Part 30 (1/2)

Three Elizabethan ballads on witches are noted by Hazlitt, _Bibliographical Collections and Notes_, 2d series (London, 1882): _A warnynge to wytches_, published in 1585, _The scratchinge of the wytches_, published in 1579, and _A lamentable songe of Three Wytches of Warbos, and executed at Huntingdon_, published in 1593. Already in 1562-3 ”a boke int.i.tuled _A poosye in forme of a visyon, agaynste wytche Crafte, and Sosyrye_,” written ”in myter” by John Hall, had been published (_Stationers' Registers_, 1557-1570, p. 78).

Some notion of the first step in the Elizabethan procedure against a witch may be gathered from the specimens of ”indictments” given in the old formula book of William West, _Simboleography_ (pt. ii, first printed in 1594). Three specimens are given; two are of indictments ”For killing a man by witchcraft upon the statute of Anno 5. of the Queene,”

the third is ”For bewitching a Horse, whereby he wasted and became worse.” As the doc.u.ments in such bodies of models are usually genuine papers with only a suppression of the names, it is probable that the dates a.s.signed to the indictments noted--the 34th and 35th years of Elizabeth--are the true ones, and that the initials given, ”S. B. de C.

in comit. H. vidua,” ”Marg' L. de A. in com' E. Spinster,” and ”Sara B.

de C. in comitatu Eb. vidua,” are those of the actual culprits and of their residences. Yorks.h.i.+re is clearly one of the counties meant. It was, moreover, West's own county.

-- 2.--The Exorcists (see ch. IV).

The account of Elizabethan exorcism which we have given is necessarily one-sided. It deals only with the Puritan movement--if Darrel's work may be so called--and does not treat the Catholic exorcists. We have omitted the performances of Father Weston and his coadjutors because they had little or no relation to the subject of witchcraft. Those who wish to follow up this subject can find a readable discussion of it by T. G. Law in the _Nineteenth Century_ for March, 1894, ”Devil Hunting in Elizabethan England.”

It is a rather curious fact that the Puritan exorcist has never, except for a few pages by S. R. Maitland, in his _Puritan Thaumaturgy_ (London, 1842), been made a study. Without doubt he, his supporters, and his enemies were able between them to make a noise in their own time. To be convinced of that one need only read the early seventeenth-century dramatists. It may possibly be that Darrel was not the mere impostor his enemies pictured him. Despite his trickery it may be that he had really a certain hypnotic control over William Somers and perhaps over Katherine Wright.

Whatever else Darrel may have been, he was a ready pamphleteer. His career may easily be traced in the various brochures put forth, most of them from his own pen. Fortunately we have the other side presented by Samuel Harsnett, and by two obscure clergymen, John Deacon and John Walker. The following is a tentative list of the printed pamphlets dealing with the subject:

_A Breife Narration of the possession, dispossession, and repossession of William Sommers: and of some proceedings against Mr. John Dorrel preacher, with aunsweres to such objections.... Together with certaine depositions taken at Nottingham ..., 1598._ Black letter. This was written either by Darrel or at his instigation.

_An Apologie, or defence of the possession of William Sommers, a yong man of the towne of Nottingham.... By John Darrell, Minister of Christ Jesus...._ [1599?] Black letter. This work is undated, but, to judge from the preface, it was probably written soon after both Darrel and More were imprisoned. It is quite clear too that it was written before Harsnett's _Discovery of the Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel_, for Darrel says that he hears that the Bishop of London is writing a book against him.

_The Triall of Maist. Dorrel, or A Collection of Defences against Allegations.... 1599._ This seems written by Darrel himself; but the Huth catalogue (V, 1643) ascribes it to James Bamford.

_A brief Apologie proving the possession of William Sommers. Written by John Dorrel, a faithful Minister of the Gospell, but published without his knowledge.... 1599._

_A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises of John Darrel, Bacheler of Artes ..._, London, 1599. The ”Epistle to the Reader” is signed ”S. H.,”

_i. e._, Samuel Harsnett, then chaplain to the Bishop of London. The book is an exposure, in 324 pages, of Darrel's various impostures, and is based mainly on the depositions given in his trial at Lambeth.

_A True Narration of the strange and grevous Vexation by the Devil of seven persons in Lancas.h.i.+re ..., 1600._ Written by Darrel. Reprinted in 1641 with the t.i.tle _A True Relation of the grievous handling of William Somers of Nottingham_. It is again reprinted in the _Somers Tracts_, III, and is the best known of the pamphlets.

_A True Discourse concerning the certaine possession and dispossession of 7 persons in one familie in Lancas.h.i.+re, which also may serve as part of an Answere to a fayned and false Discoverie.... By George More, Minister and Preacher of the Worde of G.o.d ..., 1600._ More was Darrel's a.s.sociate in the Cleworth performances and suffered imprisonment with him.

_A Detection of that sinnful, shamful, lying, and ridiculous discours of Samuel Harshnet._ 1600. This is Darrel's most abusive work. He takes up Harsnett's points one by one and attempts to answer them.

_Dialogicall Discourses of Spirits and Divels by John Deacon [and] John Walker, Preachers_, London, 1601.

_A Summarie Answere to al the Material Points in any of Master Darel his bookes, More especiallie to that one Booke of his, int.i.tuled, the Doctrine of the Possession and Dispossession of Demoniaks out of the word of G.o.d. By John Deacon [and] John Walker, Preachers_, London, 1601.

The ”one Booke” now answered is a part of Darrel's _A True Narration_.

The _Discourses_ are dedicated to Sir Edmund Anderson and other men eminent in the government and offer in excuse that ”the late bred broyles ... doe mightilie over-runne the whole Realme.”

_A Survey of Certaine Dialogical Discourses, written by John Deacon and John Walker ... By John Darrell, minister of the gospel ..., 1602._

_The Replie of John Darrell, to the Answer of John Deacon, and John Walker concerning the doctrine of the Possession and Dispossession of Demoniakes ..., 1602._

Harsnett's second work must not be omitted from our account. In his famous _Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures_, 1603 and 1605, he shows to even better advantage than in the earlier work his remarkable talents as an exposer and gives freer play to his wicked humor.

_A True and Breife Report of Mary Glover's Vexation, and of her deliverance by the meanes of fastinge and prayer.... By John Swan, student in Divinitie ..., 1603._

This narrates another exorcism in which a number of clergymen partic.i.p.ated. Swan, the author, in his dedication to the king, takes up the cudgels vigorously against Harsnett. Elizabeth Jackson was accused of having bewitched her, and was indicted. Justice Anderson tried the case and showed himself a confirmed believer in witchcraft. But the king was of another mind and sent, to examine the girl, a physician, Dr.

Edward Jorden, who detected her imposture and explained it in his pamphlet, _A briefe discourse of a disease called the Suffocation of the Mother, Written uppon occasion which hath beene of late taken thereby, to suspect possession of an evill spirit...._ (London, 1603). He was opposed by the author of a book still unprinted, ”Mary Glover's late woefull case ... by Stephen Bradwell.... 1603” (Brit. Mus., Sloane, 831). But see also below, appendix C, under 1602-1603.

One other pamphlet dealing with this same episode must be mentioned.