ton of Tranent, had a half-crazed
servant-girl, one Geillis Duncan, whose conduct in suddenly taking "in
hand to helpe all such as were troubled or grieved with anie kinde of
sicknes or infirmitie," excited the righteous suspicions of her master. To
make sure he tortured her, without trial, judge, or jury; first, by the
"pillie-winks" or thumbscrews, and then by "thrawing,"--wrenching, or
binding her head with a rope--an intensely agonizing process, and one that
generally comes in as part of the service of justice done to witch and
wizard. Not confessing, even under these persuasions, she was "searched,"
and the mark was found on her throat: whereupon she at once confessed;
accusing, among others, the defunct John Fian, or Cuningham, Agnes Sampson
at Haddington, "the eldest witch of them all," Agnes Tompson of Edinburgh,
and Euphemia Macalzean, daughter of Lord Cliftonhall, one of the senators
of the College of Justice. Agnes Sampson's trial came first. She was a
grave, matronlike, well-educated woman, "of a rank and comprehension above
the vulgar, grave and settled in her answers, which were to some purpose,"
and altogether a woman of mark and character. She was commonly called the
"grace wyff" or "wise wyff" of Keith; and, doubtless, her superior
reputation brought on her the fateful notice of the half-crazed girl; also
it procured her the doubtful honour of being carried to Holyrood, there to
be examined by the king himself. At first she quietly and firmly denied
all that she was charged with, but after having been fastened to the
witches' bridle,[7] kept without sleep, her head shaved and thrawn with a
rope, searched, and pricked, she, too, confessed whatever blasphemous
nonsense her accusers chose to charge her with, to the wondrous
edification of her kingly inquisitor. She said that she and two hundred
other witches went to sea on All-Halloween, in riddles or sieves, making
merry and drinking by the way: that they landed at North Berwick church,
where, taking hands, they danced around, saying--

"Commer goe ye before! commer goe ye!
Gif ye will not goe before, commer let me!"

Here they met the devil, like a mickle black man, as John Fian had said,
and he marked her on the right knee; and this was the time when he made
them all so angry by calling Robert Grierson by his right name, instead of
Rob the Rower, or Ro' the Comptroller. When they rifled the graves, as
Fian had said, she got two joints, a winding-s