PA I IN EVANS 
 
NAN REDFERNE AND MOTHER CHATTOX. 
 
 P. 110 
 
THE 
 
 LANCASHIRE WITCHES 
 
 A ROMANCE OF PENDLE FOREST 
 
 WILLIAM HARRISON jAINSWORTH 
 
 Sir Jffiry. Is there a justice in Lancashire has so much skill in witches as I 
 have? Nay, I'll speak a proud word : you shall turn me loose against any Witch- 
 finder in Europe. I'd make an ass of Hopkins if he were alive. SHADWELL. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 
 SIR JOHN GILBERT R, A, 
 
 LONDON 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, LIMITED 
 
 BROADWAY LUDGATE HILL 
 GLASGOW, MANCHESTER, AND NEW YORK 
 
HARRISON AINSWORTH'S NOVELS. 
 
 THE ORIGINAL EDITION, 
 
 With Illustrations by GEORGE CRUIKSHANK, SIB JOHN GILBERT, E.A., 
 H. K. BROWNE, TONY JOHANNOT, AND JOHN FRANKLIN. 
 
 THE TOWEE OF LONDON. 
 THE MISEE'S DAUGHTEE. 
 THE FLITCH OF BACON. 
 EOOKWOOD. 
 THE STAE CHAMBEE. 
 JACK SHEPPAED. 
 THE SPENDTHEIFT. 
 GUY FAWEES. 
 
 BOSCOBEL: OE THE EOYAL OAK. 
 
 OVINGDEN GEANGE. 
 
 OLD ST. PAUL'S. 
 
 MEEVYN CLITHEEOE. 
 
 CEICHTON. 
 
 THE LANCASHIEE WITCHES. 
 
 AUE1OL: OE THE ELIXIE OF LIFE. 
 
 WINDSOE CASTLE. 
 
TO 
 
 JAMES CROSSLEY, ESQ., 
 
 (OF MANCHESTER,) 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE CHETHAM SOCIETY, 
 
 AJJD THE LEARNED EDITOR OF 
 
 ftlj? Sisnmrm nf Wiityn in tljB Cnnnlii of lanrKst?r/' 
 
 THE GROUNDWORK OF THE FOLLOWING PAGES, 
 
 THIS ROMANCE, 
 
 UNDERTAKEN AT HIS SUGGESTION, 
 
 BY HIS OLD AND SINCERELY ATTACHED FRIEND, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 454 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 nf 
 
 CHAPTER L FAGB. 
 
 THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL ................................................................. 1 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 TIIE ERUPTION .................................................................................... 13 
 
 CHAPTER UL 
 WHALLEY ABBEY ................................................................................. 18 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE MALEDICTION ................................................................................ 27 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 THE MIDNIGHT MASS ............................................................................. 32 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 TETER ET FORTIS CARCER ....................................................................... 37 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 THE ABBEY MILL ................................................................................. 43 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 THE EXECUTIONER ................................................................................ 52 
 
 CHAPTER DC 
 WISWALL HALL .................................................................................... 56 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE HOLEHOUBES... ............................................................... .............. 59 
 
 BOOK THE FIRST. 
 
 limi Stum. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 THE MAT QUEEN ................................................................................. 63 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 THE BLACK CAT AND THE WHITE DOVE ...................................................... 72 
 
\i CONTEXTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. PAGE. 
 THE ASSHETONS 77 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 ALICE NUTTEB 91 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 MOTHER CHATTOX 102 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 THE ORDEAL BY SWIMMING J..119 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH 129 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 THE REVELATION 150 
 
 CHAPTER IX.' 
 THE Two PORTRAITS IK THE BANQUETING-HALL 158 
 
 CHAPTER X, 
 THE NOCTURNAL MEETING 189 
 
 BOOK THE SECOND. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 FLINT 208 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 HEAD HALL 218 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 THE BOGGART'S GLEN 224 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE REEVE or THE FOREST 230 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 BESS'S o' TH* BOOTH 238 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 THE TEMPTATION 248 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES 258 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 HOUGH LEE ,...274 
 
CONTENTS. vu. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. PAQE . 
 
 How ROUGH LEE WAS DEFENDED BY NICHOLAS ,...284 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 ROGER NOWELL AND HIS DOUBLE ..293 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 MOTHER DEMDIKE 299 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 THE MYSTERIES OF MALKIN TOWER 308 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 THE Two FAMILIARS 316 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 How ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN BESIEGED 331 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE PHANTOM MONK 340 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 ONE O'CLOCK.. 345 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 How THE BEACON FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED 355 
 
 BOOK THE THIRD. 
 
 (Entro, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE 364 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE PENITENT'S RETREAT 385 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 MIDDLETON HALL 389 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE GORGE OF CLIVIGER 399 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 THE END or MAXKIN TOWER 407 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 HOGHTON TOWER 417 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 THE ROYAL DECLABATION CONCERNING LAWFUL SPORTS ON THE SUNDAY 423 
 
V 1U CONTEXTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. PAoa . 
 
 How KINO JAMES HUNTED THE HART AND THE WILD BOAB IN HOOHTON PARK.... 445 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE BANQUET 458 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS 467 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 FATALITY 475 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 THE LAST HOUB 480 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 THE MASQUE OF DEATH 485 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 "ONE GRAVE" 489 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 LANCASTER CASTLE 490 
 
THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 INTBODUCTION. 
 
 Jl* lust Sktat rf SBfyaltaj. 
 
 CHAPTER I. THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL. 
 
 THERE were eight watchers by the beacon on Pendle Hill in 
 Lancashire. Two were stationed on either side of the north- 
 eastern extremity of the mountain. One looked over the castled 
 heights of Clithero ; the woody eminences of Bowland ; the bleak 
 ridges of Thornley ; the broad moors of Bleasdale ; the Trough 
 of Bolland, and Wolf Crag ; and even brought within his ken 
 the black fells overhanging Lancaster. The other tracked the 
 stream called Pendle Water, almost from its source amid the 
 neighbouring hills, and followed its windings through the leafless 
 forest, until it united its waters to those of the Calder, and swept 
 on in swifter and clearer current, to wash the base of Whalley 
 Abbey. But the watcher's survey did not stop here. Noting 
 the sharp spire of Burnley Church, relieved against the rounded 
 masses of timber constituting Townley Park ; as well as the en- 
 trance of the gloomy mountain gorge, known as the Grange of 
 Cliviger ; his far-reaching gaze passed over Todmorden, and 
 settled upon the distant summits of Blackstone Edge. 
 
 Dreary was the prospect on all sides. Black moor, bleak fell, 
 straggling forest, intersected with sullen streams as black as ink, 
 with here and there a small tarn, or moss-pool, with waters of the 
 same hue these constituted the chief features of the scene. The 
 whole district was barren and thinly-populated. Of towns, only 
 Clithero, Colne, and Burnley the latter little more than a village 
 were in view. In the valleys there were a few hamlets and 
 scattered cottages, and on the uplands an occasional " booth," us 
 the hut of the herdsman was termed ; but of more important 
 mansions there were only six, as Merley, Twistleton, Alcancoats, 
 Saxfeld, Ightenhill, and Gawthorpe. The "vaccaries" for the 
 cattle, of which the herdsmen had the care, and the t( lawnds," or 
 parks within the forest, appertaining to some of the halls before 
 mentioned, offered the only evidences of cultivation. All else 
 was heathy waste, morass, and wood. 
 
 B 
 
2 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Still, in the eye of the sportsman and the Lancashire gentle- 
 men of the sixteenth century were keen lovers of sport the 
 country had a strong interest. Pendle forest abounded with 
 game. Grouse, plover, and bittern were found upon its moors ; 
 woodcock and snipe on its marshes ; mallard, teal, and widgeon 
 upon its pools. In its chases ranged herds of deer, protected by 
 the terrible forest-laws, then in full force : and the hardier hunts- 
 man might follow the wolf to his lair in the mountains ; might 
 spear the boar in the oaken glades, or the otter on the river's 
 brink ; might unearth the badger or the fox, or smite the fierce 
 cat-a-mountain with a quarrel from his bow. A nobler victim 
 sometimes, also, awaited him in the shape of a wild mountain bull, 
 a denizen of the forest, and a remnant of the herds that had once 
 browsed upon the hills, but which had almost all been captured, 
 and removed to stock the park of the Abbot of Whalley. The 
 streams and pools were full of fish : the stately heron frequented 
 the meres ; and on the craggy heights built the kite, the falcon, 
 and the kingly eagle. 
 
 There were eight watchers by the beacon. Two stood apart 
 from the others, looking to the right and the left of the hill. Both 
 were armed with swords and arquebuses, and wore steel caps and 
 coats of buff. Their sleeves were embroidered with the five 
 wounds of Christ, encircling the name of Jesus the badge of the 
 Pilgrimage of Grace. Between them, on the verge of the moun- 
 tain, was planted a great banner, displaying a silver cross, the 
 chalice, and the Host, together with an ecclesiastical figure, but 
 wearing a helmet instead of a mitre, and holding a sword in 
 place of a crosier, with the unoccupied hand pointing to the two 
 towers of a monastic structure, as if to intimate that he was armed 
 for its defence. This figure, as the device beneath it showed, 
 represented John Paslew, Abbot of Whalley, or, as he styled 
 himself in his military capacity, Earl of Poverty. 
 
 There were eight watchers by the beacon. Two have been 
 described. Of the other six, two were stout herdsmen carrying 
 crooks, and holding a couple of mules, and a richly-caparisoned 
 war-horse by the bridle. Near them stood a broad-shouldered, 
 athletic young man, with the fresh complexion, curling brown hair, 
 light eyes, and open Saxon countenance, best seen in his native 
 county of Lancaster. He wore a Lincoln-green tunic, with a 
 bugle suspended from the shoulder by a silken cord; and a silver 
 plate engraved with the three luces, the ensign of the Abbot of 
 Whalley, hung by a chain from his neck. A hunting knife was 
 in his girdle, and an eagle's plume in his cap, and he leaned upon 
 the but-end of a crossbow, regarding three persons who stood 
 together by a peat fire, on the sheltered side of the beacon. Two 
 of these were elderly men, in the white gowns and scapularies of 
 Cistertian monks, doubtless from Whalley, as the abbey belonged 
 to that order. The third and last, and evidently their superior, 
 
THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL. 3 
 
 was a tall man in a riding dress, wrapped in a long mantle of 
 black velvet, trimmed with minever, and displaying the same 
 badges as those upon the sleeves of the sentinels, only wrought 
 in richer material. His features were strongly marked and stern, 
 and bore traces of age ; but his eye was bright, and his carriage 
 erect and dignified. 
 
 The beacon, near which the watchers stood, consisted of a vast 
 pile of logs of timber, heaped upon a circular range of stones, 
 with openings to admit air, and having the centre filled with 
 fagots, and other quickly combustible materials. Torches were 
 placed near at hand, so that the pile could be lighted on the 
 instant. 
 
 The watch was held one afternoon at the latter end of Novem- 
 ber, 1536. In that year had arisen a formidable rebellion in the 
 northern counties of England, the members of which, while en- 
 gaging to respect the person of the king, Henry VIII., and his 
 issue, bound themselves by solemn oath to accomplish the resto- 
 ration of Papal supremacy throughout the realm, and the restitu- 
 tion of religious establishments and lands to their late ejected 
 possessors. They bound themselves, also, to punish the enemies 
 of the Komish church, and suppress heresy. From its religious 
 character the insurrection assumed the name of the Pilgrimage 
 of Grace, and numbered among its adherents all who had not 
 embraced the new doctrines in Yorkshire and Lancashire. That 
 such an outbreak should occur on the suppression of the monas- 
 teries, was not marvellous. The desecration and spoliation of so 
 many sacred structures the destruction of shrines and images 
 long regarded with veneration the ejection of so many ecclesi- 
 astics, renowned for hospitality and revered for piety and learning 
 the violence and rapacity of the commissioners appointed by 
 the Vicar-General Cromwell to carry out these severe measures 
 all these outrages were regarded by the people with abhorrence, 
 and disposed them to aid the sufferers in resistance. As yet the 
 wealthier monasteries in the north had been spared, and it was to 
 preserve them from the greedy hands of the visiters, Doctors Lee 
 and Layton, that the insurrection had been undertaken. A simul- 
 taneous rising took place in Lincolnshire, headed by Makarel, 
 Abbot of Barlings, but it was speedily quelled by the vigour and 
 skill of the Duke of Suffolk, and its leader executed. But the 
 northern outbreak was better organized, and of greater force, for 
 it now numbered thirty thousand men, under the command of a 
 skilful and resolute leader named Robert Aske. 
 
 As may be supposed, the priesthood were main movers in a 
 revolt having their especial benefit for its aim ; and many of them, 
 following the example of the Abbot of Barlings, clothed them- 
 selves in steel instead of woollen garments, and girded on the 
 sword and the breastplate for the redress of their grievances and 
 the maintenance of their rights. Amongst these were the Abbots 
 
4 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 of Jervaux, Furness, Fountains, Rivaulx, and Salley, and, lastly, 
 the Abbot of Whalley, before mentioned ; a fiery and energetic 
 prelate, who had ever been constant and determined in his oppo- 
 sition to the aggressive measures of the king. Such was the 
 Pilgrimage of (jrace, such its design, and such its supporters. 
 
 Several large towns had already fallen into the hands of 
 the insurgents. York, Hull, and Pontefract had yielded; 
 Skipton Castle was besieged, and defended by the Earl of 
 Cumberland ; and battle was offered to the Duke of Norfolk 
 and the Earl of Shrewsbury, who headed the king's forces at 
 Doncaster. But the object of the Royalist leaders was to 
 temporise, and an armistice was offered to the rebels and 
 accepted. Terms were next proposed and debated. 
 
 During the continuance of this armistice all hostilities ceased ; 
 but beacons were reared upon the mountains, and their fires were 
 to be taken as a new summons to arms. This signal the eight 
 watchers expected. 
 
 Though late in November, the day had been unusually fine, and, 
 in consequence, the whole hilly ranges around were clearly 
 discernible, but now the shades of evening were fast, drawing on. 
 
 "Night is approaching," cried the tall man in the velvet 
 mantle, impatiently ; " and still the signal comes not. Where- 
 fore this delay? Can Norfolk have accepted our conditions? 
 Impossible. The last messenger from our camp at Scawsby Lees 
 brought word that the duke's sole terms would be the king's 
 pardon to the whole insurgent army, provided they at once 
 dispersed except ten persons, six named and four unnamed." 
 
 " And were you amongst those named, lord abbot 1 " demanded 
 one of the monks. 
 
 "John Paslew, Abbot .of Whalley, it was said, headed the 
 list," replied the other, with a bitter smile. "Next came 
 William Trafford, Abbot of Salley. Next Adam Sudbury, Abbot 
 of Jervaux. Then our leader, Robert Aske. Then John Eastgate, 
 Monk of Whalley" 
 
 " How, lord abbot !" exclaimed the monk. " Was my name 
 mentioned?" 
 
 "It was," rejoined the abbot. "And that of William Hay- 
 docke, also Monk of Whalley, closed the list." 
 
 "The unrelenting tyrant!" muttered the other monk. "But 
 these terms could not be accepted 1 " 
 
 "Assuredly not," replied Paslew; "they were rejected with 
 scorn. But the negotiations were continued by Sir Ralph 
 Ellerker and Sir Robert Bowas, who were to claim on our part a 
 free pardon for all ; the establishment of a Parliament and courts 
 of justice at York; the restoration of the Princess Mary to the 
 succession ; the Pope to his jurisdiction ; and our brethren to 
 their houses. But such conditions will never be granted. With 
 my consent no armistice should have been agreed to. We are 
 
THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL. 5 
 
 sure to lose by the delay. But I was overruled by the Arch- 
 bishop of York and the Lord Darcy. Their voices prevailed 
 against the Abbot of Whalley or, if it please you, the Earl of 
 Poverty." 
 
 (i It is the assumption of that derisive title which has drawn 
 upon you the full force of the king's resentment, lord abbot," 
 observed Father Eastgate. 
 
 " It may be," replied the abbot. "I took it in mockery of 
 Cromwell and the ecclesiastical commissioners, and I rejoice that 
 they have felt the sting. The Abbot of Barlings called himself 
 Captain Cobbler, because, as he affirmed, the state wanted mending 
 like old shoon. And is not my title equally well chosen ? Is not 
 the Church smitten with poverty ? Have not ten thousand of our 
 brethren been driven from their homes to beg or to starve? 
 Have not the houseless poor, whom we fed at our gates, and 
 lodged within our wards, gone away hungry and without rest ? 
 Have not the sick, whom we would have relieved, died untended 
 by the hedge-side ? I am the head of the poor in Lancashire, the 
 redresser of their grievances, and therefore I style myself Earl 
 of Poverty. Have I not done well ? " 
 
 " You have, lord abbot," replied Father Eastgate. 
 
 " Poverty will not alone be the fate of the Church, but of 
 the whole realm, if the rapacious designs of the monarch and his 
 heretical counsellors are carried forth," pursued the abbot. 
 " Cromwell, Audeley, and Rich, have wisely ordained that no 
 infant shall be baptised without tribute to the king ; that no man 
 who owns not above twenty pounds a year shall consume wheaten 
 bread, or eat the flesh of fowl or swine without tribute ; and 
 that all ploughed land shah 1 pay tribute likewise. Thus the 
 Church is to be beggared, the poor plundered, and all men 
 burthened, to fatten the king, and fill his exchequer." 
 
 " This must be a jest," observed Father Haydocke 
 
 " It is a jest no man laughs at," rejoined the abbot, sternly ; 
 " any more than the king's counsellors will laugh at the Earl of 
 Poverty, whose title they themselves have created. But where- 
 fore comes not the signal ? Can aught have gone wrong ? I 
 will not think it. The whole country, from the Tweed to the 
 Humber, and from the Lune to the Mersey, is ours ; and, if we but 
 hold together, our cause must prevail." 
 
 " Yet we have many and powerful enemies," observed Father 
 Eastgate ; " and the king, it is said, hath sworn never to make 
 terms with us. Tidings were brought to the abbey this morning, 
 that the Earl of Derby is assembling forces at Preston, to march 
 upon us." 
 
 " We will give him a warm reception if he comes," replied 
 Paslew, fiercely. " He will find that our walls have not been 
 kernelled and embattled by licence of good King Edward the 
 Third for nothing ; and that our brethren can fight as well as 
 
6 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 their predecessors fought in the time of Abbot Holden, when 
 they took tithe by force from Sir Christopher Parsons of Slayd- 
 burn. The abbey is strong, and right well defended, and we 
 need not fear a surprise. But it grows dark fast, and yet no 
 signal comes." 
 
 " Perchance the waters of the Don have again risen, so as to 
 prevent the army from fording the stream," observed Father 
 Haydocke ; " or it may be that some disaster hath befallen our 
 leader." 
 
 "Nay, I will not believe the latter," said the abbot; "Robert 
 Aske is chosen by Heaven to be our deliverer. It has been 
 prophesied that a < worm with one eye' shall work the redemption 
 of the fallen faith, and you know that Robert Aske hath been 
 deprived of his left orb by an arrow. 1 * 
 
 " Therefore it is," observed Father Eastgate, " that the 
 Pilgrims of Grace chant the following ditty : 
 
 " ' Forth shall come an Aske with one eye, 
 He shall be chief of the company 
 Chief of the northern chivalry.' " 
 
 " What more ? " demanded the abbot, seeing that the monk 
 appeared to hesitate. 
 
 " Nay, I know not whether the rest of the rhymes may please 
 you, lord abbot," replied Father Eastgate. 
 
 " Let me hear them, and I will judge," said Paslew. Thus 
 urged, the monk went on : 
 
 " * One shall sit at a solemn feast, 
 Half warrior, half priest, 
 The greatest there shall be the least.'" 
 
 (s The last verse," observed the monk, " has been added to the 
 ditty by Nicholas Demdike. I heard him sing it the other day 
 at the abbey gate." 
 
 "What, 'Nicholas Demdike of Worston?" cried the abbot; 
 "he whose wife is a witch?" 
 
 " The same," replied Eastgate. 
 
 " Hoo be so ceawnted, sure eno," remarked the forester, who 
 had been listening attentively to their discourse, and who now 
 stepped forward ; " boh dunna yo think it. Beleemy, lort abbut, 
 Bess Demdike's too yunk an too protty for a witch." 
 
 "Thou art bewitched by her thyself, Cuthbert," said the 
 abbot, angrily. "I shall impose a penance upon thee, to free 
 thee from the evil influence. Thou must recite twenty pater- 
 nosters daily, fasting, for one month ; and afterwards perform a 
 pilgrimage to the shrine of our Lady of Gilsland. Bess Demdike 
 is an approved and notorious witch, and hath been seen by 
 credible witnesses attending a devil's sabbath on this very hill- 
 Heaven shield us ! It is therefore that I have placed her and 
 her husband under the ban of the Church ; pronounced sentence 
 
THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL. 7 
 
 of excommunication against them ; and commanded all my clergy 
 to refiise baptism to their infant daughter, newly born." 
 
 "Wea's me! ey knoas 't reet weel, lort abbut," replied 
 Ashbead, " and Bess taks t' sentence sore ta 'ert !" 
 
 "Then let her amend her ways, or heavier punishment will 
 befall her," cried Paslew, severely. " ' Sortilegam non patieris 
 viverej saith the Levitical law. If she be convicted she shall 
 die the death. That she is comely I admit; but it is the 
 comeliness of a child of sin. Dost thou know the man with 
 whom she is wedded or supposed to be wedded for I have 
 seen no proof of the marriage ? He is a stranger here." 
 
 "Ey knoas neawt abowt him, lort abbut, 'cept that he cum 
 to Pendle a twalmont agoa," replied Ashbead ; " boh ey knoas 
 fu' weel that t'eawtcumbling felly robt me ot prottiest lass i* 
 aw Lonkyshiar aigh, or i' aw Englondshiar, fo' t' matter o* 
 that." 
 
 " What manner of man is he?" inquired the abbot. 
 
 " Oh, he's a feaw teyke a varra feaw teyke," replied Ashbead; 
 " wi' a feace as black as a boggart, sooty shiny hewr loike a mow- 
 dywarp, an' een loike a stanniel. Boh for running, rostling, an* 
 throwing t' stoan, he'n no match i' this keawntry. Ey'n triet him 
 at aw three gams, so ey con speak. For't most part he'n a big, 
 black bandyhewit wi' him, and, by th' Mess, ey canna help thinkin 
 he meys free sumtoimes wi' yor lortship's bucks." 
 
 " Ha ! this must be looked to," cried the abbot. " You say you 
 know not whence he comes ? 'Tis strange." 
 
 " T' missmannert carl '11 boide naw questioning odd rottle him !" 
 replied Ashbead. " He awnsurs wi' a gibe, or a thwack o' his staff. 
 Whon ey last seet him, he threatened t' raddle me booans weel, 
 boh ey sooan lowert him a peg." 
 
 " We will find a way of making him speak," said the abbot. 
 
 (< He can speak, and right well if he pleases," remarked Father 
 Eastgate ; " for though ordinarily silent and sullen enough, yet 
 when he doth talk it is not like one of the hinds with whom he 
 consorts, but in good set phrase ; and his bearing is as bold as 
 that of one who hath seen service in the field." 
 
 " My curiosity is aroused," said the abbot. " I must see him." 
 
 "Noa sooner said than done," cried Ashbead, "for, be t' Lort 
 Harry, ey see him stonding be yon moss poo' o' top t' hill, though 
 how he'n getten theer t' Dule owny knoas." 
 
 And he pointed out a tall dark figure standing near a little 
 pool on the summit of the mountain, about a hundred yards 
 from them. 
 
 " Talk of ill, and ill cometh," observed Father Haydocke. 
 " And see, the wizard hath a black hound with him ! It may be 
 his wife, in that likeness."" 
 
 " Naw, ey knoas t' hount reet weel, Feyther Haydocke," replied 
 the forester; " it's a Saint Hubert, an' a rareun fo' fox or badgert. 
 
8 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Odds loife, feyther, whoy that's t' black bandy he wit I war speak- 
 ing on." 
 
 " I like not the appearance of the knave at this juncture," said 
 the abbot ; " yet I wish to confront him, and charge him with hia 
 midemeanours*" 
 
 " Hark; he sings," cried Father Haydocke. And as he spoke 
 a voice was heard chanting. 
 
 " One shall sit at a solemn feast, 
 Half warrior, half priest, 
 The greatest there shall be the least." 
 
 " The very ditty I heard," cried Father Eastgate; " but list, 
 he has more of it." And the voice resumed, 
 
 " He shall be rich, yet poor as me, 
 Abbot, and Earl of Poverty. 
 Monk and soldier, rich and poor, 
 He shall be hang'd at his own door." 
 
 Loud derisive laughter followed the song. 
 
 " By our Lady of Whalley, the knave is mocking us," cried the 
 abbot ; " send a bolt to silence him, Cuthbert." 
 
 The forester instantly bent his bow, and a quarrel whistled off 
 in the direction of the singer ; but whether his aim were not truly 
 taken, or he meant not to hit the mark, it is certain that Dem- 
 dike remained untouched. The reputed wizard laughed aloud, 
 took off his felt cap in acknowledgment, and marched deliberately 
 down the side of the hill. 
 
 gi Thou art not wont to miss thy aim, Cuthbert," cried the 
 abbot, with a look of displeasure. " Take good heed thou pro- 
 ducest this scurril 'knave before me, when these troublous times 
 are over. But what is this! he stops ha! he is practising his 
 devilries on the mountain's side." 
 
 It would seem that the abbot had good warrant for what he 
 said, as Demdike, having paused at a broad green patch en the 
 hill-side, was now busied in tracing a circle round it with his staff. 
 He then spoke aloud some words, which the superstitious beholders 
 construed into an incantation, and after tracing the circle once 
 again, and casting some tufts of dry heather, which he plucked 
 from an adjoining hillock, on three particular spots, he ran quickly 
 downwards, followed by his hound, and leaping a stone wall, 
 surrounding a little orchard at the foot of the hill, disappeared 
 from view. 
 
 "Go and see what he hath done," cried the abbot to the 
 forester, a for I like it not." 
 
 Ashbead instantly obeyed, and on reaching the green spot in 
 question, shouted out that he could discern nothing; but presently 
 added, as he moved about, that the turf heaved like a sway-bed 
 beneath his feet, and he thought to use his own phraseology 
 
THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL. 9 
 
 would t( brast." The abbot then commanded him to go down to 
 the orchard below, and if he could find Demdike to bring him to 
 him instantly. The forester did as he was bidden, ran down the 
 hill, and, leaping the orchard wall as the other had done, was lost 
 to sight. 
 
 Ere long, it became quite dark, and as Ashbead did not re- 
 appear, the abbot gave vent to his impatience and uneasiness, and 
 was proposing to send one of the herdsmen in search of him, when 
 his attention was suddenly diverted by a loud shout from one of 
 the sentinels, and a fire was seen on a distant hill on the right. 
 
 "The signal! the signal!" cried Paslew, joyfully. "Kindle a 
 torch ! quick, quick ! " 
 
 And as he spoke, he seized a brand and plunged it into the peat 
 fire, while his example was followed by the two monks. 
 
 " It is the beacon on Blackstone Edge," cried the abbot ; " and 
 look ! a second blazes over the Grange of Cliviger another on 
 Ightenhill another on Boulsworth Hill and the last on the 
 neighbouring heights of Padiham. Our own comes next. May 
 it light the enemies of our holy Church to perdition !" 
 
 With this, he applied the burning brand to the combustible 
 matter of the beacon. The monks did the same; and in an 
 instant a tall, pointed flame, rose up from a thick cloud of smoke. 
 Ere another minute had elapsed, similar fires shot up to the right 
 and the left, on the high lands of Trawden Forest, on the jagged 
 points of Foulridge, on the summit of Cowling Hill, and so on to 
 Skipton. Other fires again blazed on the towers of Clithero, on 
 Longridge and Ribchester, on the woody eminences of Bowland, 
 on Wolf Crag, and on fell and scar all the way to Lancaster. It 
 seemed the work of enchantment, so suddenly and so strangely 
 did the fires shoot forth. As the beacon flame increased, it lighted 
 up the whole of the extensive table-land on the summit of Pendle 
 Hill; and a long lurid streak fell on the darkling moss-pool near 
 which the wizard had stood. But when it attained its utmost 
 height, it revealed the depths of the forest below, and a red 
 reflection, here and there, marked the course of Pendle Water, 
 The excitement of the abbot and his companions momently in- 
 creased, and the sentinels shouted as each new beacon was lighted. 
 At last, almost every hill had its watch-fire, and so extraordinary 
 was the spectacle, that it seemed as if weird beings were abroad, 
 and holding their revels on the heights. 
 
 Then it was that the abbot, mounting his steed, called out to 
 the monks " Holy fathers, you will follow to the abbey as you 
 may. I shall ride fleetly on, and despatch two hundred archers 
 to Huddersfield and Wakefield. The abbots of Salley and Jer- 
 vaux, with the Prior of Burlington, will be with me at midnight, 
 and at daybreak we shall march our forces to join the main army. 
 Heaven be with you !" 
 
 " Stay !" cried a harsh, imperious voice. " Stay !" 
 
10 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 And, to his surprise, the abbot beheld Nicholas Demdike stand- 
 ing before him. The aspect of the wizard was dark and forbidding, 
 and, seen by the beacon light, his savage features, blazing eyes, 
 tall gaunt frame, and fantastic garb, made him look like some- 
 thing unearthly. Flinging his staff over his shoulder, he slowly 
 approached, with his black hound following close by at his heels. 
 
 "I have a caution to give you, lord abbot," he said; " hear me 
 speak before you set out for the abbey, or ill will befall you." 
 
 " 111 will befall me if I listen to thee, thou wicked churl," cried 
 the abbot. " What hast thou done with Cuthbert Ashbead?" 
 
 " I have seen nothing of him since he sent a bolt after me at 
 your bidding, lord abbot," replied Demdike. 
 
 " Beware lest any harm come to him, or thou wilt rue it," cried 
 Paslew. " But I have no time to waste on thee. Farewell, fathers. 
 High mass will be said in the convent church before we set out 
 on the expedition to-morrow morning. You will both attend it." 
 
 " You will never set out upon the expedition, lord abbot," cried 
 Demdike, planting his staff so suddenly into the ground before the 
 horse's head that the animal reared and nearly threw his rider. 
 
 ft How now, fellow, what mean you?" cried the abbot, furiously. 
 
 ft To warn you," replied Demdike. 
 
 " Stand aside," cried the abbot, spurring his steed, " or I will 
 trample you beneath my horse's feet." 
 
 " I might let you ride to your own doom," rejoined Demdike 9 
 with a scornful laugh, as he seized the abbot's bridle. " But you 
 shall hear me. I tell you, you will never go forth on this expedi- 
 tion. I tell you that, ere to-morrow, Whalley Abbey will have 
 passed for ever from your possession ; and that, if you go thither 
 again, your life will be forfeited. Now will you listen to me?" 
 
 " I am wrong in doing so," cried the abbot, who could not, 
 however, repress some feelings of misgiving at this alarming 
 address. " Speak, what would you say ? " 
 
 " Come out of earshot of the others, and I will tell you," replied 
 Demdike. And he led the abbot's horse to some distance 
 further on the hill. 
 
 (i Your cause will fail, lord abbot," he then said. " Nay, it is 
 lost already." 
 
 " Lost !" cried the abbot, out of all patience. " Lost ! Look 
 around. Twenty fires are in sight ay, thirty, and every fire 
 thou seest will summon a hundred men, at the least, to arms. 
 Before an hour, five hundred men will be gathered before the 
 gates of Whalley Abbey." 
 
 " True," replied Demdike ; "but they will not own the Earl of 
 Poverty for their leader." 
 
 " What leader will they own, then ? " demanded the abbot, 
 scornfully. 
 
 " The Earl of Derby," replied Demdike. " He is on his way 
 thither with Lord Mounteagle from Preston." 
 
THE BEACON ON PENDLE HILL. 11 
 
 "Ha!" exclaimed Paslew, "let me go meet them, then. But 
 thou triflest with me, fellow. Thou canst know nothing of this. 
 Whence gott'st thou thine information 1 " 
 
 " Heed it not," replied the other ; " thou wilt find it correct. I 
 tell thee, proud abbot, that this graud scheme of thine and of thy 
 fellows, for the restitution of the Catholic Church, has failed 
 utterly failed." 
 
 " I tell thee thou liest, false knave ! " cried the abbot, striking 
 him on the hand with his scourge. " Quit thy hold, and let me 
 
 go-" 
 
 " Not till I have done," replied Demdike, maintaining his grasp. 
 
 " Well hast thou styled thyself Earl of Poverty, for thou art poor 
 and miserable enough. Abbot of Whalley thou art no longer. 
 Thy possessions will be taken from thee, and if thou returnest thy 
 life also will be taken. If thou fleest, a price will be set upon thy 
 head. I alone can save thee, and I will do so on one condition." 
 " Condition ! make conditions with thee, bond-slave of Satan! " 
 cried the abbot, gnashing his teeth. " I reproach myself that I 
 have listened to thee so long. Stand aside, or I will strike thee 
 dead." 
 
 (i You are wholly in my power," cried Demdike with a disdain- 
 ful laugh. And as he spoke he pressed the large sharp bit 
 against the charger's mouth, and backed him quickly to the very 
 edge of the hill, the sides of which here sloped precipitously down. 
 The abbot would have uttered a cry, but surprise and terror 
 kept him silent. 
 
 " Were it my desire to injure you, I could cast you down the 
 mountain-side to certain death," pursued Demdike. " But I have 
 no such wish. On the contrary, I will serve you, as I have said, 
 on one condition." 
 
 " Thy condition would imperil my soul," said the abbot, full of 
 wrath and alarm. tf Thou seekest in vain to terrify me into 
 compliance. Vade retro, Sathanas. I defy thee and all thy works." 
 Demdike laughed scornfully. 
 
 " The thunders of the Church do not frighten me," he cried. 
 " But, look," he added, " you doubted my word when I told you 
 the rising was at an end. The beacon fires on Boulswortb. Hill 
 and on the Grange of Cliviger are extinguished; that on Padiliam 
 Heights is expiring nay, it is out ; and ere many minutes all 
 these mountain watch-fires will have disappeared like lamps at 
 the close of a feast." 
 
 " By our Lady, it is so," cried the abbot, in increasing terror. 
 " What new jugglery is this?" 
 
 " It is no jugglery, I tell you," replied the other. 
 
 " The waters of the Don have again arisen ; the insurgents 
 
 have accepted the king's pardon, have deserted their leaders, and 
 
 dispersed. There will be no rising to-night or on the morrow. 
 
 The abbots of Jervaux and Salley will strive to capitulate, but in 
 
12 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 vain. The Pilgrimage of Grace is ended. The stake for which 
 thou playedst is lost. Thirty years hast thou governed here, but 
 thy rule is over. Seventeen abbots have there been of Whalley 
 the last thou! but there shall be none more." 
 
 " It must be the Demon in person that speaks thus to me," 
 cried the abbot, his hair bristling on his head, and a cold perspira- 
 tion bursting from his pores. 
 
 " No matter who I am," replied the other ; " I have said I will 
 aid thee on one condition. It is not much. Remove thy ban 
 from my wife, and baptise her infant daughter, and I am content. 
 I would not ask thee for this service, slight though it be, but the 
 poor soul hath set her mind upon it. Wilt thou do it ? " 
 
 " No," replied the abbot, shuddering ; " I will not baptise a 
 daughter of Satan. I will not sell my soul to the powers of dark- 
 ness. I adjure thee to depart from me, and tempt me no longer." 
 
 "Vainly thou seekest to cast me off," rejoined Demdike. 
 " What if I deliver thine adversaries into thine hands, and revenge 
 thee upon them ? Even now there are a party of armed men 
 waiting at the foot of the hill to seize thee and thy brethren. 
 Shall I show thee how to destroy them ?" 
 
