ACcording to your earnest desire, I have taken the best care I could to satisfie you, concerning the Witches lately tryed, con­demned, and executed at S^t. Albans: It had been very difficult to convince me of that which I find true, concerning the wiles of that old Serpent the Divel, for the supporting of his dark dominions, which appeares in the subtile trade hee drives for the enlarging of his territories; by strengthning of himself upon the weaknesse of his subjects, relapsed men and women.

I shall the more clearly give you to understand what you desire concerning these two, by name, John Palmer and Elizabeth Knott of Norton, within the Liberty of S^t. Albans, if you please to pardon the me­thod whereunto I shall reduce the severall kinds of Witches.

First I find that man at his best estate was created with excellent beauty of knowledge in his mind, [Page 2] which his own unhappy mutability together with the Divels suggestion, hath folded up in darknesse and obscurity; whereupon being impatient to be coop't up within the narrow scantling of his own intellectualls, I see him very busie with the Divel; and rather then keep his station, hee will make tryall what the Divel can do for his advancement in knowledge: I find those that dealt with curious arts in Acts 19. 19. fitly comprehended under this kind: I know not whether to reduce Marsh of Dunstable, whom Palmer confesseth to be the head of the whole Colledge of Witches, that hee knows in the world: This Palmer hath been a Witch these 60 years, (by his own confession) long enough to know and give in the totall summe of all the Conjuring conclave, and the society of Witches in England. This Marsh hath so long gratified the Country people with his Conjurations, that time and ignorance stiles him a good Witch, or a white Witch; I suppose you easily grant that the Divel is never blacker, and more to be abhorr'd then when hee transforms himself into an Angel of Light. S^r. I easily believe that if Marsh was brought to his tryall, hee might confesse as much of his brother Lilly, as Palmer hath of him, that im­pudent Prognosticator, and bold Balaam.

This I conceive to be one occasion to the god of this world, in tempting and deluding those who are led captive by him, namely an inordinate desire to [Page 3] know more then his maker hath thought fit for him to know.

Secondly I find an other occasion whereupon the Divel offers his service so officiously, which is envy, who seeing a predominancy in the irascible faculty, hee is never behindhand in the proffering his service for the attempting what ever hee temp [...] them to▪ I find Manasses the King, by the piously learned to be reckoned under this kind, concerning whom tis said, 2 Chron. 33. 6. That he used enchantments, and de [...]t with a familiar spirit, and not long after we find that hee made Jerusalem to run down with bloud from one end to another, as an effect of his envious dispo­sition: Yet vers. 12, 13. The father of mercies was intreated of him, upon his humiliation and repen­tance.

By the plain confession of Palmer it may certainly be guessed that the Divel took advantage of him i [...] this breach, and brought him into [...] upon this ground; in as much as hee was (as hee said)of a fretfull and revengfull nature, and not being [...] himself to aveng himself of his adversaries hee [...] joyned himself to the Divel, and wrought [...] in the eyes of the Lord: upon his [...] with the Divel, hee received a [...] side, which gave suck to two familiars [...] form of a dog▪ which hee called George, and the oth [...]r in the likenesse of a woman called Jezabell, when the [Page 2] [...] [Page 3] [...] [Page 4] Divel first made this mark he drew his bloud and caused him to write his mark upon the ground with his own hand therewith; his trading in this horrid and abominable practice of Witchcraft was (as hee confessed) betwixt the space of 50 and 60 years, the hurt which from time to time hee had done was ve­ry much▪ and this I account his prime pranck that he notoriously seduced Elizabeth Knott his kinswo­man, to consort with him in his villany who hath assented to him more especially in the death of one Goodwife Pearls of Norton, whom Palmer said hee would do nothing to occasion her death unlesse this Elizabeth Knott would assent: whereupon they pre­sently agreed to frame the picture of the woman (Pearls) in clay, which was forthwith laid upon the fire, and duly raked up in the embers; while it was consuming and mouldring away the woman lay in miserable torments, when it was quite consumed the woman immediately dyed: and this hee confessed to be done by him, and his kinswoman out of revenge which he ought her, for hanging a lock upon his doore, for the not paying of his rent: At another time to satisfie his revengfull humour hee killd an horse of M^r. Cleavers by sending his familiar: and this Elizabeth Knott bewitcht a Cow of John Lamans▪ by sending an evil spirit unto her, which was in the likenesse of a Catt, but had no hand in the death of any thing, save the death of Goodwife Pearls. The [Page 5] familiar which she entertained came to her about three weeks before the said Cow was bewitched at twelve of the Clock in the night, and the familiar promised her, that she should have her desire in any thing she would desire, except money: and the rea­son why she bewitched the Cow of William Laman was, because she demanded money which was due to her, from the said Lamans wife, and it was denied her. We understand also from this Elizabeth Knott that when she was cast upon the water her familiar sucked upon her breast, but after she came out of the water she never saw it any more.

It would be tedious to reckon up the multifarious exploits of this old Witch Palmer▪ for Knott his kins­woman was but a novice, in comparison of him, and as I conceive had made no direct Covenant with the Divel, as Palmer had.

A little before his execution he confessed to Sampson Clark, the Keeper of the Prison, that falling out with a young man, hee transformed himself into a Toad, and lying in the way where the young man came, he kick't it, immediately Palmer complained of a sore shinne, whereupon hee bewitched the young man for many years to his great woe and torment.

That you may further understand what society hee had on your side the Countrey, with such as were in­bond to the Divel, I shall signifie to you what hee confessed before his execution: In Hitchin, he reckons [Page 6] two, Mary By-chance and Widdow Palmer: In Norton John Salmon senior. Joseph Salmon, and Judeth his wife. John Lamen senior and Mary his wife, John La­men junior. Mary the daughter of Iohn Lamen senior Ioan Lamen the daughter of the aforesaid Iohn Lamen: and the wife of one Mayes in Weston. And at the place of execution he confessed two more, Sarah Smith and Anne Smith servants, the one to Mr. Beamont, the other to M^r. Reynolds.

There is a third ground whereupon the Divel takes advantage by his delusions to beguile men and women, and that is by a diligent observation of their concupiscible faculty, whereby they are inordinate in their desires after money and gain, which the God of this world is very free to promise, but as one of his slaves confessed, she never wanted, (that is) any misery or affliction, after she had contracted with him.