The examination of John Walsh before Maister Thomas Williams, commissary to the Reuerend father in God William Bishop of Excester, vpon certayne interrogatories touchyng wytchcrafte and sorcerye, in the presence of diuers ge[n]tlemen and others. The .xxiii. of August. 1566.

¶ The examina∣tion of Iohn Walsh of Dor∣setshere, touching Witch∣craft and Sorcerie.

THe Tewsday being the. xx. daye of August. 1566. there was examined before maister Thomas Williams (Cō∣missary to the reuerend Father in God William Bishop of Excester) one Iohn Walsh, vpon certaiue Interrogatories touchyng Wytchcraft, in the house of Mayster Thomas Sinkeler, keeper of the Shiriffes warde, in the presence of Iohn Butler, and Robert Buller Gen∣tlemen, William Blachford aud Iohn Bordfield.

¶He being first demaunded of his habitacion, he said that he dwelt in a pa¦rish called Netherberry in Dorsetshere.

Secondly, beyng asked whether he were euer syr Robert Draitons man, he said that he was retaining vnto him by the space of. vii. yeares.

Thirdly, being demaunded whether he did practise any Phisicke or Surge∣ry: he sayde that he doth practise both, for the Tisicke and the Agues, and that he hath practised thys Phisicke by the space of these. v. yeares, sithens his mai¦ster syr Robert of Dreiton died.

Fourthly, being demaunded of whom he learned his Phisicke and Surgery: he aunswered that he learned it of hys maister syr Robert of Dreiton.

Fiftly, being demaunded whether he doth it by Arte naturally, or els by anye other secrete or priuy meanes: He aun∣swered that hee vseth hys Phisicke or Surgerie by Arte, naturallye practised by him as he sayth, & not by anye other yll or secrete meanes. And yet he being demaūded whether he knew y^e natural operatiō of y^e herbs, as whither thei wet hot or cold and in what degre they wer hot or cold: he answered he could not tel

Sixtlye, he being demaunded whe∣ther he had a Familiar or not: he aun∣swered and denied vtterlye that he had

none about hym, neyther in anye other place of this worlde, eyther aboue the ground, or vnder the ground, either in any place secrete or open.

Seuenthly, he being demaūded how he knoweth when anye man is bewyt∣ched: He sayth that he knew it partlye by the Feries, and saith that ther be. iii. kindes of Feries, white, greene, & black. Which when he is disposed to vse, hee speaketh with them vpon hyls, where as there is great heapes of earth, as namely in Dorsetshiere. And betwene the houres of. xii. and one at noone, or at midnight he vseth them. Whereof (he sayth) the blacke Feries be the woorst. Also he saith that he had a booke of hys said maister, which had great circles in it▪ wherein he would set two waxe can∣dels a crosse of virgin waxe, to raise the familiar spirite. Of whom he woulde then aske for any thing stollen, who dyd it, and where the thing stollen was left, and thereby did know, and also by the Feries he knoweth who be bewitched.

Eightly, he being demaunded whe∣ther he had euer any Familiar or no: he sayth that he had one of his sayde may∣ster. Which Familiar (after his booke of Circles was taken from him by one Ro¦bert Baber of Crokehorne, then beyng Constable, in the yeare. 1565) he coulde neuer do any thing touching his Fami∣liar, nor the vse thereof, but hys Famili∣ar dyd then depart from him, and wyll neuer come to him agayne, as he sayth. And further he sayth vpon his oth, that his Familiar would somtyme come vn∣to hym lyke a gray blackish Culuer, and somtime lyke a brended Dog, and som∣times lyke a man in all proportions, sa∣uing that he had clouen feete.

Ninthly, he being demaunded howe long he had the vse of the Familiar: He sayd one yeare by his sayd maisters life, and. iiii. yeres after his death. And whē he would call him for a horse stollen, or for any other matter wherein he would vse him: hee sayth hee must geue hym

some lyuing thing, as a Chicken, a Cat, or a Dog. And further he sayth he must geue hym twoo lyuing thynges once a yeare. And at the first time when he had the Spirite, hys sayd maister did cause him to deliuer him one drop of his blud, whych bloud the Sprite did take away vpon hys paw.