 " Who are they?" demanded the abbot, surprised. 
 
 "Their leaders are John Brad dy 11 and Richard Assheton, 
 who shall divide Whalley Abbey between them, if thou stayest 
 them not," replied Demdike. 
 
 " Hell consume them !" cried the abbot. 
 
 " Thy speech shows consent," rejoined Demdike. " Come this 
 way." 
 
 And, without awaiting the abbot's reply, he dragged his horse 
 towards the but-end of the mountain. As they went on, the two 
 monks, who had been filled with surprise at the interview, though 
 they did not dare to interrupt it, advanced towards their superior, 
 and looked earnestly and inquiringly at him,, but he remained 
 silent; while to the men-at-arms and the herdsmen, who demanded 
 whether their own beacon-fire should be extinguished as the 
 others had been, he answered moodily in the negative. 
 
 "Where are the foes you spoke of?" he asked with some 
 uneasiness, as Demdike led his horse slowly and carefully down 
 the hill-side. 
 
 " You shall see anon," replied the other. 
 
 ^ " You are taking me to the spot where you traced the magic 
 circle," cried Paslew in alarm. " I know it from its unnaturally 
 green hue. I will not go thither." 
 
 "I do not mean you should, lord abbot," replied Demdike, 
 halting. ^ Remain on this firm ground. Nay, be not alarmed ; 
 you are in no danger. Now bid your men advance, and prepare 
 their weapons." 
 
 The abbot would have demanded wherefore, but at a glance 
 from Demdike he complied, and the two men-at-arms, and the 
 
THE ERUPTION. 13 
 
 herdsmen, arranged themselves beside him, while Fathers 
 Eastgate and Haydocke, who had gotten upon their mules, took 
 up a position behind. 
 
 Scarcely were they thus placed, when a loud shout was raised 
 below, and a band of armed men, to the number of thirty or forty, 
 leapt the stone wall, and began to scale the hill with great rapidity. 
 They came up a deep dry channel, apparently worn in the hill- 
 side by some former torrent, and which led directly to the spot 
 where 'Demdike and the abbot stood. The beacon-fire still blazed 
 brightly, and illuminated the whole proceeding, showing that 
 these men, from their accoutrements, were royalist soldiers. 
 
 " Stir not, as you value your life/' said the wizard to Paslew ; 
 " but observe what shall follow." 
 
 CHAPTER II. THE ERUPTION. 
 
 DEMDIKE went a little further down the hill, stopping when he 
 came to the green patch. He then plunged his staff into the sod 
 at the first point where he had cast a tuft of heather, and with 
 such force that it sank more than three feet. The next moment 
 he plucked it forth, as if with a great effort, and a jet of black 
 water spouted into the air ; but, heedless of this, he went to the 
 next marked spot, and again plunged the sharp point of the im- 
 plement into the ground. Again it sank to the same depth, and, 
 on being drawn out, a second black jet sprung forth. 
 
 Meanwhile the hostile party continued to advance up the dry 
 channel before mentioned, and shouted on beholding these strange 
 preparations, but they did not relax their speed. Once more the 
 staff sank into the ground, and a third black fountain followed its 
 extraction. By this time, the royalist soldiers were close at hand, 
 and the features of their two leaders, John Braddyll and Richard 
 Assheton, could be plainly distinguished, and their voices heard. 
 
 "'Tis he! 'tis the rebel abbot!" vociferated Braddyll, pressing 
 forward. " We were not misinformed. He has been watching by- 
 the beacon. The devil has delivered him into our hands." 
 
 "Ho! ho!" laughed Demdike. 
 
 "Abbot no longer 'tis the Earl of Poverty you mean," respond- 
 ed Assheton. "The villain shall be gibbeted on the spot where 
 he has fired the beacon, as a warning to all traitors." 
 
 "Ha, heretics!- ha, blasphemers! I can at least avenge my- 
 self upon you," cried Paslew, striking spurs into his charger. But 
 ere he could execute his purpose, Demdike had sprung backward, 
 and, catching the bridle, restrained the animal by a powerful effort. 
 
 "Hold!" he cried, in a voice of thunder, "or you will share 
 their fate." 
 
 As the words were uttered, a dull, booming, subterranean sound 
 
14 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 was heard, and instantly afterwards, with a crash like thunder, 
 the whole of the green circle beneath slipped off, and from a 
 yawning rent under it burst forth with irresistible fury, a thick 
 inky-coloured torrent, which, rising almost breast high, fell upon 
 the devoted royalist soldiers, who were advancing right in its 
 course. Unable to avoid the watery eruption, or to resist its 
 fury when it came upon them, they were instantly swept from their 
 feet, and carried down the channel. 
 
 A sight of horror was it to behold the sudden rise of that swarthy 
 stream, whose waters, tinged by the ruddy glare of the beacon- 
 fire, looked like waves of blood. Nor less fearful was it to hear 
 the first wild despairing cry raised by the victims, or the quickly 
 stifled shrieks and groans that followed, mixed with the deafening 
 roar of the stream, and the crashing fall of the stones, which ac- 
 companied its course. Down, down went the poor wretches, now 
 utterly overwhelmed by the torrent, now regaining their feet only 
 to utter a scream, and then be swept off. Here a miserable strug- 
 gler, whirled onward, would clutch at the banks and try to scramble 
 forth, but the soft turf giving way beneath him, he was hurried 
 off to eternity. 
 
 At another point where the stream encountered some trifling 
 opposition, some two or three managed to gain a footing, but they 
 were unable to extricate themselves. The vast quantity of boggy 
 soil brought down by the current, and which rapidly collected 
 here, embedded them and held them fast, so that the momently 
 deepening water, already up to their chins, threatened speedy im- 
 mersion. Others were stricken down by great masses of turf, or 
 huge rocky fragments, which, bounding from point to point with 
 the torrent, bruised or crushed all they encountered, or, lodging 
 in some difficult place, slightly diverted the course of the torrent, 
 and rendered it yet more dangerous. 
 
 On on of these stones, larger than the rest, which had been 
 stopped in its course, a man contrived to creep, and with difficulty 
 kept his post amid the raging flood. Vainly did he extend his 
 hand to such of his fellows as were swept shrieking past him. He 
 could not lend them aid, while his own position was so desperately 
 hazardous that he did not dare to quit it. To leap on either bank 
 was impossible, and to breast the headlong stream certain death. 
 
 On goes the current, madly, furiously, as if rejoicing in the work 
 of destruction, while the white foam of its eddies presents a fear- 
 ful contrast to the prevailing blackness of the surface. Over the 
 last declivity it leaps, hissing, foaming, crashing like an avalanche. 
 The stone wall for a moment opposes its force, but falls the next, 
 with a mighty splash, carrying the spray far and wide, while its 
 own fragments roll onwards with the stream. The trees of the or- 
 chard are uprooted in an instant, and an old elm falls prostrate. 
 The outbuildings of a cottage are invaded, and the porkers and 
 cattle, divining their danger, squeal and bellow in affright. But 
 
THE ERUPTION. 15 
 
 they are quickly silenced. The resistless foe has broken down 
 wall and door, and buried the poor creatures in mud and rubbish. 
 
 The stream next invades the cottage, breaks in through door 
 and window, and filling all the lower part of the tenement, in a 
 few minutes converts it into a heap of ruin. On goes the destroyer, 
 tearing up more trees, levelling more houses, and filling up a small 
 pool, till the latter bursts its banks, and, with an accession to its 
 force, pours itself into a mill-dam. Here its waters are stayed until 
 they find a vent underneath, and the action of the stream, as it 
 rushes downwards through this exit, forms a great eddy above, in 
 which swim some living things, cattle and sheep from the fold 
 not yet drowned, mixed with furniture from the cottages, and 
 amidst them the bodies of some of the unfortunate men-at-arms 
 which have been washed hither. 
 
 But, ha! another thundering crash. The dam has burst. The 
 torrent roars and rushes on furiously as before, joins its forces with 
 Pendle Water, swells up the river, and devastates the country far 
 and wide.* 
 
 The abbot and his companions beheld this work of destruction 
 with amazement and dread. Blanched terror sat in their cheeks, 
 and the blood was frozen in Paslew's veins; for he thought it the 
 work of the powers of darkness, and that he was leagued with them. 
 He tried to mutter a prayer, but his lips refused their office. He 
 would have moved, but his limbs were stiffened and paralysed, and 
 he could only gaze aghast at the terrible spectacle. 
 
 Amidst it all he heard a wild burst of unearthly laughter, pro- 
 ceeding, he thought, from Demdike, and it filled him with new 
 dread. But he could not check the sound, neither could he stop 
 his ears, though he would fain have done so. Like him, his com- 
 panions were petrified and speechless with fear. 
 
 After this had endured for some time, though still the black 
 torrent rushed on impetuously as ever, Demdike turned to the 
 abbot and said, 
 
 u Your vengeance has been fully gratified. You will now bap- 
 tise my child?" 
 
 ''Never, never, accursed being!" shrieked the abbot. "Thou 
 mayst sacrifice her at thine own impious rites. But see, there is 
 
 * A similar eruption occurred at Pendle Hill in August, 1669, and has been de- 
 scribed by Mr. Charles Townley, in a letter cited by Dr. Whitaker in his excellent 
 " History of Whalley." Other and more formidable eruptions had taken place pre- 
 yiously, occasioning much damage to the country. The cause of the phenomenon 
 is thus explained by Mr. Townley : " The colour of the water, its coming down to 
 the place where it breaks forth between the rock and the earth, with that other par- 
 ticular of its bringing nothing along but stones and earth, are evident signs that it 
 hath not its origin from the very bowels of the mountain ; but that it is only rain 
 water coloured first in the moss-pits, of which the top of the hill, being a great and 
 considerable plain, is full, shrunk down into some receptacle fit to contain it, until 
 at last by its weight, or some other cause, it finds a passage to the sides of the hill, 
 and then away between the rock and swarth, until it break the latter and violently 
 rush out." 
 
16 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 one poor wretch yet struggling with the foaming torrent. I may 
 save him." 
 
 " That is John Braddyll, thy worst enemy," replied Demdike. 
 "If he lives he shall possess half Whalley Abbey. Thou hadst 
 best also save Richard Assheton, who yet clings to the great stone 
 below, as if he escapes he shall have the other half. Mark him, 
 and make haste, for in five minutes both shall be gone." 
 
 "I will save them if I can, be the consequence to myself what 
 it may," replied the abbot. 
 
 And, regardless of the derisive laughter of the other, who yelled 
 in his ears as he went, "Bess shall see thee hanged at thy own 
 door!" he dashed down the hill to the spot where a small object, 
 distinguishable above the stream, showed that some one still kept 
 his head above water, his tall stature having preserved him. 
 
 (t Is it you, John Braddyll ? " cried the abbot, as he rode up. 
 
 "Ay," replied the head. "Forgive me for the wrong I in- 
 tended you, and deliver me from this great peril." 
 
 " I am come for that purpose," replied the abbot, dismounting, 
 and disencumbering himself of his heavy cloak. 
 
 By this time the two herdsmen had come up, and the abbot, 
 taking a crook from one of them, clutched hold of the fellow, and, 
 plunging fearlessly into the stream, extended it towards the drown- 
 ing man, who instantly lifted up his hand to grasp it. In doing 
 so Braddyll lost his balance, but, as he did not quit his hold, he 
 was plucked forth from the tenacious mud by the combined efforts 
 of the abbot and his assistant, and with some difficulty dragged 
 ashore. 
 
 st Now for the other," cried Paslew, as he placed Braddyll in 
 safety. 
 
 " One-half the abbey is gone from thee," shouted a voice in his 
 ears as he rushed on. 
 
 Presently he reached the rocky fragment on which Ralph 
 Assheton rested. The latter was in great danger from the sur- 
 ging torrent, and the stone on which he had taken refuge tottered 
 at its base, and threatened to roll over. 
 
 " In Heaven's name, help me, lord abbot, as thou thyself shall 
 be holpen at thy need ! " shrieked Assheton. 
 
 " Be not afraid, Richard Assheton," replied Paslew. " I will 
 deliver thee as I have delivered John Braddyll." 
 
 But the task was not of easy accomplishment. The abbot made 
 his preparations as before ; grasped the hand of the herdsman and 
 held out the crook to Assheton ; but when the latter caught it, 
 the stream swung him round with such force that the abbot must 
 either abandon him or advance further into the water. Bent on 
 Assheton's preservation, he adopted the latter expedient, and 
 instantly lost his feet ; while the herdsman, unable longer to hold 
 him, let go the crook, and the abbot and Assheton were swept 
 down the stream together. 
 
THE ERUPTION. 17 
 
 Down down they went, destruction apparently awaiting them ; 
 but the abbot, though sometimes quite under the water, and bruised 
 by the rough stones and gravel with which he came in contact, 
 still retained his self-possession, and encouraged his companion to 
 hope for succour. In this way they were borne down to the foot 
 of the hill, the monks, the herdsmen, and the men-at-arms having 
 given them up as lost. But they yet lived yet floated though 
 greatly injured, and almost senseless, when they were cast into a 
 pool formed by the eddying waters at the foot of the hill. Here, 
 wholly unable to assist himself, Assheton was seized by a black 
 hound belonging to a tall man who stood on the bank, and who 
 shouted to Paslew, as he helped the animal to bring the drowning 
 man ashore, " The other half of the abbey is gone from thee. 
 Wilt thou baptise my child if I send my dog to save thee?" 
 
 "Never!" replied the other, sinking as he spoke. 
 
 Flashes of fire glanced in the abbot's eyes, and stunning sounds 
 seemed to burst his ears. A few more struggles, and he became 
 senseless. 
 
 But he was not destined to die thus. What happened after- 
 wards he knew not; but when he recovered full consciousness, he 
 found himself stretched, with aching limbs and throbbing head, 
 upon a couch in a monastic room, with a richly-painted and gilded 
 ceiling, with shields at the corners emblazoned with the three 
 luces of Whalley, and with panels hung with tapestry from the 
 looms of Flanders, representing divers Scriptural subjects. 
 
 " Have I been dreaming?" he murmured. 
 
 et No," replied a tall man standing by his bedside; " thou hast 
 been saved from one death to suffer another more ignominious." 
 
 " Ha!" cried the abbot, starting up and pressing his hand to 
 his temples ; " thou here ? " 
 
 " Ay, I am appointed to watch thee," replied Demdike. " Thou 
 art a prisoner in thine own chamber at Whalley. All has befallen 
 as I told thee. The Earl of Derby is master of the abbey; thy 
 adherents are dispersed; and thy brethren are driven forth. Thy 
 two partners in rebellion, the abbots of Jervaux and Salley, have 
 been conveyed to Lancaster Castle, whither thou wilt go as soon 
 as thou canst be moved." 
 
 " I will surrender all silver and gold, land and possessions- 
 to the king, if I may die in peace," groaned the abbot. 
 
 " It is not needed," rejoined the other. " Attainted of felony, 
 thy lands and abbey will be forfeited to the crown, and they shall 
 be sold, as I have told thee, to John Braddyll and Richard 
 Assheton, who will be rulers here in thy stead." 
 
 u Would I had perished in the flood !" groaned the abbot. 
 
 " Well mayst thou wish so," returned his tormentor; (l but thou 
 wert not destined to die by water. As I have said, thou shalt be 
 hanged at thy own door, and my wife shall witness thy end." 
 
 "Who art thou? I have heard thy voice before," cried the 
 
 C 
 
18 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 abbot. " It is like the voice of one whom I knew years ago, and 
 thy features are like his though changed greatly changed. 
 Who art thou?" 
 
 " Thou shalt know before thou diest," replied the other, with a 
 look of gratified vengeance. " Farewell, and reflect upon thy fate." 
 
 So saying, he strode towards the door, while the miserable 
 abbot arose, and marching with uncertain steps to a little oratory 
 adjoining, which he himself had built, knelt down before the 
 altar, and strove to pray. 
 
 CHAPTER III. WHALLEY ABBEY. 
 
 A SAD, sad change hath come over the fair Abbey of Whalley. 
 It knoweth its old masters no longer. For upwards of two centuries 
 and a half hath the " Blessed Place"* grown in beauty and riches. 
 Seventeen abbots have exercised unbounded hospitality within it, 
 but now they are all gone, save one ! and he is attainted of felony 
 and treason. The grave monk walketh no more in the cloisters, 
 nor seeketh his pallet in the dormitory. Vesper or matin-song 
 resound not as of old within the fine conventual church. Stripped 
 are the altars of their silver crosses, and the shrines of their votive 
 offerings and saintly relics. Pyx and chalice, thuribule and vial, 
 golden-headed pastoral staff, and mitre embossed with pearls, 
 candlestick and Christmas ship of silver : salver, basin, and ewer 
 all are gone the splendid sacristy hath been despoiled. 
 
 A sad, sad change hath come over Whalley Abbey. The 
 libraries, well stored with reverend tomes, have been pillaged, and 
 their contents cast to the flames ; and thus long laboured manu- 
 script, the fruit of years of patient industry, with gloriously 
 illuminated missal, are irrecoverably lost. The large infirmary no 
 longer receiveth the sick ; in the locutory sitteth no more the guest. 
 No longer in the mighty kitchens are prepared the prodigious 
 supply of meats destined for thesupport of the pooror theentertain- 
 ment of the traveller. No kindly porter stands at the gate, to bid the 
 stranger enter and partake of the munificent abbot's hospitality, but 
 a churlish guard bids him hie away, and menaces him if he tarries 
 with his halbert. Closed are the buttery-hatches and the pantries ; 
 and the daily dole of bread hath ceased. Closed, also, to the 
 brethren is the refectory. The cellarer's office is ended. The 
 strong ale which he brewed in October, is tapped in March by 
 roystering troopers. The rich muscadel and malmsey, and the 
 wines of Gascoigne and the Rhine, are no longer quaffed by the 
 abbot and his more honoured guests, but drunk to his destruction 
 by his foes. The great gallery, a hundred and fifty feet in length, 
 the pride of the abbot's lodging, and a model of architecture, is 
 
 * Locus Bencdictus de Whalley. 
 
AVH ALLEY ABBEY. 19 
 
 filled, not with white-robed ecclesiastics, but with an armed earl 
 and his retainers. Neglected is the little oratory dedicated to 
 Our Lady of Whalley, where night and morn the abbot used to 
 pray. All the old religious and hospitable uses of the abbey are 
 foregone. The reverend stillness of the cloisters, scarce broken 
 by the quiet tread of the monks, is now disturbed by armed heel 
 and clank of sword ; while in its saintly courts are heard the ribald 
 song, the profane jest, and the angry brawl. Of the brethren, 
 only those tenanting the cemetery are left. All else are gone, 
 driven forth, as vagabonds, with stripes and curses, to seek refuge 
 where they may. 
 
 A sad, sad change has come over Whalley Abbey. In the pleni- 
 tude of its pride aud power has it been cast down, desecrated, 
 despoiled. Its treasures are carried off, its ornaments sold, its 
 granaries emptied, its possessions wasted, its storehouses sacked, 
 its cattle slaughtered and sold. But, though stripped of its wealth 
 and splendour ; though deprived of all the religious graces that, 
 like rich incense, lent an odour to the fane, its external beauty is 
 yet unimpaired, and its vast proportions undiminished. 
 
 A stately pile was Whalley one of the loveliest as well as the 
 largest in the realm. Carefully had it been preserved by its 
 reverend rulers, and where reparations or additions were needed 
 they were judiciously made. Thus age had lent it beauty, by 
 mellowing its freshness and toning its hue?, while no decay was 
 perceptible. Without a struggle had it yielded to the captor, so 
 that no part of its wide belt of walls or towers, though so strongly 
 constructed as to have offered effectual resistance, were injured. 
 
 Never had Whalley Abbey looked more beautiful than on a 
 bright clear morning in March, when this sad change had been 
 wrought, and when, from a peaceful monastic establishment, it had 
 been converted into a menacing fortress. The sunlight sparkled 
 upon its grey walls, and filled its three great quadrangular courts 
 with light and life, piercing the exquisite carving of its cloisters, 
 and revealing all the intricate beauty and combinations of the 
 arches. Stains of painted glass fell upon the floor of the magnifi- 
 cent conventual church, and dyed with rainbow hues the marble 
 tombs of the Lacies, the founders of the establishment, brought 
 thither when the monastery was removed from Stanlaw in Cheshire, 
 and upon the brass-covered gravestones of the abbots in the presby- 
 tery. There lay Gregory de Northbury, eighth abbot of Stanlaw and 
 first of Whalley, and William Rede, the last abbot; but there was 
 never to lie John Paslew. The slumber of the ancient prelates was 
 soon to be disturbed, and the sacred structure within which they had 
 so often worshipped, up-reared by sacrilegious hands. But all was 
 bright and beauteous now, and if no solemn strains were heard in 
 the holy pile, its stillness was scarcely less reverential and awe- 
 inspiring. The old abbey wreathed itself in all its attractions, as 
 if to welcome back its former ruler, whereas it was only to receive 
 him as a captive doomed to a felon's death, 
 
20 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 But this was outward show. Within all was terrible preparation. 
 Such was the discontented state of the country, that fearing some 
 new revolt, the Earl of Derby had taken measures for the defence 
 of the abbey, and along the wide-circling walls of the close were 
 placed ordnance and men, and within the grange stores of ammu- 
 nition. A strong guard was set at each of the gates, and the courts 
 were filled with troops. The bray of the trumpet echoed within 
 the close, where rounds were set for the archers, and martial music 
 resounded within the area of the cloisters. Over the great north- 
 eastern gateway, which formed the chief entrance to the abbot's 
 lodging, floated the royal banner. Despite these warlike proceed- 
 ings the fair abbey smiled beneath the sun, in all, or more than 
 all, its pristine beauty, its green hills sloping gently down towards 
 it, and the clear and sparkling Calder dashing merrily over the 
 stones at its base. 
 
 But upon the bridge, and by the river side, and within the 
 little village, many persons were assembled, conversing gravely 
 and anxiously together, and looking out towards the hills, where 
 other groups were gathered, as if in expectation of some afflicting 
 event. Most of these were herdsmen and farming men, but some 
 among them were poor monks in the white habits of the Cister- 
 tian brotherhood, but which were now stained and threadbare, 
 while their countenances bore traces of severest privation and 
 suffering. All the herdsmen and farmers had been retainers of 
 the abbot. The poor monks looked wistfully at their former 
 habitation, but replied not except by a gentle bowing of the head 
 to the cruel scoffs and taunts with which they were greeted by 
 the passing soldiers ; but the sturdy rustics did not bear these 
 outrages so tamely, and more than one brawl ensued, in which 
 blood flowed, while a ruffianly arquebussier would have been 
 drowned in the Calder but for the exertions to save him of a monk 
 whom he had attacked. 
 
 This took place on the eleventh of March, 1537 more than 
 three months after the date of the watching by the beacon before 
 recorded and the event anticipated by the concourse without the 
 abbey, as well as by those within its walls, was the arrival of 
 Abbot Paslew and Fathers Eastgate and Haydocke, who were to 
 be brought on that day from Lancaster, and executed on the fol- 
 lowing morning before the abbey, according to sentence passed 
 upon them. 
 
 The gloomiest object in the picture remains to be described, 
 but yet it is necessary to its completion. This was a gallows of 
 unusual form and height, erected on the summit of a gentle hill, 
 rising immediately in front of the abbot's lodgings, called the 
 Holehouses, whose rounded, bosomy beauty it completely de- 
 stroyed. This terrible apparatus of condign punishment was 
 regarded with abhorrence by the rustics, and it required a strong 
 guard to be kept constantly round it to preserve it from de- 
 molition. 
 
WH ALLEY ABBEY. 21 
 
 Amongst a group of rustics collected on the road leading to 
 the north-east gateway, was Cuthbert Ashbead, who, having been 
 deprived of his forester's office, was now habited in a frieze doub- 
 let and hose, with a short camlet cloak on his shoulder, and a 
 fox-skin cap, embellished with the grinning jaws of the beast on 
 his head. 
 
 "Eigh, Euchot o' Eoaph's," he observed to a bystander, 
 " that's a fearfo seet that gallas. Yoan been up to t' Holehouses 
 to tey a look at it, beloike ? " 
 
 "Naw,naw,ey dunna loike such sects," replied Ruchot o'Roaph's; 
 (t besoide there wor a great rabblement at t' geate, an one o' them 
 lunjus archer chaps knockt meh o' t' nob wi' his poike, an towd 
 me he'd hong me wi' t' abbut, if ey didna keep owt ot wey." 
 
 "An sarve te reet too, theaw craddinly carl !" cried Ashbead, 
 doubling his horny fists. u Odds flesh ! whey didna yo ha' a 
 tussle wi' him ? Mey honts are itchen for a bowt wi' t' heretic 
 robbers. Walladey ! walladey ! that we should live to see t' oly 
 feythers driven loike hummobees owt o' t' owd neest. Whey they 
 sayn ot King Harry hon decreet ot we're to ha' naw more monks 
 or friars i' aw Englondshiar. Ony think o' that. An dunna yo 
 knoa that t' Abbuts o' Jervaux an Salley wor hongt o' Tizeday at 
 Loncaster Castle?" 
 
 "Good lorjus bless us!" exclaimed a sturdy hind, "we'n a 
 protty king. Furst he chops off his woife's heaod, an then hongs 
 aw t' priests. Whot'll t' warlt cum to ? 
 
 " Eigh by t' mess, whot win it cum to ? " cried Ruchot o' 
 Roaph's. " But we darrna oppen owr mows fo' fear o' a gog." 
 
 "Naw, beleady ! boh eyst oppen moine woide enuff," cried Ash- 
 bead ; " an' if a dozen o' yo chaps win join me, eyn try to set t' 
 poor abbut free whon they brinks him here." 
 
 "Ey'd as leef boide till to-morrow," said Ruchot o'Roaph's, 
 uneasily. 
 
 " Eigh, thou'rt a timmersome teyke, os ey towd te efore," re- 
 plied Ashbead. a But whot dust theaw say, Hal o' Nabs ? " he 
 added, to the sturdy hind who had recently spoken. 
 
 " Ey'n spih 1 t' last drop o' meh blood i' t' owd abbut's keawse," 
 replied Hal o' Nabs. " We winna stond by, an see him hongt 
 loike a dog. Abbut Paslew to t' reskew, lads !" 
 
 "Eigh, Abbut Paslew to t' reskew!" responded all the others, 
 except Ruchot o' Roaph's. 
 
 " This must be prevented," muttered a voice near them. And 
 immediately afterwards a tall man quitted the group. 
 
 "Whoa wor it spoake?" cried Hal o' Nabs. "Oh, ey seen, 
 that he-witch, Nick Demdike." 
 
 " Nick Demdike here !" cried Ashbead, looking round in alarm. 
 "Has he owerheert us ?" 
 
 " Loike enow," replied Hal o' Nabs. " But ey didna moind 
 him efore." 
 
22 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Naw ey noather," cried Ruchot o' Roaph's, crossing himself, 
 and spitting on the ground. "Owr Leady o' Whalley shielt 
 us fro' t' warlock!" 
 
 "Tawkin o' Nick Demdike," cried Hal o' Nabs, "yo'd a 
 strawnge odventer wi' him t' neet o' t' great brast o' Pendle 
 Hill/hadna yo, Cuthbert?" 
 
 "Yeigh, t' firrups tak' him, ey hadn," replied Ashbead. 
 te Theawst hear aw abowt it if t' will. Ey wur sent be t' abbut 
 down t' hill to Owen o' Gab's, o' Perkin's, o' Dannel's, o' Noll's, 
 o' Oamfrey's orchert i' Warston lone, to luk efter him. Weel, 
 whon ey gets ower t' stoan wa', whot dun yo think ey sees ! 
 twanty or throtty poikemen stonding behint it, an they deshes 
 at men os thick os leet, an efore ey con roor oot, they blintfowlt 
 meh, an clap an iron gog i' meh mouth. Weel, I con noather 
 speak nor see, boh ey con use meh feet, soh ey punses at 'em 
 reet an' laft; an be mah troath, lads, yood'n a leawght t' hear how 
 they roart, an ey should a roart too, if I couldn, whon they 
 began to thwack me wi' their raddling pows, and ding'd meh so 
 abowt t' heoad, that ey fell i' a swownd. Whon ey cum to, ey 
 wur loyin o' meh back i' Rimington Moor. Every booan i' 
 meh hoide wratcht, an meh hewr war clottert wi' gore, boh 
 t' eebond an t' gog wur gone, soh ey gets o' meh feet, and 
 daddies along os weel os ey con, whon aw ot wunce ey spies 
 a leet glenting efore meh, an dawncing abowt loike an awf or 
 a wull-o'-whisp. Thinks ey, that's Friar Rush an' his lantern, 
 an he'll lead me into a quagmire, soh ey stops a bit, to consider 
 where ey'd getten, for ey didna knoa t' reet road exactly ; boh 
 whon ey stood still, t' leet stood still too, on then ey meyd owt 
 that it cum fro an owd ruint tower, an whot ey'd fancied wur one 
 lantern proved twanty, fo' whon ey reacht t' tower an peept in 
 thro' a brok'n winda, ey beheld a seet ey'st neer forgit apack o' 
 witches eigh, witches! sittin' in a ring, wi' their broomsticks 
 an lanterns abowt em !" 
 
 "Good lorjus deys!" cried Hal o' Nabs. "An whot else 
 didsta see, mon?" 
 
 " Whoy," replied Ashbead, (e t'owd hags had a little figure i' t' 
 midst on 'em, mowded i' cley, representing t' abbut o' Whalley, 
 ey knoad it be't moitre and crosier, an efter each o' V 
 varment had stickt a pin i' its 'eart, a tall black mon stepped 
 for'ard, an teed a cord rownd its throttle, an hongt it up." 
 
 " An' t' black mon," cried Hal o' Nabs, breathlessly, " t' 
 black mon wur Nick Demdike ? " 
 
 a Yoan guest it," replied Ashbead, (t 't wur he ! Ey wur so 
 glopp'nt, ey couldna speak, an' meh blud fruz i' inch veins, when 
 ey heerd a fearfo voice ask Nick wheere his woife an' chilt were. 
 4 The infant is unbaptised,' roart t' voice, ' at the next meeting it 
 must be sacrificed. See that thou bring it.' Demdike then 
 bowed to Summat I couldna see, an axt when t' next meeting 
 
WH ALLEY ABBEY. 23 
 
 wur to be held. ' On the night of Abbot Paslew's execution/ 
 awnsert t' voice. On hearing this, ey could bear nah lunger, 
 boh shouted out, * W r itches ! devils! Lort deliver us fro' ye!' 
 An ' os ey spoke, ey tried t' barst thro' t' winda. In a trice, aw 
 t' leets went out ; thar wur a great rash to t' dooer ; a whirrin 
 sound i' th' air loike a covey o' partriches fleeing off; and then 
 ey heerd nowt more ; for a great stoan fell o' meh scoance, an' 
 knockt me down senseless. When I cum' to, I wur i' Nick 
 Demdike's cottage, wi' his woife watching ower me, and th' 
 unbapteesed chilt i' her arms." 
 
 All exclamations of wonder on the part of the rustics, and 
 inquiries as to the issue of the adventure, were checked by the 
 approach of a monk, who, joining the assemblage, called their 
 attention to a priestly train slowly advancing along the road. 
 
 " It is headed," he said, " by Fathers Chatburne and Chester, 
 late bursers of the abbey. Alack ! alack ! they now need the 
 charity themselves which they once so lavishly bestowed on 
 others." 
 
 " Waes me ! " ejaculated Ashbead. " Monry a broad merk 
 han ey getten fro 'em." 
 
 " They'n been koind to us aw," added the others. 
 "Next come Father Burnley, granger, and Father Haworth, 
 cellarer," pursued the monk ; "and after them Father Dinkley, 
 sacristan, and Father Moore, porter. " 
 
 " Yo remember Feyther Moore, lads," cried Ashbead. 
 " Yeigh, to be sure we done," replied the others ; " a good mon, 
 a reet good mon ! He never sent away t' poor naw he !" 
 
 "After Father Moore," said the monk, pleased with their 
 warmth, " comes Father Forrest, the procurator, with Fathers 
 Rede, Clough, and Bancroft, and the procession is closed by 
 Father Smith, the late prior." 
 
 " Down o' yer whirlybooans, lads, as t' oly feythers pass," cried 
 Ashbead, " and crave their blessing." 
 
 And as the priestly train slowly approached, with heads 
 bowed down, and looks fixed sadly upon the ground, the rustic 
 assemblage fell upon their knees, and implored their benediction. 
 The foremost in the procession passed on in silence, but the prior 
 stopped, and extending his hands over the kneeling group, cried 
 in a solemn voice, 
 
 "Heaven bless ye, my children! Ye are about to witness a 
 sad spectacle. You will see him who hath clothed you, fed you, 
 and taught you the way to heaven, brought hither a prisoner, to 
 suffer a shameful death." 
 
 "Boh we'st set him free, oly prior," cried Ashbead. " We'n 
 meayed up our moinds to 't. Yo just wait till he cums." 
 
 " Nay, I command you to desist from the attempt, if any such 
 you meditate," rejoined the prior ; " it will avail nothing, and you 
 
24 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 will only sacrifice your own lives. Our enemies are too strong. 
 The abbot himself would give you like counsel." 
 
 Scarcely were the words uttered than from the great gate of 
 the abbey there issued a dozen arquebussiers with an officer at 
 their head, who marched directly towards the kneeling hinds, 
 evidently with the intention of dispersing them. Behind them 
 strode Nicholas Demdike. In an instant the alarmed rustics 
 were on their feet, and Ruchot o' Roaph's, and some few among 
 them, took to their heels, but Ashbead, Hal o' Nabs, with half a 
 dozen others, stood their ground manfully. The monks remained 
 in the hope of preventing any violence. Presently the halberdiers 
 came up. 
 
 " That is the ringleader," cried the officer, who proved to be 
 Richard Assheton, pointing out Ashbead; " seize him !" 
 
 " Naw mon shall lay honts o' meh," cried Cuthbert. 
 
 And as the guard pushed past the monks to execute their 
 leader's order, he sprang forward, and, wresting a halbert from the 
 foremost of them, stood upon hi, defence. 
 
 " Seize him, I say !'* shouted Assheton, irritated at the resistance 
 offered. 
 
 " Keep off," cried Ashbead ; " yo'd best. Loike a stag at bey 
 ey'm dawngerous. Waar horns ! \vaar horns ! ey sey." 
 
 The arquebussiers looked irresolute. It was evident Ashbead 
 would only be taken with life, and they were not sure that it was 
 their leader's purpose to destroy him. 
 
 "Put down thy weapon, Cuthbert," interposed the prior; "it 
 will avail thee nothing against odds like these." 
 
 if Mey be, 'oly prior," rejoined Ashbead, flourishing the pike : 
 " boh ey'st ony yield wi' loife." 
 
 " I will disarm him," cried Demdike, stepping forward. 
 
 " Theaw !" retorted Ashbead, with a scornful laugh, " Cum on r 
 then. Hadsta aw t' fiends i' hell at te back, ey shouldna fear thee." 
 
 " Yield ! " cried Demdike in a voice of thunder, and fixing a 
 terrible glance upon him. 
 
 " Cum on, wizard," rejoined Ashbead undauntedly. But, 
 observing that his opponent was wholly unarmed, he gave the 
 pike to Hal o' Nabs, who was close beside him, observing, "It 
 shall never be said that Cuthbert Ashbead feawt t' dule himsel 
 unfairly. Nah, touch me if theaw dar'st." 
 
 Demdike required no further provocation. With almost super- 
 natural force and quickness he sprung upon the forester, and 
 seized him by the throat. But the active young man freed 
 himself from the gripe, and closed w T ith his assailant. But though 
 of Herculean build, it soon became evident that Ashbead would 
 have the worst of it ; when Hal o' Nabs, who had watched the 
 struggle with intense interest, could not help corning to his friend's 
 assistance, and made a push at Demdike with the halbert. 
 
