VPon the nineth day of May last past Anno. 1584. Th [...]re was a Yeoman of honest re­putation, dwelling in the Towne of Dichet, which is within three miles of Bru­ton (the most auncient Towne within Sō ­merset shire) whose name is Stephen Cooper (a man of good wealth and well beloued of his neighbours:) who being sicke, and lying in a weake state, sent his wife (whose name was Margeret Cooper) vppon the nineth daie of Maie last past into Gloster-shire, to take order concerning a Farme whiche he hath in a Villedge called Rockhampton, alias Rockington, at whose comming thether, it seemed all things were not according to her minde. Thus continuing there one daie and something more, she returned home to her husbande, partly agreeued at suche thinges as she thought her husbande might reforme [Page] if GOD lent him life. Now when she was come home againe to Dichet, she founde her husband recouered to an indifferent health: to whom she began to vse very muche idle talke, aswell concerning the same Farme, as also concerning an old groate which her sonne (being a little boy) had found abought one weeke before. Thus she continued (as it were one that had been bewitched or haū ­ted with some euill spirite) vntill Tuesdaie at night following, whiche night she tooke her rest something indifferently vntill to­wardes the morning: at whiche time she be­gan with much vaine speech to disquiet her husbande, and to vse much idle talke: but her husbande seeing her in such a minde, and fin­ding that she was as it were one that were desperate, he perswaded her to call vppon God, and that being the creature of God she should not forget to call vppon her Creator in the daie of trouble: wherefore he counsel­led her to praie with him, and to saie the Lordes Prayer after him, whiche she partly did: But the deuill who alwaie doth builde his Chappell so neere as hee maie to vexe Gods Church, began to withdraw her from Prayer, and put her in minde to call in most [Page] fearfull sorte for the groate which her sonne had lately founde, as also for her Wedding ring, desiring to see them with all speede: her husbande made no great hast thereunto, but continued in praier, that it would please God to sende her a more quiet spirite, and to strengthen her, that faithe might speedely vanquishe such vanitie in her. But the more he praied and perswaded her to Praier, the more she seemed to bee as it were troubled with some euill Spirite, calling still for the olde groate whiche her husbande neglected to shew her: whereat she began with a very sterne and staring countenaunce to looke on her husbande in most wonderfull sorte, as that he was sore frighted with the same. Thē he called for her Sister, for that he was not able to keepe her in the bed: which when her Sister and other were come into the Cham­ber, they kept her downe violently in y^e bed: and forthwith she was so sore tormented that she fomed at the mouth, and was shakē with suche force that the Bedd and the Chamber did shake and moue in most straunge sorte: her husbande continued praying for her de­liueraunce: so that within one halfe hower after her shaking was left, she began to tell [Page] them that she had been in the Toune to beat awaie the Beare whiche followed her into the Yarde when she came out of the Coun­trie, which to her thinking had no hed. Then her husbande and freendes perswaded her to leaue those vaine imaginations, perswa­ding her that it was nothing but the light­nesse of her braine whiche was become idle for want of rest. Wherfore her husband and freendes perswaded her to saie the Lordes Praier with them, which she did, and after tooke some small rest: And thus she remai­ned vntill the Sunday following: in which time she continued raging as it were be­straught of her memorie, whiche came by fittes, to the greate greefe of her husbande, freendes and neighbours. Vppon the Sat­terdaie following there was good hope of her recouerie, for that she in the night before had taken some reasonable rest: her freendes and neighbours came to comforte her, yet sometime she would talke somewhat idely to them, which came by small fittes. And vp­pon the Sundaie she seemed very patient and confirmable to reason, vntill midnight: at which time the Candle which was set vp burning in the same Chamber was burned [Page] out: She then suddenly waking called to her husbande and cryed out, saying, that she did see a straunge thing like vnto a Snaile, carrying fire in most wonderful sort: Wher­at her husbande was amazed: and seeing the Candle was cleane burnt out, called to his Brother and her Sister (whiche were in the house with other of