re very religious. One
woman, who had kept an imp for twenty-one years, "did resort to church
and had a desire to be rid of her unhappy burden."

[69] _I. e._, witches.

[70] This letter is printed by Gaule at the opening of his _Select Cases
of Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcrafts_.

[71] Stearne, 11; _cf._ below, appendix C, 1646 (pp. 405-406).

[72] That it was done by the justices of the peace is a probable
conclusion from Stearne's language. See his account of Joane Wallis, p.
13, also his account of John Wynnick, pp. 20-21. That the examinations
were in March and April (see John Davenport's account, _The Witches of
Huntingdon_) and the executions in May is a fact confirmatory of this;
see Stearne, 11. But it is more to the point that John Davenport
dedicates his pamphlet to the justices of the peace for the county of
Huntingdon, and says: "You were present, and Judges at the Tryall and
Conviction of them."

[73] The swimming ordeal was perhaps unofficial; see Stearne, 19.
Another case was that of Elizabeth Chandler, who was "duckt"; _Witches
of Huntingdon_, 8.

[74] Tilbrooke-bushes, Stearne, 11; Risden, _ibid._, 31.

[75] This may be inferred from Stearne's words: "but afterward I heard
that she made a very large confession," _ibid._, 31.

[76] Thomas Wright, John Ashton, J. O. Jones, and the other writers who
have dealt with Hopkins, speak of the Worcester trials, in 1647, in
which four women are said to have been hanged. Their statements are all
based upon a pamphlet, _The Full Tryals, Examination, and Condemnation
of Four Notorious Witches at the Assizes held at Worcester on Tuseday
the 4th of March.... Printed for I. W._ What seems to have been the
first edition of this brochure bears no date. In 1700 another edition
was printed for "J. M." in Fleet Street. Some writer on witchcraft
gained the notion that this pamphlet belonged in the year 1647 and dealt
with events in that year. Wright, John Ashton, and W. H. Davenport Adams
(_Witch, Warlock, and Magician_, London, 1889), all accept this date. An
examination of the pamphlet shows that it was cleverly put together from
the _True and Exact Relation_ of 1645. The four accused bear the names
of four of those accused at Chelmsford, and make, with a few
differences, the same confessions. See below, appendix A, Sec. 4, for a
further discussion of this pamphlet. It is strange that so careful a
student as Thomas Wright should have been deceived by thi