WHALLEY ABBEY. 25 
 
 Could it be that the wrestlers shifted their position, or that the 
 wizard was indeed aided by the powers of darkness ? None could 
 tell, but so it was that the pike pierced the side of Ashbead, who 
 instantly fell to the ground, with his adversary upon him. The 
 next instant his hold relaxed, and the wizard sprang to his feet 
 unharmed, but deluged in blood. Hal o' Nabs uttered a cry of 
 keenest anguish, and, flinging himself upon the body of the 
 forester, tried to staunch the wound; but he was quickly seized 
 by the arquebussiers, and his hands tied behind his back with a 
 thong, while Ashbead was lifted up and borae towards the abbey, 
 the monks and rustics following slowly after ; but the latter were 
 not permitted to enter the gate. 
 
 As the unfortunate keeper, who by this time had become insen- 
 sible from loss of blood, was carried along the walled enclosure 
 leading to the abbot's lodging, a female with a child in her arms 
 was seen advancing from the opposite side. She was tall, finely 
 formed, with features of remarkable beauty, though of a masculine 
 and somewhat savage character, and with magnificent but fierce 
 black eyes. Her skin was dark, and her hair raven black, con- 
 trasting strongly with the red band wound around it. Her kirtle 
 was of murrey-coloured serge ; simply, but becomingly fashioned. 
 A glance sufficed to show her how matters stood with poor 
 Ashbead, and, uttering a sharp angry cry, she rushed towards him. 
 
 " What have you dune ? " she cried, fixing a keen reproachful 
 look on Demdike, who walked beside the wounded man. 
 
 " Nothing," replied Demdike with a bitter laugh ; " the fool has 
 been hurt with a pike. Stand out of the way, Bess, and let the 
 men pass. They are about to carry him to the cell under the 
 chapter-house." 
 
 " You shall not take him there," cried Bess Demdike, fiercely. 
 " He may recover if his wound be dressed. Let him go to 
 the infirmary ha, I forgot there is no one there now." 
 
 " Father Bancroft is at the gate," observed one of the 
 arquebussiers ; " he used to act as chirurgeon in the abbey." 
 
 " No monk must enter the gate except the prisoners when they 
 arrive," observed Assheton ; " such are the positive orders of the 
 Earl of Derby." 
 
 " It is not needed," observed Demdike, " no human aid can save 
 the man." 
 
 * But can other aid save him ?" said Bess, breathing the words 
 in her husband's ears. 
 
 " Go to !" cried Demdike, pushing her roughly aside ; "wouldst 
 have me save thy lover ? " 
 
 " Take heed," said Bess, in a deep whisper ; "if thou save him 
 not,' by the devil thou servest ! thou shalt lose me and thy child." 
 
 Demdike did not think proper to contest the point, but, 
 approaching Assheton, requested that the wounded man might be 
 
26 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 conveyed to an arched recess, which he pointed out. Assent 
 being given, Ashbead was taken there, and placed upon the 
 ground, after which the arquebussiers and their leader marched 
 off; while Bess, kneeling down, supported the head of the wounded 
 man upon her knee, and Demdike, taking a small phial from his 
 doublet, poured some of its contents down his throat. The wizard 
 then took a fold of linen, with which he was likewise provided, 
 and, dipping it in the elixir, applied it to the wound. 
 
 In a few moments Ashbead opened his eyes, and looking round 
 wildly, fixed his gaze upon Bess, who placed her finger upon her 
 lips to enjoin silence, but he could not, or would not, understand 
 the sign. 
 
 " Aw's o'er wi' meh, Bess," he groaned; Ct but ey'd reyther dee 
 thus, wi' thee besoide meh, than i' ony other wey." 
 
 " Hush ! " exclaimed Bess, " Nicholas is here." 
 
 " Oh ! ey see," replied the wounded man, looking round ; " boh 
 whot matters it ? Ey'st be gone soon. Ah, Bess, dear lass, if 
 theawdst promise to break thy compact wi' Satan to repent and 
 save thy precious sowl ey should dee content." 
 
 " Oh, do not talk thus!" cried Bess. "You will soon be 
 well again. 
 
 " Listen to me," continued Ashbead, earnestly; "dust na knoa 
 that if thy babe be na bapteesed efore to-morrow neet, it'll be 
 sacrificed to t' Prince o' Darkness. Go to some o' t' oly feythers 
 confess thy sins an' implore heaven's forgiveness an' mayhap 
 they'll save thee an' thy infant." 
 
 " And be burned as a witch," rejoined Bess, fiercely. " It is 
 useless, Cuthbert ; I have tried them all. I have knelt to them, 
 implored them, but their hearts are hard as flints. They will not 
 heed me. They will not disobey the abbot's cruel injunctions, 
 though he be their superior no longer. But I shall be avenged 
 upon him terribly avenged. 
 
 " Leave meh, theaw wicked woman." cried Ashbead ; " ey 
 dunna wish to ha' thee near meh. Let meh dee i' peace." 
 
 " Thou wilt not die, I tell thee, Cuthbert," cried Bess ; " Ni- 
 cholas hath staunched thy wound." 
 
 "He stawncht it, seyst to?" cried Ashbead, raising. "Ey'st 
 never owe meh loife to him." 
 
 And before he could be prevented he tore off the bandage, and 
 the blood burst forth anew. 
 
 " It is not my fault if he perishes now," observed Demdike, 
 moodily. 
 
 " Help him help him ! " implored Bess. 
 
 " He shanna touch meh," cried Ashbead, struggling and in- 
 creasing the effusion. "Keep him off, ey adjure thee. FareweD, 
 Bess," he added, sinking back utterly exhausted by the effort. 
 
 " Cuthbert ! " screamed Bess, terrified by his looks, "Cuthbert ! 
 
THE MALEDICTION. 27 
 
 art thou really dying? Look at me, speak to me ! Ha !" she cried, 
 as if seized by a sudden idea, u they say the blessing of a dying 
 man will avail. Bless my child, Cuthbert, bless it I" 
 
 " Give it me !" groaned the forester. 
 
 Bess held the infant towards him ; but before he could place his 
 hands upon it all power forsook him, and he fell back and 
 expired. 
 
 " Lost ! lost ! for ever lost ! " cried Bess, with a wild shriek. 
 
 At this moment a loud blast was blown from the gate-tower, 
 and a trumpeter called out, 
 
 " The abbot and the two other prisoners are coming." 
 
 " To thy feet, wench!" cried Demdike, imperiously, and seiz- 
 ing the bewildered woman by the arm; "to thy feet, and come 
 with me to meet him ! " 
 
 CHAPTER IV. THE MALEDICTION. 
 
 THE captive ecclesiastics, together with the strong escort by 
 which they were attended, under the command of John Braddyll, 
 the high sheriff of the county, had passed the previous night at 
 VVhitewell, in Bowland Forest ; and the abbot, before setting out 
 on his final journey, was permitted to spend an hour in prayer in 
 a little chapel on an adjoining hill, overlooking a most picturesque 
 portion of the forest, the beauties of which were enhanced by the 
 windings of the Hodder, one of the loveliest streams in Lan- 
 cashire. His devotions performed, Paslew, attended by a guard, 
 slowly descended the hill, and gazed his last on scenes familiar to 
 him almost from infancy. Noble trees, which now looked like 
 old friends, to whom he was bidding an eternal adieu, stood around 
 him. Beneath them, at the end of a glade, couched a herd of 
 deer, which started off at sight of the intruders, and made him 
 envy their freedom and fleetness as he followed them in thought 
 to their solitudes. At the foot of a steep rock ran the Hodder, 
 making the pleasant music of other days as it dashed over its 
 pebbly bed, and recalling times, when, free from all care, he had 
 strayed by its wood-fringed banks, to listen to the pleasant sound 
 of running waters, and watch the shining pebbles beneath them, 
 and the swift trout and dainty umber glancing past. 
 
 A bitter pang was it to part with scenes so fair, and the abbot 
 spoke no word, nor even looked up, until, passing Little Mitton, 
 he came in sight of Whalley Abbey. Then, collecting all his 
 energies, he prepared for the shock he was about to endure. But 
 nerved as he was, his firmness was sorely tried when he beheld 
 the stately pile, once his own, now gone from him and his for 
 ever. He gave one fond glance towards it, and then painfully 
 averting his gaze, recited, in a low voice, this supplication : 
 
28 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 u Miserere mei, I)eus y secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. Et 
 secundum multitudinern miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam. 
 Amplius lava me ab iniquitate med, et a peccato meo munda me." 
 
 But other thoughts and other emotions crowded upon him, 
 when he beheld the groups of his old retainers advancing to meet 
 him: men, women, and children pouring forth loud lamentations, 
 prostrating themselves at his feet, and deploring his doom. The 
 abbot's fortitude had a severe trial here, and the tears sprung to 
 his eyes. The devotion of these poor people touched him more 
 sharply than the severity of his adversaries. 
 
 " Bless ye ! bless ye ! my children," he cried ; tf repine not for 
 me, for I bear my cross with resignation. It is for me to bewail 
 your lot, much fearing that the flock I have so long and so 
 zealously tended will fall into the hands of other and less heedful 
 pastors, or, still worse, of devouring wolves. Bless ye, my children, 
 and be comforted. Think of the end of Abbot Paslew, and for 
 what he suffered." 
 
 " Think that he was a traitor to the king, and took up arms in 
 rebellion against him," cried the sheriff, riding up, and speaking 
 in a loud voice ; " and that for his heinous offences he was justly 
 condemned to death." 
 
 Murmurs arose at this speech, but they were instantly checked 
 by the escort. 
 
 i ' Think charitably of me, my children," said the abbot ; " and 
 the blessed Virgin keep you steadfast in your faith. Benedicite !" 
 
 "Be silent, traitor, I command thee," cried the sheriff, striking 
 him with his gauntlet in the face. 
 
 The abbot's pale cheek burnt crimson, and his eye flashed fire, 
 but he controlled himself, and answered meekly, 
 
 " Thou didst not speak in such wise, John Braddyll, when I 
 saved thee from the flood." 
 
 " Which flood thou thyself caused to burst forth by devilish 
 arts," rejoined the sheriff. " I owe thee little for the service. If 
 for naught else, thou deservest death for thy evil doings on that 
 night." 
 
 The abbot made no reply, for BraddylFs allusion conjured up 
 a sombre train of thought within his breast, awakening appre- 
 hensions which he could neither account for, nor shake off. 
 Meanwhile, the cavalcade slowly approached the north-east 
 gateway of the abbey passing through crowds of kneeling and 
 sorrowing bystanders ; but so deeply was the abbot engrossed 
 by the one dread idea that possessed him, that he saw them not, 
 and scarce heard their woful lamentations. All at once the 
 cavalcade stopped, and the sheriff rode on to the gate, in the 
 opening of which some ceremony was observed. Then it was that 
 Paslew raised his eyes, and beheld standing before him a tall man, 
 with a woman beside him bearing an infant in her arms. The 
 eyes of the pair were fixed upon him with vindictive exultation. 
 
THE MALEDICTION. 29 
 
 He would have averted his gaze, but an irresistible fascination 
 withheld him. 
 
 " Thou seest all is prepared," said Demdike, coming close up 
 to the rnule on which Paslew was mounted, and pointing to the 
 gigantic gallows, looming above the abbey walls; "wilt thou now 
 accede to my request?" And then he added, significantly "on 
 the same terms as before." 
 
 The abbot understood his meaning well. Life and freedom 
 were offered him by a being, whose power to accomplish his 
 promise he did not doubt. The struggle was hard; but he 
 resisted the temptation, and answered firmly, 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Then die the felon death thou meritest," cried Bess, fiercely; 
 " and I will glut mine eyes with the spectacle." 
 
 Incensed beyond endurance, the abbot looked sternly at her, 
 and raised his hand in denunciation. The action and the look 
 were so appalling, that the affrighted woman w r ould have fled if 
 her husband had not restrained her. 
 
 " By the holy patriarchs and prophets ; by the prelates and 
 confessors ; by the doctors of the church ; by the holy abbots, 
 monks, and eremites, who dwelt in solitudes, in mountains, and 
 in caverns ; by the holy saints and martyrs, who suffered torture 
 and death for their faith, I curse thee, witch!" cried Paslew. 
 " May the malediction of Heaven and all its hosts alight on the 
 head of thy infant " 
 
 " Oh ! holy abbot," shrieked Bess, breaking from her husband, 
 and flinging herself at Paslew's feet, " curse me, if thou wilt, but 
 spare my innocent child. Save it, and we will save thee." 
 
 " Avoid thee, wretched' and impious woman," rejoined the 
 abbot ; " I have pronounced the dread anathema, and it cannot 
 be recalled. Look at the dripping garments of thy child. In 
 blood has it been baptised, and through blood-stained paths shall 
 its course be taken." 
 
 " Ha!" shrieked Bess, noticing for the first time the ensanguined 
 condition of the infant's attire. ft Cuthbert's blood oh !" 
 
 " Listen to me, wicked woman," pursued the abbot, as if filled 
 with a prophetic spirit. " Thy child's life shall be long beyond 
 the ordinary term of woman but it shall be a life of woe and ill." 
 
 " Qh! stay him stay him ; or I shall die !" cried Bess. 
 
 But the wizard could not speak. A greater power than his own 
 apparently overmastered him. 
 
 u Children shall she have," continued the abbot, f( and children 3 
 children, but they shall be a race doomed and accursed a brood 
 of adders, that the world shall flee from and crush. A thing 
 accursed, and shunned by her fellows, shall thy daughter be 
 evil reputed and evil doing. No hand to help her no lip to 
 bless her life a burden; and death long, long in coming finding 
 
30 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 her in a dismal dungeon. Now, depart from me, and trouble me 
 no more." 
 
 Bess made a motion as if she would go, and then turning, partly 
 round, dropped heavily on the ground. Demdike caught the child 
 ere she fell. 
 
 " Thou hast killed her !" he cried to the abbot. 
 
 " A stronger voice than mine hath spoken, if it be so," rejoined 
 Paslew. (t Fuge miserrime* fuge male/ice, quia judex adest iratus" 
 
 At this moment the trumpet again sounded, and the cavalcade 
 being put in motion, the abbot and his fellow-captives passed 
 through the gate. 
 
 Dismounting from their mules within the court, before the 
 chapter-house, the captive ecclesiastics, preceded by the sheriff, 
 were led to the principal chamber of the structure, where the 
 Earl of Derby awaited them, seated in the Gothic carved oak 
 chair, formerly occupied by the Abbots of Whalley on the occa- 
 sions of conferences or elections. The earl was surrounded by 
 his officers, and the chamber was filled with armed men. The 
 abbot slowly advanced towards the earl. His deportment was 
 dignified and firm, even majestic. The exaltation of spirit, occa- 
 sioned by the interview with Demdike and his wife, had passed 
 away, and was succeeded by a profound calm. The hue of his 
 cheek was livid, but otherwise he seemed wholly unmoved. 
 
 The ceremony of delivering up the bodies of the prisoners to 
 the earl was gone through by the sheriff, and their sentences 
 were then read aloud by a clerk. After this the earl, who had 
 hitherto remained covered, took off his cap, and in a solemn voice 
 spoke : 
 
 "John Paslew, somewhile Abbot of Whalley, but now an 
 attainted and condemned felon, and John Eastgate and William 
 Haydocke, formerly brethren of the same monastery, and con- 
 federates with him in crime, ye have heard your doom. To- 
 morrow you shall die the ignominious death of traitors ; but the 
 king in his mercy, having regard not so much to the heinous 
 nature of your offences towards his sovereign majesty as to the 
 sacred offices you once held, and of which you have been shame- 
 fully deprived, is graciously pleased to remit that part of your 
 sentence, whereby ye are condemned to be quartered alive, willing 
 that the hearts which conceived so much malice and violence 
 against him should cease to beat within your own bosoms, and 
 that the arms which were raised in rebellion against him should 
 be interred in one common grave with the trunks to which they 
 belong." 
 
 " God save the high and puissant king, Henry the Eighth, and 
 free him from all traitors !" cried the clerk. 
 
 "We humbly thank his majesty for his clemency," said the 
 abbot, amid the profound silence that ensued; "and I pray you, 
 
THE MALEDICTION. 31 
 
 my good lord, when you shall write to the king concerning us, to- 
 gay to his majesty that we died penitent of many and grave offences, 
 amongst the which is chiefly that of having taken up arms un- 
 lawfully against him, but that we did so solely with the view of 
 freeing his highness from evil counsellors, and of re-establishing 
 our holy church, for the which we would willingly die, if our death 
 might in anywise profit it." 
 
 "Amen !" exclaimed Father Eastjrate, who stood with his hands 
 crossed upon his breast, close behind Paslew. " The abbot hath 
 uttered my sentiments." 
 
 " He hath not uttered mine," cried Father Haydocke. " I ask 
 no grace from the bloody Herodias, and will accept none. What 
 I have done I would do again, were the past to return nay, I 
 would do more I would find a way to reach the tyrant's heart, 
 and thus free our church from its worst enemy, and the land from 
 a ruthless oppressor." 
 
 u Remove him," said the earl ; u the vile traitor shall be dealt 
 with as he merits. For you," he added, as the order was obeyed, 
 and addressing the other prisoners, et and especially you, John 
 Paslew, who have shown some compunction for your crimes, and 
 to prove to you that the king is not the ruthless tyrant he hath 
 been just represented, I hereby in his name promise you any boon, 
 which you may ask consistently with your situation. What favour 
 would you have shown you?" 
 
 The abbot reflected for a moment. 
 
 " Speak thou, John Eastgate," said the Earl of Derby, seeing 
 that the abbot was occupied in thought. 
 
 " If I may proffer a request, my lord," replied the monk, " it is 
 that our poor distraught brother, William Haydocke, be spared the 
 quartering block. He meant not what he said." 
 
 " Well, be it as thou wilt," replied the earl, bending his brows, 
 " though he ill deserves such grace. Now, John Paslew, what 
 wouldst thou ?" 
 
 Thus addressed, the abbot looked up. 
 
 " I would have made the same request as my brother, John East- 
 gate, if he had not anticipated me, my lord," said Paslew ; but 
 since his petition is granted, I would, on my own part, entreat 
 that mass be said for us in the convent church. Many of the 
 brethren are without the abbey, and, if permitted, will assist at its 
 performance." 
 
 " I know not if I shall not incur the king's displeasure in assenting," 
 replied the Earl of Derby, after a little reflection; "but I will hazard 
 it. Mass for the dead shall be said in the church at midnight, and 
 all the brethren who choose to come thither shall be permitted to 
 assist at it. They will attend, I doubt not, for it will be the last 
 time the rites of the Romish Church will be performed in those 
 walls. They shall have all required for the ceremonial." 
 
 " Heaven's blessings on you, my lord," said the abbot. 
 
32 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 (t But first pledge me your sacred word," said the earl, "by the 
 holy office you once held, and by the saints in whom you trust, 
 that this concession shall not be made the means of any attempt 
 at flight." 
 
 (s I swear it," replied the abbot, earnestly. 
 
 " And I also swear it," added Father Eastgate. 
 
 " Enough," said the earl. (e I will give the requisite orders. 
 Notice of the celebration of mass at midnight shall be proclaimed 
 without the abbey. Now remove the prisoners." 
 
 Upon this the captive ecclesiastics were led forth. Father East- 
 gate was taken to a strong room in the lower part of the chapter- 
 house, where all acts of discipline had been performed by the monks, 
 and where the knotted lash, the spiked girdle, and the hair shirt 
 had once hung; while the abbot was conveyed to his old chamber, 
 which had been prepared for his reception, and there left alone. 
 
 CHAPTER V. THE MIDNIGHT MASS. 
 
 DOLEFULLY sounds the All Souls' bell from the tower of the 
 convent church. The bell is one of five, and has obtained the 
 name because it is tolled only for those about to pass away from 
 life. Now it rings the knell of three souls to depart on the morrow. 
 Brightly illumined is the fane, within which no taper hath gleamed 
 since the old worship ceased, showing that preparations are made 
 for the last service. The organ, dumb so long, breathes a low 
 prelude. Sad is it to hear that knell sad to view those gloriously- 
 dyed panes and to think why the one rings and the other is lighted 
 up. 
 
 Word having gone forth of the midnight mass, all the ejected 
 brethren flock to the abbey. Some have toiled through miry 
 and scarce passable roads. Others have come down from the hills, 
 and forded deep streams at the hazard of life, rather than go 
 round by the far-off bridge, and arrive too late. Others, who 
 conceive themselves in peril from the share they have taken in the 
 late insurrection, quit their secure retreats, and expose themselves 
 to capture. It may be a snare laid for them, but they run the 
 risk. Others, coming from a yet greater distance, beholding the 
 illuminated church from afar, and catching the sound of the bell 
 tolling at intervals, hurry on, and reach the gate breathless and 
 weUnigh exhausted. But no questions are asked. All who pre- 
 sent themselves in ecclesiastical habits are permitted to enter, and 
 take part in the procession forming in the cloister, or proceed at 
 oive to the church, if they prefer it. 
 
 Dolefully sounds the bell. Barefooted brethren meet together, 
 sorrowfully salute each other, and form in a long line in the great 
 area of the cloisters. At their head are six monks bearing tall 
 
THE MIDNIGHT MASS. 33 
 
 lighted candles. After them come the quiristers, and then one 
 carrying the Host, between the incense-bearers. Next comes a 
 youth holding the bell. Next are placed the dignitaries of the 
 church, the prior ranking first, and the others standing two and 
 two, according to their degrees. Near the entrance of the refec- 
 tory, which occupies the whole south side of the quadrangle, stand 
 a band of halberdiers, whose torches cast a ruddy glare on the 
 opposite tower and buttresses of the convent church, revealing 
 the statues not yet plucked from their niches, the crosses on the 
 pinnacles, and the gilt image of Saint Gregory de Northbury, 
 still holding its place over the porch. Another band are stationed 
 near the mouth of the vaulted passage, under the chapter-house 
 and vestry, whose grey, irregular walls, pierced by numberless 
 richly ornamented windows, and surmounted by small turrets, 
 form a beautiful boundary on the right ; while a third party are 
 planted on the left, in the open space, beneath the dormitory, the 
 torchlight flashing ruddily upon the hoary pillars and groined 
 arches sustaining the vast structure above them. 
 
 Dolefully sounds the bell. And the ghostly procession thrice 
 tracks the four ambulatories of the cloisters, solemnly chanting a 
 requiem for the dead. 
 
 Dolefully sounds the bell. And at its summons all the old re- 
 tainers of the abbot press to the gate, and sue for admittance, but 
 in vain. They, therefore, mount the neighbouring hill command- 
 ing the abbey, and as the solemn sounds float faintly by, and 
 glimpses are caught of the white-robed brethren gliding along 
 the cloisters, and rendered phantom-like by the torchlight, the 
 beholders half imagine it must be a company of sprites, and that 
 the departed monks have been permitted for an hour to assume 
 their old forms, and revisit their old haunts. 
 
 Dolefully sounds the bell. And two biers, covered with palls, 
 are borne slowly towards the church, followed by a tall monk. 
 
 The clock was on the stroke of twelve. The procession 
 having drawn up within the court in front of the abbot's lodging, 
 the prisoners were brought forth, and at sight of the abbot the 
 whole of the monks fell on their knees. A touching sight was it 
 to see those reverend men prostrate before their ancient superior, 
 he condemned to die, and they deprived of their monastic home, 
 and the officer had not the heart to interfere. Deeply affected, 
 Paslew advanced to the prior, and raising him, affectionately 
 embraced him. After this, he addressed some words of comfort 
 to the others, who arose as he enjoined them, and at a signal from 
 the officer, the procession set out for the church, singing the 
 " Placebo." The abbot and his fellow captives brought up the 
 rear, with a guard on either side of them. All Souls' bell tolled 
 dolefully the while. 
 
 Meanwhile an officer entered the great hall, where the Earl of 
 Derby was feasting with his retainers, and informed him that the 
 
 D 
 
34 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 hour appointed for the ceremonial was close at hand. The earl 
 arose and went to the church attended by Braddyll and Assheton. 
 He entered by the western porch, and, proceeding to the choir, 
 seated himself in the magnificently-carved stall formerly used by 
 Paslew, and placed where it stood, a hundred years before, by- 
 John Eccles, ninth abbot. 
 
 Midnight struck. The great door of the church swung open, 
 and the organ pealed forth the " De profundis? The aisles were 
 filled with armed men, but a clear space was left for the proces- 
 sion, which presently entered in the same order as before, and 
 moved slowly along the transept. Those who came first thought 
 it a dream, so strange was it to find themselves once again in the 
 old accustomed church. The good prior melted into tears. 
 
 At length the abbot came. To him the whole scene appeared 
 like a vision. The lights streaming from the altar the incense 
 loading the air the deep diapasons rolling overhead the well- 
 known faces of the brethren the familiar aspect of the sacred 
 edifice all these filled him with emotions too painful almost for 
 endurance. It was the last time he should visit this holy place 
 the last time he should hear those solemn sounds the last time 
 he should behold those familiar objects ay, the last! Death 
 could have no pang like this ! And with heart wellnigh bursting, 
 and limbs scarcely serving their office, he tottered on. 
 
 Another trial awaited him, and one for which he was wholly 
 unprepared. As he drew near the chancel, he looked down an 
 opening on the right, which seemed purposely preserved by the 
 guard. Why were those tapers burning in the side chapel? 
 What was within it ? He looked again, and beheld two unco- 
 vered biers. On one lay the body of a woman. He started. In 
 the beautiful, but fierce features of the dead, he beheld the witch, 
 Bess Demdike. She was gone to her account before him. The 
 malediction he had pronounced upon her child had killed her. 
 
 Appalled, he turned to the other bier, and recognised Cuthbert 
 Ashbead. He shuddered, but comforted himself that he was at 
 least guiltless of his death ; though he had a strange feeling that 
 the poor forester had in some way perished for him. 
 
 But his attention was diverted towards a tall monk in the Cis- 
 tertian habit, standing between the bodies, with the cowl drawn 
 over his face. As Faslew gazed at him, the monk slowly raised 
 his hood, and partially disclosed features that smote the abbot as 
 if he had beheld a spectre. Could it be ? Could fancy cheat 
 him thus ? He looked again. The monk was still standing there, 
 but the cowl had dropped over his face. Striving to shake off the 
 horror that possessed him, the abbot staggered forward, and 
 reaching the presbytery, sank upon his knees. 
 
 The ceremonial then commenced. The solemn requiem was 
 sung by the choir ; and three yet living heard the hymn for the 
 repose of their souls. Always deeply impressive, the service was 
 
THE MIDNIGHT MASS. 35 
 
 unusually so on this sad occasion, and the melodious voices of the 
 singers never sounded so mournfully sweet as then the demean- 
 our of the prior never seemed so dignified, nor his accents so 
 touching and solemn. The sternest hearts were softened. 
 
 But the abbot found it impossible to fix his attention on the 
 service. The lights at the altar burnt dimly in his eyes the 
 loud antiphon and the supplicatory prayer fell upon a listless ear. 
 His whole life was passing in review before him. He saw himself 
 as he was when he first professed his faith, and felt the zeal and 
 holy aspirations that filled him then. Years flew by at a glance, 
 and he found himself sub-deacon ; the sub-deacon became deacon ; 
 and the deacon, sub-prior, and the end of his ambition seemed 
 plain before him. But he had a rival ; his fears told him a su- 
 perior in zeal and learning : one who, though many years younger 
 than he, had risen so rapidly in favour with the ecclesiastical 
 authorities, that he threatened to outstrip him, even now, when 
 the goal was full in view. The darkest passage of his life 
 approached : a crime which should cast a deep shadow over the 
 whole of his brilliant after-career. He would have shunned its 
 contemplation, if he could. In vain. It stood out more palpably 
 than all the rest. His rival was no longer in his path. How he 
 was removed the abbot did not dare to think. But he was gone 
 for ever, unless the tall monk were he ! 
 
 Unable to endure this terrible retrospect, Paslew strove to bend 
 his thoughts on other things. The choir was singing the fi Dies 
 Irce" and their voices thundered forth : 
 
 Rex tremendce majestatis, 
 Qui salvandos salvas gratis, 
 Salva me, fons pietatis ! 
 
 Fain would the abbot have closed his ears, and, hoping to stifle 
 the remorseful pangs that seized upon his very vitals with the 
 sharpness of serpents' teeth, he strove to dwell upon the frequent 
 and severe acts of penance he had performed. But he now found 
 that his penitence had never been sincere and efficacious. This 
 one damning sin obscured all his good actions ; and he felt if he 
 died unconfessed, and with the weight of guilt upon his soul, he 
 should perish everlastingly. Again he fled from the torment of 
 retrospection, and again heard the choir thundering forth 
 
 Lacrymosa dies ilia, 
 Qua resurget ex favilla 
 Judicandus homo reus. 
 Huic ergo parce, Deus! 
 Pie Jesu Domine! 
 Dona eis requiem. 
 
 "Amen!" exclaimed the abbot. And bowing his head to the 
 ground, he earnestly repeated 
 
36 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Pie Jesu Domine! 
 Dona eis requiem." 
 
 Then he looked up, and resolved to ask for a confessor, and 
 unburthen his soul without delay. 
 
 The offertory and post-communion were over ; the ee requiescant 
 in pace" awful words addressed to living ears were pronounced ; 
 and the mass was ended. 
 
 All prepared to depart. The prior descended from the altar 
 to embrace and take leave of the abbot ; and at the same time 
 the Earl of Derby came from the stall. 
 
 "Has all been done to your satisfaction, John Paslew ?" 
 demanded the earl, as he drew near. 
 
 "All, my good lord," replied the abbot, lowly inclining his 
 head ; " and I pray you think me not importunate, if I prefer one 
 other request. I would fain have a confessor visit me, that I may 
 lay bare my inmost heart to him, and receive absolution." 
 
 " I have already anticipated the request," replied the earl," 
 " and have provided a priest 'for you. He shall attend you, 
 within an hour, in your own chamber. You will have ample 
 time between this and daybreak, to settle your accounts with 
 Heaven, should they be ever so weighty." 
 
 " I trust so, my lord," replied Paslew ; " but a whole life is 
 scarcely long enough for repentance, much less a few short hours. 
 But in regard to the confessor," he continued, filled with misgiving 
 by the earl's manner, i( I should be glad to be shriven by Father 
 Christopher Smith, late prior of the abbey." 
 
 "It may not be," replied the earl, sternly and decidedly. 
 " You will find all you can require in him I shall send." 
 
 The abbot sighed, seeing that remonstrance was useless. 
 
 " One further question I would address to you, my lord," he 
 said, " and that refers to the place of my interment. Beneath 
 our feet lie buried all my predecessors -Abbots of Whalley. 
 Here lies John Eccles, for whom was carved the stall in which 
 your lordship hath sat, and from which I have been dethroned. 
 Here rests the learned John Lyn delay, fifth abbot ; and beside 
 him his immediate predecessor, Robert de Topcliffe, who, two 
 hundred and thirty years ago, on the festival of Saint Gregory, 
 our canonised abbot, commenced the erection of the sacred 
 edifice above us. At that epoch were here enshrined the remains 
 of the saintly Gregory, and here were also brought the bodies of 
 Helias de Workesley and John de Belfield, both prelates of piety 
 and wisdom. You may read the names where you stand, my 
 lord. You may count the graves of all the abbots. They are 
 sixteen in number. There is one grave yet unoccupied one 
 stone yet unfurnished with an effigy in brass." 
 
 Well I" said the Earl of Derby. 
 
 " When I sat in that stall, my lord," pursued Paslew, pointing 
 
TETER ET FORTIS CARCER. 37 
 
 to the abbot's chair ; " when I was head of this church, it was my 
 thought to rest here among my brother abbots." 
 
 " You have forfeited the right," replied the earl, sternly. " All 
 the abbots, whose dust is crumbling beneath us, died in the odour 
 of sanctity ; loyal to their sovereigns, and true to their country," 
 whereas you will die an attainted felon and rebel. You can have 
 no place amongst them. Concern not yourself further in the 
 matter. I will find a fitting grave for you, perchance at the 
 foot of the gallows." 
 
 And, turning abruptly away, he gave the signal for general 
 departure. 
 
 Ere the clock in the church tower had tolled one, the lights 
 were extinguished, and of the priestly train who had recently 
 thronged the fane, all were gone, like a troop of ghosts evoked at 
 midnight by necromantic skill, and then suddenly dismissed. 
 Deep silence again brooded in the aisles ; hushed was the organ ; 
 mute the melodious choir. The only light penetrating the 
 convent church proceeded from the moon, whose rays, shining 
 through the painted windows, fell upon the graves of the old 
 abbots in the presbytery, and on the two biers within the 
 adjoining chapel, whose stark burthens they quickened into 
 fearful semblance of life. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. TETER ET FORTIS CARCER, 
 
 LEFT alone, and unable to pray, the abbot strove to dissipate 
 his agitation of spirit by walking to and fro within his chamber ; 
 and while thus occupied, he was interrupted by a guard, who 
 told him that the priest sent by the Earl of Derby was without, 
 and immediately afterwards the confessor was ushered in. It was 
 the tall monk, who had been standing between the biers, and his 
 features were still shrouded by his cowl. At sight of him, Paslew 
 sank upon a seat and buried his face in his hands. The monk 
 offered him no consolation, but waited in silence till he should 
 again look up. At last Paslew took courage and spoke. 
 
 u Who, and what are you ? " he demanded. 
 
 (i A brother of the same order as yourself," replied the monk, 
 in deep and thrilling accents, but without raising his hood ; u and 
 I am come to hear your confession by command of the Earl 
 of Derby." 
 
 " Are you of this abbey ? " asked Paslew, tremblingly. 
 
 " I was," replied the monk, in a stern tone ; " but the monas- 
 tery is dissolved, and all the brethren ejected." 
 
 "Your name?" cried Paslew. 
 
 " I am not come here to answer questions, but to hear a 
 confession," rejoined the monk. "Bethink you of the awful 
 
38 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 situation in which you are placed, and that before many hours 
 you must answer for the sins you have committed. You have 
 yet time for repentance, if you delay it not." 
 
 " You are right, father," replied the abbot. " Be seated, I pray 
 you, and listen to me, for I have much to tell. Thirty and one 
 years ago I was prior of this abbey. Up to that period my life 
 had been blameless, or, if not whoUy free from fault, I had little 
 wherewith to reproach myself little to fear from a merciful judge 
 unless it were that I indulged too strongly the desire of ruling 
 absolutely in the house in which I was then only second. But 
 Satan had laid a snare for me, into which I blindly fell. Among 
 the brethren was one named Borlace Alvetham, a young man of 
 rare attainment, and singular skill in the occult sciences. He 
 had risen in favour, and at the time I speak of was elected sub- 
 prior." 
 
 " Go on," said the monk. 
 
 " It began to be whispered about within the abbey," pursued 
 Paslew, " that on the death of William Rede, then abbot, Borlace 
 Alvetham would succeed him, and then it was that bitter feelings 
 of animosity were awakened in my breast against the sub-prior, 
 and, after many struggles, I resolved upon his destruction." 
 
 " A wicked resolution," cried the monk ; " but proceed." 
 
 "I pondered over the means of accomplishing my purpose," 
 resumed Paslew, f( and at last decided upon accusing Alvetham 
 of sorcery and magical practices. The accusation was easy, for 
 the occult studies in which he indulged laid him open to the 
 charge. He occupied a chamber overlooking the Calder, and 
 used to break the monastic rules by wandering forth at night 
 upon the hills. When he was absent thus one night, accompanied 
 by others of the brethren, I visited his chamber, and examined 
 his papers, some of which were covered with mystical figures and 
 cabalistic characters. These papers I seized, and a watch was 
 set to make prisoner of Alvetham on his return. Before dawn he 
 appeared, and was instantly secured, and placed in close confine- 
 ment. On the next day he was brought before the assembled 
 conclave in the chapter-house, and examined. His defence was 
 unavailing. I charged him with the terrible crime of witchcraft, 
 and he was found guilty." 
 
