XII.—Anent Mother Jackson her Witchcraft.
This story hath as much certainty with it as any human story can have. The author that writes it is a famous minister of the gospel, and it is attested by famous witnesses. This woman was arraigned and condemned at Newgate, for bewitching one Mary Glover, a merchant’s daughter in Thames Street. One Dr. Boncraft did inform Judge Anderson, then lord chief justice, That the said Mother Jackson was wronged; and that the maid did counterfeit; whereupon the lord chief justice gave orders to Sir John Crook, then recorder of London, to make trial of them in his chamber at the Temple. The maid being sent for, came with her mother and divers of the neighbours; and about an hour after the witch was sent for, and was brought in disguised like a country-market woman, with a mufflet hiding her face, and an old hat, and a short cloak spattered with mire. When she entered the chamber, the maid suddenly fell down backward upon the floor, with her eyes drawn into her head, her tongue towards her throat, her mouth drawn up to her ear, her body be came stiff and senseless. Her lips being shut close, a plain and audible voice came out of her nostrils, saying, “Hang her, hang her.” Then did the recorder cry for a candle, and a sheet of paper, and held the paper flaming to her hand, till her hand did blister; the blister did break, and water came out which dropt down upon the floor, the maid lying still and senseless as a dead body, with the voice coming out of her nostrils, saying, “Hang her, hang her.” Then the recorder called for a long pin, which he held in the flame of the candle till it was very hot, and thrust the head of it into her nostrils, to see if that would make her sneeze, wink, or bend her brows, or stir her head, which she did not, but lay still as one dead and senseless. Then I told the recorder (said my author), that I had often prayed with the maid, and that when I did conclude with the Lord’s prayer, the maid, as soon as I said, “but deliver us from evil,” was tost up and shaken, as if a mastiff dog should take a little cur into his mouth and shake him. Then the recorder bade the witch say the Lord’s prayer, which she did, till she came to these words, “but deliver us from evil,” which she skipt over, and would by no means be brought to say them. Then they bade her rehearse the articles of the Christian faith, which she did till she came to these words, “our Lord,” that Jesus Christ was our Lord. I told the recorder also, that when the maid was in her senseless and dead fits, if the witch did but lay her hand upon her, she was tost and thrown towards her. Thereupon the recorder caused the maid to be taken up and laid upon a bed, and clothes to be laid upon her, especially her head, because she should not see nor hear. Then he made signs to the women to stand round about the bed, and that the witch should stand among them, and that every one should lay hands upon her softly, which they did; and the maid did not stir till the witch laid her hand upon her, then all the clothes were thrown off and the maid tost towards her. Whereupon the recorder, looking upon the witch, said, “Lord have mercy upon thee, woman!” and sent her to Newgate. Then as soon as she was gone, the voice that came out of the maid’s nostrils ceased, and she came to herself; and went home with her mother. About three weeks or a month after the witch was condemned, the maid continued every second day in most strange and fearful fits and torments. The recorder hearing of it, did blame me and all the ministers of London; and told me, That we might all be ashamed to see a child of God in the claws of the devil, without any hope of deliverance, but by such means as God hath appointed, viz. fasting and prayer. Within few days after, it pleased God to make me an instrument to draw five ministers, and other good Christians together, to set apart, and to join with me in that holy exercise, wherein we continued from morning till after candle lighting. Then on a sudden, after a fearful conflict, which did much amaze some, and caused them to cry with a confused noise, “Jesus save, Jesus help,” the maid did start out of a wand chair, where she sat, and with her strength did lift me up with her. I kneeling behind her, and holding her in my arms, she did throw white froth out of her throat and mouth round about the chamber, and on a sudden fell down into the chair as one truly dead, with her head hanging down into the chair, her neck and arms limber and souple, which before were stiff as a frozen thing; then suddenly life came into her whole body, and her eyes, which were drawn into her head, and her tongue, which was pulled into her throat, came into their right place. Then she looked up with a cheerful countenance round about the chamber, and with a loud voice spake, saying, “O he is come, he is come, the Comforter is come, the Comforter is come, I am delivered.” Her father hearing these words, wept for joy, and with a faultering voice, said, “O these were her grandfather’s words when he was at the stake, the fire crackling about him.” It seems he died a martyr in Queen Mary’s time. Then she kneeled down, and offered a sweet evening sacrifice of thanks and praise to God for her deliverance, till her voice grew weak. Then did the minister speak to her to forbear, and let one of them end the day with thanksgiving. And in regard that I (said the minister) had begun the day with prayer, the company desired me to make it end with thanksgiving. This being done, care was had of her to put her to some minister for a year, least Satan should assault her again; and, by common consent, she was put to me; and I took her home to my own house for being my servant for that time, and her mother and sister, and lodged them at my house in great Saint Helen’s, which then was my living. This relation was published in the year 1642, by the minister, whose name is Lewis Hughes, and is yet to be seen in print.