West, who had “been suspected as a witch many yeers since, and suffered imprisonment for the same,” made most ample confession, and indeed before long nearly thirty persons were involved. Immediately there was abundance of local evidence. Richard Edwards had lost many of his cattle owing to a mysterious distemper, and even worse, his child had fallen sick, “rowling the eyes,” and died. He swore that it had been destroyed by Ann Leech and Elizabeth Gooding. The latter was also accused by one Robert Taylor of having lamed and then killed his horse. Prudence Hart had been seized with extraordinary pains, and “she believed Rebecca West and Ann West the cause of her pains.” So the tale went on, ever gathering fresh details and fresh accusations.
One of the most extraordinary features of these cases was the endless information which was supplied by all parties, accusers and accused alike, concerning the witches’ familiars or attendant imps. Since Hopkins has given himself fullest details concerning this point in his pamphlet, it is hardly necessary to enlarge upon it at any great length, and in fact to do so would entail writing a lengthy monograph treating of this one subject alone. We may say that Rebecca West swore that when she was at the house of Elizabeth Clarke, where she had been conducted by her mother, who “told the said Rebecca, shee must keepe secret what soever shee saw, wither they were then going; and the said Rebecca promised so to doe”; they found already assembled Ann Leach, Elizabeth Gooding, Helen Clarke, and the housekeeper Elizabeth Clarke, “and that forthwith the Devill appeared to them in the shape of a dogge; afterwards in the