 A hollow groan broke from the monk, but he offered no other 
 interruption. 
 
 *' He was condemned to die a fearful and lingering death," 
 pursued the abbot ; " and it devolved upon me to see the sentence 
 carried out." 
 
 " And no pity for the innocent moved you ? " cried the monk. 
 " You had no compunction ? " 
 
 "None," replied the abbot; " I rather rejoiced in the successful 
 accomplishment of my scheme. The prey was fairly in my toils, 
 and I would give him no chance of escape. Not to bring scandal 
 
TETER ET FOHTIS CARCER. 39 
 
 upon the abbey, it was decided that Alvetham's punishment 
 should be secret." 
 
 " A wise resolve," observed the monk. 
 
 " Within the thickness of the dormitory walls is contrived a 
 small, singularly-formed dungeon," continued the abbot. " It 
 consists of an arched cell, just large enough to hold the body of a 
 captive, and permit him to stretch himself upon a straw pallet. 
 A narrow staircase mounts upwards to a grated aperture in one 
 of the buttresses to admit air and light. Other opening ia there 
 none. * Teter et fortis career 9 is this dungeon styled in our 
 monastic rolls, and it is well described, for it is black and strong 
 enough. Food is admitted to the miserable inmate of the cell by 
 means of a revolving stone, but no interchange of speech can be 
 held with those without. A large stone is removed from the 
 wall to admit the prisoner, and once immured, the masonry is 
 mortised, and made solid as before. The wretched captive does 
 not long survive his doom, or it may be he lives too long, for 
 death must be a release from such protracted misery. In this 
 dark cell one of the evil-minded brethren, who essayed to stab the 
 Abbot of Ivirk stall in the chapter-house, was thrust, and ere a 
 year was over, the provisions were untouched and the man being 
 known to be dead, they were stayed. His skeleton was found 
 within the cell when it was opened to admit Borlace Alvetharn." 
 
 "Poor captive!" groaned the monk. 
 
 <f Ay, poor captive ! " echoed Paslew. C{ Mine eyes have often 
 striven to pierce those stone walls, and see him lying there in 
 ;that narrow chamber, or forcing his way upwards, to catch a 
 :glimpse of the blue sky above him. When I have seen the 
 swallows settle on the old buttress, or the thin grass growing 
 between the stones waving there, I have thought of him." 
 
 " Go on," said the monk. 
 
 " I scarce can proceed," rejoined Paslew. " Little time was 
 allowed Alvetham for preparation. That very night the fearful 
 sentence was carried out. The stone was removed, and a new 
 pallet placed in the cell. At midnight the prisoner was brought 
 to the dormitory, the brethren chanting a doleful hymn. There 
 he stood amidst them, his tall form towering above the rest, and 
 his features pale as death. He protested his innocence, but he 
 exhibited no fear, even when he saw the terrible preparations. 
 When all was ready he was led to the breach. At that awful 
 moment, his eye met mine, and I shall never forget the look. I 
 might have saved him if I had spoken, but I would not speak. 
 I turned away, and he was thrust into the breach. A fearful cry 
 ithen rang in my ears, but it was instantly drowned by the mallets 
 of the masons employed to fasten up the stone." 
 
 There was a pause for a few moments, broken only by the sobs 
 of the abbot. At length, the monk spoke. 
 
40 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 "And the prisoner perished in the cell?" he demanded in a 
 hollow voice. 
 
 " I thought so till to-night," replied the abbot. " But if he 
 escaped it, it must have been by miracle ; or by aid of those powers 
 with whom he was charged with holding commerce." 
 
 rt He did escape!" thundered the monk, throwing back his 
 hood. "Look up, John Paslew. Look up, false abbot, and 
 recognise thy victim." 
 
 " Borlace Alvetham !" cried the abbot. (e Is it, indeed, you ?" 
 
 " You see, and can you doubt ? " replied the other. " But 
 you shall now hear how I avoided the terrible death to which 
 you procured my condemnation. You shall now learn how I 
 am here to repay the wrong you did me. We have changed 
 places, John Paslew, since the night when I was thrust into the 
 cell, never, as you hoped, to come forth. You are now the 
 criminal, and I the witness of the punishment." 
 
 u Forgive me ! oh, forgive me ! Borlace Alvetham, since you 
 are, indeed, he !" cried the abbot, falling on his knees. 
 
 "Arise, John Paslew!" cried the other, sternly. " Arise, and 
 listen to me. For the damning offences into which I have been 
 led, I hold you responsible. But for you I might have died free 
 from sin. It is fit you should know the amount of my iniquity. 
 Give ear to me, I say. When first shut within that dungeon, I 
 yielded to the promptings of despair. Cursing you, I threw my- 
 self upon the pallet, resolved to taste no food, and hoping death 
 would soon release me. But love of life prevailed. On the 
 second day I took the bread and water allotted me, and ate and 
 drank ; after which I scaled the narrow staircase, and gazed 
 through the thin barred loophole at the bright blue sky above, 
 sometimes catching the shadow of a bird as it flew past. Oh, 
 how I yearned for freedom then ! Oh, how I wished to break 
 through the stone walls that held me fast ! Oh, what a weight of 
 despair crushed my heart as I crept back to my narrow bed I 
 The cell seemed like a grave, and indeed it was little better. 
 Horrible thoughts possessed me. What if I should be wilfully 
 forgotten ? What if no food should be given me, and I should 
 be left to perish by the slow pangs of hunger? At this idea I 
 shrieked aloud, but the walls alone returned a dull echo to my 
 cries. I beat my hands against the stones, till the blood flowed 
 from them, but no answer was returned ; and at last I desisted 
 from sheer exhaustion. Day after day, and night after night, 
 passed in this way. My food regularly came. But I became 
 maddened by solitude ; and with terrible imprecations invoked 
 aid from the powers of darkness to set me free. One night,, 
 while thus employed, I was startled by a mocking voice which 
 said, 
 
 " * All this fury is needless. Thou hast only to wish for me, 
 and I come/ 
 
ALVETHAM AND JOHN PASLEW. 
 
 P. 40. 
 
TETER ET FORTIS CARCER. 41 
 
 " It was profoundly dark. I could see nothing but a pair of 
 red orbs, glowing like flaming carbuncles. 
 
 " ' Thou wouldst be free,' continued J:he voice. ' Thou shalt be 
 so. Arise, and follow me.' 
 
 " At this I felt myself grasped by an iron arm, against which 
 all resistance would have been unavailing, even if I had dared to 
 offer it, and in an instant I was dragged up the narrow steps. 
 The stone wall opened before my unseen conductor, and in 
 another moment we were upon the roof of the dormitory. By 
 the bright starbeams shooting down from above, I discerned a 
 tali shadowy figure standing by my side. 
 
 " ' Thou art mine/ he cried, in accents graven for ever on my 
 memory ; l but I am a generous master, and will give thee a long 
 term of freedom. Thou shalt be avenged upon thine enemy 
 deeply avenged.' 
 
 " ( Grant this, and I am thine,' I replied, a spirit of infernal 
 vengeance possessing me. And I knelt before the fiend. 
 
 "'But thou must tarry for awhile/ he answered, 'for thine 
 enemy's time will be long in coming ; but it will come. I cannot 
 work him immediate harm ; but I will lead him to a height from 
 which he will assuredly fall headlong. Thou must depart from 
 this place ; for it is perilous to thee, and if thou stayest here, ill 
 will befall thee. I will send a rat to thy dungeon, which shall 
 daily devour the provisions, so that the monks shall not know 
 thou hast fled. In thirty and one years shall the abbot's doom be 
 accomplished. Two years before that time thou mayst return. 
 Then come alone to Pendle Hill on a Friday night, and beat the 
 water of the moss pool on the summit, and I will appear to thee 
 and tell thee more. Nine and twenty years, remember ! ' 
 
 " With these words the shadowy figure melted away, and I 
 found myself standing alone on the mossy roof of the dormitory. 
 The cold stars were shining down upon me, and I heard the 
 howl of the watch-dogs near the gate. The fair abbey slept in 
 beauty around me, and I gnashed my teeth with rage to think 
 that you had made me an outcast from it, and robbed me of a 
 dignity which might have been mine. I was wroth also that my 
 vengeance should be so long delayed. But I could not remain 
 where I was, so I clambered down the buttress, and fled away." 
 
 " Can this be?" cried the abbot, who had listened in rapt won- 
 derment to the narration. " Two years after your immurement 
 in the cell, the food having been for some time untouched, the 
 wall was opened, and upon the pallet was found a decayed carcase 
 in mouldering, monkish vestments." 
 
 66 It was a body taken from the charnel, and placed there by 
 the demon," replied the monk. " Of my long wanderings in 
 other lands and beneath brighter skies I need not tell you ; but 
 neither absence nor lapse of years cooled my desire of vengeance, 
 and when the appointed time drew nigh I returned to my own 
 
42 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 country, and came hither in a lowly garb, under the name of 
 Nicholas Demdike." 
 
 " Ha !" exclaimed the abbot. 
 
 (i I went to Pendle Hill, as directed," pursued the monk, " and 
 saw the Dark Shape there as I beheld it on the dormitory roof. 
 All things were then told me, and I learnt how the late rebellion 
 should rise, and how it should be crushed. I learnt also how my 
 vengeance should be satisfied." 
 
 Paslew groaned aloud. A brief pause ensued, and deep emotion 
 marked the accents of the wizard as he proceeded. 
 
 " When I came back, all this part of Lancashire resounded 
 with praises of the beauty of Bess Blackburn, a rustic lass who 
 dwelt in Barrowford. She was called the Flower of Pendle, and 
 inflamed ah 1 the youths with love, and all the maidens with 
 jealousy. But she favoured none except Cuthbert Ashbead, 
 forester to the Abbot of Whalley. Her mother would fain have 
 given her to the forester in marriage, but Bess would not be 
 disposed of so easily. I saw her, and became at once enamoured. 
 I thought my heart was seared ; but it was not so. The savage 
 beauty of Bess pleased me more than the most refined charms 
 could have done, and her fierce character harmonised with my 
 own. How I won her matters not, but she cast off all thoughts 
 of Ashbead, and clung to me. My wild life suited her ; and she 
 roamed the wastes with me, scaled the hills in my company, and 
 shrank not from the weird meetings I attended. Ill repute 
 quickly attended her, and she became branded as a witch. Her 
 aged mother closed her doors upon her, and those who would 
 have gone miles to meet her, now avoided her. Bess heeded this 
 little. She was of a nature to repay the world's contumely with 
 like scorn, but when her child was born the case became different. 
 She wished to save it. Then it was," pursued Demdike, vehe- 
 mently, and regarding the abbot with flashing eyes u then it was 
 that I was again mortally injured by you. Then your ruthless 
 decree to the clergy went forth. My child was denied baptism, 
 and became subject to the fiend." 
 
 u Alas! alas!" exclaimed Paslew. 
 
 " And as if this were not injury enough," thundered Demdike, 
 " you have called down a withering and lasting curse upon its 
 innocent head, and through it transfixed its mother's heart. If 
 you had complied with that poor girl's request, I would have 
 forgiven you your wrong to me, and have saved you." 
 
 There was a long, fearful silence. At last Demdike advanced 
 to the abbot, and, seizing his arm, fixed his eyes upon him, as if 
 to search into his soul. 
 
 "Answer me, John Paslew!" he cried; "answer me, as you 
 shall speedily answer your Maker. Can that malediction be re- 
 called? Dare not to trifle with me, or I will tear forth your black 
 heart, and cast it in your face. Can that curse be recalled! Speak !" 
 
THE ABBEY MILL. 43 
 
 " It cannot," replied the abbot, half dead with terror. 
 
 "Away, then!" thundered Demdike, casting him from him. 
 " To the gallows ! to the gallows !" And he rushed out of the 
 room. 
 
 CHAPTER VII THE ABBEY MILL, 
 
 FOR a while the abbot remained shattered and stupefied by 
 this terrible interview. At length he arose, and made his way, 
 he scarce knew how, to the oratory. But it was long before the 
 tumult of his thoughts could be at all allayed, and he had only 
 just regained something like composure when he was disturbed 
 by hearing a slight sound in the adjoining chamber. A mortal 
 chill came over him, for he thought it might be Demdike 
 returned. Presently, he distinguished a footstep stealthily 
 approaching him, and almost hoped that the wizard would con- 
 summate his vengeance by taking his life. But he was quickly 
 undeceived, for a hand was placed on his shoulder, and a friendly 
 voice whispered in his ears, " Cum along wi' men, lort abbut. 
 Get up, quick quick!" 
 
 Thus addressed, the abbot raised his eyes, and beheld a rustic 
 figure standing beside him, divested of his clouted shoes, and 
 armed with a long bare wood-knife. 
 
 "Dunna yo knoa me, lort abbut?" cried the person. "Ey'm 
 a freent Hal o' Nabs, o' Wiswall. Yo'n moind Wiswall, yeawr 
 own birthplace, abbut ? Dunna be feert, ey sey. Ey'n getten a 
 eteigh clapt to yon windaw, an* you con be down it i' a trice 
 an' along t' covert way be t' river soide to t' mill." 
 
 But the abbot stirred not. 
 
 "Quick! quick!" implored Hal o' Nabs, venturing to pluck 
 the abbot's sleeve. " Every minute's precious. Dunna be feert. 
 Ebil Croft, t' miller, is below. Poor Cuthbert Ashbead would ha' 
 been here i'stead o' meh if he couldn ; boh that accursed wizard, 
 Nick Demdike, turned my hont agen him, an' drove t' poike head 
 intended for himself into poor Cuthbert's side. They clapt ineh 
 i' a dungeon, boh Ebil monaged to get me out, an' ey then swore 
 to do whot poor Cuthbert would ha' done, if he'd been livin' 
 so here ey am, lort abbut, cum to set yo free. An' neaw yo 
 knoan aw abowt it, yo con ha nah more hesitation. Cum, time 
 presses, an ey'm feert o' t' guard owerhearing us." 
 
 " I thank you, my good friend, from the bottom of my heart," 
 replied the abbot, rising ; " but, however strong may be the 
 temptation of life and liberty which you hold out to me, I cannot 
 yield to it. I have pledged my word to the Earl of Derby to 
 make no attempt to escape. Were the doors thrown open, and 
 the guard removed, I should remain where I am." 
 
44 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Whot!" exclaimed Hal o' Nabs, in a tone of bitter disap- 
 pointment ; " yo winnaw go, neaw aw's prepared. By th' Mess, 
 boh yo shan. Ey'st nah go back to Ebil empty-handed. If yo'n 
 sworn to stay here, ey'n sworn to set yo free, and ey'st keep meh 
 oath. Willy nilly, yo shan go wi' meh, lort abbut !" 
 
 " Forbear to urge me further, my good Hal," rejoined Paslew. 
 " I fully appreciate your devotion ; and I only regret that you and 
 Abel Croft have exposed yourselves to so much peril on my ac- 
 count. Poor Cuthbert Ashbead ! when I beheld his body on the 
 bier, I had a sad feeling that he had died in my behalf." 
 
 (i Cuthbert meant to rescue yo, lort abbut," replied Hal, " and 
 deed resisting Nick Demdike's attempt to arrest him. Boh, be 
 awt' devils!" he added, brandishing his knife fiercely, "t' warlock 
 shall ha' three inches o' cowd steel betwixt his ribs, t' iurst time 
 ey cum across him." 
 
 a Peace, my son," rejoined the abbot, "and forego your bloody 
 design. Leave the wretched man to the chastisement of Heaven. 
 And now, farewell ! All your kindly efforts to induce me to fly 
 are vain." 
 
 " Yo winnaw go*?" cried Hal o'Nabs, scratching his head. 
 
 " I cannot," replied the abbot. 
 
 u Cum wi' meh to t' windaw, then," pursued Hal, "and tell Ebil 
 so. He'll think ey'n failed else." 
 
 " Willingly," replied the abbot. 
 
 And with noiseless footsteps he followed the other across the 
 chamber. The window was open, and outside it was reared a 
 ladder. 
 
 " Yo mun go down a few steps," said Hal o' Nabs, " or else he'll 
 nah hear yo." 
 
 The abbot complied, and partly descended the ladder. 
 
 " I see no one," he said. 
 
 " T' neet's dark," replied Hal o' Nabs, who was close behind him. 
 " Ebil canna be far off. Hist ! ey hear him go on." 
 
 The abbot was now obliged to comply, though he did so with 
 reluctance. Presently he found himself upon the roof of a building, 
 which he knew to be connected with the mill by a covered passage 
 running along the south bank of the Calder. Scarcely had he set 
 loot there, than Hal o' Nabs jumped after him, and, seizing the 
 ladder, cast it into the stream, thus rendering Paslew's return im- 
 possible. 
 
 " Neaw, lort abbut," he cried, with a low, exulting laugh, " yo 
 hanna brok'n yor word, an ey'n kept moine. Yo're free agen your 
 will." 
 
 " You have destroyed me by your mistaken zeal," cried the abbot, 
 reproachfully. 
 
 " Nowt o't sort," replied Hal ; " ey'n saved yo' fro' destruction. 
 This way, lort abbut this way." 
 
 And taking Paslew's arm he led him to a low parapet, over- 
 
THE ABBEY MILL. 45 
 
 looking the covered passage before described. Half an hour before 
 it had been bright moonlight, but, as if to favour the fugitive, 
 the heavens had become overcast, and a thick mist had arisen 
 from the river. 
 
 " Ebil! Ebil !" cried Hal o' Nabs, leaning over the parapet. 
 
 " Here," replied a voice below. " Is aw reet? Is he wi' yo?" 
 
 " Yeigh," replied Hal. 
 
 " Whot han yo dun wi' t' steigh?" cried Ebil. 
 
 " Never yo moind," returned Hal, t( boh help t' abbut down." 
 
 Paslew thought it vain to resist further, and with the help of 
 Hal o' Nabs and the miller, and further aided by some irregu- 
 larities in the wall, he was soon safely landed near the entrance of 
 the passage. Abel fell on his knees, and pressed the abbot's hand 
 to his lips. 
 
 " Owr Blessed Leady be praised, yo are free," he cried. 
 
 (i Dunnastond tawkinghere, Ebil," interposed Hal o'Nabs, who 
 by this time had reached the ground, and who was fearful of some 
 new remonstrance on the abbot's part. "Ey'm feerd o' pursuit." 
 
 Yo' needna be afeerd o' that, Hal," replied the miller. " T 
 
 fuard are safe enough. One o' owr chaps has just tuk em up a 
 ig black jack fu' o' stout ele ; an ey warrant me they winnaw stir 
 yet awhoile. Win it please yo to cum wi' me, lort abbut?" 
 
 With this, he marched along the passage, followed by the others, 
 and presently arrived at a door, against which he tapped. A bolt 
 being withdrawn, it was instantly opened to admit the party, after 
 which it was as quickly shut, and secured. In answer to a call 
 from the miller, a light appeared at the top of a steep, ladder-like 
 flight of wooden steps, and up these Paslew, at the entreaty of Abel, 
 mounted, and found himself in a large, low chamber, the roof of 
 which was crossed by great beams, covered thickly with cobwebs, 
 whitened by flour, while the floor was strewn with empty sacks 
 and sieves. 
 
 The person who held the light proved to be the miller's daughter, 
 Dorothy, a blooming lass of eighteen, and at the other end of the 
 chamber, seated on a bench before a turf fire, with an infant on 
 her knees, was the miller's wife. The latter instantly arose on be- 
 holding the abbot, and, placing the child on a corn bin, advanced 
 towards him, and dropped on her knees, while her daughter imitat- 
 ed her example. The abbot extended his hands over them, and 
 pronounced a solemn benediction. 
 
 " Bring your child also to me, that I may bless it," he said, when 
 he concluded. 
 
 " It's nah my child, lort abbut," replied the miller's wife, taking 
 up the infant and bringing it to him ; " it wur brought to me this 
 varry neet by Ebil. Ey wish it wur far enough, ey'm sure, for 
 it's a deformed little urchon. One o' its een is lower set than t' other; 
 an f reet looks up, while t' laft looks down." 
 
 And as she spoke she pointed to the infant's face, which was 
 
46 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 disfigured as she had stated, by a strange and unnatural disposition 
 of the eyes, one of which was set much lower in the head than the 
 other. Awakened from sleep, the child uttered a feeble cry, and 
 stretched out its tiny arms to Dorothy. 
 
 11 You ought to pity it for its deformity, poor little creature, 
 rather than reproach it, mother," observed the young damsel. 
 
 " Marry kem eawt ! " cried her mother, sharply, " yo'n gotten 
 fine feelings wi' your laming fro t' good feythers, Dolly. Os ey 
 said efore, ey wish t' brat wur far enough." 
 
 " You forget it has no mother," suggested Dorothy, kindly. 
 
 " An naw great matter, if it hasn't," returned the miller's wife. 
 " Bess Demdike 's neaw great loss." 
 
 " Is this Bess Demdike's child?" cried Paslew, recoiling. 
 
 " Yeigh," exclaimed the miller's wife. And mistaking the cause 
 of Paslew's emotion, she added, triumphantly, to her daughter, 
 " Ey towd te, wench, ot t' lort abbut would be of my way o* 
 thinking. T' chilt has got the witch's mark plain upon her. Look, 
 lort abbut, look !" 
 
 But Paslew heeded her not, but murmured to himself: 
 
 " Ever in my path, go where I will. It is vain to struggle with 
 my fate. I will go back and surrender myself to the Earl of Derby." 
 
 "Nah, nah! yo shanna do that," replied Hal o' Nabs, who, 
 with the miller, was close beside him. " Sit down o' that stoo' be 
 t' fire, and take a cup o' wine t' cheer yo, and then we'n set out to 
 Pendle Forest, where ey'st find yo a safe hiding-place. An t' ony 
 reward ey'n ever ask for t' sarvice shan be, that yo'n perform a 
 marriage sarvice fo' me and Dolly one of these days." And he 
 nudged the damsel's elbow, who turned away, covered with blushes. 
 
 The abbot moved mechanically to the fire, and sat down, while 
 the miller's wife, surrendering the child with a shrug of the shoulders 
 and a grimace to her daughter, went in search of some viands and 
 a flask of wine, which she set before Paslew. The miller then filled a 
 drinking-horn, and presented it to his guest, who was about to raise 
 it to his lips, when a loud knocking was heard at the door below. 
 
 The knocking continued with increased violence, and voices 
 were heard caUing upon the miller to open the door, or it would 
 be broken down. On the first alarm Abel had flown to a small 
 window whence he could reconnoitre those below, and he now re- 
 turned with a face white with terror, to say that a party of arque- 
 bussiers, with the sheriff at their head, were without, and that 
 some of the men were provided with torches. 
 
 " They have discovered my evasion, and are come in search of 
 me," observed the abbot rising, but without betraying any anxiety. 
 " Do not concern yourselves further for me, my good friends, but 
 open the door, and deliver me to them." 
 
 " Nah, nah, that we winnaw," cried Hal o' Nabs, "yo're neaw 
 taen yet, feyther abbut, an' ey knoa a way to baffle 'em. If y'on 
 let him down into t' river, Ebil, ey'n manage to get him off." 
 
THE ABBEY MILL. 47 
 
 " Weel thowt on, Nab," cried the miller, e( theawst nah been mey 
 mon seven year fo nowt. Theaw knoas t' ways o' t' pleck." 
 
 " Os weel os onny rotten abowt it," replied Hal o' Nabs. " Go 
 down to t' grindin'-room, an ey'n follow i' a troice." 
 
 And as Abel snatched up the light, and hastily descended the 
 steps with Paslew, Hal whispered in Dorothy's ears 
 
 "Tak care neaw one fonds that chilt, Dolly, if they break in. 
 Hide it safely ; an whon they're gone, tak it to't church, and place 
 it near t' altar, where no ill con cum to it or thee. Mey life may 
 hong upon it." 
 
 And as the poor girl, who, as well as her mother, was almost 
 frightened out of her wits, promised compliance, he hurried down 
 the steps after the others, muttering, as the clamour without was 
 redoubled 
 
 fi Eigh, roar on till yo're hoarse. Yo winnaw get in yet awhile, 
 ey'n promise ye." 
 
 Meantime, the abbot had been led to the chief room of the 
 mill, where all the corn formerly consumed within the monastery 
 had been prepared, and which the size of the chamber itself, to- 
 gether with the vastness of the stones used in the operation of 
 grinding, and connected with the huge water-wheel outside, proved 
 to be by no means inconsiderable. Strong shafts of timber sup- 
 ported the flooring above, and were crossed by other boards placed 
 horizontally, from which various implements in use at the mill 
 depended, giving the chamber, imperfectly lighted as it now was 
 by the lamp borne by Abel, a strange and almost mysterious ap- 
 pearance. Three or four of the miller's men, armed with pikes, 
 had followed their master, and, though much alarmed, they vowed 
 to die rather than give up the abbot. 
 
 By this time Hal o' Nabs had joined the group, and proceeding 
 towards a raised part of the chamber where the grinding-stones 
 were set, he knelt down, and laying hold of a small ring, raised up 
 a trapdoor. The fresh air which blew up through the aperture, 
 combined with the rushing sound of water, showed that the 
 Calder flowed immediately beneath; and, having made some slight 
 preparation, Hal let himself down into the stream. 
 
 At this moment a loud crash was heard, and one of the miller's 
 men cried out that the arquebussiers had burst open the door. 
 
 " Be hondy, then, lads, and let him down !" cried Hal o' Nabs, 
 who had some difficulty in maintaining his footing on the rough, 
 stony bottom of the swift stream. 
 
 Passively yielding, the abbot suffered the miller and one of the 
 stoutest of his men to assist him through the trapdoor, while a third 
 held down the lamp, and showed Hal o' Nabs, up to his middle in 
 the darkling current, and stretching out his arms to receive the 
 burden. The light fell upon the huge black circle of the water- 
 wheel now stopped, and upon the dripping arches supporting the 
 
48 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 mill. In another moment the abbot plunged into the water, the 
 trapdoor was replaced, and bolted underneath by Hal, who, while 
 guiding his companion along, and bidding him catch hold of the 
 wood-work of the wheel, heard a heavy trampling of many feet 
 on the boards above, showing that the pursuers had obtained 
 admittance. 
 
 Encumbered by his heavy vestments, the abbot could with 
 difficulty contend against the strong current, and he momently 
 expected to be swept away ; but he had a stout and active 
 assistant by his side, who soon placed him under shelter of the 
 wheel. The trampling overhead continued for a few minutes, 
 after which all was quiet, and Hal judged that, finding their search 
 within ineffectual, the enemy would speedily come forth. Nor 
 was he deceived. Shouts were soon heard at the door of the 
 mill, and the glare of torches was cast on the stream. Then it 
 was that Hal dragged his companion into a deep hole, formed by 
 some decay in the masonry, behind the wheel, where the water 
 rose nearly to their chins, and where they were completely con- 
 cealed. Scarcely were they thus ensconced, than two or three 
 armed men, holding torches aloft, were seen wading under the 
 archway; but after looking carefully around, and even approaching 
 close to the water-wheel, these persons could detect nothing, and 
 withdrew, muttering curses of rage and disappointment. By-and- 
 by the lights almost wholly disappeared, and the shouts becoming 
 fainter and more distant, it was evident that the men had gone 
 lower down the river. Upon this, Hal thought they might 
 venture to quit their retreat, and accordingly, grasping the abbot's 
 arm, he proceeded to wade up the stream. 
 
 Benumbed with cold, and half dead with terror, Paslew needed 
 all his companion's support, for he could do little to help himself, 
 added to which, they occasionally encountered some large stone, 
 or stepped into a deep hole, so that it required Hal's utmost 
 exertion and strength to force a way on. At last they were out 
 of the arch, and though both banks seemed unguarded, yet, for 
 fear of surprise, Hal deemed it prudent still to keep to the river. 
 Their course was completely sheltered from observation by the 
 mist that enveloped them ; and after proceeding in this way for 
 some distance, Hal stopped to listen, and while debating with 
 himself whether he should now quit the river, he fancied he beheld 
 a black object swimming towards him. Taking it for an otter, 
 with which voracious animal the Calder, a stream swarming with 
 trout, abounded, and knowing the creature would not meddle 
 with them unless first attacked, he paid little attention to it ; but 
 he was soon made sensible of his error. His arm was suddenly 
 seized by a large black hound, whose sharp fangs met in his flesh. 
 Unable to repress a cry of pain, Hal strove to disengage himself 
 from his assailant, and, finding it impossible, flung himself into the 
 
THE ABBEY MILL. 49 
 
 water, in the hope of drowning him, but, as the hound still main- 
 tained his hold, he searched for his knife to slay him. But he 
 could not find it, and in his distress applied to Paslew. 
 
 " Ha yo onny weepun abowt yo, lort abbut, v he cried, " wi* 
 which ey con free mysel fro' this accussed hound?" 
 
 " Alas ! no, my son," replied Paslew, " and I fear no weapon 
 will prevail against it, for I recognise in the animal the hound of 
 the wizard, Demdike." 
 
 " Ey thowt t' dule wur in it," rejoined Hal ; " boh leave me to 
 fight it owt, an do you gain t' bonk, an mey t' best o' your way to 
 t' Wiswall. Ey'n join ye os soon os ey con scrush this varment's 
 heaodagen a stoan. Ha!" he added, joyfully, "Ey'n found t' 
 thwittle. Go go. Ey'n soon be efter ye." 
 
 Feeling he shouV sink if he remained where he was, and wholly 
 unable to offer any effectual assistance to his companion, the abbot 
 turned to the left, where a large oak overhung the stream, and he 
 was climbing the bank, aided by the roots of the tree, when a man 
 suddenly came from behind it, seized his hand, and dragged him 
 up forcibly. At the same moment his captor placed a bugle to his 
 lips, and winding a few notes, he was instantly answered by shouts, 
 and soon afterwards half a dozen armed men ran up, bearing 
 torches. Not a word passed between the fugitive and his captor ; 
 but when the men came up, and the torchlight fell upon the fea- 
 tures of the latter, the abbot's worst fears were realised. It was 
 Demdike. 
 
 " False to your king ! false to your oath ! false to all men !" 
 cried the wizard. " You seek to escape in vain !" 
 
 " I merit all your reproaches," replied the abbot ; " but it may 
 be some satisfaction to you to learn, that I have endured far greater 
 suffering than if I had patiently awaited my doom." 
 
 "I am glad of it," rejoined Demdike, with a savage laugh; 
 te but you have destroyed others beside yourself. Where is the 
 fellow in the water? What, ho, Uriel !" 
 
 But as no sound reached him, he snatched a torch from one of 
 the arquebussiers and held it to the river's brink. But he could 
 see neither hound nor man. 
 
 "Strange! 7 ' he cried. "He cannot have escaped. Uriel is 
 more than a match for. any man. Secure the prisoner while I ex- 
 amine the stream." 
 
 AYith this, he ran along the bank with great quickness, holding 
 his torch far over the water, so as to reveal any thing floating 
 within it, but nothing met his view until he came within a short 
 distance of the mill, when he beheld a black object struggling in 
 the current, and soon found that it was his dog making feeble 
 efforts to gain the bank. 
 
 " Ah recreant ! thou hast let him go," cried Demdike, furiously. 
 
 Seeing his master the animal redoubled its efforts, crept ashore, 
 and fell at his feet, with a last effort to lick Jiis hands. 
 
 1 
 
50 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Demdike held down the torch, and then perceived that the 
 hound was quite dead. There was a deep gash in its side, and 
 another in the throat, showing how it had perished. 
 
 "Poor Uriel!" he exclaimed; "the only true friend I had. 
 And thou art gone ! The villain has killed thee, but he shall pay 
 for it with his life." 
 
 And hurrying back he dispatched four of the men in quest of 
 the fugitive, while accompanied by the two others he conveyed 
 Paslew back to the abbey, where he was placed in a strong cell, from 
 which there was no possibility of escape, and a guard set over him. 
 
 Half an hour after this, two of the arquebussiers returned with 
 Hal o' Nabs, whom they had succeeded in capturing after a 
 desperate resistance, about a mile from the abbey, on the road to 
 Wiswall. He was taken to the guard-room, which had been 
 appointed in one of the lower chambers of the chapter-house, and 
 Demdike was immediately apprised of his arrival. Satisfied by an 
 inspection of the prisoner, whose demeanour was sullen and 
 resolved, Demdike proceeded to the great hall, where the Earl of 
 Derby, who had returned thither after the midnight mass, was still 
 Bitting with his retainers. An audience was readily obtained by 
 the wizard, and, apparently well pleased with the result, he returned 
 to the guard-room. The prisoner was seated by himself in one 
 corner of the chamber, with his hands tied behind his back with a 
 leathern thong, and Demdike approaching him, told him that, for 
 having aided the escape of a condemned rebel and traitor, and 
 violently assaulting the king's lieges in the execution of their duty, 
 he would be hanged on the morrow, the Earl of Derby, who had 
 power of life or death in such cases, having so decreed it. And 
 he exhibited the warrant. 
 
 " Soh, yo mean to hong me, eh, wizard 1 " cried Hal o' Nabs, 
 kicking his heels with great apparent indifference. 
 
 "I do," replied Demdike; "if for nothing else, for slaying my 
 hound." 
 
 " Ey dunna think it," replied Hal. " Yo'n alter your moind. 
 Do, mon. Ey'm nah prepared to dee just yet." 
 
 "Then perish in your sins," cried Demdike, "I will not give you 
 an hour's respite." 
 
 " Yo'n be sorry when it's too late," said Hal. 
 
 "Tush!" cried Demdike, "my only regret will be that Uriel's 
 slaughter is paid for by such a worthless life as thine." 
 
 "Then whoy tak it!" demanded Hal. " 'Specially whon yo'n 
 lose your chilt by doing so." 
 
 "My child !" exclaimed Demdike, surprised. " How mean 
 you, sirrah ? " 
 
 " Ey mean this," replied Hal, coolly ; " that if ey dee to-morrow 
 mornin* your chilt dees too. Whon ey ondertook this job ey 
 calkilated mey chances, an' tuk precautions eforehond. Your 
 chilt's a hostage fo mey safety." 
 
THE ABBEY MILL. 51 
 
 " Curses on thee and thy cunning," cried Demdike ; " but I 
 will not be outwitted by a hind like thee. I will have the child, 
 and yet not be baulked of my revenge/' 
 
 " Yo'n never ha' it, except os a breathless corpse, 'bowt mey 
 consent," rejoined Hal. 
 
 " We shall see," cried Demdike, rushing forth, and bidding the 
 guards look well to the prisoner. 
 
 But ere long he returned with a gloomy and disappointed ex- 
 pression of countenance, and again approaching the prisoner said, 
 " Thou hast spoken the truth. The infant is in the hands of some 
 innocent being over whom I have no power." 
 
 " Ey towdee so, wizard," replied Hal, laughing. u Hoind os 
 ey be, ey'm a match fo' thee, ha ! ha ! Neaw, mey life agen t' 
 chilt's. Win yo set me free ?" 
 
 Demdike deliberated. 
 
 " Harkee, wizard," cried Hal, " if yo're hatching treason ey'n 
 dun. T' sartunty o' revenge win sweeten mey last moments." 
 
 " Will you swear to deliver the child to me unharmed, if I set 
 you free ? " asked Demdike. 
 
 (t It's a bargain, wizard," rejoined Hal o' Nabs ; <( ey swear. 
 Boh yo mun set me free furst, fo' ey winnaw tak your word." 
 
 Demdike turned away disdainfully, and addressing the arque- 
 bussiers, said, " You behold this warrant, guard. The prisoner 
 is committed to my custody. I will produce him on the morrow, 
 or account for his absence to the Earl of Derby." 
 
 One of the arquebussiers examined the order, and vouching 
 for its correctness, the others signified their assent to the arrange- 
 ment, upon which Demdike motioned the prisoner to follow him, 
 and quitted the chamber. No interruption was offered to Hal's 
 egress, but he stopped within the court-yard, where Demdike 
 awaited him, and unfastened the leathern thong that bound 
 together his hands. 
 
