heet, and an enchanted ring
for love-charms. She also said that Geillis Duncan, the informer, went
before them, playing on the Jew's harp, and the dance she played was
Gyllatripes; which so delighted gracious Majesty, greedy of infernal news,
that he sent on the instant to Geillis, to play the same tune before him;
which she did "to his great pleasure and amazement." Furthermore, Agnes
Sampson confessed that, on asking Satan why he hated King James, and so
greatly wished to destroy him, the foul fiend answered: "Because he is the
greatest enemy I have;" adding, that he was "un homme de Dieu," and that
Satan had no power against him. A pretty piece of flattery, but availing
the poor wise wife nothing as time went on. Her indictment was very heavy;
fifty-three counts in all; for the most part relating to the curing of
disease by charm and incantation, and to foreknowledge of sickness or
death. Thus, she took on herself the sickness of Robert Kerse in Dalkeith,
then cast it back, by mistake, on Alexander Douglas, intending it for a
cat or a dog: and she put a powder containing dead men's bones under the
pillow of Euphemia Macalzean, when in the pains of childbirth, and so got
her safely through. As she went on, and grew more thoroughly weakened in
mind and body, she owned to still more monstrous things. Item, to having a
familiar, in shape of a dog by name Elva, whom she called to her by "Hola!
master!" and conjured away "by the law he lived on." This dog or devil
once came so near to her that she was "fleyt," but she charged him by the
law he lived on to come no nearer to her, but to answer her
honestly--"Should old Lady Edmistoune live?" "Her days were gane," said
Elva; "and where were the daughters?" "They said they would be there,"
said Agnes. He answered, one of them should be in peril, and that he
should have one of them. "It sould nocht be sa," cried the wise wife; so
he growled and went back into the well. Another time she brought him forth
out of the well to show to Lady Edmistoune's daughters, and he frightened
them half to death, and would have devoured one of them had not Agnes and
the rest gotten a grip of her and drawn her back. She sent a letter to
Marian Leuchope, to raise a wind that should prevent the queen from
coming; and she caused a ship, 'The Grace of God,' to perish--the devil
going before, while she and the rest sailed over in a flat boat, entered
unseen, ate of the best, and swamped the vessel afterw