued to pant or blow, no more than he had not strained his strength, nor strugled at all. Sometimes he would cry extreamly, so as teares would come from him in great aboundance. Presently, afterwards, hee would laugh aloude and shrill, his mouth being shut close. And sometimes, he was heaued up from the ground by force inuisible, the said Edward Nyndge, Thomas Nyndge, Thomas Wakefield, Thomas Goldsmith, William Miles and William Nyndge, Iunior hanging upon the said Alexander, unto the middest of the house, and the said Edward putting his mouth unto the eare of the said disfigured body of his brother Alexander, said, Brother, continue in your faith, and if you goe to hell, wee will goe with you. Then the force did somewhat faile, and the hangers on drew him to the Chaire againe. Then one of his younger brothers, named William Nyndge said, Wee will Keepe him from thee, thou foule Spirit, in despite of thy Nose.
‘Whereat the transformed body looked very terribly against the said William, and turned his most ugly looks unto his brother Edward, standing on the other side, uttering these hollowe sounding words, Will you, Sir, will you, Sir. To which the said Edward answered; Not I, Sir, but the merits of Iesus Christ will, we earnestly pray, keepe him from thee. Then all that were present, to the number of 20 persons, and more, fell downe and said the Lord’s Prayer, with other sentences, every one seuerally, and one of the Company uttered worde ioyning God and the blessed virgin Mary together, whereat there came a voyce much like Alexander’s voyce, saying twice, There bee other good Prayers. Whereunto the said Edward made answere, and said, Thou lyest, for there is no other Name under Heauen whereby wee may challenge Saluation but the onely name of Christ Iesus. And then the Spirit roares with a fearefull voice, and stretched out his necke long to the Fyre; and then the saide Edward desired Peter Bencham, Curate of the Towne, to coniure and charge him in the Name of Iesus the Sonne of the Almightie, that the Spirit should declare unto them from whence hee came? And what was his Name? To which the Spirit made answere in this mumbling manner, I would come out, I would come out. Then Edward charged him (as before) that he should declare his name. And the Spirit said Aubon, Aubon. They charged him then (as is aforesaid) to make knowne unto them whence hee came; and the Spirit made answere in a hollow uoyce; From Ireland, From Ireland. Then they laide the fourth Chapter of Saint Matthew against him, where Christ said, It is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue. Which sentence, as it was pronounced, the hollow voyce sounded. My Master, My Master, I am his Disciple, I am his Disciple. Then they answered, Thy Master we graunt he is, but thou lyest, thou art none of his Disciple. Thou art onely an instrument and scourge to punish the wicked, so farre as pleaseth him. And then they layd unto him the eight Chapter of S. Luke, whereas Christ himselfe did cast out Deuils. And the Spirit answered hollowly, Baw-wawe, baw-wawe. And within a little space after, the body of the saide Alexander being as monstrously transformed as it was before, much like the picture of the Deuill in a play, with an horrible roaring voyce, sounding Hellhound, was most horribly tormented. And they that were present, fell to prayer, desiring God earnestly to take away the foule Spirit from him. The said Edward then desired to haue the window opened, for I trust in God, (said hee) the fowle Spirit is wearie of our company. The windowes being opened accordingly, within two Minuts after, the tormented body returned to the true shape againe, the said Alexander leaping up, and holding up his hands, and saying Hee is gone, hee is gone, Lord, I thanke thee. Whereat all the people that were there present, fell downe on their knees with due reuerence, and yeelded unto God exceeding praise and thanksgiving. This fit ended about eleven of the clocke the same night, and so they went to Supper with great ioy and gladnesse.’
He seems to have had two or three fits afterwards, but they were of a very mild type, and the last we hear of the afflicted Alexander is: ‘After this, they took the said Alexander, and all of them ioyfully accompany him to his brother Thomas Nyndge, his house, where, after his comming thither, hee was not knowne to be perplexed with the like terrible vexations.’
One more example of this branch of the devil’s work in Britain must suffice. We find it in
‘WONDERFUL NEWS FROM BUCKINGHAMSHIRE,
or a perfect Relation how a Young Maid hath been for Twelve Years and upwards possest with the Devil, and continues so to this very day in a Lamentable Condition. London, 1677.
‘This unhappy Maid, whose strange Afflictions this sheet undertakes to give a true and impartial account of, lives at Great Gadsdon in the County of Bucks. She is descended of honest Parents of good repute, and by them carefully educated in the Principles of Christianity; nor was there a young maid of more lovely innocent Beauty, sweet Carriage, or virtuous Disposition; or one that might have expected fairer preferment in Marriage than she: So that as there is no room for the Censures of the uncharitable, so neither, any place for the Surmises of the incredulous, it being impossible she or any of her Relations could imagine any advantage to themselves by counterfeiting or pretending a Possession; which on the Contrary brings them onely trouble, loss, vexation, and inconveniences, and that for a dozen years together. The beginning of her affliction was thus.
‘In