 " Now go and bring the child to me," said the wizard. 
 
 "Nah, ey'st neaw bring it ye myself," rejoined Hal. "Ey 
 knoas better nor that. Be at t' church porch i' half an hour, an 
 t' bantlin shan be delivered to ye safe an sound." 
 
 And without waiting for a reply, he ran off with great swift- 
 ness. 
 
 At the appointed time Demdike sought the church, and as he 
 drew near it there issued from the porch a female, who hastily 
 placing the child, wrapped in a mantle, in his arms, tarried for no 
 speech from him, but instantly disappeared. Demdike, however, 
 recognised in her the miller's daughter, Dorothy Croft. 
 
52 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. THE EXECUTIONER. 
 
 DAWN came at last, after a long and weary night to many 
 within and without the abbey. Every thing betokened a dismal 
 day. The atmosphere was damp, and oppressive to the spirits, 
 while the raw cold sensibly affected the frame. All astir were 
 filled with gloom and despondency, and secretly breathed a wish 
 that the tragical business of the day were ended. The vast range 
 of Pendle was obscured by clouds, and ere long the vapours de- 
 scended into the valleys, and rain began to fall ; at first slightly, 
 but afterwards in heavy continuous showers. Melancholy was 
 the aspect of the abbey, and it required no stretch of imagi- 
 nation to fancy that the old structure was deploring the fate of 
 its former ruler. To those impressed with the idea and many 
 there were who were so the very stones of the convent church 
 seemed dissolving into tears. The statues of the saints appeared 
 to weep, and the great statue of Saint Gregory de Northbury 
 over the porch seemed bowed down with grief. The grotesquely 
 carved heads on the spouts grinned horribly at the abbot's 
 destroyers, and spouted forth cascades of water, as if with the 
 intent of drowning them. So deluging and incessant were the 
 showers, that it seemed, indeed, as if the abbey would be flooded. 
 All the inequalities of ground within the great quadrangle of the 
 cloisters looked like ponds, and the various water-spouts from the 
 dormitory, the refectory, and the chapter-house, continuing to 
 jet forth streams into the court below, the ambulatories were 
 soon filled ankle-deep, and even the lower apartments, on which 
 they opened, invaded. 
 
 Surcharged with moisture, the royal banner on the gate drooped 
 and clung to the staff, as if it too shared in the general depres- 
 sion, or as if the sovereign authority it represented had given 
 way. The countenances and deportment of the men harmonized 
 with the weather ; they moved about gloomily and despondently, 
 their bright accoutrements sullied with the wet, and their buskins 
 clogged with mire. A forlorn sight it was to watch the shiver- 
 ing sentinels on the walls ; and yet more forlorn to see the groups 
 of the abbot's old retainers gathering without, wrapped in their 
 blue woollen cloaks, patiently enduring the drenching showers, 
 and awaiting the last awful scene. But the saddest sight of all 
 was on the hill, already described, called the Holehouses. Here 
 two other lesser gibbets had been erected during the night, one 
 on either hand of the loftier instrument of justice, and the car- 
 penters were yet employed in finishing their work, having been 
 delayed by the badness of the weather. Half drowned by the 
 torrents that fell upon them, the poor fellows were protected from 
 interference with their disagreeable occupation by half a dozen 
 
THE EXECUTIONER. 53 
 
 well-mounted and well-armed troopers, and by as many halber- 
 diers ; and this company, completely exposed to the weather, 
 suffered severely from wet and cold. The rain beat against the 
 gallows, ran down its tall naked posts, and collected in pools at 
 its feet. Attracted by some strange instinct, which seemed to 
 give them a knowledge of the object of these terrible prepara- 
 tions, two ravens wheeled screaming round the fatal tree, and at 
 length one of them settled on the cross-beam, and could with 
 difficulty be dislodged by the shouts of the men, when it flew 
 away, croaking hoarsely. Up this gentle hill, ordinarily so soft 
 and beautiful, but now abhorrent as a Golgotha, in the eyes of the 
 beholders, groups of rustics and monks had climbed over ground 
 rendered slippery with moisture, and had gathered round the 
 paling encircling the terrible apparatus, looking the images of 
 despair and woe. 
 
 Even those within the abbey, and sheltered from the storm, 
 shared the all-pervading despondency. The refectory looked dull 
 and comfortless, and the logs on the hearth hissed and sputtered, 
 and would not burn. Green wood had been brought instead of 
 dry fuel by the drowsy henchman. The viands on the board pro- 
 voked not the appetite, and the men emptied their cups of ale, 
 yawned and stretched their arms, as if they would fain sleep an 
 hour or two longer. The sense of discomfort was heightened by 
 the entrance of those whose term of watch had been relieved, and 
 who cast their dripping cloaks on the floor, while two or three 
 savage dogs, steaming with moisture, stretched their huge lengths 
 before the sullen fire, and disputed all approach to it. 
 
 Within the great hall were already gathered the retainers of the 
 Earl of Derby, but the nobleman himself had not appeared. 
 Having passed the greater part of the night in conference with 
 one person or another, and the abbot's flight having caused him 
 much disquietude, though he did not hear of it till the fugitive 
 was recovered ; the earl would not seek his couch until within an 
 hour of daybreak, and his attendants, considering the state of the 
 weather, and that it yet wanted full two hours to the time 
 appointed for the execution, did not think it needful to disturb 
 him. Braddyll and Assheton, however, were up and ready ; but, 
 despite their firmness of nerve, they yielded like the rest to the 
 depressing influence of the weather, and began to have some 
 misgivings as to their own share in the tragedy about to be enacted. 
 The various gentlemen in attendance paced to and fro within the 
 hall, holding but slight converse together, anxiously counting the 
 minutes, for the time appeared to pass on with unwonted slow- 
 ness, and ever and anon glancing through the diamond panes of 
 the window at the rain pouring down steadily without, and coming 
 back again hopeless of amendment in the weather. 
 
 If such were the disheartening influence of the day on those 
 who had nothing to apprehend, what must its effect have been on 
 
54 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 tiie poor captives! Woful indeed. The two monks suffered a 
 complete prostration of spirit. All the resolution which Father 
 Haydocke had displayed in his interview with the Earl of Derby, 
 failed him now, and he yielded to the agonies of despair. Father 
 Eastgate was in little better condition, and gave vent to unavailing 
 lamentations, instead of paying heed to the consolatory discourse 
 of the monk who had been permitted to visit him. 
 
 The abbot was better sustained. Though greatly enfeebled by 
 the occurrences of the night, yet in proportion as his bodily 
 strength decreased, his mental energies rallied. Since the con- 
 fession of his secret offence, and the conviction he had obtained 
 that his supposed victim still lived, a weight seemed taken from 
 his breast, and he had no longer any dread of death. Eather he 
 looked to the speedy termination of existence with hopeful pleasure. 
 He prepared himself as decently as the means afforded him per- 
 mitted for his last appearance before the world, but refused all 
 refreshment except a cup of water, and being left to himself was 
 praying fervently, when a man was admitted into his cell. Think- 
 ing it might be the executioner come to summon him, he arose, 
 and to his surprise beheld Hal o' Nabs. The countenance of the 
 rustic was pale, but his bearing was determined. 
 
 "You here, my son," cried Paslew. "I hoped you had escaped." 
 
 ei Ey'm i' nah dawnger, feyther abbut," replied Hal. " Ey'n 
 getten leef to visit ye to a minute only, so ey mun be brief. Mey 
 yourself easy, ye shanna dee be't hongmon's honds." 
 
 " Flow, my son !" cried Paslew. " I understand you not." 
 
 " Yo'n onderstond me weel enough by-and-by," replied Hal. 
 " Dunnah be feart whon ye see me next ; an comfort yoursel that 
 whotever cums and goes, your death shall be avenged o' your 
 warst foe." 
 
 Paslew would have sought some further explanation, but Hal 
 stepped quickly backwards, and striking his foot against the door, 
 it was instantly opened by the guard, and he went forth. 
 
 Not long after this, the Earl of Derby entered the great hall, 
 and his first inquiry was as to the safety of the prisoners. When 
 satisfied of this, he looked forth, and shuddered at the dismal 
 state of the weather. While he was addressing some remarks on 
 this subject, and on its interference with the tragical exhibition 
 about to take place, an officer entered the hall, followed by several 
 persons of inferior condition, amongst whom was Hal o' Nabs, 
 and marched up to the earl, while the others remained standing 
 at a respectful distance. 
 
 " What news do you bring me, sir?" cried the earl, noticing 
 the officer's evident uneasiness of manner. " Nothing hath hap- 
 pened to the prisoners ? God's death ! if it hath, you shall all 
 answer for it with your bodies." 
 
 " Nothing hath happened to them, my lord/' said the officer, 
 "but " 
 
THE EXECUTIONER. 55 
 
 (t But what ? " interrupted the earl. " Out with it quickly." 
 
 " The executioner from Lancaster and his two aids have fled," 
 replied the officer. 
 
 "Fled!" exclaimed the earl, stamping his foot with rage; 
 " now, as I live, this is a device to delay the execution till some 
 new attempt at rescue can be made. But it shall fail, if I string 
 up the abbot myself. Death ! can no other hangmen be found ? 
 ha!" 
 
 " Of a surety, my lord ; but all have an aversion to the office, 
 and hold it opprobrious, especially to put churchmen to death," 
 replied the officer. 
 
 " Opprobrious or not, it must be done," replied the earl. " See 
 that fitting persons are provided." 
 
 At this moment Hal o' Nabs stepped forward. 
 
 " Ey'm willing t' ondertake t' job, my lord, an' t' hong t' abbut, 
 without fee or rewort," he said. 
 
 " Thou bears't him a grudge, I suppose, good fellow," replied 
 the earl, laughing at the rustic's uncouth appearance ; " but thou 
 seem'st a stout fellow, and one not likely to flinch, and may dis- 
 charge the office as well as another. If no better man can be 
 found, let him do it," he added to the officer. 
 
 " Ey humbly thonk your lortship," replied Hal, inwardly 
 rejoicing at the success of his scheme. But his countenance fell 
 when he perceived Demdike advance from behind the others. 
 
 " This man is not to be trusted, my lord," said Demdike, 
 coining forward ; " he has some mischievous design in making 
 the request. So far from bearing enmity to the abbot, it was he 
 who assisted him in his attempt to escape last night." 
 
 " What !" exclaimed the earl, "is this a new trick? Bring the 
 fellow forward, that I may examine him." 
 
 But Hal was gone. Instantly divining Demdike's purpose, 
 and seeing his chance lost, he mingled with the lookers-on, who 
 covered his retreat. Nor could he be found when sought for by 
 the guard. 
 
 " See you provide a substitute quickly, sir," cried the earl, 
 angrily, to the officer. 
 
 " It is needless to take further trouble, my lord," replied Dem- 
 dike ; " I am come to offer myself as executioner." 
 
 " Thou ! " exclaimed the earl. 
 
 " Ay," replied the other. " When I heard that the men from 
 Lancaster were fled, I instantly knew that some scheme to frus- 
 trate the ends of justice was on foot, and I at once resolved to 
 undertake the office myself rather than delay or risk should occur. 
 What this man's aim was, who hath just offered himself, I partly 
 guess, but it hath foiled ; and if your lordship will intrust the 
 mutter to me, I will answer that no further impediment shall 
 arise, but that the sentence shall be fully carried out, and the law 
 satisfied. Your lordship can trust me." 
 
56 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " I know it," replied the earl. " Be it as you will. It is now 
 on the stroke of nine. At ten, let all be in readiness to set out 
 for Wiswall Hall. The rain may have ceased by that time, but 
 no weather must stay you. Go forth with the new executioner, 
 sir," he added to the officer, u and see all necessary preparations 
 made." 
 
 And as Demdike bowed, and departed with the officer, the earl 
 sat down with his retainers to break his fast. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. WISWALL HALL. 
 
 SHORTLY before ten o'clock a numerous cortege, consisting of 
 a troop of horse in their full equipments, a band of archers with 
 their bows over their shoulders, and a long train of barefoot 
 monks, who had been permitted to attend, set out from the 
 abbey. Behind them came a varlet with a paper mitre on his 
 head, and a lathen crosier in his hand, covered with a SHrcoat, 
 on which was emblazoned, but torn and reversed, the arms of 
 Paslew; argent, a fess between three mullets, sable, pierced of 
 the field, a crescent for difference. After him came another 
 varlet bearing a banner, on which was painted a grotesque figure 
 in a half-military, half-monastic garb, representing the " Earl of 
 Poverty," with this distich beneath it: 
 
 Priest and warrior rich and poor, 
 He shall be hanged at his own door. 
 
 Next followed a tumbrel, drawn by two horses, in which sat 
 the abbot alone, the two other prisoners being kept back for the 
 present. Then came Demdike, in a leathern jerkin and blood-red 
 hose, fitting closely to his sinewy limbs, and wrapped in a houp- 
 peland of the same colour as the hose, with a coil of rope round 
 his neck. He walked between two ill-favoured personages habited 
 in black, whom he had chosen as assistants. A band of halberdiers 
 brought up the rear. The procession moved slowly along, the 
 passing-bell tolling each minute, and a muffled drum sounding 
 hollowly at intervals. 
 
 Shortly before the procession started the rain ceased, but the air 
 felt damp and chill, and the roads were inundated. Passing out at 
 the north-eastern gateway, the gloomy train skirted the south side 
 of the convent church, and went on in the direction of the village 
 of Whalley. When near the east end of the holy edifice, the abbot 
 beheld two coffins borne along, and, on inquiry, learnt that they 
 contained the bodies of Bess Demdike and Cuthbert Ashbead, 
 who were about to be interred in the cemetery. At this moment 
 his eye for the first time encountered that of his implacable foe, 
 aud lie then discovered that he was to serve as his executioner. 
 
WISWALL HALL. 57 
 
 At first Paslew felt much trouble at this thought, but the feeling 
 quickly passed away. On reaching Whalley, every door was 
 found closed, and every window shut ; so that the spectacle was 
 lost upon the inhabitants ; and after a brief halt, the cavalcade 
 set out for Wiswall Hall. 
 
 Sprung from an ancient family residing in the neighbourhood 
 of Whalley, Abbot Paslew was the second son of Francis Paslew 
 of Wiswall Hall, a great gloomy stone mansion, situated at the 
 foot of the south-western side of Pendle Hill, where his brother 
 Francis still resided. Of a cold and cautious character, Francis 
 Paslew, second of the name, held aloof from the insurrection, and 
 when his brother was arrested he wholly abandoned him. Still 
 the owner of Wiswall had not altogether escaped suspicion, and 
 it was probably as much with the view of degrading him as of 
 adding to the abbot's punishment, that the latter was taken to 
 the hall on the morning of his execution. Be this as it may, the 
 cortege toiled thither through roads bad in the best of seasons, 
 but now, since the heavy rain, scarcely passable ; and it arrived 
 there in about half an hour, and drew up on the broad green 
 lawn. Window and door of the hall were closed; no smoke issued 
 from the heavy pile of chimneys; and to all outward seeming the 
 place was utterly deserted. In answer to inquiries, it appeared 
 that Francis Paslew had departed for Northumberland on the 
 previous day, taking all his household with him. 
 
 In earlier years, a quarrel having occurred between the haughty 
 abbot and the churlish Francis, the brothers rarely met, whence 
 it chanced that John Paslew had seldom visited the place of his 
 birth of late, though lying so near to the abbey, and, indeed, 
 forming part of its ancient dependencies. It was sad to view it 
 now ; and yet the house, gloomy as it was, recalled seasons with 
 which, though they might awaken regret, no guilty associations 
 were connected. Dark was the hall, and desolate, but on the 
 fine old trees around it the rooks were settling, and their loud 
 cawings pleased him, and excited gentle emotions. For a few 
 moments he grew young again, and forgot why he was there. 
 Fondly surveying the house, the terraced garden, in which, as a 
 boy, he had so often strayed, and the park beyond it, where he 
 had chased the deer; his gaze rose to the cloudy heights of 
 Pendle, springing immediately behind the mansion, and up which 
 he had frequently climbed. The flood-gates of memory were 
 opened at once, and a whole tide of long-buried feelings rushed 
 upon his heart. 
 
 From this half-painful, half-pleasurable retrospect he was 
 aroused by the loud blast of a trumpet, thrice blown. A recapi- 
 tulation of his offences, together with his sentence, was read by 
 a herald, after which the reversed blazonry was fastened upon the 
 door of the hall, just below a stone escutcheon on which was 
 carved the arms of the family ; while the paper mitre was torn 
 
58 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and trampled under foot, the lathen crosier broken in twain, and 
 the scurril banner hacked in pieces. 
 
 While this degrading act was performed, a man in a miller's 
 white garb, with the hood drawn over his face, forced his way 
 towards the tumbrel, and while the attention of the guard was 
 otherwise engaged, whispered in Paslew's ear, 
 
 "Ey han failed i' mey scheme, feyther abbut, boh rest assured 
 ey'n avenge you. Demdike shan ha' mey Sheffield thwittle i' his 
 heart 'efore he's a day older." 
 
 " The wizard has a charm against steel, my son, and indeed is 
 proof against all weapons forged by men," replied Paslew, who 
 recognised the voice of Hal o' Nabs, and hoped by this assertion 
 to divert him from his purpose. 
 
 " Ha ! say yo so, feythur abbut ? v cried Hal. (s Then ey'n 
 reach him wi' summot sacred." And he disappeared. 
 
 At this moment, word was given to return, and in half an hour 
 the cavalcade arrived at the abbey in the same order it had left it. 
 Though the rain had ceased, heavy clouds still hung overhead, 
 threatening another deluge, and the aspect of the abbey remained 
 gloomy as ever. The bell continued to toll ; drums were beaten; 
 and trumpets sounded from the outer and inner gateway, and 
 from the three quadrangles. The cavalcade drew up in front of 
 the great northern entrance ; and its return being announced 
 within, the two other captives were brought forth, each fastened 
 upon a hurdle, harnessed to a stout horse. They looked dead 
 already, so ghastly was the hue of their cheeks. 
 
 The abbot's turn came next. Another hurdle w r as brought 
 forward, and Demdike advanced to the tumbrel. But Paslew 
 recoiled from his touch, and sprang to the ground unaided. He 
 was then laid on his back upon the hurdle, and his hands and feet 
 were bound fast with ropes to the twisted timbers. While this 
 painful task was roughly performed by the wizard's two ill-favoured 
 assistants, the crowd of rustics who looked on, murmured and 
 exhibited such strong tokens of displeasure, that the guard thought 
 it prudent to keep them off with their halberts. But when all was 
 dons, Demdike motioned to a man standing behind him to advance, 
 and the person who was wrapped in a russet cloak complied, drew 
 forth an infant, and held it in such way that the abbot could see 
 it. Paslew understood what was meant, but he uttered not a 
 word. Demdike then knelt down beside him, as if ascertaining 
 the security of the cords, and whispered in his ear: 
 
 " Recall thy malediction, and my dagger shall save thee from 
 the last indignity." 
 
 " Never," replied Paslew ; " the curse is irrevocable. But I 
 would not recall it if I could. As I have said, thy child shall be 
 a witch, and the mother of witches but all shall be swept off 
 all!" 
 
 "Hell's torments seize thee!" cried the wizard, furiously. 
 
THE HOLEHOUSES. 59 
 
 "Nay, thou hast done thy worst to me," rejoined Paslew, 
 meekly, " thou canst not harm me beyond the grave. Look to 
 thyself, for even as thou speakest, thy child is taken from thee." 
 
 And so it was. While Demdike knelt beside Paslew, a hand 
 was put forth, and, before the man who had custody of the infant 
 could prevent it, his little charge was snatched from him. This 
 the abbot saw, though the wizard perceived it not. The latter 
 instantly sprang to his feet. 
 
 " Where is the child V he demanded of the fellow in the russet 
 cloak. 
 
 " It was taken from me by yon tall man who is disappearing 
 through the gateway," replied the other, in great trepidation. 
 
 "Ha! he here!" exclaimed Demdike, regarding the dark 
 figure with a look of despair. if lt is gone from me for ever!" 
 
 " Ay, for ever !" echoed the abbot, solemnly. 
 
 " But revenge is still left me revenge !" cried Demdike, with 
 an infuriated gesture. 
 
 " Then glut thyself with it speedily," replied the abbot ; " for 
 thy time here is short." 
 
 " I care not if it be," replied Demdike ; " I shall live long enough 
 if I survive thee." 
 
 CHAPTER X. THE HOLEHOUSES. 
 
 AT this moment the blast of a trumpet resounded from the 
 gateway, and the Earl of Derby, with the sheriff on his right 
 hand, and Assheton on the left, and mounted on a richly 
 caparisoned charger, rode forth. He was preceded by four javelin- 
 men, and followed by two heralds in their tabards. 
 
 To doleful tolling of bells to solemn music to plaintive 
 hymn chanted by monks to roll of muffled drum at intervals 
 the sad cortege set forth. Loud cries from the bystanders 
 marked its departure, and some of them followed it, but many 
 turned away, unable to endure the sight of horror about 
 to ensue. Amongst those who went on was Hal o' Nabs, 
 but he took care to keep out of the way of the guard, though 
 he was little likely to be recognised, owing to his disguise. 
 
 Despite the miserable state of the weather, a great multitude 
 was assembled at the place of execution, and they watched the 
 approaching cavalcade with moody curiosity. To prevent distur- 
 bance, arquebussiers were stationed in parties here and there, and 
 a clear course for the cortege was preserved by two lines of hal- 
 berdiers with crossed pikes. But notwithstanding this, much 
 difficulty was experienced in mounting the hill. Rendered 
 slippery by the wet, and yet more so by the trampling of the 
 crowd, the road was so bad in places that the horses could scarcely 
 
60 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 drag the hurdles up it, and more than one delay occurred. The 
 stoppages were always denounced by groans, yells, and hootings 
 from the mob, and these neither the menaces of the Earl of Derby, 
 nor the active measures of the guard, could repress. 
 
 At length, however, the cavalcade reached its destination. 
 Then the crowd struggled forward, and settled into a dense com- 
 pact ring, round the circular railing enclosing the place of execu- 
 tion, within which were drawn up the Earl of Derby, the 
 sheriff, Assheton, and the principal gentlemen, together with 
 Demdike and his assistants; the guard forming a circle three 
 deep round them. 
 
 Paslew was first unloosed, and when he stood up, he found 
 Father Smith, the late prior, beside him, and tenderly embraced him. 
 " Be of good courage. Father Abbot," said the prior ; " a few 
 moments, and you will be numbered with the just." 
 
 " My hope is in the infinite mercy of Heaven, father,'' replied 
 Paslew, sighing deeply. " Pray for me at the last." 
 
 " Doubt it not," returned the prior, fervently. " I will pray 
 for you now and ever." 
 
 Meanwhile, the bonds of the two other captives were unfastened, 
 but they were found wholly unable to stand without support. A 
 lofty ladder had been placed against the central scaffold, and up 
 this Demdike, having cast off his houppeland, mounted and adjusted 
 the rope. His tall gaunt figure, fully displayed in his tight-fitting 
 red garb, made him look like a hideous scarecrow. His appearance 
 was greeted by the mob with a perfect hurricane of indignant out- 
 cries and yells. But he heeded them not, but calmly pursued his 
 task. Above him wheeled the two ravens, who had never quitted 
 the place since daybreak, uttering their discordant cries. When 
 all was done, he descended a few steps, and, taking a black hood 
 from his girdle to place over the head of his victim, called out in a 
 voice which had little human in its tone, "I wait for you, John 
 Paslew." 
 
 "Are you ready, Paslew?" demanded the Earl of Derby. 
 " I am, my lord," replied the abbot. And embracing the prior 
 for the last time, he added, " Vale, carissime f rater, in ceternum vale! 
 et Dominus tecum sit in ultionern inimicorum nostrorum! " 
 
 " It is the king's pleasure that you say not a word in your justi- 
 fication to the mob, Paslew," observed the earl. 
 
 " I had no such intention, my lord," replied the abbot. 
 " Then tarry no longer," said the earl; "if you need aid you shall 
 have it." 
 
 " I require none," replied Paslew, resolutely. 
 With this he mounted the ladder, with as much firmness and 
 dignity as if ascending the steps of a tribune. 
 
 Hitherto nothing but yells and angry outcries had stunned the 
 ears of the lookers-on, and several missiles had been hurled at 
 Demdike, some of which took effect, though without occasioning 
 
THE HOLEHOUSES. 61 
 
 him discomfiture; but when the abbot appeared above the heads 
 of the guard, the tumult instantly subsided, and profound silence 
 ensued. Not a breath was drawn by the spectators. The ravens 
 alone continued their ominous croaking. 
 
 Hal o' Nabs, who stood on the outskirts of the ring, saw thus 
 far, but he could bear it no longer, and rushed down the hill. Just as 
 he reached the level ground, a culverin was fired from the gateway, 
 and the next moment a loud wailing cry bursting from the mob told 
 that the abbot was launched into eternity. 
 
 Hal would not look back, but went slowly on, and presently after- 
 wards other horrid sounds dinned in his ears, telling that all was over 
 with the two other sufferers. Sickened and faint, he leaned against 
 a wall for support. How long he continued thus, he knew not, 
 but he heard the cavalcade coming down the hill, and saw the Earl 
 of Derby and his attendants ride past. Glancing toward the place 
 of execution, Hal then perceived that the abbot had been cut down, 
 and, rousing himself, he joined the crowd now rushing towards the 
 gate, and ascertained that the body ot Paslew was to be taken 
 to the convent church, and deposited there till orders were to 
 be given respecting its interment. He learnt, also, that the re- 
 moval of the corpse was intrusted to Demdike. Fired by this 
 intelligence, and suddenly conceiving a wild project of vengeance, 
 founded upon what he had heard from the abbot of the wizard 
 being proof against weapons forged by men, he hurried to the church, 
 entered it, the door being thrown open, and rushing up to the 
 gallery, contrived to get out through a window upon the top of the 
 porch, where he secreted himself behind the great stone statue of 
 Saint Gregory. 
 
 The information he had obtained proved correct. Ere long a 
 mournful train approached the church, and a bier was set down 
 before the porch. A black hood covered the face of the dead, but 
 the vestments showed that it was the body of Paslew. 
 
 At the head of the bearers was Demdike, and when the body was 
 set down he advanced towards it, and, removing the hood, gazed 
 at the livid and distorted features. 
 
 " At length I am fully avenged," he said. 
 " And Abbot Paslew, also," cried a voice above him. 
 Demdike looked up, but the look was his last, for the ponderous 
 statue of Saint Gregory de Northbury, launched from its pedestal, 
 fell upon his head, and crushed him to the ground. A mangled 
 and breathless mass was taken from beneath the image, and the 
 hands and visage of Paslew were found spotted with blood dashed 
 from the gory carcass. The author of the wizard's destruction was 
 suspected, but never found, nor was it positively known who had 
 done the deed till years after, when Hal o' Nabs, who meanwhile 
 had married pretty Dorothy Croft, and had been blessed by nu- 
 merous offspring in the union, made his last confession, and then he 
 
62 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 exhibited no remarkable or becoming penitence for the act, neither 
 was he refused absolution. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that the abbot and his enemy perished 
 together. The mutilated remains of the wizard were placed in a 
 shell, and huddled into the grave where his wife had that morning 
 been laid. But no prayer was said over him. And the superstitious be- 
 lieved that the body was carried off that very night by the Fiend, and 
 taken to a witch's sabbath in the ruined tower on Eimington Moor. 
 Certain it was, that the unhallowed grave was disturbed. The 
 body of Paslew was decently interred in the north aisle of the parish 
 church of Whalley, beneath a stone with a Gothic cross sculptured 
 upon it, and bearing the piteous inscription : "fflLi&svtvt ttlft." 
 
 But in the belief of the vulgar the abbot did not rest tranquilly. 
 For many years afterwards a white-robed monastic figure was seen 
 to flit along the cloisters, pass out at the gate, and disappear with 
 a wailing cry over the Holehouses. And the same ghostly figure 
 was often seen to glide through the corridor in the abbot's lodging, 
 and vanish at the door of the chamber leading to the little oratory. 
 Thus Whalley Abbey was supposed to be haunted, and few liked 
 to wander through its deserted cloisters, or ruined church, after 
 dark. The abbot's tragical end was thus recorded : 
 
 12o fflensts fltarttf, 1537. 
 
 As to the infant, upon whom the abbot's malediction fell, it was 
 reserved for the dark destinies shadowed forth in the dread ana- 
 thema he had uttered : to the development of which the tragic 
 drama about to follow is devoted, and to which the fate of Abbot 
 Paslew forms a necessary and fitting prologue. Thus far the veil 
 of the Future may be drawn aside. That infant and her progeny 
 tecame the LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 END OF THE INTRODUCTION. 
 
THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES 
 
 BOOK THE FIEST. 
 
 liptt Emu. 
 
 CHAPTER I. THE MAY QUEEN. 
 
 ON a May-day in the early part of the seventeenth century, 
 and a most lovely May-day, too, admirably adapted to usher in 
 the merriest month of the year, and seemingly made expressly for 
 the occasion, a wake was held at Whalley, to which all the neigh- 
 bouring country folk resorted, and indeed many of the gentry as 
 well, for in the good old times, when England was still merry 
 England, a wake had attractions for all classes alike, and especially 
 in Lancashire; for, with pride I speak it, there were no lads who, 
 in running, vaulting, wrestling, dancing, or in any other manly 
 exercise, could compare with the Lancashire lads. In archery, 
 above all, none could match them; for were not their ancestors 
 the stout bowmen and billmen whose cloth-yard shafts, and tren- 
 chant weapons, won the day at Flodden? And were they not 
 true sons of their fathers ? And then, I speak it with yet 
 greater pride, there were few, if any, lasses who could compare 
 in comeliness with the rosy-cheeked, dark-haired, bright-eyed 
 lasses of Lancashire. 
 
 Assemblages of this kind, therefore, where the best specimens 
 of either sex were to be met with, were sure to be well attended, 
 and in spite of an enactment passed in the preceding reign of 
 Elizabeth, prohibiting "piping, playing, bear-baiting, and bull- 
 baiting on the Sabbath-days, or on any other days, and also 
 superstitious ringing of bells, wakes, and common feasts," they 
 were not only not interfered with, but rather encouraged by the 
 higher orders. Indeed, it was well known that the reigning 
 monarch, James the First, inclined the other way, and, desirous 
 of checking the growing spirit of Puritanism throughout the 
 kingdom, had openly expressed himself in favour of honest recrea- 
 tion after evening prayers and upon holidays ; and, furthermore, 
 had declared that he liked well the spirit of his good subjects in 
 Lancashire, and would not see them punished for indulging in 
 lawful exercises, but that ere long he would pay them a visit in 
 
64 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 one of his progresses, and judge for himself, and if he found all 
 things as they had been represented to him, he would grant 
 them still further licence. Meanwhile, this expression of the 
 royal opinion removed every restriction, and old sports and 
 pastimes, May-games, Whitsun-ales, and morris-dances, with 
 rush-bearings, bell-ringings, wakes, and feasts, were as much 
 practised as before the passing of the obnoxious enaetment of 
 Elizabeth. The Puritans and Precisians discountenanced them, 
 it is true, as much as ever, and would have put them down if 
 they could, as savouring of papistry and idolatry, and some rigid 
 divines thundered against them from the pulpit ; but with the 
 king and the authorities in their favour, the people little heeded 
 these denunciations against them, and abstained not from any 
 (i honest recreation" whenever a holiday occurred. 
 
 If Lancashire \vas famous for wakes, the wakes of Whalley 
 were famous even in Lancashire. The men of the district were 
 in general a hardy, handsome race, of the genuine Saxon breed, 
 and passionately fond of all kinds of pastime, and the women had 
 their full share of the beauty indigenous to the soil. Besides, it 
 was a secluded spot, in the heart of a wild mountainous region, 
 and though occasionally visited by travellers journeying north- 
 ward, or by others coming from the opposite direction, retained a 
 primitive simplicity of manners, and a great partiality for old 
 customs and habits. 
 
 The natural beauties of the place, contrasted with the dreary 
 region around it, and heightened by the picturesque ruins of the 
 ancient abbey, part of which, namely, the old abbot's lodgings, had 
 been converted into a residence by the Asshetons, and was now 
 occupied by Sir Ealph Assheton, while the other was left to the 
 ravages of time, made it always an object of attraction to those 
 residing near it ; but when on the May -day in question, there 
 was not only to be a wake, but a May-pole set on the green, and 
 a rush-bearing with morris-dancers besides, together with Whit- 
 sun-ale at ^the abbey, crowds nocked to Whalley from Wiswall, 
 Cold Coates, and Clithero, from Ribchester and Blackburn, from 
 Padiham and Pendle, and even from places more remote. Not 
 only was John Lawe's of the Dragon full, but the Chequers, and 
 the Swan also, and the roadside alehouse to boot. Sir Ralph 
 Assheton had several guests at the abbey, and others were 
 expected in the course of the day, while Doctor Ormerod had 
 friends staying with him at the vicarage. 
 
 Soon after midnight, on the morning of the festival, many 
 young persons of the village, of both sexes, had arisen, and, to the 
 sound of horn, had repaired to the neighbouring woods, and there 
 gathered a vast stock of green boughs and flowering branches of 
 the sweetly-perfumed hawthorn, wild roses, and honeysuckle, with 
 baskets of violets, cowslips, primroses, blue-bells, and other wild 
 flowers, and returning in the same order they went forth, fashion- 
 
THE MAY QUEEN. 65 
 
 ed the branches into green bowers within the churchyard, or 
 round about the May-pole set up on the green, and decorated 
 them afterwards with garlands and crowns of flowers. This 
 morning ceremonial ought to have been performed without wetting 
 the feet : but though some pains were taken in the matter, few 
 could achieve the difficult task, except those carried over the 
 dewy grass by their lusty swains. On the day before the rushes 
 had been gathered, and the rush cart piled, shaped, trimmed, and 
 adorned by those experienced in the task, (and it was one re- 
 
 r'ring both taste and skill, as will be seen when the cart itself 
 11 come forth,) while others had borrowed for its adornment, 
 from the abbey and elsewhere, silver tankards, drinking-cups, 
 spoons, ladles, brooches, watches, chains, and bracelets, so as to 
 make an imposing show. 
 
 Day was ushered in by a merry peal of bells from the tower of 
 the old parish church, and the ringers practised all kinds of joyous 
 changes during the morning, and fired many a clanging volley. 
 The whole village was early astir ; and as these were times when 
 good hours were kept ; and as early rising is a famous sharpener 
 of the appetite, especially when attended with exercise, so an 
 hour before noon the rustics one and all sat down to dinner, the 
 strangers being entertained by their friends, and if they had no 
 friends, throwing themselves upon the general hospitality. The 
 alehouses were reserved for tippling at a later hour, for it was 
 then customary for both gentleman and commoner, male as well 
 as female, as will be more fully shown hereafter, to take their 
 meals at home, and repair afterwards to houses of public enter- 
 tainment for wine or other liquors. Private chambers were, of 
 course, reserved for the gentry ; but not unfrequently the squire 
 and his friends would take their bottle with the other guests. 
 Such was the invariable practice in the northern counties in the 
 reign of James the First. 
 
