ength his constancy,
hitherto sustained, as the bystanders supposed, by the help of
the devil, was fairly overcome; and he gave an account of a great
witch-meeting at North Berwick, where they paced round the church
_withershins_--i. e. in reverse of the motion of the sun. Fian
then blew into the lock of the church door, whereupon the bolts
gave way: the unhallowed crew entered, and their master the devil
appeared to his servants in the shape of a black man occupying
the pulpit. He was saluted with a "Hail, Master!" but the company
were dissatisfied with his not having brought a picture of the
king, repeatedly promised, which was to place his Majesty at the
mercy of this infernal crew.... The devil, on this memorable
occasion, forgot himself, and called Fian by his own name instead
of the demoniacal sobriquet of Rob the Rowan, which had been
assigned to him as Master of the Rows or Rolls. This was
considered as bad taste; and the rule is still observed at every
rendezvous of forgers, smugglers, or the like, where it is
accounted very indifferent manners to name an individual by his
own name in case of affording ground of evidence which may upon
a day of trial be brought against him. Satan, something
disconcerted, concluded the evening with a divertissement and
a dance after his own manner. The former consisted in disinterring
a new-buried corpse, and dividing it in fragments among
the company; and the ball was maintained by well-nigh two
hundred persons, who danced a ring dance.... Dr. Fian, muffled,
led the ring, and was highly honoured, generally acting as
clerk or recorder. King James was deeply interested in those
mysterious meetings, and took great delight to be present at the
examinations of the accused. He sent for Geillis Duncan, and
caused her to play before him the same tune to which Satan and
his companions led the brawl in North Berwick churchyard. His
ears were gratified in another way: for at this meeting it was
said the witches demanded of the devil why he did bear such
enmity against the king, who returned the flattering answer,
that the king was the greatest enemy whom he had in the world.
Almost all these poor wretches were executed: nor did Euphane
MacCalzean's station in life save her from the common doom, which
was strangling to death and burning to ashes thereafter. The
majority of the jury which tried Barbara Napier, having acquitted
her of attendance at the North Berwick meeting, were themselve