more, he accused another still, a woman of
Lauder. The magistrate kept the secret, wishing to wait until some of the
accused were "emptied out," having nowhere to put her; but the devil,
always at mischief, went to her in the night time, and told her what Hob
Grieve had said. Next day she arose and came to the prison, railing at
Hob, calling him warlock and slave to the devil, and what not. She was
told to go home, but she sat down on the Tolbooth stairs, and said she
would never stir until she and that slave of Satan had been confronted.
The bailie himself came to her, and told her to go home; but that was too
mild a proceeding. "No," she cried, "I must be set face to face with that
rascal who has delated me, an honest woman, for a witch." She was set face
to face with him, and she fell down on her bare knees, and cursed him.
Says she, "Thou common thief, how dare thou for thy soul say that ever
before this time thou saw me or I saw thee, or ever was in thy company,
either alone or with others?" Hob listened to her railings patiently, till
commanded by the bailie to speak, when says he, "How came she then to know
that I had called her a witch? Surely none but the devil, thy old master
and mine, has told thee so much." "The devil and thou perish together, for
he is not my master though he be thine. I defy the devil and all his
works!" said the woman. Then Hob reminded her of the many times and places
where they had met while in the same service; whereat she cried, "Now I
perceive that the devil is a lyar and a murderer from the beginning, for
this night he came to me, and told me to come and abuse thee; and never
come away till I was confronted with thee, and he assured me that thou
would deny all and say, thou false tongue, thou lyest!" She then confessed
all with which she was charged, and was executed. Hob was a very penitent
sinner: being now a mere lunatic, he was easy to manage, and exceeding
confidential in his confessions. He said that once in Musselburgh water
the devil had tried to drown him when he had a heavy creil on his back;
and even since he had been in prison he had come to cast him into the
fire. But though there was a very crowd "fylit" by this poor maniac, he
was innocent of the death of a certain woman who was hanged a short time
after. The magistrates, glutted to satiety with victims, wanted to save
her; but she would accept no chance offered to her. She had been fyled as
a witch, she said, and as a w