 Soon after mid-day, and when the bells began to peal merrily 
 again (for even ringers must recruit themselves), at a small 
 cottage in the outskirts of the village, and close to the Calder, 
 whose waters swept past the trimly kept garden attached to it, 
 two young girls were employed in attiring a third, who was to 
 represent Maid Marian, or Queen of May, in the pageant then 
 about to ensue. And, certainly, by sovereign and prescriptive 
 right of beauty, no one better deserved the high title and distinc- 
 tion conferred upon her than this fair girl. Lovelier maiden in 
 the whole county, and however high her degree, than this rustic 
 damsel, it was impossible to find ; and though the becoming and 
 fanciful costume in which she was decked could not heighten her 
 natural charms, it certainly displayed them to advantage. Upon 
 her smooth and beautiful brow sat a gilt crown, while her dark 
 and luxuriant hair, covered behind with a scarlet coif, embroider- 
 ed with gold, and tied with yellow, white, and crimson ribands, 
 
 F 
 
66 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 but otherwise wholly unconfined, swept down almost to the 
 ground. Slight and fragile, her figure was of such just propor- 
 tion that every movement and gesture had an indescribable 
 charm. The most courtly dame might have envied her fine and 
 taper fingers, and fancied she could improve them by protecting 
 them against the sun, or by rendering them snowy white with 
 paste or cosmetic, but this was questionable ; nothing certainly 
 could improve the small foot and finely-turned ankle, so well dis- 
 played in the red hose and smart little yellow buskin, fringed with 
 gold. A stomacher of scarlet cloth, braided with yellow lace in 
 cross bars, confined her slender waist. Her robe was of carna- 
 tion-coloured silk, with wide sleeves, and the gold-fringed skirt 
 descended only a little below the knee, like the dress of a modern 
 Swiss peasant, so as to reveal the exquisite symmetry of her 
 limbs. Over all she wore a surcoat of azure silk, lined with 
 white, and edged with gold. In her left hand she held a red pink 
 as an emblem of the season. So enchanting was her appearance 
 altogether, so fresh the character of her beauty, so bright the 
 bloom that dyed her lovely cheeks, that she might have been 
 taken for a personification of May herself. She was indeed in 
 the very May of life the mingling of spring and summer in 
 womanhood; and the tender blue eyes, bright and clear as dia- 
 monds of purest water, the soft regular features, and the merry 
 mouth, whose ruddy parted lips ever and anon displayed two 
 rows of pearls, completed the similitude to the attributes of the 
 jocund month. 
 
 Her handmaidens, both of whom were simple girls, and though 
 not destitute of some pretensions to beauty themselves, in nowise 
 to be compared with her, were at the moment employed in knot- 
 ting the ribands in her hair, and adjusting the azure surcoat. 
 
 Attentively watching these proceedings sat on a stool, placed 
 in a corner, a little girl, some nine or ten years old, with a basket 
 of flowers on her knee. The child was very diminutive, even for 
 her age, and her smallness was increased by personal deformity, 
 occasioned by contraction of the chest, and spinal curvature, 
 which raised her back above her shoulders ; but her features were 
 sharp and cunning, indeed almost malignant, and there was a 
 singular and unpleasant look about the eyes, which were not 
 placed evenly in the head. Altogether she had a strange old- 
 fashioned look, and from her habitual bitterness of speech, as well 
 as from her vindictive character, which, young as she was, had 
 been displayed, with some effect, on more than one occasion, she 
 was no great favourite with any one. It was curious now to 
 watch the eager and envious interest she took in the progress of 
 her sister's adornment for such was the degree or relationship 
 in which she stood to the May Queen and when the surcoat was 
 finally adjusted, and the last riband tied, she broke forth, having 
 hitherto preserved a sullen silence. 
 
THE MAY QUEEN. 
 
 P. 66. 
 
THE MAY QUEEN. 67 
 
 * c Weel, sister Alizon, ye may a farrently May Queen, ey mun 
 say," she observed, spitefully, "but to my mind other Suky 
 Worseley, or Nancy Holt, here, would ha' looked prottier." 
 
 " Nah, nah, that we shouldna," rejoined one of the damsels 
 referred to ; " there is na a lass i' Lonkyshiar to hold a condle 
 near Alizon Device." 
 
 "Fie upon ye, for an ill-favort minx, Jennet," cried Nancy 
 Holt ; " yo're jealous o' your protty sister." 
 
 " Ey jealous," cried Jennet, reddening, t( an whoy the firrups 
 should ey be jealous, ey, thou saucy jade ! Whon ey grow older 
 ey'st may a prottier May Queen than onny on you, an so the 
 lads aw tell me." 
 
 " And so you will, Jennet," said Alizon Device, checking, by 
 a gentle look, the jeering laugh in which Nancy seemed disposed 
 to indulge "so you will, my pretty little sister," she added, 
 kissing her; " and I will 'tire you as well and as carefully as Susan 
 and Nancy have just 'tired me." 
 
 (e Mayhap ey shanna live till then," rejoined Jennet, peevishly, 
 " and when ey'm dead an' gone, an' laid i' t' cowld churchyard, 
 yo an they win be sorry fo having werreted me so." 
 
 "I have never intentionaUy vexed you, Jennet, love," said 
 Alizon, " and I am sure these two girls love you dearly." 
 
 " Eigh, we may allowance fo her feaw tempers," observed Susan 
 Worseley; fo we knoa that ailments an deformities are sure to 
 may folk fretful." 
 
 " Eigh, there it is," cried Jennet, sharply. " My high shoulthers 
 an sma size are always thrown i' my feace. Boh ey'st grow tall i' 
 time, an get straight eigh straighter than yo, Suky, wi' your 
 broad back an short neck boh if ey dunna, whot matters it? 
 Ey shall be feared at onny rate ay, feared, wenches, by ye both." 
 
 66 Nah doubt on't, theaw little good-fo'-nothin piece o' mischief," 
 muttered Susan. 
 
 " Whot's that yo sayn, Suky?" cried Jennet, whose quick ears 
 had caught the words. u Tak care whot ye do to offend me, lass," 
 she added, shaking her thin fingers, armed with talon-like claws, 
 threateningly at her, " or ey'll ask my granddame, Mother Dem- 
 dike, to quieten ye." 
 
 At the mention of this name a sudden shade came over 
 Susan's countenance. Changing colour, and slightly trembling, 
 she turned away from the child, who, noticing the effect of her 
 threat, could not repress her triumph. But again Alizon interposed. 
 
 " Do not be alarmed, Susan," she said, " my grandmother will 
 never harm you, I am sure; indeed, she will never harm any one; 
 and do not heed what little Jennet says, for she is not aware of 
 the effect of her own words, or of the injury they might do our 
 grandmother, if repeated." 
 
 " Ey dunna wish to repeat them, or to think of em," sobbed 
 Susan. 
 
68 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " That's good, that's kind of you, Susan," replied Alizon, taking 
 her hand. " Do not be cross any more, Jennet. You see you 
 have made her weep." 
 
 " Ey'm glad on it," rejoined the little girl, laughing ; " let her 
 cry on. It'll do her good, an teach her to mend her manners, and 
 nah offend me again." 
 
 " Ey didna mean to offend ye, Jennet," sobbed Susan, " boh 
 yo're so wrythen an marr'd, a body canna speak to please ye." 
 
 " Weel, if ye confess your fault, ey'm satisfied," replied the 
 little girl; "boh let it be a lesson to ye, Suky, to keep guard o' 
 your tongue i' future." 
 
 " It shall, ey promise ye," replied Susan, drying her eyes. 
 
 At this moment a door opened, and a woman entered from an 
 inner room, having a high-crowned, conical-shaped hat on her 
 head, and broad white pinners over her cheeks. Her dress was 
 of dark red camlet, with high-heeled shoes. She stooped slightly, 
 and being rather lame, supported herself on a crutch-handled 
 stick. In age she might be between forty and fifty, but she 
 looked much older, and her features were not at all prepossessing 
 from a hooked nose and chin, while their sinister effect was in- 
 creased by a formation of the eyes similar to that in Jennet, only 
 more strongly noticeable in her case. This woman was Elizabeth 
 Device, widow of John Device, about whose death there was a 
 mystery to be inquired into hereafter, and mother of Alizon and 
 Jennet, though how she came to have a daughter so unlike her- 
 self in all respects as the former, no one could conceive ; but so 
 it was. 
 
 " Soh, ye ha donned your finery at last, Alizon," said Eliza- 
 beth. " Your brother Jem has just run up to say that t' rush-cart 
 has set out, and that Robin Hood and his merry men are comin' 
 for their Queen." 
 
 "And their Queen is quite ready for them," replied Alizon, 
 moving towards the door. 
 
 " Neigh, let's ha' a look at ye fust, wench," cried Elizabeth, 
 staying her : " fine fitthers may fine brids ey warrant me now 
 yo'n getten these May gewgaws on, yo fancy yourself a queen 
 in arnest." 
 
 " A queen of a day, mother ; a queen of a little village festival ; 
 nothing more," replied Alizon. " Oh, if I were a queen in right 
 earnest, or even a great lady " 
 
 " Whot would yo do ? " demanded Elizabeth Device, sourly. 
 
 " I'd make you rich, mother, and build you a grand house to 
 live in," replied Alizon; "much grander than Browsholme, or 
 Downham, or Middle ton." 
 
 "Pity yo're nah a queen then, Alizon," replied Elizabeth, 
 relaxing her harsh features into a wintry smile. 
 
 " Whot would ye do fo me, Alizon, if ye were a queen ?" asked 
 little Jennet, looking up at her. 
 
THE MAY QUEEN". 69 
 
 " Why, let me see," was the reply ; " I\\ indulge every one of 
 your whims and wishes. You should only need ask to have." 
 
 " Poh poh yo'd never content her," observed Elizabeth, 
 testily. 
 
 " It's nah your way to try an content me, mother, even whon 
 e might," rejoined Jennet, who, if she loved few people, loved 
 er mother least of all, and never lost an opportunity of testifying 
 her dislike to her. 
 
 "Awt o'pontee, little wasp," cried her mother; "theaw de- 
 sarves nowt boh whot theaw dustna get often enough a good 
 whipping." 
 
 " Yo hanna towd us whot yo'd do fo yurse'f if yo war a great 
 lady, Alizon ?" interposed Susan. 
 
 st Oh, I haven't thought about myself," replied the other, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Ey con tell ye what she'd do, Suky," replied little Jennet, 
 knowingly ; " she'd marry Master Richard Assheton, o' Mid- 
 dleton." 
 
 " Jennet !" exclaimed Alizon, blushing crimson. 
 
 " It's true," replied the little girl ; " ye knoa ye would, Alizon. 
 Look at her feace," she added, with a screaming laugh. 
 
 " Howd te tongue, little plague," cried Elizabeth, rapping her 
 knuckles with her stick, et and behave thyself, or theaw shanna go 
 out to t' wake." 
 
 Jennet dealt her mother a bitterly vindictive look, but she neither 
 uttered cry, nor made remark. 
 
 In the momentary silence that ensued the blithe jingling of bells 
 was heard, accompanied by the merry sound of tabor and pipe. 
 
 "Ah ! here come the rush-cart and the morris-dancers," cried 
 Alizon, rushing joyously to the window, which, being left partly 
 open, admitted the scent of the woodbine and eglantine by which 
 it was overgrown, as well as the humming sound of the bees by 
 which the flowers were invaded. 
 
 Almost immediately afterwards a frolic troop, like a band of 
 masquers, approached the cottage, and drew up before it, while the 
 jingling of bells ceasing at the same moment, told that the rush- 
 cart had stopped likewise. Chief amongst the party was Robin 
 Hood clad in a suit of Lincoln green, with a sheaf of arrows at his 
 back, a bugle dangling from his baldric, a bow in his hand, and a 
 broad-leaved green hat on his head, looped up on one side, and 
 decorated with a heron's feather. The hero of Sherwood was per- 
 sonated by a tall, well-limbed fellow, to whom, being really a forester 
 of Bowland, the character was natural. Beside him stood a very 
 different figure, a jovial friar, with shaven crown, rubicund cheeks, 
 bull throat, and mighty paunch, covered by a russet habit, and 
 
 S'rded in by a red cord, decorated with golden twist and tassel, 
 e wore red hose and sandal shoon, and carried in his girdle a 
 wallet, to contain a roast capon, a neat's tongue, or any other 
 
70 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 dainty given him. Friar Tuck, for such he was, found his re- 
 presentative ^in Ned Huddlestone, porter at the abbey, who, as 
 the largest and stoutest man in the village, was chosen on that 
 account to the part. Next to him came a character of no little 
 importance, and upon whom much of the mirth of the pageant 
 depended, and this devolved upon the village cobbler, Jack 
 Roby, a dapper little fellow, who fitted the part of the Fool to a 
 nicety. With bauble in hand, and blue coxcomb hood adorned 
 with long white asses' ears on head, with jerkin of green, striped 
 with yellow ; hose of different colours, the left leg being yellow, 
 with a red pantoufle, and the right blue, terminated with a yellow 
 shoe; with bells hung upon various parts of his motley attire, 
 BO that he could not move without producing a jingling sound, 
 Jack Eoby looked wonderful indeed; and was constantly dancing 
 about, and dealing a blow with his bauble. Next came Will Scar- 
 let, Stukely, and Little John, all proper men and tall, attired in 
 Lincoln green, like Robin Hood, and similarly equipped. Like him, 
 too, they were all foresters of Bowland, owning service to the bow- 
 bearer, Mr. Parker of Browsholme hall; and the representative of 
 Little John, who was six feet and a half high, and stout in pro- 
 portion, was Lawrence Blackrod, Mr. Parker's head keeper. After 
 the foresters came Tom the Piper, a wandering minstrel, habited 
 for the occasion in a blue doublet, with sleeves of the same colour, 
 turned up with yellow, red hose, and brown buskins, red bonnet, 
 and green surcoat lined with yellow. Beside the piper was another 
 minstrel, similarly attired, and provided with a tabor. Lastly 
 came one of the main features of the pageant, and which, together 
 with the Fool, contributed most materially to the amusement of 
 the spectators. This was the Hobby-horse. The hue of this 
 spirited charger was a pinkish white, and his housings were of crim- 
 son cloth hanging to the ground, so as to conceal the rider's real 
 legs, though a pair of sham ones dangled at the side. His bit was 
 of gold, and his bridle red morocco leather, while his rider was very 
 sumptuously arrayed in a purple mantle, bordered with gold, with 
 a rich cap of the same regal hue on his head, encircled with gold, 
 and having a red feather stuck in it. The hobby-horse had a plume 
 of nodding feathers on his head, and careered from side to side, 
 now rearing in front, now kicking behind, now prancing, now gen- 
 tly ambling, and in short indulging in playful fancies and vagaries, 
 such as horse never indulged in before, to the imminent danger, it 
 seemed, of his rider, and to the huge delight of the beholders. Nor 
 must it be omitted, as it was matter of great wonderment to the 
 lookers-on, that by some legerdemain contrivance the rider of the 
 hobby-horse had a couple of daggers stuck in his cheeks, while 
 from his steed's bridle hung a silver ladle, which he held now and 
 then to the crowd, and in which, when he did so, a few coins were 
 sure to rattle. After the hobby-horse came the May-pole, not the 
 tall pole so called and which was already planted in the green, but 
 
THE MAY QUEEN. 71 
 
 a stout staff elevated some six feet above the head of the bearer, 
 with a coronal of flowers atop, and four long garlands hanging down, 
 each held by a moms-dancer. Then came the May Queen's gen- 
 tleman usher, a fantastic personage in habiliments of blue guarded 
 with white, and holding a long willow wand in his hand. After 
 the usher came the main troop of morris-dancers the men attired 
 in a graceful costume, which set off their light active figures to ad- 
 vantage, consisting of a slashed jerkin of black and white velvet, 
 with cut sleeves left open so as to reveal the snowy shirt beneath, 
 white hose, and shoes of black Spanish leather with large roses. 
 Ribands were every where in their dresses ribands and tinsel 
 adorned their caps, ribands crossed their hose, and ribands were 
 tied round their arms. In either hand they held a long white hand- 
 kerchief knotted with ribands. The female morris-dancers were 
 habited in white, decorated like the dresses of the men ; they had 
 ribands and wreaths of flowers round their heads, bows in their 
 hair, and in their hands long white knotted kerchiefs. 
 
 In the rear of the performers in the pageant came the rush-cart 
 drawn by a team of eight stout horses, with their manes and tails 
 tied with ribands, their collars fringed with red and yellow worsted, 
 and hung with bells, which jingled blithely at every movement, 
 and their heads decked with flowers. The cart itself consisted of 
 an enormous pile of rushes, banded and twisted together, rising to 
 a considerable height, and terminated in a sharp ridge, like the 
 point of a Gothic window. The sides and top were decorated with 
 flowers and ribands, and there were eaves in front and at the back, 
 and on the space within them, which was covered with white paper, 
 were strings of gaudy flowers, embedded in moss, amongst which 
 were suspended all the ornaments and finery that could be collected 
 for the occasion : to wit, flagons of silver, spoons, ladles, chains, 
 watches, and bracelets, so as to make a brave and resplendent show. 
 The wonder was how articles of so much value would be trusted 
 forth on such an occasion ; but nothing was ever lost. On the top 
 of the rush-cart, and bestriding its sharp ridges, sat half a dozen 
 men, habited somewhat like the morris-dancers, in garments be- 
 decked with tinsel and ribands, holding garlands formed by hoops, 
 decorated with flowers, and attached to poles ornamented with silver 
 paper, cut into various figures and devices, and diminishing gradu- 
 ally in size as they rose to a point, where they were crowned with 
 wreaths of daffodils. 
 
 A large crowd of rustics, of all ages, accompanied the morris- 
 dancers and rush-cart. 
 
 This gay troop having come to a halt, as described, before the 
 cottage, the gentleman-usher entered it, and, tapping against the 
 inner door with his wand, took off his cap as soon as it was opened, 
 and bowing deferentially to the ground, said he was come to in- 
 vite the Queen of May to join the pageant, and that it only awaited 
 her presence to proceed to the green. Having delivered this speech 
 
72 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 in as good set phrase as he could command, and being the parish 
 clerk and schoolmaster to boot, Sampson Harrop by name, he was 
 somewhat more polished than the rest of the hinds; and having, 
 moreover, received a gracious response from the May Queen, who 
 condescendingly replied that she was quite ready to accompany 
 him, he took her hand, and led her ceremoniously to the door, 
 whither they were followed by the others. 
 
 Loud was the shout that greeted Alizon's appearance, and tre- 
 mendous was the pushing to obtain a sight of her; and so much 
 was she abashed by the enthusiastic greeting, which was wholly un- 
 expected on her part, that she would have drawn back again, if it 
 had been possible ; but the usher led her forward, and Robin Hood 
 and the foresters having bent the knee before her, the hobby-horse 
 began to curvet anew among the spectators, and tread on their toes, 
 the fool to rap their knuckles with his bauble, the piper to play, the 
 taborer to beat his tambourine, and the morris-dancers to to&s their 
 kerchiefs over their heads. Thus the pageant being put in motion, 
 the rush-cart began to roll on, its horses' bells jingling merrily, 
 and the spectators cheering lustily. 
 
 CHAPTER II. THE BLACK CAT AND THE WHITE DOVE. 
 
 LITTLE Jennet watched her sister's triumphant departure with 
 a look in which there was far more of envy than sympathy, and, 
 when her mother took her hand to lead her forth, she would not 
 
 , but saying she did not care for any such idle sights, went 
 ack sullenly to the inner room. When there, however, she 
 could not help peeping through the window, and saw Susan and 
 Nancy join the revel rout, with feelings of increased bitterness. 
 
 " Ey wish it would rain an spile their finery," she said, sitting 
 down on her stool, and plucking the flowers from her basket in 
 pieces. "An yet, why canna ey enjoy such sects like other 
 folk? Truth is, eyVe nah heart for it.'" ' 
 
 <( Folks say," she continued, after a pause, u that grandmother 
 Demdike is a witch, an con do os she pleases. Ey wonder if she 
 made Alizon so protty. Nah, that canna be, fo' Alizon's na 
 favourite o' hern. If she loves onny one it's me. Why dunna 
 she make me good-looking, then ? They say it's sinfu' to be a 
 witch if so, how comes grandmother Demdike to be one ? Boh 
 ey'n observed that those folks os caws her witch are afeard on 
 her, so it may be pure spite o' their pert." 
 
 As she thus mused, a great black cat belonging to her mother, 
 which had followed her into the room, rubbed himself against 
 her, putting up his back, and purring loudly. 
 
 " Ah, Tib," said the little girl, " how are ye, Tib ? Ey didna 
 knoa ye were here. Lemme ask ye some questions, Tib ? " 
 
THE BLACK CAT AND THE WHITE DOVE. 73 
 
 The cat mewed, looked up, and fixed his great yellow eyes 
 upon her. 
 
 " One 'ud think ye onderstud whot wos said to ye, Tib," pur- 
 sued little Jennet. " We'n see whot ye say to this ! Shan ey 
 ever be Queen o' May, like sister Alizon ?" 
 
 The cat mewed in a manner that the little girl found no diffi- 
 culty in interpreting the reply into " No." 
 
 "How's that, Tib?" cried Jennet, sharply. "If ey thought 
 ye meant it, ey'd beat ye, sirrah. Answer me another question, 
 ye saucy knave. Who will be luckiest, Alizon or me ? " 
 
 This time the cat darted away from her, and made two or three 
 skirmishes round the room, as if gone suddenly mad. 
 
 " Ey con may nowt o' that," observed Jennet, laughing. 
 
 All at once the cat bounded upon the chimney board, over 
 which was placed a sampler, worked with the name " ALIZON." 
 
 " Why Tib really seems to onderstond me, ey declare," observed 
 Jennet, uneasily. " Ey should like to ask him a few more ques- 
 tions, if ey durst," she added, regarding with some distrust the 
 animal, who now returned, and began rubbing against her as 
 before. "Tib Tib!" 
 
 The cat looked up, and mewed. 
 
 " Protty Tib sweet Tib," continued the little girl, coaxingly. 
 " Whot mun one do to be a witch like grandmother Demdike ? " 
 
 The cat again dashed twice or thrice madly round the room, 
 and then stopping suddenly at the hearth, sprang up the chimney. 
 
 "Ey'n frightened ye away ot onny rate," observed Jennet, 
 laughing. " And yet it may mean summot," she added, reflect- 
 ing a little, " fo ey'n heerd say os how witches fly up chimleys o' 
 broomsticks to attend their sabbaths. Ey should like to fly i' 
 that manner, an change myself into another shape onny shape 
 boh my own. Oh that ey could be os protty os Alizon ! Ey 
 dunna knoa whot ey'd nah do to be like her ! " 
 
 Again the great black cat was beside her, rubbing against her, 
 and purring. The child was a good deal startled, for she had not 
 seen him return, and the door was shut, though he might have 
 come in through the open window, only she had been looking that 
 way all the time, and had never noticed him. Strange ! 
 
 tf Tib," said the child, patting him, " thou hasna answered my 
 last question how is one to become a witch ?" 
 
 As she made this inquiry the cat suddenly scratched her in the 
 arm, so that the blood came. The little girl was a good deal 
 frightened, as well as hurt, and, withdrawing her arm quickly, 
 made a motion of striking the animal. But starting backwards, 
 erecting his tail, and spitting, the cat assumed such a formidable 
 appearance, that she did not dare to touch him, and she then 
 perceived that some drops of blood stained her white sleeve, 
 giving the spots a certain resemblance to the letters J. and D., 
 her own initials. 
 
7-4 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 At this moment, when she was about to scream for help, though 
 she knew no one was in the house, all having gone away with the 
 May-day revellers, a small white dove flew in at the open window, 
 and skimming round the room, alighted near her. No sooner had 
 the cat caught sight of this beautiful bird, than instead of pre- 
 paring to pounce upon it, as might have been expected, he in- 
 stantly abandoned his fierce attitude, and, uttering a sort of howl, 
 sprang up the chimney as before. But the child scarcely observed 
 this, her attention being directed towards the bird, whose extreme 
 beauty delighted her. It seemed quite tame too, and allowed 
 itself to be touched, and even drawn towards her, without an 
 effort to escape. Never, surely, was seen so beautiful a bird 
 with such milkwhite feathers, such red legs, and such pretty 
 yellow eyes, with crimson circles round them ! So thought the 
 little girl, as she gazed at it, and pressed it to her bosom. In 
 doing this, gentle and good thoughts came upon her, and she re- 
 flected what a nice present this pretty bird would make to her 
 sister Alizon on her return from the merry-making, and how 
 pleased she should feel to give it to her. And then she thought 
 of Alizon's constant kindness to her, and half reproached herself 
 with the poor return she made for it, wondering she could enter- 
 tain any feelings of envy towards one so good and amiable. All 
 this while the dove nestled in her bosom. 
 
 While thus pondering, the little girl felt an unaccountable 
 drowsiness steal over her, and presently afterwards dropped asleep, 
 when she had a very strange dream. It seemed to her that there 
 was a contest going on between two spirits, a good one and a bad, 
 the bad one being represented by the great black cat, and the 
 good spirit by the white dove. What they were striving about 
 she could not exactly tell, but she felt that the conflict had some 
 relation to herself. The dove at first appeared to have but a poor 
 chance against the claws of its sable adversary, but the sharp 
 talons of the latter made no impression upon the white plumage 
 of the bird, which now shone like silver armour, and in the end 
 the cat fled, yelling as it darted off " Thou art victorious now, 
 but her soul shall yet be mine." 
 
 Something awakened the little sleeper at the same moment, and 
 she felt very much terrified at her dream, as she could not help 
 thinking her own soul might be the one in jeopardy, and her first 
 impulse was to see whether the white dove was safe. Yes, there 
 it was still nestling in her bosom, with its head under its wing. 
 
 Just then she was startled at hearing her own name pronounced 
 by a hoarse voice, and, looking up, she beheld a tall young man 
 standing at the window. He had a somewhat gipsy look, having 
 a dark olive complexion, and fine black eyes, though set strangely 
 in his head, like those of Jennet and her mother, coal black hair, 
 and very prominent features, of a sullen and almost savage cast. 
 His figure was gaunt but very muscular, his arms being extremely 
 
THE BLACK CAT AND THE WHITE DOVE. 75 
 
 long, and his hands unusually large and bony personal advan- 
 tages, which made him a formidable antagonist in any rustic 
 encounter, and in such he was frequently engaged, being of a 
 very irascible temper, and turbulent disposition. He was clad in 
 a holiday suit of dark-green serge, which fitted him well, and 
 carried a nosegay in one hand, and a stout blackthorn cudgel in 
 the other. This young man was James Device, son of Elizabeth, 
 and some four or five years older than Alizon. He did not live 
 with his mother in Whalley, but in Pendle Forest, near his old 
 relative, Mother Demdike, and had come over that morning to 
 attend the wake. 
 
 " Whot are ye abowt, Jennet 1 " inquired James Device, in 
 tones naturally hoarse and deep, and which he took as little pains 
 to soften, as he did to polish his manners, which were more than 
 ordinarily rude and churlish. 
 
 "Whot are ye abowt, ey sey, wench?" he repeated, "Why 
 dunna ye go to t' green to see the morris-dancers foot it round 
 t' May-pow ? Cum along wi' me." 
 
 " Ey dunna want to go, Jem," replied the little girl. 
 
 " Boh yo shan go, ey tell ey," rejoined her brother ; " ye shan 
 see your sister dawnce. Ye con sit a whoam onny day ; boh May- 
 day cums ony wonst a year, an Alizon winna be Queen twice i' 
 her life. Soh cum along wi' me, dereckly, or ey'n may ye." 
 
 "Ey should like to see Alizon dance, an so ey win go wi' ye, 
 Jem," replied Jennet, getting up, " otherwise your orders shouldna 
 may me stir, ey con tell ye." 
 
 As she came out, she found her brother whistling the blithe air 
 of " Green Sleeves," cutting strange capers, in imitation of the 
 morris-dancers, and whirling his cudgel over his head instead of 
 a kerchief. The gaiety of the day seemed infectious, and to have 
 seized even him. People stared to see Black Jem, or Surly Jem, 
 as he was indifferently called, so joyous, and wondered what it 
 could mean. He then fell to singing a snatch of a local ballad at 
 that time in vogue in the neighbourhood : 
 
 "If them wi' nah my secret tell, 
 
 Ne bruit abroad i' Whalley parish, 
 And swear to keep my counsel well, 
 Ey win declare my day of marriage." 
 
 " Cum along, lass," he cried stopping suddenly in his song, and 
 snatching his sister's hand. f6 What han ye getten there, lapped 
 up i' your kirtle, eh? " 
 
 "A white dove," replied Jennet, determined not to tell him 
 any thing about her strange dream. 
 
 "A white dove !" echoed Jem. "Gi' it me, an ey'n wring its 
 neck, an get it roasted for supper." 
 
 " Ye shan do nah such thing, Jem," replied Jennet. " Ey mean 
 to gi' it to Alizon." 
 
76 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Weel, weel, that's reet," rejoined Jem, blandly, " it'll may a 
 protty offering. Let's look at it." 
 
 " Nah, nah," said Jennet, pressing the bird gently to her bosom, 
 " neaw one shan see it efore Alizon. 
 
 et Cum along then," cried Jem, rather testily, and mending his 
 pace, rt or we'st be too late fo' t' round. Whoy yo'n scratted 
 yourself," he added, noticing the red spots on her sleeve. 
 
 " Han ey ? " she rejoined, evasively. " Oh now ey rekilect, it 
 wos Tib did it." 
 
 "Tib!" echoed Jem, gravely, and glancing uneasily at the 
 marks. 
 
 Meanwhile, on quitting the cottage, the May-day revellers had 
 proceeded slowly towards the green, increasing the number of 
 their followers at each little tenement they passed, and being wel- 
 comed every where with shouts and cheers. The hobby-horse 
 curveted and capered ; the Fool fleered at the girls, and flouted 
 the men, jesting with every one, and when failing in a point 
 rapping the knuckles of his auditors; Friar Tuck chucked the 
 pretty girls under the chin, in defiance of their sweethearts, and 
 stole a kiss from every buxom dame that stood in his way, and then 
 snapped his fingers, or made a broad grimace at the husband ; the 
 piper played, and the taborer rattled his tambourine ; the morris- 
 dancers tossed their kerchiefs aloft ; and the bells of the rush- 
 cart jingled merrily ; the men on the top being on a level with 
 the roofs of the cottages, and the summits of the haystacks they 
 passed, but in spite of their exalted position jesting with the crowd 
 below. But in spite of these multiplied attractions, and in spite 
 of the gambols of Fool and Horse, though the latter elicited pro- 
 digious laughter, the main attention was fixed on the May Queen, 
 who tripped lightly along by the side of her faithful squire, Kobin 
 Hood, followed by the three bold foresters of Sherwood, and her 
 usher. 
 
 In this way they reached the green, where already a large crowd 
 was collected to see them, and where in the midst of it, and above 
 the heads of the assemblage, rose the lofty May-pole, with all its 
 flowery garlands glittering in the sunshine, and its ribands flutter- 
 ing in the breeze. Pleasant was it to see those cheerful groups, 
 composed of happy rustics, youths in their holiday attire, and 
 maidens neatly habited too, and fresh and bright as the day itself. 
 Summer sunshine sparkled in their eyes, and weather and circum- 
 stance as well as genial natures disposed them to enjoyment. 
 Every lass above eighteen had her sweetheart, and old couples 
 nodded and smiled at each other when any tender speech, broadly 
 conveyed but tenderly conceived, reached their ears, and said it 
 recalled the days of their youth. Pleasant was it to hear such 
 honest laughter, and such good homely jests. 
 
 Laugh on, my merry lads, you are made of good old English 
 stuff, loyal to church and king, and while you, and such as you, 
 
THE ASSHETONS. 77 
 
 last, our land will be in no danger from foreign foe ! Laugh on, 
 and praise your sweethearts how you will. Laugh on, and bless- 
 ings on your honest hearts ! 
 
 The frolic train had just reached the precincts of the green, 
 when the usher waving his wand aloft, called a momentary halt, 
 announcing that Sir Ralph Assheton and the gentry were coming 
 forth from the Abbey gate to meet them. 
 
 CHAPTER III. THE ASSHETONS. 
 
 BETWEEN Sir Ralph Assheton of the Abbey and the inhabitants 
 of Whalley, many of whom were his tenants, he being joint lord 
 of the manor with John Braddyll of Portfield, the best possible 
 feeling subsisted ; for though somewhat austere in manner, and 
 tinctured with Puritanism, the worthy knight was sufficiently 
 shrewd, or, more correctly speaking, sufficiently liberal-minded, to 
 be tolerant of the opinions of others, and being moreover sincere 
 in his own religious views, no man could call him in question for 
 them ; besides which, he was very hospitable to his friends, very 
 bountiful to the poor, a good landlord, and a humane man. His 
 very austerity of manner, tempered by stately courtesy, added to 
 the respect he inspired, especially as he could now and then relax 
 into gaiety, and, when he did so, his smile was accounted singularly 
 sweet. But in general he was grave and formal ; stiff in attire, 
 and stiff in gait ; cold and punctilious in manner, precise in speech, 
 and exacting in due respect from both high and low, which was 
 seldom, if ever, refused him. Amongst Sir Ralph's other good 
 qualities, for such it was esteemed by his friends and retainers, 
 and they were, of course, the best judges, was a strong love of the 
 chase, and perhaps he indulged a little too freely in the sports cf 
 the field, for a gentleman of a character so staid and decorous ; 
 but his popularity was far from being diminished by the circum- 
 stance ; neither did he suffer the rude and boisterous companion- 
 ship into which he was brought by indulgence in this his favourite 
 pursuit in any way to affect him. Though still young, Sir Ralph 
 was prematurely grey, and this, combined with the sad severity of 
 his aspect, gave him the air of one considerably past the middle 
 term of life, though this appearance was contradicted again by the 
 youthful fire of his eagle eye. His features were handsome and 
 strongly marked, and he wore a pointed beard and mustaches, 
 with a shaved cheek. Sir Ralph Assheton had married twice, 
 his first wife being a daughter of Sir James Bellingham of Levens, 
 in Northumberland, by whom he had two children; while his 
 second choice fell upon Eleanor Shuttleworth, the lovely and well- 
 endowed heiress of Gawthorpe, to whom he had been recently 
 united. In his attire, even when habited for the chase or a merry- 
 
78 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 making, like the present, the Knight of Whalley affected a sombre 
 colour, and ordinarily wore a quilted doublet of black silk, immense 
 trunk hose of the same material, stiffened with whalebone, puffed 
 out well-wadded sleeves, falling bands, for he eschewed the ruff 
 as savouring of vanity, boots of black flexible leather, ascending 
 to the hose, and armed with spurs with gigantic rowels, a round- 
 crowned small-brimmed black hat, with an ostrich feather placed 
 in the side and hanging over the top, a long rapier on his hip, and 
 a dagger in his girdle. This buckram attire, it will be easily 
 conceived, contributed no little to the natural stiffness of his thin 
 tall figure. 
 
 Sir Ralph Assheton was great grandson of Richard Assheton, 
 who flourished in the time of Abbot Paslew, and who, in conjunc- 
 tion with John Braddyll, fourteen years after the unfortunate 
 prelate's attainder and the dissolution of the monastery, had 
 purchased the abbey and domains of Whalley from the Crown, sub- 
 sequently to which, a division of the property so granted took place 
 between them, the abbey and part of the manor falling to the share 
 of Richard Assheton, whose descendants had now for three gene- 
 rations made it their residence. Thus the whole of Whalley 
 belonged to the families of Assheton and Braddyll, which had in- 
 termarried; the latter, as has been stated, dwelling at Portfield, a 
 fine old seat in the neighbourhood. 
 
