why he did beare such hatred to the Kinge?' who aunswered,
'By reason the King is the greatest enemie hee hath in the world.' All
which their confessions and depositions are still extant upon record.
_Barbara Napier_, tried May 8, 1591. Released. Assisors tried June 7,
and acquitted. The said Barbara was accusit, that scho gaif hir
presens, in the maist develisch and tressonabill Conventioune, haldin
be hir and hir complices in the Divellis name, vpoune Lambmes-ewin
last, att the New-heavin callit Aitchesounes-heavin, betuix
Musselburcht and Prestonpannis, sin his Majestie come furth of
Denmark; quhair war assemblit nyne principallis, to witt, Agnes
Sampsoune, Jonett Straittoun, Ewfame McCalyeane, hir selff, Johne
Fiene, Robert Griersoun, George Moitis wyffe in Prestoune, Margrett
Thomsoune, and Donald Robesoune; quhilk is nyne persounes, the Devill,
quha wes with thame in liknes of ane blak man, thocht maist meit to do
the turne for the quhilk thay wer convenit; and thairfore, he sett
thame nyne nerrest to him selff, in ane cumpany; and thay, togidder
with the wyffe of Saltoune myle and the rest of the inferiouris, to
the nowmer of threttie persounes, standand skairse the lenth of ane
buird frae the foirsaid nyne persounes in ane vthir cumpany;[148]
Agnes Sampsoune proponit the distructioune of his hienes persoune,
saying to the Dewill, 'We haif ane turne ado, and we would fain be att
itt gif we could, and thairfore help ws to itt'. The Dewill ansuerit,
he sould do quhat he could, bott it wald be lang to, because it wald
be thoirterit [thwarted], and he promeist to hir and thame ane pictour
of walx, and ordenit hir and thame to hing, roist, and drop ane taid,
and to lay the droppis of the taid [mixed with other supposedly
virulent poisons], in his hienes way, quhair his Maiestie wald gang
inowre or outowre, or in ony passage quhair itt mycht drop vpoun his
hienes heid or body, for his hienes distructioune, that ane vther
mycht haif rewlit in his Maiesties place, and the ward [government]
mycht haif gane to the Dewill. Att the quhilk conventioune, his hienes
name wes pronunceit in Latine; and Agnes Sampsoune wes appointit to
mak the pictour and to gif it to the Devill to be inchantit, quhilk
scho maid in deid, and gaif itt to him; and he promiseit to giff it t
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