their freendes watching and sitting vp, to comfort her if her extreame fitt should any way molest her) who hearing her husbande call, came in and brought a Candle lighted and set it on the table, which stood neere where the woman laie: She be­gan then to waxe as one very fearefull, say­ing to her husbande and the rest, doe you not see the Deuill: whereat they desired her to remember God and to cal for grace, that her faith might bee onely fixed vppon him to the vanquishing of the Deuill, and his assaults. Well (quoth she) if you see nothing now, you shall see something by and by: and forth­with they heard a noise in the streete as it had been the cōming of two or three Carts, and presently they in the Chamber cried out saying: Lord helpe vs what maner of thing is this that commeth here. Then her hus­bande looking vp in his bedd espied a thing [Page] come to the bedd muche like vnto a Beare, but it had no head nor no taile, halfe a yarde in length and halfe a yarde in height: her husbande seeing it come vp to the bed, rose vp and tooke a ioyned stoole and stroke at the saied thing, the stroke sounded as though he had stroken vppon a Featherbedd: then it came to the woman and stroke her three ti­mes vpon the feete, and tooke her out of the bed, and so roulled her to & fro in the Cham­ber, and vnder the bed: The people there pre­sent to the number of seuen persons were so greatly amazed with this horrible sight, that they knewe not what to doe, yet they called still vpon God for his assistaunce: but the Candle was so dimme that they could scarsly sée one another. At the last this Mon­ster whiche we suppose to be the Deuill, did thrust the womans hed betwixt her legges, and so roulled her in a rounde compasse like an Hoope through three other Chambers downe an high paire of staires in the Hall, where he kept her the space of a quarter of an hower: Her husbande and they in the Chamber aboue durst not come downe to her, but remained in praier weeping at the staiers head, greeuously lamenting to see [Page] her so caried away. There was suche an hor­rible stincke in the Hall, and suche fierie fla­mes, that they were glad to stoppe their no­ses with cloathes and napkins. Then the woman cried out calling to her husbande, now he is gone: then (quoth he) in the name of God come vp to me, and so euen vpon the suddaine she was come so quickly that they greatly marueiled at it. Then they brought her to bedd, and fower of them kept downe the cloathes about the bedd, and continued in Praier for her. The Candle in the Cham­ber could not burne cleere but was very dimme, and suddenly the woman was got out of the bed, and the windowe at the beds hed opened, whether the woman did vnpin the windowe, or how it came to passe they knewe not, but it was opened, and the wo­mans legges after a marueilous maner thrust out at the windowe, so that they were clasped about the post in the middle of the windowe betweene her legges: The people in the Chamber heard a thing knocke at her feete as it had been vpon a Tubbe, and they sawe a great fire as it seemed to them at her feete, the stincke whereof was horrible: The sorrowfull husbande and his brother imbol­dened [Page] themselues in the Lorde, & did charge the Deuill in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, to departe from her and to trouble her no more: then they laied handes on her and cried to the Lorde to helpe them in that their greate neede, and so pulde her in againe and set her vppon her fette: Then she looked out at a window and began to saie: O Lord (quoth she) me thinke I see a little childe, but they gaue no regard to her: These wordes she spake two or three times: so at the last they all looked out at the windowe: and loe they espied a thing like vnto a little child with a very bright shining countenaunce, casting a greate light in the Chamber, & then the Candle burned very brightly, so that they might one see an other: then fell they flat to the grounde and praised the Lorde that he had so wonderfully assisted them, and so the child vanished awaie. Then the woman beeing in some better feeling of her self was laied in her bedd, and she asked forgiuenesse at Gods handes, and of all that she had offended, acknowledging that i [...] was for her sinnes that she was so tormented of the euill Spirite. And so God bethanked she hath euer since beene in some reasonable [Page] order, for there hath beene with her many godly learn [...]d men, as M [...]ister Doctor Cot­tington, Parson of the same Towne, and Maist [...]r Nicholles Preacher of Bruton, with other cheefe Preachers from diuers pl [...]ces of the Countrey.