 A very different person from Sir Ralph was his cousin, Nicholas 
 Assheton of Downham, who, except as regards his Puritanism, 
 might be considered a type of the Lancashire squire of the day. A 
 precisian in religious notions, and constant in attendance at church 
 and lecture, he put no sort of restraint upon himself, but mixed up 
 fox-hunting, otter-hunting, shooting at the mark, and perhaps 
 shooting with the long-bow, foot-racing, horse-racing, and, in fact, 
 every other kind of country diversion, not forgetting tippling, cards, 
 and dicing, with daily devotion, discourses, and psalm-singing in 
 the oddest way imaginable. A thorough sportsman was Squire 
 Nicholas Assheton, well versed in all the arts and mysteries of 
 hawking and hunting. Not a man in the county could ride harder, 
 hunt deer, unkennel fox, unearth badger, or spear otter, better than 
 he. And then, as to tippling, he would sit you a whole afternoon 
 at the alehouse, and be the merriest man there, and drink a bout 
 with every farmer present. And if the parson chanced to be out 
 of hearing, he would never makeamouth at a round oath, nor choose 
 a second expression when the first would serve his turn. Then, who 
 so constant at church or lecture as Squire Nicholas though he 
 did snore sometimes during the long sermons of his cousin, the 
 Rector of Middleton ? A great man was he at all wed dings, christen- 
 ings, churchings, and funerals, and never neglected his bottle at 
 these ceremonies, nor any sport in doors or out of doors, meanwhile. 
 In short, such a roystering Puritan was never known. A good- 
 looking young man was the Squire of Downham, possessed of a very 
 
THE ASSHETONS. 79 
 
 athletic frame, and a most vigorous constitution, which helped him, 
 together with the prodigious exercise he took, through any excess. 
 He had a sanguine complexion, with a broad, good-natured visage, 
 which he could lengthen at will in a surprising manner. His hair 
 was cropped close to his head, and the razor did daily duty over 
 his cheek and chin, giving him the roundhead look, some years 
 later, characteristic of the Puritanical party. Nicholas had taken 
 to wife Dorothy, daughter of Richard Greenacres of Worston, and 
 was most fortunate in his choice, which is more than can be said 
 for his lady, for I cannot uphold the squire as a model of conjugal 
 fidelity. Report affirmed that he loved more than one pretty girl 
 under the rose. Squire Nicholas was not particular as to the quality 
 or make of his clothes, provided they wore well and protected him 
 against the weather, and was generally to be seen in doublet and 
 hose of stout fustian, which had seen some service, with a broad- 
 leaved hat, originally green, but of late bleached to a much lighter 
 colour ; but he was clad on this particular occasion in ash-coloured 
 habiliments fresh from the tailor's hands, with buff boots drawn 
 up to the knee, and a new round hat from York with a green feather 
 in it. His legs were slightly embowed, and he bore himself like a 
 man rarely out of the saddle. 
 
 Downham, the residence of the squire, was a fine old house, very 
 charmingly situated to the north of Pendle Hill, of which it com- 
 manded a magnificent view, and a few miles from Clithero. The 
 grounds about it were well-wooded and beautifully broken and 
 diversified, watered by the Ribble, and opening upon the lovely 
 and extensive valley deriving its name from that stream. The 
 house was in good order and well maintained, and the stables plen- 
 tifully furnished with horses, while the hall was adorned with various 
 trophies and implements of the chase; but as I propose paying its 
 owner a visit, I shall defer any further description of the place till 
 an opportunity arrives for examining it in detail. 
 
 A third cousin of Sir Ralph's, though in the second degree, 
 likewise present on the May-day in question, was the Reverend 
 Abdias Assheton, Rector of Middleton, a very worthy man, who, 
 though differing from his kinsmen upon some religious points, and 
 not altogether approving of the conduct of one of them, was on good 
 terms with both. The Rector of Middleton was portly and mid- 
 dle-aged, fond of ease and reading, and by no means indifferent 
 to the good things of life. He was unmarried, and passed much 
 of his time at Middleton Hall, the seat of his near relative Sir 
 Richard Assheton, to whose family he was greatly attached, and 
 whose residence closely adjoined the rectory. 
 
 A fourth cousin, also present, was young Richard Assheton of 
 Middleton, eldest son and heir of the owner of that estate. Possess- 
 ed of all the good qualities largely distributed among his kinsmen, 
 with none of their drawbacks, this young man was as tolerant and 
 bountiful as Sir Ralph, without his austerity and sectarianism ; aa 
 
80 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 keen a sportsman and as bold a rider as Nicholas, without his pro- 
 pensities to excess; as studious, at times, and as well read as Abdias, 
 without his laziness and self-indulgence; and as courtly and well- 
 bred as his father, Sir Richard, who was esteemed one of the most 
 perfect gentlemen in the county, without his haughtiness. Then 
 he was the handsomest of his race, though the Asshetons were 
 accounted the handsomest family in Lancashire, and no one minded 
 yielding the palm to young Richard, even if it could be contested, 
 he was so modest and unassuming. At this time, Richard Asshe- 
 ton was about two-and-twenty, tall, gracefully and slightly formed, 
 but possessed of such remarkable vigour, that even his cousin Ni- 
 cholas could scarcely compete with him in athletic exercises. His 
 features were fine and regular, with an almost Phrygian precision 
 of outline ; his hair was of a dark brown, and fell in clustering 
 curls over his brow and neck ; and his complexion was fresh and 
 blooming, and set off by a slight beard and mustache , carefully 
 trimmed and pointed. His dress consisted of a dark-green doublet, 
 with wide velvet hose, embroidered and fringed, descending nearly 
 to the knee, where they were tied with points and ribands, met by 
 dark stockings, and terminated by red velvet shoes with roses in 
 them. A white feather adorned his black broad-leaved hat, and 
 he had a rapier by his side. 
 
 Amongst Sir Ralph Assheton's guests were Richard Greenacres, 
 of Worston, Nicholas Assheton's father-in-law ; Richard Sherborne 
 of Dunnow, near Sladeburne, who had married Dorothy, Nicholas's 
 sister ; Mistress Robinson of Raydale House, aunt to the knight 
 and the squire, and two of her sons, both stout youths, with John 
 Braddyll and his wife, of Portfield. Besides these there was Mas- 
 ter Roger Nowell, a justice of the peace in the county, and a very 
 active and busy one too, who had been invited for an especial 
 purpose, to be explained hereafter. Head of an ancient Lancashire 
 family, residing at Read, a fine old hall, some little distance from 
 WhaUey, Roger Nowell, though a worthy, well-meaning man, dealt 
 hard measure from the bench, and seldom tempered justice with 
 mercy. He was sharp-featured, dry, and sarcastic, and being ad- 
 verse to country sports, his presence on the occasion was the only 
 thing likely to impose restraint on the revellers. Other guests 
 there were, but none of particular note. 
 
 The ladies of the party consisted of Lady Assheton, Mistress 
 Nicholas Assheton of Downham, Dorothy Assheton of Middleton, 
 sister to Richard, a lovely girl of eighteen, with light fleecy hair, 
 summer blue eyes, and a complexion of exquisite purity, Mistress 
 Sherborne of Dunnow, Mistress Robinson of Raydale, and Mis- 
 tress Braddyll of Portfield, before mentioned, together with the 
 wives and daughters of some others of the neighbouring gentry ; 
 most noticeable amongst whom was Mistress Alice Nutter of 
 Rough Lee, in Pendle Forest, a widow lady and a relative of the 
 Assheton family. 
 
THE ASSHETONS. 81 
 
 Mistress Nutter might be a year or two turned of forty, but 
 she still retained a very fine figure, and much beauty of feature, 
 though of a cold and disagreeable cast. She was dressed in 
 mourning, though her husband had been dead several years, and 
 her rich dark habiliments well became her pale complexion and 
 raven hair. A proud poor gentleman was Richard Nutter, her 
 late husband, and his scanty means not enabling him to keep up 
 as large an establishment as he desired, or to be as hospitable as 
 his nature prompted, his temper became soured, and he visited 
 his ill humours upon his wife, who, devotedly attached to him, 
 to all outward appearance at least, never resented his ill treat- 
 ment. All at once, and without any previous symptoms of 
 ailment, or apparent cause, unless it might be over-fatigue in 
 hunting the day before, Richard Nutter was seized with a strange 
 and violent illness, which, after three or four days of acute suffer- 
 ing, brought him to the grave. During his illness he was con- 
 stantly and zealously tended by his wife, but he displayed great 
 aversion to her, declaring himself bewitched, and that an old 
 woman was ever in the corner of his room mumbling wicked en- 
 chantments against him. But as no such old woman could be 
 seen, these assertions were treated as delirious ravings. They 
 were not, however, forgotten after his death, and some people 
 said that he had certainly been bewitched, and that a waxen 
 image made in his likeness, and stuck full of pins, had been 
 picked up in his chamber by Mistress Alice and cast into the fire, 
 and as soon as it melted he had expired. Such tales only ob- 
 tained credence with the common folk; but as Pendle Forest was 
 a sort of weird region, many reputed witches dwelling in it, they 
 were the more readily believed, even by those who acquitted 
 Mistress Nutter of all share in the dark transaction. 
 
 Mistress Nutter gave the best proof that she respected her 
 husband's memory by not marrying again, and she continued to 
 lead a very secluded life at Rough Lee, a lonesome house in the 
 heart of the forest. She lived quite by herself, for she had no 
 children, her only daughter having perished somewhat strangely 
 when quite an infant. Though a relative of the Asshetons, she 
 kept up little intimacy with them, and it was a matter of surprise 
 to all that she had been drawn from her seclusion to attend the 
 present revel. Her motive, however, in visiting the Abbey, was 
 to obtain the assistance of Sir Ralph Assheton, in settling a dis- 
 pute between her and Roger Nowell, relative to the boundary line 
 of part of their properties which came together ; and this was the 
 reason why the magistrate had been invited to Whalley. After 
 hearing both sides of the question, and examining plans of the 
 estates, which he knew to be accurate, Sir Ralph, who had been 
 appointed umpire, pronounced a decision in favour of Roger 
 Nowell, but Mistress Nutter refusing to abide by it, the settle- 
 ment of the matter was postponed till the day but one following, 
 
 G 
 
82 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 between which time the landmarks were to be investigated by a 
 certain little lawyer named Potts, who attended on behalf of Roger 
 Nowell ; together with Nicholas and Richard Assheton, on behalf 
 of Mistress Nutter. Upon their evidence it was agreed by both 
 parties that Sir Ralph should pronounce a final decision, to be 
 accepted by them, and to that effect they signed an agreement. 
 The three persons appointed to the investigation settled to start 
 for Rough Lee early on the following morning. 
 
 A word as to Master Thomas Potts. This worthy was an 
 attorney from London, who had officiated as clerk of the court at 
 the assizes at Lancaster, where his quickness had so much pleased 
 Roger Nowell, that he sent for him to Read to manage this par- 
 ticular business A sharp-witted fellow was Potts, and versed in 
 all the quirks and tricks of a very subtle profession not over- 
 scrupulous, provided a client would pay well ; prepared to resort 
 to any expedient to gain his object, and quite conversant enough 
 with both practice and precedent to keep himself straight. A 
 bustling, consequential little personage was he, moreover ; very 
 fond of delivering an opinion, even when unasked, and of a med- 
 dling, make-mischief turn, constantly setting men by the ears. 
 A suit of rusty black, a parchment-coloured skin, small wizen 
 features, a turn-up nose, scant eyebrows, and a great yellow 
 forehead, constituted his external man. He partook of the 
 hospitality at the Abbey, but had his quarters at the Dragon. He 
 it was who counselled Roger Nowell to abide by the decision of 
 Sir Ralph, confidently assuring him that he must carry his 
 point. 
 
 This dispute was not, however, the only one the knight had to 
 adjust, or in which Master Potts was concerned. A claim had 
 recently been made by a certain Sir Thomas Metcalfe of Nappay, 
 in Wensleydale, near Bainbridge, to the house and manor of Ray- 
 dale, belonging to his neighbour, John Robinson, whose lady, as 
 has been shown, was a relative of the Asshetons. Robinson him- 
 self had gone to London to obtain advice on the subject, while 
 Sir Thomas Metcalfe, who was a man of violent disposition, had 
 threatened to take forcible possession of Raydale, if it were not 
 delivered to him without delay, and to eject the Robinson family. 
 Having consulted Potts, however, on the subject, whom he had 
 met at Read, the latter strongly dissuaded him from the course, 
 and recommended him to call to his aid the strong arm of the 
 law; but this he rejected, though he ultimately agreed to refer 
 the matter to Sir Ralph Assheton, and for this purpose he had 
 come over to Whalley, and was at present a guest at the vicarage. 
 Thus it will be seen that Sir Ralph Assheton had his hands full, 
 while the little London lawyer, Master Potts, was tolerably well 
 occupied. Besides Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Sir Richard Molyneux, 
 and Mr. Parker of Browsholme, were guests of Dr. Ormerod at 
 the vicarage. 
 
THE ASSHETOXS. 83 
 
 Such was the large company assembled to witness the May- 
 day revels at Whalley, and if harmonious feelings did not exist 
 amongst all of them, little outward manifestation was made of 
 enmity. The dresses and appointments of the pageant having 
 been provided by Sir Ealph Assheton, who, Puritan as he was, 
 encouraged all harmless country pastimes, it was deemed neces- 
 sary to pay him every respect, even if no other feeling would 
 have prompted the attention, and therefore the troop had stopped 
 on seeing him and his guests issue from the Abbey gate. At 
 pretty nearly the same time Doctor Ormerod and his party came 
 from the vicarage towards the green. 
 
 No order of march was observed, but Sir Ralph and his lady, 
 with two of his children by the former marriage, walked first. 
 Then came some of the other ladies, with the Rector of Middle- 
 ton, John Braddyll, and the two sons of Mistress Robinson. 
 Next came Mistress Nutter, Roger Nowell and Potts walking 
 after her, eyeing her maliciously, as her proud figure swept on 
 before them. Even if she saw their looks or overheard their 
 jeers, she did not deign to notice them. Lastly came young 
 Richard Assheton, of Middleton, and Squire Nicholas, both in 
 high spirits, and laughing and chatting together. 
 
 " A brave day for the morris-dancers, cousin Dick," observed 
 Nicholas Assheton, as they approached the green, " and plenty 
 of folk to witness the sport. Half my lads from Downham are 
 here, and I see a good many of your Middleton chaps among 
 them. How are you, Farmer Tetlow?" he added to a stout, 
 hale-looking man, with a blooming country woman by his side 
 " brought your pretty young wife to the rush-bearing, I see." 
 
 " Yeigh, squoire," rejoined the farmer, " an mightily pleased 
 hoo be wi' it, too." 
 
 " Happy to hear it, Master Tetlow," replied Nicholas, " she'll 
 be better pleased before the day's over, I'll warrant her. I'll dance 
 a round with her myself in the hall at night." 
 
 " Theere now, Meg, whoy dunna ye may t' squoire a curtsy, 
 wench, an thonk him," said Tetlow, nudging his pretty wife, who 
 had turned away, rather embarrassed by the free gaze of the 
 squire. Nicholas, however, did not wait for the curtsy, but 
 went away, laughing, to overtake Richard Assheton, who had 
 walked on. 
 
 "Ah, here's Frank Garside," he continued, espying another 
 rustic acquaintance. " Halloa, Frank, I'll come over one day next 
 week, and try for a fox in Easington Woods. We missed the 
 last, you know. Tom Brockholes, are you here ? Just ridden 
 over from Sladeburne, eh ? When is that shooting match at the 
 bodkin to come off, eh ? Mind, it is to be at twenty-two roods' 
 distance. Ride over to Downham on Thursday next, Tom. 
 We're to have a foot-race, and I'll show you good sport, and 
 at night we'll have a lusty drinking bout at the alehouse. On 
 
84 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Friday, we'll take out the great nets, and try for salmon in the 
 Ribble. I took some fine fish on Monday one salmon of ten 
 pounds' weight, the largest I've got the whole season. I brought 
 it with me to-day to the Abbey. There's an otter in the river, 
 and I won't hunt him till you come, Tom. I shall see you on 
 Thursday, eh?" 
 
 Keceiving an answer in the affirmative, squire Nicholas walked 
 on, nodding right and left, jesting with the farmers, and ogling 
 their pretty wives and daughters. 
 
 " I tell you what, cousin Dick," he said, calling after Richard 
 Assheton, who had got in advance of him, " I'll match my dun 
 nag against your grey gelding for twenty pieces, that I reach the 
 boundary line of the Rough Lee lands before you to-morrow. 
 What, you won't have it I You know I shall beat you ha! ha! 
 Well, we'll try the speed of the two tits the first day we hunt the 
 stag in Bowland Forest. Odds my life !" he cried, suddenly 
 altering his deportment and lengthening his visage, " if there isn't 
 our parson here. Stay with me, cousin Dick, stay with me. 
 Give you good-day, worthy Mr. Dewhurst," he added, taking off 
 his hat to the divine, who respectfully returned his salutation, " I 
 did not look to see your reverence here, taking part in these 
 vanities and idle sports. I propose to call on you on Saturday, 
 and pass an hour in serious discourse. I would call to-morrow, 
 "but I have to ride over to Pendle on business. Tarry a moment 
 for me, I pray you, good cousin Richard. I fear, reverend sir, 
 that you will see much here that will scandalise you; much 
 lightness and indecorum. Pleasanter far would it be to me to see 
 a large congregation of the elders flocking together to a godly 
 meeting, than crowds assembled for such a profane purpose. 
 Another moment, Richard. My cousin is a young man, Mr. 
 Dewhurst, and wishes to join the revel. But we must make 
 allowances, worthy and reverend sir, until the world shall improve. 
 An excellent discourse you gave us, good sir, on Sunday : viii. 
 Rom. 12 and 13 verses : it is graven upon my memory, but I have 
 made a note of it in my diary. I come to you, cousin, I come. 
 I pray you walk on to the Abbey, good Mr. Dewhurst, where you 
 will be right welcome, and call for any refreshment you may desire 
 a glass of good sack, and a slice of venison pasty, on which we 
 have just dined and there is some famous old ale, which I would 
 commend to you, but that I know you care not, any more than 
 myself, for creature comforts. Farewell, reverend sir. I will join 
 you ere long, for these scenes have little attraction for me. But 
 I must take care that my young cousin falleth not into harm." 
 
 And as the divine took his way to the Abbey, he added, 
 laughingly, to Richard, " A good riddance, Dick. I would not 
 have the old fellow play the spy upon us. Ah, Giles Mercer," 
 he added, stopping again, " and J eif Rushton well met, lads ! 
 what, are you come to the wake ? I shall be at John Lawe's in 
 
THE ASSHETONS. 85 
 
 the evening, and we'll have a glass together John brews sack 
 rarely, and spareth not the eggs." 
 
 " Boh yo'n be at th' dawncing at th' Abbey, squoire," said one 
 of the farmers. 
 
 " Curse the dancing!" cried Nicholas "I hope the parson 
 didn't hear me," he added, turning round quickly. " Well, well, 
 I'll come down when the dancing's over, and we'll make a night 
 of it." And he ran on to overtake Richard Assheton. 
 
 By this time the respective parties from the Abbey and the 
 Vicarage having united, they walked on together, Sir Ralph 
 Assheton, after courteously exchanging salutations with Dr. 
 Ormerod's guests, still keeping a little in advance of the company. 
 Sir Thomas Metcalfe comported himself with more than his wonted 
 haughtiness, and bowed so superciliously to Mistress Robinson, 
 that her two sons glanced angrily at each other, as if in doubt 
 whether they should not instantly resent the affront. Observing 
 this, as well as what had previously taken place, Nicholas Assheton 
 stepped quickly up to them, and said 
 
 " Keep quiet, lads. Leave this dunghill cock to me, and I'll 
 lower his crest." 
 
 With this he pushed forward, and elbowing Sir Thomas rudely 
 out of the way, turned round, and, instead of apologising, eyed him 
 coolly and contemptuously from head to foot. 
 
 ft Are you drunk, sir, that you forget your manners ? " asked 
 Sir Thomas, laying his hand upon his sword. 
 
 " Not so drunk but that I know how to conduct myself like a 
 gentleman, Sir Thomas," rejoined Nicholas, " which is more than 
 can be said for a certain person of my acquaintance, who, for 
 aught I know, has only taken his morning pint." 
 
 " You wish to pick a quarrel with me, Master Nicholas 
 Assheton, I perceive," said Sir Thomas, stepping close up to him, 
 " and I will not disappoint you. You shall render me good 
 reason for this affront before I leave Whalley." 
 
 i( When and where you please, Sir Thomas," rejoined Nicholas, 
 laughing. " At any hour, and at any weapon, I am your man." 
 
 u At this moment, Master Potts, who had scented a quarrel 
 afar, and who would have liked it well enough if its prosecution 
 had not run counter to his own interests, quitted Roger Nowell, 
 and ran back to Metcalfe, and plucking him by the sleeve, said, 
 in a low voice 
 
 " This is not the way to obtain quiet possession of Raydale 
 House, Sir Thomas. Master Nicholas Assheton," he added, 
 turning to him, u I must entreat you, rny good sir, to be moderate. 
 Gentlemen, both, I caution you that I have my eye upon you. 
 You well know there is a magistrate here, my singular good friend 
 and honoured client, Master Roger Nowell, and if you pursue this 
 quarrel further, I shall hold it my duty to have you bound over by 
 that worthy gentleman in sufficient securities to keep the peace 
 
86 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 towards our sovereign lord the king and all his lieges, and 
 particularly towards each other. You understand me, gentlemen 1 " 
 
 " Perfectly," replied Nicholas. st I drink at John Lawe's to- 
 night, Sir Thomas." 
 
 So saying, he walked away. Metcalfe would have followed 
 him, but was withheld by Potts. 
 
 " Let him go, Sir Thomas," said the little man of law ; <( let 
 him go. Once master of Raydale, you can do as you please. 
 Leave the settlement of the matter to me. I'll just whisper a 
 word in Sir Ralph Assheton's ear, and you'll hear no more of it." 
 
 " Fire and fury ! " growled Sir Thomas. " I like not this mode 
 of settling a quarrel ; and unless this hot-headed psalm-singing 
 puritan apologises, I shall assuredly cut his throat." 
 
 " Or he yours, good Sir Thomas," rejoined Potts. (( Better 
 sit in Raydale Hall, than lie in the Abbey vaults." 
 
 " Well, we'll talk over the matter, Master Potts," replied the 
 knight. 
 
 " A nice morning's work I've made of it," mused Nicholas, as 
 he walked along; "here I have a dance with a farmer's pretty 
 wife, a discourse with a parson, a drinking-bout with a couple of 
 clowns, and a duello with a blustering knight on my hands. 
 Quite enough, o' my conscience ! but I must get through it the 
 best way I can. Aid now, hey for the May-pole and the morris- 
 dancers ! " 
 
 Nicholas just got up in time to witness the presentation of the 
 May Queen to Sir Ralph Assheton and his lady, and like every 
 one else he was greatly struck by her extreme beauty and natural 
 grace. 
 
 The little ceremony was thus conducted. When the company 
 from the Abbey drew near the troop of revellers, the usher taking 
 Alizon's hand in the tips of his fingers as before, strutted forward 
 with her to Sir Ralph and his lady, and falling upon one knee 
 before them, said, " Most worshipful and honoured knight, and 
 you his lovely dame, and you the tender and cherished olive 
 branches growing round about their tables, I hereby crave your 
 gracious permission to present unto your honours our chosen 
 Queen of May." 
 
 Somewhat fluttered by the presentation, Alizon yet maintained 
 sufficient composure to bend gracefully before Lady Assheton, and 
 say in a very sweet voice, " I fear your ladyship will think the 
 choice of the village hath fallen ill in alighting upon me; and, 
 indeed, I feel myself altogether unworthy the distinction ; never- 
 theless I will endeavour to discharge my office fittingly, and 
 therefore pray you, fair lady, and the worshipful knight, your 
 husband, together with your beauteous children, and the gentles 
 all by whom you are surrounded, to grace our little festival with 
 your presence, hoping you may find as much pleasure in the sight 
 as we shall do in offering it to you." 
 
THE ASSHETONS. 87 
 
 " A fair maid, and modest as she is fair/' observed Sir Ralph, 
 with a condescending smile. 
 
 " In sooth is she," replied Lady Assheton, raising her kindly, 
 and saying, as she did so 
 
 " Nay, you must not kneel to us, sweet maid. You are queen 
 of May, and it is for us to show respect to you during your day 
 of sovereignty. Your wishes are commands ; and, in behalf of 
 my husband, my children, and our guests, I answer, that we will 
 gladly attend your revels on the green." 
 
 Well said, dear Nell," observed Sir Ralph. " We should be 
 churlish, indeed, were we to refuse the bidding of so lovely a 
 queen." 
 
 " Nay, you have called the roses in earnest to her cheek, now, 
 Sir Ralph," observed Lady Assheton, smiling. " Lead on, fair 
 queen," she continued, " and tell your companions to begin their 
 sports when they please. Only remember this, that we shall hope 
 to see all your gay troop this evening at the Abbey, to a merry 
 dance." 
 
 " Where I will strive to find her majesty a suitable partner," 
 added Sir Ralph. " Stay, she shall make her choice now, as a 
 royal personage should ; for you know, Nell, a queen ever chooseth 
 her partner, whether it be for the throne or for the brawl. How 
 say you, fair one ? Shall it be either of our young cousins, Joe 
 or Will Robinson of Raydale ; or our cousin who still thinketh 
 himself young, Squire Nicholas of Downham." 
 
 " Ay, let it be me, I implore of you, fair queen," interposed 
 Nicholas. 
 
 " He is engaged already," observed Richard Assheton, coming 
 forward. " I heard him ask pretty Mistress Tetlow, the farmer's 
 wife, to dance with him this evening at the Abbey." 
 
 A loud laugh from those around followed this piece of informa- 
 tion, but Nicholas was in no wise disconcerted. 
 
 " Dick would have her choose him, and that is why he inter- 
 feres with me," he observed. " How say you, fair queen ! Shall 
 it be our hopeful cousin ? I will answer for him that he danceth 
 the coranto and lavolta indifferently well." 
 
 On hearing Richard Assheton's voice, all the colour had for- 
 saken Alizon's cheeks; but at this direct appeal to her by Nicholas, 
 it returned with additional force, and the change did not escape 
 the quick eye of Lady Assheton. 
 
 " You perplex her, cousin Nicholas," she said. 
 
 " Not a whit, Eleanor," answered the squire ; " but if she like 
 not Dick Assheton, there is another Dick, Dick Sherburne of 
 Sladeburn; or our cousin, Jack Braddyll; or, if she prefer an 
 older and discreeter man, there is Father Grreenacres of Worsten, 
 or Master Roger Nowell of Read plenty of choice." 
 
 " Nay, if I must choose a partner, it shall be a young one," said 
 Alizon. 
 
88 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Right, fair queen, right," cried Nicholas, laughing. " Ever 
 choose a young man if you can. Who shall it be ? " 
 
 " You have named him yourself, sir," replied Alizon, in a voice 
 which she endeavoured to keep firm, but which, in spite of all her 
 efforts, sounded tremulously " Master Richard Assheton." 
 
 "Next to choosing me, you could not have chosen better," 
 observed Nicholas, approvingly. " Dick, lad, I congratulate 
 thee." 
 
 " I congratulate myself," replied the young man. " Fair 
 queen," he added, advancing, " highly flattered am I by your 
 choice, and shall so demean myself, I trust, as to prove myself 
 worthy of it. Before I go, I would beg a boon from you that 
 flower/' 
 
 " This pink," cried Alizon. " It is yours, fair sir." 
 
 Young Assheton took the flower and took the hand that offered 
 it at the same time, and pressed the latter to his lips ; while Lady 
 Assheton, who had been made a little uneasy by Alizon's apparent 
 emotion, and who with true feminine tact immediately detected 
 its cause, called out : " Now, forward forward to the May-pole I 
 We have interrupted the revel too long." 
 
 Upon this the May Queen stepped blushingly back with the 
 usher, who, with his white wand in hand, had stood bolt upright 
 behind her, immensely delighted with the scene in which hi& 
 pupil for Alizon had been tutored by him for the occasion had 
 taken part. Sir Ralph then clapped his hands loudly, and at this 
 signal the tabor and pipe struck up ; the Fool and the Hobby- 
 horse, who, though idle all the time, had indulged in a little quiet 
 fun with the rustics, recommenced their gambols; the Morris- 
 dancers their lively dance ; and the whole train moved towards 
 the May-pole, followed by the rush-cart, with all its bells jingling,, 
 and all its garlands waving. 
 
 As to Alizon, her brain was in a whirl, and her bosom heaved 
 so quickly, that she thought she should faint. To think that the 
 choice of a partner in the dance at the Abbey had been offered her> 
 and that she should venture to choose Master Richard Assheton !. 
 She could scarcely credit her own temerity. And then to think 
 that she should give him a flower, and, more than all, that he 
 should kiss her hand in return for it! She felt the tingling 
 pressure of his lips upon her finger still, and her little heart 
 palpitated strangely. 
 
 As she approached the May-pole, and the troop again halted 
 for a few minutes, she saw her brother James holding little Jennet 
 by the hand, standing in the front line to look at her. 
 
 " Oh, how I'm glad to see you here, Jennet !" she cried. 
 
 " An ey'm glad to see yo, Alizon," replied the little girl. " Jeir 
 has towd me whot a grand partner you're to ha' this e'en." And, 
 she added, with playful malice, " Who was wrong whon she said 
 the queen could choose Master Richard " 
 
THE ASSHETONS. 89 
 
 " Hash, Jennet, not a word more," interrupted Alizon, blushmg. 
 
 "Oh! ey dunna mean to vex ye, ey'm sure," replied Jennet. 
 " Ey've got a present for ye." 
 
 " A present for me, Jennet," cried Alizon ; " what is it 1" 
 
 " A beautiful white dove," replied the little girl. 
 
 " A white dove ! Where did you get it ? Let me see it," cried 
 Alizon, in a breath. 
 
 " Here it is," replied Jennet, opening her kirtle. 
 
 " A beautiful bird, indeed," cried Alizon. u Take care of it for 
 me till I come home." 
 
 te Which winna be till late, ey fancy," rejoined Jennet, roguishly. 
 "Ah !" she added, uttering a cry. 
 
 The latter exclamation was occasioned by the sudden flight of 
 the dove, which, escaping from her hold, soared aloft. Jennet 
 followed the course of its silver wings, as they cleaved the blue 
 sky, and then all at once saw a large hawk, which apparently had 
 been hovering about, swoop down upon it, and bear it off. Some 
 white feathers fell down near the little girl, and she picked up one 
 of them and put it in her breast. 
 
 " Poor bird !" exclaimed the May Queen. 
 
 " Eigh, poor bird ! " echoed Jennet, tearfully. " Ah, ye dunna 
 knoa aw, Alizon." 
 
 " Weel, there's neaw use whimpering abowt a duv," observed 
 Jem, gruffly. " Ey'n bring ye another t 1 furst time ey go to 
 Cown." 
 
 "There's nah another bird like that," sobbed the little girl. 
 u Shoot that cruel hawk fo' me, Jem, win ye." 
 
 " How conney wench, whon its flown away?" he replied. " Boh 
 ey'n rob a hawk's neest fo ye, if that'll do os weel." 
 
 " Yo dunna understand me, Jem," replied the child, sadly. 
 
 At this moment, the music, which had ceased while some 
 arrangements were made, commenced a very lively tune, known 
 as " Round about the May-pole," and Robin Hood, taking the 
 May Queen's hand, led her towards the pole, and placing her near 
 it, the whole of her attendants took hands, while a second circle 
 was formed by the morris-dancers, and both began to wheel 
 rapidly round her, the music momently increasing in spirit and 
 quickness. An irresistible desire to join in the measure seized 
 some of the lads and lasses around, and they likewise took hands, 
 and presently a third and still wider circle was formed, wheeling 
 gaily round the other two. Other dances were formed here and 
 there, and presently the whole green was in movement. 
 
 " If you come off heart-whole to-night, Dick, I shall be sur- 
 prised," observed Nicholas, who with his young relative had 
 approached as near the May-pole as the three rounds of dancers 
 would allow them. 
 
 Richard Assheton made no reply, but glanced at the pink which 
 he had placed in his doublet. 
 
90 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 "Who is the May Queen?" inquired Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 
 who had likewise drawn near, of a tall man holding a little girl 
 by the hand. 
 
 " Alizon, dowter of Elizabeth Device, an mey sister," replied 
 James Device, gruffly. 
 
 " Humph !" muttered Sir Thomas, u she is a well-looking lass. 
 And she dwells here in Whalley, fellow?" he added. 
 
 " Hoo dwells i' Whalley," responded Jem, sullenly. 
 
 " I can easily find her abode," muttered the knight, walking 
 away. 
 
 "What was it Sir Thomas said to you, Jem?" inquired 
 Nicholas, who had watched the knight's gestures, coming up. 
 
 Jem related what had passed between them. 
 
 "What the devil does he want with her?" cried Nicholas. 
 <( No good, I'm sure. But I'll spoil his sport." 
 
 " Say boh t' word, squoire, an ey'n break every boan i' his 
 body," remarked Jem. 
 
 " No, no, Jem," replied Nicholas. " Take care of your pretty 
 sister, and I'll take care of him." 
 
 At this juncture, Sir Thomas, who, in spite of the efforts of the 
 pacific Master Potts to tranquillise him, had been burning with 
 wrath at the affront he had received from Nicholas, came up to 
 Richard Assheton, and, noticing the pink in his bosom, snatched it 
 away suddenly. 
 
 " I want a flower," he said, smelling at it. 
 
 " Instantly restore it, Sir Thomas !" cried Richard Assheton, 
 pale with rage, "or " 
 
 "What will you do, young sir?" rejoined the knight tauntingly, 
 and plucking the flower in pieces. "You can get another from the 
 fair nymph who gave you this." 
 
 Further speech was not allowed the knight, for he received a 
 violent bio won the chest from the hand of Richard Assheton, which 
 sent him reeling backwards, and would have felled him to the ground 
 if he had not been caught by some of the bystanders. The mo- 
 ment he recovered, Sir Thomas drew his sword, and furiously as- 
 saulted young Assheton, who stood ready for him, and after the 
 exchange of a few passes, for none of the bystanders dared to 
 interfere, sent his sword whirling over their heads through the air. 
 
 " Bravo, Dick," cried Nicholas, stepping up, and clapping his 
 cousin on the back, " you have read him a good lesson, and taught 
 him that he cannot always insult folks with impunity, ha ! ha ! " 
 And he laughed loudly at the discomfited knight. 
 
 " He is an insolent coward," said Richard Assheton. " Give hire 
 his sword and let him come on again." 
 
 * No, no," said Nicholas, " he has had enough this time. And 
 if he has not, he must settle an account with me. Put up your 
 blade, lad." 
 
 " I'll be revenged upon you both," said Sir Thomas, taking hia 
 
ALICE NUTTER. 91 
 
 sword, which had been brought him by a bystander, and stalking 
 away. 
 
 " You leave us in mortal dread, doughty knight," cried Nicholas, 
 shouting after him, derisively " ha ! ha ! ha ! " 
 
 Richard Assheton's attention was, however, turned in a different 
 direction, for the music suddenly ceasing, and the dancers stopping, 
 he learnt that the May Queen had fainted, and presently after- 
 wards the crowd opened to give passage to Robin Hood, who bore 
 her inanimate form in his arms. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. ALICE NUTTER. 
 
 THE quarrel between Nicholas Assheton and Sir Thomas Met- 
 calfe had alreadv been made known to Sir Ralph by the officious 
 Master Potts, and though it occasioned the knight much displeasure, 
 as interfering with the amicable arrangement he hoped to effect 
 with Sir Thomas for his relatives the Robinsons, still he felt sure 
 that he had sufficient influence with his hot-headed cousin, the 
 squire, to prevent the dispute from being carried further, and he 
 only waited the conclusion of the sports on the green, to take him 
 to task. What was the knight's surprise and annoyance, there- 
 fore, to find that a new brawl had sprung up, and, ignorant of its 
 precise cause, he laid it entirely at the door of the turbulent Nicho- 
 las. Indeed, on the commencement of the fray he imagined that 
 the squire was personally concerned in it, and full of wroth, flew 
 to the scene of action ; but before he got there, the affair, which, 
 as has been seen, was of short duration, was fully settled, and he 
 only heard the jeers addressed to the retreating combatant by 
 Nicholas. It was not Sir Ralph's way to vent his choler in words, 
 but the squire knew in an instant, from the expression of his 
 countenance, that he was greatly incensed, and therefore hastened 
 to explain. 
 
 u What means this unseemly disturbance, Nicholas ?" cried Sir 
 Ralph, not allowing the other to speak. rt You are ever brawling 
 like an Alsatian squire. Independently of the ill example set to 
 these good folk, who have met here for tranquil amusement, you 
 have counteracted all my plans for the adjustment of the differ- 
 ences between Sir Thomas Metcalfe and our aunt of Raydale. If 
 you forget what is due to yourself, sir, do not forget what is due 
 to me, and to the name you bear." 
 
