The Devil in Law. craft or knowledge, or any persons seeking any help, response or consultation with any such users or abusers of witchcrafts, sorcery or necromancy should suffer death. These statutes of James and Mary were both repealed in 1736 by an act which put a stop to all prosecutions and proceedings against anyone for witchcraft, sorcery, en chantment or conjuration, but enacted that anyone pretending to use witchcraft, tell fortunes or discover stolen goods by skill in any occult or crafty science is to be im prisoned for a year, to stand in the pillory and to find sureties for good behavior. This law still lives as well in Ontario as in England, although the pillory part of the punishment is abolished. In March, 1664-65, before Sir Matthew Hale, at the Assizes at Bury St. Edmunds, took place the trial of two poor widows, Rose Callander and Annie Duny, for bewitching several young children. The evidence showed that the parents had quarreled with the accused, and that these latter had uttered threats. The children fell into strange and violent fits; one was taken with such a lame ness in both her legs that she was forced to go on crutches; they cried out the names of the accused in their fits. The fits were various, and sometimes the lameness was on one side, sometimes on the other; at times they were deaf, blind and dumb; they would vomit up crooked pins, and one a two-penny nail with a very large head; they could not pronounce the sacred words, "Lord," "Jesus, but if they attempted to do so would fall into fits and cry out: "Annie Duny says I must not use that name." When they came to the words "Satan or "Devil" they would cry, "This bites, but it makes me speak right well." The children (according to one witness) saw invisible mice running about the house; one was caught by a child and thrown into the fire, where it screeched out like a rat; another one was thrown into the fire and it flashed like gunpowder. Mone but the child saw the mouse, but all saw the flash. Some
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thing like a bee flew into the face of one oi the children, and the child threw up a nail and said that the bee had brought it and forced it into her mouth. Annie Duny nursed one of the children one day, the child had fits for weeks; then by Dr. Jacob's advice the mother hung up the child's blanket all day in the chimney corner, and at night a great toad fell out of it. A boy caught the quadruped and held it over the fire with tongs. It exploded with a noise like a pistol and a flash like gunpowder, and was no more seen; but the next day Annie Duny was found to be grievously scorched by fire and blamed the mother of the child for it. After this the sufferer got well. The witch's marks were found upon Rose Callander. The children were taken with fits, blindness and lameness in court, and were at times speechless. The court made the experiment of bringing them in contact with the witches, but this was unsatisfactory. Sometimes the same result happening whether they were touched by an innocent person or by the accused. The evidence was almost entirely the evidence of the parents and friends of the children, for the latter were either too young or unable to give testimony. Testimony was then given as to reputation—that these women were ac counted witches by others, and that some of their kindred had been condemned as such. A farmer told how he was bringing hay home in three carts, one touched the prison er's house and angered her; the cart was overturned thrice and stuck fast in the gate; the noses of those who were unloading it bled: but there was no trouble with the other carts. Another man's cart broke down near Callander's house; she was angered thereat and said his horses would suffer, and in a short time all his four horses died, many of his cattle died suddenly, he himself became lame and "was so vexed with lice of an ex traordinary number and bigness that no art could hinder the swarming of them, till he burnt up two suits of apparel." Annie Duny had said that the devil would not let her rest
