nock him down and make him shake
his heels, yea, the jailor's wife did beat him divers times, and swore
she would have his blood, or he should have hers. To which he
answered, "Woman, I would not have thine."'[29]

One of James' own letters remains written about this time: 'The day I
came in from the Assize,' he says, 'there was a friend or two with me
in the jaylor's house, and the jaylor's wife sent her man to call me
from them and to put me into a yard, and would not suffer my friends
to come at me. And one friend brought me water, and they would not
suffer her to come to me, but made her carry it back again.'

The name of this woman Friend is not given in this letter, but I
daresay we shall not be far wrong if we fill it in for ourselves here,
and think of her as the same Anne Langley, who would not be kept out
of the prison later on. Other people mention her by name. It is only
in little James' own account that her name does not appear. Perhaps
the tie that bound them was something more than friendship, and he did
not wish her to suffer for her love and faith.

James' letter continues: 'At night they locked me up into a hole with
a condemned man ... and the same day a friend desired the jaylor's
wife that she would let her come and speak with me, and the jaylor's
wife answered her and the other friends who were with her, calling
them "Rogues, witches ... and the devil's dish washers" ... and other
names, and saying "that they had skipped out of hell when the devil
was asleep!" and much more of the same unchristian-like speeches which
is too tedious to relate.... And thus they make a prey upon the
innocent; and when they do let any come to me they would not let them
stay but very little,' (Poor James! the visits were all too short, and
the lonely hours alone all too long for the prisoner) 'and the
jaylor's wife would threaten to pull them down the stairs.... And
swore that she would have my blood several times, and told my friends
so, and that she would mark my face, calling me witch and rogue, shake
hell ... and the like; and because I did reprove her for her
wickedness, the jaylor hath given order that none shall come to me at
any occasion, but only one or two that brings my food.'

Even this small mercy was not to be allowed much longer. The account
of the Colchester Friend continues: 'And sometimes they would stop any
from bringing him victuals, and set the prisoners to take his victuals
from him; and when h