idence of the greatest criminals and of the
youngest age, the commission began by examining the children,
three hundred in number, claiming to be bewitched, confronting
them with the witches who had, according to the indictment,
been the means of the devil's seduction. They were strictly
interrogated whether they were certain of the fact of having been
actually carried away by the devil in his proper person. Being
answered in the affirmative, the royal commissioners proceeded to
demand of the accused themselves, 'Whether the confessions of
those children were true, and admonished them to confess the
truth, that they might turn away from the devil unto the living
God. At first most of them did very stiffly, and without shedding
the least tear, deny it, though much against their will and
inclination. After this the children were examined every one by
themselves, to see whether their confessions did agree or no; and
the commissioners found that all of them, except some very little
ones, which could not tell all the circumstances, did punctually
agree in their confessions of particulars. In the meanwhile, the
commissioners that were of the clergy examined the witches, but
could not bring them to any confession, all continuing steadfast
in their denials, till at last some of them burst out into tears,
and their confession agreed with what the children said; and
these expressed their abhorrence of the fact, and begged pardon,
adding that the devil, whom they called _Locyta_, had stopped the
mouths of some of them, so loath was he to part with his prey,
and had stopped the ears of others. And being now gone from them,
they could no longer conceal it, for they had now perceived his
treachery.' The Elfdale witches were induced to announce--'We of
the province of Elfdale do confess that we used to go to a
gravel-pit which lies hard by a cross-way, and there we put on a
vest over our heads, and then danced round; and after this ran to
the cross-way and called the devil thrice, first with a still
voice, the second time somewhat louder, and the third time very
loud, with these words, "Antecessor, come and carry us to
Blockula." Whereupon immediately he used to appear, but in
different habits; but for the most part we saw him in a grey
coat and red and blue stockings.[154] He had a red beard, a
high-crowned hat with linen of divers colours wrapt about it, and
long garters about upon his stockings. Then he asked us whether
we would