Tenthly, he sayth that when the Fa∣miliar should doo any thing at his com∣maundement, in going anye arrant: he would not go, except fyrst two wax can∣dels of Uirgin waxe shoulde first haue bene layd a crosse vpon the Circle, wyth a little Frankensence, and saynt Iohns woorte, and once lighted, and so put out agayne: which Frankensence must be layd then at euery end of the candel, as he saith a crosse, and also a litle Franken¦sence with saynt Iohns woort burned vpon the grounde, or euer the Familiar would go, and that would force hym to go the message, and returne agayne at the houre appoynted.

Eleuenthly, he being asked whether they y^t do good to such as ar bewitched, cannot also do hurt if they list. Whereto he answered, he that doth hurt, can ne∣uer heale againe any man, nor can at a∣ny time do good. Howbeit he saith that he whych hath but the gyft of healyng, may do hurt if he list, but his gift of hea¦lyng can neuer returne agayne to anye vther persons vse.

Twelftly, he being demaunded whe∣ther that any of the three kindes of Fei∣ties, when they did hurt, dyd it of theyr own malignity, or of the prouocation of anye wicked man? He aunswered that they doo hurt of their owne malignitie, and not prouoked by anye manne, and that thei haue power vpon no man, but vpon suche as onelye doo want fayth, which is y^e cause why they haue power more of some persons, then of anye o∣thers. Furthermore, he being demaun∣ded to what end the Familiar dyd serue them? He aunswered that hee serueth

for no purpose, but to search out things theft stollē, & for no other purpose at al. He being further demaunded to what end y^e Spirits, in the likenes of Todes and the pictures of man or womā made in wax or clay, doo serue? He sayde, that Pictures made in wax, wyll cause the partye (for whom it is made) to conti∣nue sycke twoo whole yeares: because it will be two whole yeares ere the wax wyll be consumed. And as for the Pic∣tures of claye, their confection is after this maner. They vse to take the earth of a new made graue, the ryb bone of a man or woman burned to ashes, if it be for a woman, they take the bone of a woman, if for a man, the bone of a man, and a blacke Spider, with an inner pith of an elder, tempered all in water, in the which water the sayd Todes must fyrst be washed. And after al ceremonies en∣ded, they put a pricke, that is, a pyn or a thorne in any member wher they wold haue the party greued. And if the sayde

pricke be put to the hart, the party dieth within nine daies. Which Image they burne in the moste moystest place they can finde. And as touching the vsing of the Todes, the which he sayth haue se∣ueral names: som they cal great Brow∣ning, or little Brownyng, or Bonne, great Tom Twite, or litle Tō Twite, with other like names: Which Todes being called, the Witches strike with. ii. withie sperres on both sydes of y^e head, and saith to the Spirit their Pater no∣ster backward, beginning at the ende of the Pater noster, but they wyll neuer say their Creede. And when he is stric∣ken, they commaunde the Tode to hurt such a man or womā as he would haue hurted. Whereto if he swell, he will goo wher he is apointed, either to the deiry, brewhouse, or to the dry kill of malt, or to the Cattel in the field, to the stable, to the shepefold, or to any other like pla∣ces, and so returne agayne to his place. The bodies of men or women bee hurt

by the Images before named, & mens goods & Cattels be hurt by the Todes, in commaunding and vsing them, as a∣foresaid, as he sayth. And if the Tode called forth, as afore said, do not swell, then will the Witch that vseth them cal forth an other to do the act, which if hee do not, then will they spy an other tyme when they maye cause the partye to be found lacking fayth, or els to bee more voide of grace, where he or they may be hurt. Furthermore he saith, that who so doth once a day saye the Lordes prayer and his Creede in perfite charitie, the Witch shall haue no power on hys body or goodes for that day.

Xiii. He beyng demaunded whether that those which doo heale men or wo∣men, being hurted by Witches, can find out those Images vnder ground, wher with they were tormented? He affyr∣meth they can

And. xiiii. he being demaunded whe∣ther he him selfe eyther hath or had at

any time any such Tode, or that euer he made anye suche Images to hurt man, woman, or childe? He affirmeth by the othe which he hath taken, that he neuer had suche Todes, or euer made suche Images.

And. xv. he being demaunded, whe∣ther that euer he dyd anye hurt to man, woman, or childe, or to their goodes or Cattels? He sayth by the othe that he hath taken, that he neuer did any such hurt either in body or goodes.

(∴)