be
carried away in the district of Elfdale, since some
witches had been burnt there, remained unmolested."

An elaborate report of the peculiar proceedings says:--

"That day," _i.e._ the 13th of August, "the last
humiliation-day instituted by authority for removing
of this judgment, the commissioners went to church,
where there appeared a considerable assembly.... Two
sermons were preached, in which the miserable case of
those people, that suffered themselves to be deluded
by the devil, was laid open....

"Public worship being over, all the people of the town
were called together to the parson's house; nearly
three thousand of them attended.

"Next day the commissioners met again, consulting how
they might withstand this dangerous flood. After long
deliberation, they resolved to execute such as the
matter of fact could be proved upon. Examination being
made, there were discovered no less than threescore
and ten witches in the village. Three and twenty of
whom, freely confessing their crimes, were condemned
to die. The rest pleading not guilty, were sent to
Fabluna, where most of them were afterwards executed.

"Fifteen children, who likewise confessed they were
engaged in the witchery, died as the rest; six and
thirty youths, between nine and sixteen years of age,
who had been less guilty, were forced to run the
gauntlet; twenty more, who had no great inclination,
yet had been seduced to those hellish enterprises,
because they were very young, were condemned to be
lashed with rods upon their hands for three Sundays
together at the church door; and the aforesaid six and
thirty were also doomed to be lashed this way once a
week for a whole year together. The number of the
seduced children was about three hundred.

"Several of the witches were asked how they were able
to carry so many children with them; and they
answered, that they came into the chamber where the
children lay, laid hold of them, and asked them
whether they would go to a feast with them? to which
some answered yes, others no; yet they were all forced
to go. They only gave the children a shirt, a coat,
and a doublet, which was either red or blue, and so
they did set them upon a beast of the devil'