A detection of that sinnful, shamful, lying, and ridiculous discours, of Samuel Harshnet. entituled: A discouerie of the fravvdulent practises of Iohn Darrell wherein is manifestly and apparantly shewed in the eyes of the world. not only the vnlikelihoode, but the flate impossibilitie of the pretended counterfayting of William Somers, Thomas Darling, Kath. Wright, and Mary Couper, togeather with the other 7. in Lancashire, and the supposed teaching of them by the saide Iohn Darrell.

OF CHAP. 6.

Discouerer

A briefe of Katherin Wrights confession touchinge the beginning of her dissimulation, and of the reasons that moued her so to doe.

The generall cause it selfe touching the late attempts of castinge out the de¦uill, is of great importance: otherwise it is not vsuall, that matter•• so long past vz. about 13. or, 14. yeares should be searched into.

Darrell.

There is a cause then wee see of our attemtiinge, he meaneth pre∣tendinge to cast out Deuils, but what this cause should be, that is a se∣cret forsooth, we shall heare more of that another time, for the pre∣sente we must contente our selues with a generall notize of a genrall cause, and that (saith he) of a greate importance. It is to be thought ther¦fore and presumed that he meaneth the same cause which he speak∣eth of, Pag. 14. 15, that is, the setting vp of the Presbiteriall couceits, or discipline so long contended-for by some. VVhere-vnto we answerer (yf he meane so) as Nehemiah sometime did to Sanballat the enemie of the Iew••s: It is not done according to these wordes that thou saiest: for thou fainest them of thine owne harte.

Discouerer.

Katherin Wright being examined, confesseth vpon heroath, that in all the course of her pretended possession and dispossession, and of her fytts both b••∣fore and since, whatsoeuer shee did that semed to be extraordinarie, it was all dissembled.

Darrell

To get this confessiōn from this poore & simple maide (which is all that the Disc. hath to proue Katherin Wrights dissimulation) we•• must know, that the Commissioners (who were sent downe by the B. of London for the same purpose the president or principal where of for sooth was S. Harsnet. this Disc.) kept her with thē two halfe dayes and a nighte, and in the said time threatned to burne her sete if shee would not confesse that she had dissembled: as shee affirmed forthwith after shee came from the commissioners, bewaylinge her saide periurie. And herein S. Harsnet a commissioner was a principall agent. But be it granted that this her confession was voluntarie, and not extor∣ted, as the contrarye is manifest. Yet therein is she not to be beleiued because in so affirminge shee reporteth those thinges to haue bene

done by her selfe which she possiblye coulde not doe. For K. Wrighte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••yts did swell excedinglie in her body & necke, whence it came to pa••••e that the wente daylye with her petitioaie slacke laced to the length o•• one hande: somethinge also was sen••blye felt to stir vp & downe in her bodye,, as if it had bene some quicke thinge. shee was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of extraordinarie and supernaturall strength, and of such exce¦dinge wa••gn••, that 5. stronge men by reason of her waighte (she not str••••ing o•• ••••ug••inge at a••) could scarcelye carrye her a little waye, a••beit 〈◊〉〈◊〉 were then but of some, 16. or 17. yeares of age. To thesse I maye add this one pretie toye of the deuill, which I doe not see how it could possibly be counterfeite. She being at one M. Edwarde Beres∣fordes house, desirous to drinke, but could take none: M. Beresford him sei••e came and called for drincke, but as they held it to her mouthe, be••olde the drincke spirted vp out of the peice to the roofe of the parlour.

Discoverer

And this course she confesseth she hath helde from the time she began it, vnti•• the time almost of her examination, vzabout 13. or 14, yeares parte∣ly because shee was by that occasion much made of, and for that she feared. that if she had shewed her selfe to haue bene perfectly well for any long sea¦son, her ••ather in lawe would haue fallen to his former hard vsage of her.

Darrell

Yf K. Wright haue counterfeited, she hath theirin spent the prime of her 〈◊〉〈◊〉, from the age of 17. vntill about 30. theirby depriueing her selfe of many, if not of all the comforts of this life, as societie, marriage &c. who can now in any reason thinke, that a younge damsell to my remembrance of a comely feature and personage. de••irous enough (if not to much) of the pleasures of this life, would wittingly, and willing¦ly depriue her selfe of them all, and that for so many yeares together, and to such an end as heere is pretended. I deny not that K. Wright hath deposed that this was the reason of her counterfeitinge, But I trust S. Harsnet did thervnto by his slyghtes and deuises draw her & enti••e her. Neuertheles who of vnderstandinge will beleiue eyther him or her, seeing there were more easie and honest wayes to haue a∣voyded the hard vsage of her father in lawe, (to admit such vsage) then this of ••••ning to be possessed with the deuil? as either by going to ser¦vice, or coup••ing her selfe to some in honest mariage. And truly I can not out ••aru••le, that the hath not bene all this while wearie and dou¦ble wearie of counterfeiting and had her fill their of, seeinge shee hath continued so l••ng in the pra••tise of it. It is somethinge also that in all this time her counterfeiting hath not bene espied nor found out, till the D••s••ouer•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with his fellow commissioners. But this surpass∣eth

al the rest, that after so long coumterfeitinge about 14. yeare continuance. she is not yet punnished at all for her saide counterfeis¦ting, nor M. Sommers neither, nor any of the rest. Oh saith the Disc∣couerer concerninge K••. Wright, when she was examined she professed, that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 she would become a new•• wom••n, and leaue al her former d••ssi••ution. This then belike it satisfaction sufficiente for all her counterfeiting. As good a satisfaction are the like wordes vttered by a notorious theife, murtherer, or any other malefactors: & yet neuer the••es they are punished by the Christian magistrat, & so ought to be

Notes

• nehemiah. 6. ••
• pag. 27••.
• although aspirit 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be felt 〈…〉〈…〉 cause 〈…〉〈…〉 shu•• 〈…〉〈…〉 down 〈…〉〈…〉 was 〈…〉〈…〉 com 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉 de∣pos••ng 〈…〉〈…〉 est 〈…〉〈…〉 you 〈…〉〈…〉.
• pag 208.
• pag 19••.