 " No one but yourself should say as much to me, Sir Ralph," 
 rejoined Nicholas somewhat haughtily; (( but you are under amis- 
 apprehension. It is not I who have been fighting, though I should 
 have acted in precisely the same manner as our cousin Dick, if I 
 had received the same affront, and so I make bold to say would you. 
 Our name shall suffer no discredit from me; and as a gentleman, 
 
92 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 I assert, that Sir Thomas Metcalfe has only received due chastise- 
 ment, as you yourself will admit, cousin, when you know all." 
 " I know him to be overbearing," observed Sir Ralph. 
 u Overbearing is not the word, cousin," interrupted Nicholas , 
 " he is as proud as a peacock, and would trample upon us all, and 
 gore us too, like one of the wild bulls of Bowland, if we wouid let 
 him have his way. But I would treat him as I would the bull afore- 
 said, a wild boar, or any other savage and intractable beast, hunt 
 him down, and poll his horns, or pluck out his tusks." 
 
 " Come, come, Nicholas, this is no very gentle language," re- 
 marked Sir Ralph. 
 
 " Why, to speak truth, cousin, I do not feel in any very gentle 
 frame of mind," rejoined the squire; my ire has been roused by this 
 insolent braggart, my blood is up, and I long to be doing." 
 
 " Unchristian feelings, Nicholas," said Sir Ralph, severely, ec and 
 should be overcome. Turn the other cheek to the smiter. I trust 
 you bear no malice to Sir Thomas." 
 
 " I bear him no malice, for I hope malice is not in my nature, 
 cousin," replied Nicholas, " but I owe him a grudge, and when a 
 fitting opportunity occurs " 
 
 " No more of this, unless you would really incur my displeasure," 
 rejoined Sir Ralph ; rt the matter has gone far enough, too far, per- 
 haps for amendment, and if you know it not, I can tell you that 
 Sir Thomas's claims to Raydale will be difficult to dispute, and so 
 our uncle Robinson has found since he hath taken counsel on the 
 case." 
 
 " Have a care, Sir Ralph," said Nicholas, noticing that Master 
 Potts was approaching them, with his ears evidently wide open, 
 " there is that little London lawyer hovering about. But I'll give 
 the cunning fox a double. I'm glad to hear you say so, Sir Ralph," 
 he added, in a tone calculated to reach Potts, " and since our 
 uncle Robinson is so sure of his cause, it may be better to let this 
 blustering knight be. Perchance, it is the certainty of failure 
 that makes him so insensate. 
 
 u This is meant to blind me, but it shall not serve your turn, 
 cautelous squire," muttered Potts ; "1 caught enough of what fell 
 just now from Sir Ralph to satisfy me that he hath strong mis- 
 givings. But it is best not to appear too secure. Ah, Sir Ralph," 
 he added, coming forward, " I was right, you see, in my caution. 
 I am a man of peace, and strive to prevent quarrels and bloodshed. 
 Quarrel if you please and unfortunately men are prone to anger 
 but always settle your disputes in a court of law; always in a 
 court of law, Sir Ralph. That is the only arena where a sensible 
 man should ever fight. Take good advice, fee your counsel 
 well, and the chances are ten to one in your favour. That is what 
 I say to my worthy and singular good client, Sir Thomas ; but he 
 is somewhat headstrong and vehement, and will not listen to me. 
 He is for settling matters by the sword, for making forcible entries 
 
ALICE NUTTER. 93 
 
 and detainers, and ousting the tenants in possession, whereby he 
 would render himself liable to arrest, fine, ransom, and forfeiture ; 
 instead of proceeding cautiously and decorously as the law directs, 
 and as I advise, Sir Ralph, by writ of ejectione firma or action of 
 trespass, the which would assuredly establish his title, and restore 
 him the house and lands. Or he may proceed by writ of right, 
 which perhaps, in his case, considering the long absence of posses- 
 sion, and the doubts supposed to perplex the title though I myself 
 have no doubts about it would be the most efficacious. These 
 are your only true weapons, Sir Ralph your writs of entry, assise, 
 and right your pleas of novel disseisin, post-disseisin, and re- 
 disseisin your remitters, your praecipes, your pones, and your 
 recordari faciases. These are the sword, shield, and armour of 
 proof of a wise man." 
 
 " Zounds ! you take away one's breath with this hail-storm of 
 writs and pleas, master lawyer!" cried Nicholas. "But in one 
 respect I am of your 'worthy and singular good' client's, opinion, 
 and would rather trust to my own hand for the defence of my 
 property than to the law to keep it for me." 
 
 " Then you would do wrong, good Master Nicholas," rejoined 
 Potts, with a smile of supreme contempt ; " for the law is the 
 better guardian and the stronger adversary of the two, and so Sir 
 Thomas will find if he takes my advice, and obtains, as he can and 
 will do, a perfect title juris et seisince conjunctionem" 
 
 " Sir Thomas is still willing to refer the case to my arbitrement, 
 I believe, sir?" demanded Sir Ralph, uneasily. 
 
 " He was so, Sir Ralph," rejoined Potts, " unless the assaults 
 and batteries, with intent to do him grievous corporeal hurt, 
 which he hath sustained from your relatives, have induced a 
 change of mind in him. But as I premised, Sir Ralph, I am a 
 man of peace, and willing to intermediate." 
 
 " Provided you get your fee, master lawyer," observed Nicholas, 
 sarcastically. 
 
 "Certainly, I object not to the quiddam honorarium. Master 
 Nicholas," rejoined Potts ; " and if my client hath the quid pro 
 quo, and gaineth his point, he cannot complain. But what is this ? 
 Some fresh disturbance ! " 
 
 tf Something hath happened to the May Queen," cried 
 Nicholas. 
 
 u I trust not," said Sir Ralph, with real concern. " Ha ! she 
 has fainted. They are bringing her this way. Poor maid ! what 
 can have occasioned this sudden seizure ? " 
 
 " I think I could give a guess," muttered Nicholas. " Better 
 remove her to the Abbey," he added aloud to the knight. 
 
 " You are right," said Sir Ralph. " Our cousin Dick is near 
 her, I observe. He shall see her conveyed there at once." 
 
 At this moment Lady Assheton and Mrs. Nutter, with some 
 of the other ladies, came up. 
 
94 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Just in time, Nell," cried the knight. " Have you your 
 smelling-bottle about you ? The May Queen has fainted." 
 
 " Indeed !" exclaimed Lady Assheton, springing towards 
 Alizon, who was now sustained by young Richard Assheton ; the 
 forester having surrendered her to him. " How has this hap- 
 pened ?" she inquired, giving her to breathe at a small phial. 
 
 " That I cannot tell you, cousin," replied Richard Assheton, 
 " unless from some sudden fright." 
 
 " That was it, Master Richard," cried Robin Hood ; " she 
 cried out on hearing the clashing of swords just now, and, I 
 think, pronounced your name, on finding you engaged with Sir 
 Thomas, and immediately after turned pale, and would have fallen 
 if I had not caught her." 
 
 " Ah, indeed !" exclaimed Lady Assheton, glancing at Richard, 
 whose eyes fell before her inquiring gaze. " But see, she revives," 
 pursued the lady. " Let me support her head." 
 
 As she spoke Alizon opened her eyes, and perceiving Richard 
 Assheton, who had relinquished her to his relative, standing 
 beside her, she exclaimed, " Oh ! you are safe ! I feared" And 
 then she stopped, greatly embarrassed. 
 
 6e You feared he might be in danger from his fierce adversary," 
 supplied Lady Assheton ; (t but no. The conflict is happily over, 
 and he is unhurt." 
 
 " I am glad of it," said Alizon, earnestly. 
 
 " She had better be taken to the Abbey," remarked Sir Ralph, 
 coming up. 
 
 u Nay, she will be more at ease at home," observed Lady 
 Assheton with a significant look, which, however, failed in reaching 
 her husband. 
 
 " Yes, truly shall I, gracious lady," replied Alizon, " far more 
 so. I have given you trouble enough already." 
 
 " No trouble at all," said Sir Ralph, kindly ; " her ladyship is 
 too happy to be of service in a case like this. Are you not, Nell ? 
 The faintness will pass off presently. But let her go to the 
 Abbey at once, and remain there till the evening's festivities, in 
 which she takes part, commence. Give her your arm, Dick." 
 
 Sir Ralph's word was law, and therefore Lady Assheton made 
 no remonstrance. But she said quickly, " I will take care of her 
 myself." 
 
 " I require no assistance, madam," replied Alizon, " since Sir 
 Ralph will have me go. Nay, you are too kind, too condescending," 
 she added, reluctantly taking Lady Assheton's proffered arm. 
 
 And in this way they proceeded slowly towards the Abbey, 
 escorted by Richard Assheton, and attended by Mistress Braddyll 
 and some others of the ladies. 
 
 Amongst those who had watched the progress of the May 
 Queen's restoration with most interest was Mistress Nutter, 
 though she had not interfered; and as Alizon departed with 
 
ALICE NUTTER. 95 
 
 Lady Assheton, she observed to Nicholas, who was standing 
 near, 
 
 " Can this be the daughter of Elizabeth Device, and grand- 
 daughter of " 
 
 " Your old Pendle witch, Mother Demdike," supplied Nicholas ; 
 " the very same, I assure you, Mistress Nutter." 
 
 " She is wholly unlike the family," observed the lady, " and 
 her features resemble some I have seen before." 
 
 " She does not resemble her mother, undoubtedly," replied 
 Nicholas, " though what her grand-dame may have been some 
 sixty years ago, when she was Alizon's age, it would be difficult 
 to say. She is no beauty now." 
 
 " Those finely modelled features, that graceful figure, and those 
 delicate hands, cannot surely belong to one lowly born and bred ? " 
 said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " They differ from the ordinary peasant mould, truly, replied 
 Nicholas. " If you ask me for the lineage of a steed, I can give 
 a guess at it on sight of the animal, but as regards our own race 
 I'm at fault, Mistress Nutter." 
 
 " I must question Elizabeth Device about her," observed 
 Alice. " Strange, I should never have seen her before, though I 
 know the family so well." 
 
 " I wish you did not know Mother Demdike quite so well, 
 Mistress Nutter," remarked Nicholas " a mischievous and 
 malignant old witch, who deserves the tar barrel. The only 
 marvel is, that she has not been burned long ago. I am of 
 opinion, with many others, that it was she who bewitched your 
 poor husband, Richard Nutter." 
 
 " I do not think it," replied Mistress Nutter, with a mournful 
 shake of the head. " Alas, poor man ! he died from hard riding, 
 after hard drinking. That was the only witchcraft in his case. 
 Be warned by his fate yourself, Nicholas." 
 
 " Hard riding after drinking was more likely to sober 
 him than to kill him," rejoined the squire. " But, as I said just 
 now, I like not this Mother Demdike, nor her rival in iniquity, 
 old Mother Chattox. The devil only knows which of the two is 
 worst. But if the former hag did not bewitch your husband 
 to death, as I shrewdly suspect, it is certain that the latter mum- 
 bling old miscreant killed my elder brother, Richard, by her 
 sorceries." 
 
 u Mother Chattox did you a good turn then, Nicholas," 
 observed Mistress Nutter, " in making you master of the fair 
 estates of Downham." 
 
 t( So far, perhaps, she might," rejoined Nicholas, " but I do not 
 like the manner of it, and would gladly see her burned ; nay, I 
 would fire the fagots myself." 
 
 u You are superstitious as the rest, Nicholas," said Mistress Nut- 
 ter. " For my part I do not believe in the existence of witches." 
 
90 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 "Not believe in witches, with these two living proofs to the 
 contrary !" cried Nicholas, in amazement. " Why, Pendle 
 Forest swarms with witches. They burrow in the hill-side like 
 rabbits in a warren. They are the terror of the whole 
 country. No man's cattle, goods, nor even life, are safe from 
 them ; and the only reason why these two old hags, who hold 
 sovereign sway over the others, have 'scaped justice so long, is 
 because every one is afraid to go near them. Their solitary 
 habitations are more strongly guarded than fortresses. Not 
 believe in witches ! Why I should as soon misdoubt the Holy 
 Scriptures." 
 
 " It may be because I reside near them that I have so little 
 apprehension, or rather no apprehension at all," replied Mistress 
 Nutter ; " but to me Mother Demdike and Mother Chattox 
 appear two harmless old women." 
 
 " They're a couple of dangerous and damnable old hags, and 
 deserve the stake," cried Nicholas, emphatically. 
 
 All this discourse had been swallowed with greedy ears by the 
 ever-vigilant Master Potts, who had approached the speakers 
 unperceived ; and he now threw in a word. 
 
 " So there are suspected witches in Pendle Forest, I find," he 
 said. " I shall make it my business to institute inquiries concern- 
 ing them, when I visit the place to-morrow. Even if merely 
 ill-reputed, they must be examined, and if found innocent cleared ; 
 if not, punished according to the statute. Our sovereign lord the 
 king holdeth witches in especial abhorrence, and would gladly see 
 all such noxious vermin extirpated from the land, and it will 
 rejoice me to promote his laudable designs. I must pray you to 
 afford me all the assistance you can in the discovery of these 
 dreadful delinquents, good Master Nicholas, and I will care that 
 your services are duly represented in the proper quarter. As I 
 have just said, the king taketh singular interest in witchcraft, as 
 you may judge if the learned tractate he hath put forth, in form 
 of a dialogue, intituled " Dcemonologie" hath ever met your eye ; 
 and he is never so well pleased as when the truth of his tenets 
 are proved by such secret offenders being brought to light, and 
 duly punished." 
 
 " The king's known superstitious dread of witches makes men 
 seek them out to win his favour," observed Mistress Nutter. 
 " They have wonderfully increased since the publication of that 
 baneful book !" 
 
 " Not so, madam," replied Potts. " Our sovereign lord the 
 king hath a wholesome and just hatred of such evil-doers and 
 traitors to himself and heaven, and it may be dread of them, as 
 indeed all good men must have ; but he would protect his sub- 
 jects from them, and therefore, in the first year of his reign, 
 which I trust will be long and prosperous, he hath passed a 
 statute, whereby it is enacted ' that all persons invoking any evil 
 
ALICE NUTTER. 97 
 
 spirit, or consulting, covenanting with, entertaining, employing, 
 feeding, or rewarding any evil spirit ; or taking up dead bodies 
 from their graves to be used in any witchcraft, sorcery, charm, or 
 enchantment ; or killing or otherwise hurting any person by 
 such infernal arts, shall be guilty of felony without benefit of 
 clergy, and suffer death.' This statute, madam, was intended to 
 check the crimes of necromancy, sorcery, and witchcraft, and not 
 to increase them. And I maintain that it has checked them, and 
 will continue to check them." 
 
 " It is a wicked and bloody statute," observed Mrs. Nutter, in a 
 deep tone, (t and many an innocent life will be sacrificed thereby." 
 
 fi How, madam !" cried Master Potts, staring aghast. " Do 
 you mean to impugn the sagacity and justice of our high and 
 mighty king, the head of the law, and defender of the faith ?" 
 
 " I affirm that this is a sanguinary enactment," replied Mistress 
 Nutter, " and will put power into hands that will abuse it, and 
 destroy many guiltless persons. It will make more witches than 
 it will find." 
 
 ts Some are ready made, methinks," muttered Potts, " and we 
 need not go far to find them. You are a zealous advocate for 
 witches, I must say, madam," he added aloud, " and I shall not 
 forget your arguments in their favour." 
 
 " To my prejudice, I doubt not," she rejoined, bitterly. 
 
 " No, to the credit of your humanity," he answered bowing, 
 with pretended conviction. 
 
 " Well, I will aid you in your search for witches, Master Potts," 
 observed Nicholas ; " for I would gladly see the country rid of 
 these pests. But I warn you the quest will be attended with 
 risk, and you will get few to accompany you, for all the folk here- 
 abouts are mortally afraid of these terrible old hags." 
 
 " I fear nothing in the discharge of my duty," replied Master 
 Potts, courageously, " for as our high and mighty sovereign hath 
 well and learnedly observed i if witches be but apprehended and 
 detained by any private person, upon other private respects, their 
 power, no doubt, either in escaping, or in doing hurt, is no less 
 than ever it was before. But if, on the other part, their appre- 
 hending and detention be by the lawful magistrate upon the just 
 respect of their guiltiness in that craft, their power is then no 
 greater than before that ever they meddled with their master 
 For where God begins justly to strike by his lawful lieutenants, 
 it is not in the devil's power to defraud or bereave him of the 
 office or effect of his powerful and revenging sceptre.' Thus I 
 am safe ; and I shall take care to go armed with a proper warrant, 
 which I shall obtain from a magistrate, my honoured friend and 
 singular good client, Master Roger Nowell. This will obtain me 
 such assistance as I may require, and for due observance of my 
 authority. I shall likewise take with me a peace-officer, or 
 constable." 
 
98 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " You will do well, Master Potts," said Nicholas ; " still you 
 must not put faith in all the idle tales told you, for the common 
 folk hereabouts are blindly and foolishly superstitious, and fancy 
 they discern witchcraft in every mischance, however slight, that 
 befalls them. If ale turn sour after a thunder-storm, the witch 
 hath done it; and if the butter cometh not quickly, she hindereth 
 it. If the meat roast ill the witch hath turned the spit ; and if 
 the lumber pie taste ill she hath had a finger in it. If your sheep 
 have the foot-rot your horses the staggers or string-halt your 
 swine the measles your hounds a surfeit or your cow slippeth 
 her calf the witch is at the bottom of it all. If your maid hath 
 a fit of the sullens, or doeth her work amiss, or your man break- 
 eth a dish, the witch is in fault, and her shoulders can bear the 
 blame. On this very day or the year namely, May Day, the 
 foolish folk hold any aged crone who fetcheth fire to be a witch, 
 and if they catch a hedge-hog among their cattle, they will 
 instantly beat it to death with sticks, concluding it to be an old 
 hag in that form come to dry up the milk of their kine " 
 
 " These are what Master Potts's royal authority would style 
 mere old wives' trattles about the fire,' " observed Mistress Nut- 
 ter, scornfully. 
 
 " Better be over-credulous than over-sceptical," replied Potts. 
 Cl Even at my lodging in Chancery Lane I have a horseshoe 
 "jailed against the door. One cannot be too cautious when one 
 has to fight against the devil, or those in league with him. Your 
 witch should be put to every ordeal. She should be scratched 
 with pins to draw blood from her ; weighed against the church 
 bible, though this is not always proof ; forced to weep, for a witch 
 can only shed three tears, and those only from the left eye ; or, as 
 our sovereign lord the king truly observeth no offence to you. 
 Mistress Nutter 'Not so much as their eyes are able to shed 
 tears, albeit the womenkind especially be able otherwise to shed 
 tears at every light occasion when they will, yea, although it 
 were dissemblingly like the crocodile ; ' and set on a stool for 
 twenty-four hours, with her legs tied across, and suffered neither 
 to eat, drink, nor sleep during the time. This is the surest way 
 to make her confess her guilt next to swimming. If it fails, then 
 cast her with her thumbs and toes tied across into a pond, and 
 if she sink not then is she certainly a witch. Other trials there 
 are, as that by scalding water sticking knives across heating 
 of the horseshoe tying of knots the sieve and the shears ; but 
 the only ordeals safely to be relied on, are the swimming and the 
 stool before mentioned, and from these your witch shall rarely 
 escape. Above all, be sure and search carefully for the witch- 
 mark. I doubt not we shall find it fairly and legibly writ in the 
 devil's characters on Mother Demdike and Mother Chattox. 
 They shall undergo the stool and the pool, and other trials, if 
 required. These old hags shall no longer vex you, good Master 
 
ALICE NUTTER. 99 
 
 Nicholas. Leave them to me, and doubt not I will bring them 
 to condign punishment." 
 
 " You will do us good service then, Master Potts," replied 
 Nicholas. " But since you are so learned in the matter of witch- 
 craft, resolve me, I pray you, how it is, that women are so much 
 more addicted to the practice of the black art than our own 
 sex." 
 
 " The answer to the inquiry hath been given by our British 
 Solomon," replied Potts, u and I will deliver it to you in his own 
 words. ' The reason is easy,' he saith ; ' for as that sex is frailer 
 than man is, so it is easier to be entrapped in those gross snares 
 of the devil, as was overwell proved to be true, by the serpent's 
 deceiving of Eva at the beginning, which makes him the home- 
 lier with that sex sensine.' " 
 
 " A good and sufficient reason, Master Potts," said Nicholas, 
 laughing ; " is it not so, Mistress Nutter ?" 
 
 " Ay, marry, if it satisfies you," she answered, drily. t6 It is 
 of a piece with the rest of the reasoning of the royal pedant, 
 whom Master Potts styles the British Solomon." 
 
 " I only give the learned monarch the title by which he is re- 
 cognised throughout Christendom," rejoined Potts, sharply. 
 
 " Well, there is comfort in the thought, that I shall never be 
 taken for a wizard," said the squire. 
 
 " Be not too sure of that, good Master Nicholas," returned Potts. 
 " Our present prince seems to have had you in his eye when he 
 penned his description of a wizard, for, he saith, l A great number 
 of them that ever have been convict or confessors of witchcraft, as 
 may be presently seen by many that have at this time confessed, 
 are some of them rich and worldly-wise; some of them fat or cor- 
 pulent in their bodies; and most part of them altogether given over 
 to the pleasures of the flesh, continual haunting of company, and 
 aU kinds of merriness, lawful and unlawful/ This hitteth you ex- 
 actly, Master Nicholas." 
 
 " Zounds !" exclaimed the squire, 6f if this be exact, it toucheth 
 me too nearly to be altogether agreeable." 
 
 " The passage is truly quoted, Nicholas," observed Mistress 
 Nutter, with a cold smile. " I perfectly remember it. Master 
 Potts seems to have the ' Daemonologie' at his fingers' ends.'' 
 
 u I have made it my study, madam," replied the lawyer, som3- 
 what mollified by the remark, " as I have the statute on witchcraft 
 and indeed most other statutes." 
 
 " We have wasted time enough in this unprofitable talk," said 
 Mistress Nutter, abruptly quitting them without bestowing the 
 slightest salutation on Potts. 
 
 " I was but jesting in what I said just now, good Master Nicho- 
 las," observed the little lawyer, nowise disconcerted at the slight ; 
 " though they were the king's exact words I quoted. No one 
 would suspect you of being a wizard ha! ha! But I am resolved 
 
100 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 to prosecute the search, and I calculate upon your aid, and 
 that of Master Richard Assheton, who goes with us." 
 
 " You shall have mine, at all events, Master Potts," replied 
 Nicholas ; " and I doubt not, my cousin Dick's, too." 
 
 < Our May Queen, Alizon Device, is Mother Demdike's grand- 
 daughter, is she not?" asked Potts, after a moment's reflection. 
 
 " Ay, why do you ask ? " demanded Nicholas. 
 
 " For a good and sufficing reason," replied Potts. " She might 
 be an important witness; for, as King James saith, ' bairns or wives 
 may, of our law, serve for sufficient witnesses and proofs.' And 
 he goeth on to say, ' For who but witches can be proofs, and so 
 witnesses of the doings of witches V ' 
 
 " You do not mean to aver that Alizon Device is a witch, sir?" 
 cried Nicholas, sharply. 
 
 (f I aver nothing," replied Potts; " but, as a relative of a suspected 
 witch, she will be the best witness against her." 
 
 te If you design to meddle with Alizon Device, expect no assist- 
 ance from me, Master Potts," said Nicholas, sternly, " but rather 
 the contrary." 
 
 s6 Nay, I but threw out the hint, good Master Nicholas," replied 
 Potts. " Another witness will do equally well. There are other 
 children, no doubt. I rely on you, sir I rely on you. I shall now 
 go in search of Master Nowell, and obtain the warrant and the 
 constable." 
 
 et And I shall go keep my appointment with Parson Dewhurst, 
 at the Abbey," said Nicholas, bowing slightly to the attorney, and 
 taking his departure. 
 
 (i It will not do to alarm him at present," said Potts, looking 
 after him, " but I'll have that girl as a witness, and I know how 
 to terrify her into compliance. A singular woman, that Mistress 
 Alice Nutter. I must inquire into her history. Odd, how ob- 
 stinately she set her face against witchcraft. And yet she lives 
 at Rough Lee, in the very heart of a witch district, for such Master 
 Nicholas Assheton calls this Pendle Forest. I shouldn't wonder 
 if she has dealings with the old hags she defends Mother Dem- 
 dike and Mother Chattox. Chattox ! Lord bless us, what a name ! 
 There's caldron and broomstick in the very sound! And Dem- 
 dike is little better. Both seem of diabolical invention. If I can 
 unearth a pack of witches, I shall gain much credit from my hon- 
 ourable good lords the judges of assize in these northern parts, 
 besides pleasing the King himself, who is sure to hear of it, and 
 reward my praiseworthy zeal. Look to yourself, Mistress Nutter, 
 nd take care you are not caught tripping. And now, for Master 
 Roger Nowell. 
 
 With this, he peered about among the crowd in search of the 
 magistrate, but though he thrust his little turned-up nose in every 
 direction, he could not find him, and therefore set out for the Ab- 
 bey, concluding he had gone thither. 
 
ALICE NUTTER. 101 
 
 As Mistress Nutter walked along, she perceived James Device 
 among the crowd, holding Jennet by the hand, and motioned him 
 to come to her. Jem instantly understood the sign, and quitting 
 his little sister, drew near. 
 
 " Tell thy mother," said Mistress Nutter, in a tone calculated 
 only for his hearing, " to come to me, at the Abbey, quickly and 
 secretly. I shall be in the ruins of the old convent church. I have 
 somewhat to say to her, that concerns herself as well as me. Thou 
 wilt have to go to Rough Lee and Malkin Tower to-night." 
 
 Jem nodded, to show his perfect apprehension of what was said 
 and his assent to it, and while Mistress Nutter moved on with a slow 
 and dignified step, he returned to Jennet, and told her she must 
 go home directly, a piece of intelligence which was not received 
 very graciously by the little maiden; but nothing heeding her 
 unwillingness, Jem walked her off quickly in the direction of the 
 cottage ; but while on the way to it, they accidentally encountered 
 their mother, Elizabeth Device, and therefore stopped. 
 
 " Yo mun go up to th' Abbey directly, mother," said Jem, with 
 a wink, " Mistress Nutter wishes to see ye. Yo'n find her i' t' 
 ruins o' t' owd convent church. Tak kere yo're neaw seen. Yo 
 onderstond." 
 
 " Yeigh," replied Elizabeth, nodding her head significantly, 
 fe ey'n go at wonst, an see efter Alizon ot t' same time. Fo ey'm 
 towd hoo has fainted, an been ta'en to th' Abbey by Lady Asshe- 
 ton." 
 
 " Never heed Alizon," replied Jem, gruffly. Hoo's i' good hands. 
 Ye munna be seen, ey tell ye. Ey'm going to Malkin Tower to- 
 neet, if yo'n owt to send." 
 
 " To-neet, Jem," echoed little Jennet. 
 
 " Eigh," rejoined Jem, sharply. " Howd te tongue, wench. 
 Dunna lose time, mother." 
 
 And as he and his little sister pursued their way to the cottage, 
 Elizabeth hobbled off towards the Abbey, muttering, as she went, 
 " I hope Alizon an Mistress Nutter winna meet. Nah that it 
 matters, boh still it's better not. Strange, the wench should ha* 
 fainted. Boh she's always foolish an timmersome, an ey half fenr 
 has lost her heart to young Richard Assheton. Ey'n watch her 
 narrowly, an if it turn out to be so, she mun be cured, or he se- 
 curedha! ha!" 
 
 And muttering in this way, she passed through the Abbey gate- 
 way, the wicket being left open, and proceeded towards the ruinous 
 convent church, taking care as much as possible to avoid observa- 
 tion. 
 
102 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 CHAPTER V. MOTHER CHATTOX. 
 
 NOT far from the green where the May-day revels were held, 
 stood the ancient parish church of Whalley, its square tower 
 surmounted with a flag-staff and banner, and shaking with the 
 joyous peals of the ringers. A picturesque and beautiful structure 
 it was, though full of architectural incongruities ; and its grey 
 walls and hoary buttresses, with the lancet-shaped windows of the 
 choir, and the ramified tracery of the fine eastern window, could 
 not fail to please any taste not quite so'critical as to require abso- 
 lute harmony and perfection in a building. Parts of the venerable 
 fabric were older than the Abbey itself, dating back as far as the 
 eleventh century, when a chapel occupied the site ; and though 
 many alterations had been made in the subsequent structure at 
 various times, and many beauties destroyed, especially during 
 the period of the Reformation, enough of its pristine character 
 remained to render it a very good specimen of an old country 
 church. Internally, the cylindrical columns of the north aisle, 
 the construction of the choir, and the three stone seats supported 
 on rounded columns near the altar, proclaimed its high antiquity. 
 Within the choir were preserved the eighteen richly-carved stalls 
 once occupying a similar position in the desecrated conventual 
 church; and though exquisite in themselves, they seemed here 
 sadly out of place, not being proportionate to the structure. 
 Their elaborately-carved seats projected far into the body of the 
 church, and their crocketed pinnacles shot up almost to the 
 ceiling. But it was well they had not shared the destruction in 
 which almost all the other ornaments of the magnificent fane they 
 once decorated were involved. Carefully preserved, the black 
 varnished oak well displayed the quaint and grotesque designs 
 with which many of them the Prior's stall in especial were 
 embellished. Chief among them was the abbot's stall, festooned 
 with sculptured vine wreaths and clustering grapes, and bearing 
 the auspicious inscription : 
 
 ganitrntrs sint ista A srhntrs: 
 
 singularly inapplicable, however, to the last prelate who filled it. 
 Some fine old monuments, and warlike trophies of neighbouring 
 wealthy families, adorned the walls, and within the nave was a 
 magnificent pew, with a canopy and pillars of elaborately-carved 
 oak, and lattice-work at the sides, allotted to the manor of Read, 
 and recently erected by Roger Nowell ; while in the north and 
 south aisles were two small chapels, converted since the reformed 
 faith had obtained, into pews the one called Saint Mary's Cage, 
 belonging to the Assheton family; and the other appertaining to 
 the Catterals of Little Mitton, and designated Saint Nicholas's 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. 103 
 
 Under the last-named chapel were interred some of the 
 Paslews of Wisvvall, and here lay the last unfortunate Abbot of 
 Whalley, between whose grave, and the Assheton and Braddyll 
 families, a fatal relation was supposed to subsist. Another large 
 pe\v, allotted to the Towneleys, and designated Saint Anthony's 
 Cage, was rendered remarkable, by a characteristic speech of Sir 
 John Tovvneley, which gave much offence to the neighbouring 
 dames. Called upon to decide as to the position of the sittings 
 in the church, the discourteous knight made choice of Saint 
 Anthony's Cage, already mentioned, declaring, " My man, Shuttle- 
 worth of Hacking, made this form, and here will I sit when I 
 corne ; and my cousin Noweil may make a seat behind me if he 
 please, and my son Sherburne shall make one on the other side, 
 and Master Catteral another behind him, and for the residue the 
 use shall be, first come first speed, and that will make the proud 
 wives of Whalley rise betimes to come to church." One can 
 fancy the rough knight's chuckle, as he addressed these words to 
 the old clerk, certain of their being quickly repeated to the " proud 
 wives" in question. 
 
 Within the churchyard grew two fine old yew-trees, now long 
 since decayed and gone, but then spreading their dark -green arms 
 over the little turf-covered graves. Reared against the buttresses 
 of the church was an old stone coffin, together with a fragment 
 of a curious monumental effigy, likewise of stone ; but the most 
 striking objects in the place, and deservedly ranked amongst the 
 wonders of vVhalley, were three remarkable obelisk-shaped crosses, 
 set in a line upon pedestals, covered with singular devices in fret- 
 work, and all three differing in size and design. Evidently of 
 remotest antiquity, these crosses were traditionally assigned to 
 Paullinus, who, according to the Venerable Bede, first preached 
 the Gospel in these parts, in the early part of the seventh cen- 
 tury ; but other legends were attached to them by the vulgar, 
 and dim mystery brooded over them. 
 
 Vestiges of another people and another faith were likewise here 
 discernible, for where the Saxon forefathers of the village prayed 
 and slumbered in death, the Roman invaders of the isle had 
 trodden, and perchance performed their religious rites ; some 
 traces of an encampment being found in the churchyard by the 
 historian of the spot, while the north boundary of the hallowed 
 precincts was formed by a deep foss, once encompassing the nigh- 
 obliterated fortification. Besides these records of an elder people, 
 there was another memento of bygone days and creeds, in a little 
 hermitage and chapel adjoining it, founded in the reign of Edward 
 III., by Henry, Duke of Lancaster, for the support of two recluses 
 and a priest to say masses daily for him and his descendants ; but 
 this pious bequest being grievously abused in the subsequent reign 
 of Henry VI., by Isole de Heton, a fair widow, who in the first 
 transports of grief, vowing herself to heaven, took up her abode 
 
104 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 in the hermitage, and led a very disorderly life therein, to the 
 great scandal of the Abbey, and the great prejudice of the morals 
 of its brethren, and at last, tired even of the slight restraint im- 
 posed upon her, fled away " contrary to her oath and profession, 
 not willing, nor intending to be restored again;" the hermitage 
 was dissolved by the pious monarch, and masses ordered to be 
 said daily in the parish church for the repose of the soul of the 
 founder. Such was the legend attached to the little cell, and 
 tradition went on to say that the anchoress broke her leg in 
 crossing Whalley Nab, and limped ever afterwards; a just judg- 
 ment on such a heinous offender. Both these little structures 
 were picturesque objects, being overgrown with ivy and wood- 
 bine. The chapel was completely in ruins, while the cell, profaned 
 by the misdoings of the dissolute votaress Isole, had been con- 
 verted into a cage for vagrants and offenders, and made secure 
 by a grated window, and a strong door studded with broad-headed 
 nails. 
 
 The view from the churchyard, embracing the vicarage-house, 
 a comfortable residence, surrounded by a large walled-in garden, 
 well stocked with fruit-trees, and sheltered by a fine grove of 
 rook-haunted timber, extended on the one hand over the village, 
 and on the other over the Abbey, and was bounded by the tower- 
 ing and well-wooded heights of Whalley Nab. On the side of 
 the Abbey, the most conspicuous objects were the great north- 
 eastern gateway, with the ruined conventual church. Ever beau- 
 tiful, the view was especially so on the present occasion, from the 
 animated scene combined with it ; and the pleasant prospect was 
 enjoyed by a large assemblage, who had adjourned thither to 
 witness the concluding part ot the festival. 
 
 Within the green and flower-decked bowers which, as has before 
 been mentioned, were erected in the churchyard, were seated 
 Doctor Ormerod and Sir lialph Assheton, with such of their 
 respective guests as had not already retired, including Richard 
 and Nicholas Assheton, both of whom had returned from the 
 abbey; the former having been dismissed by Lady Assheton from 
 further attendance upon Alizon, and the latter having concluded 
 his discourse with Parson Dewhurst, who, indeed, accompanied 
 him to the church, and was now placed between the Vicar and 
 the Rector of Middleton. From this gentle elevation the gay 
 company on the green could be fully discerned, the tall May- pole, 
 with its garlands and ribands, forming a pivot, about which the 
 throng ever revolved, while stationary amidst the moving masses, 
 the rush-cart reared on high its broad green back, as if to resist 
 the living waves constantly dashed against it. By-and-by a new 
 kind of movement was perceptible, and it soon became evident 
 that a procession was being formed. Immediately afterwards, the 
 rush-cart was put in motion, and winded slowly along the narrow 
 street leading to the church, preceded by the morris-dancers and 
 
MOTHER CHATTOXs 105 
 
 the other May-day revellers, and followed by a great concourse of 
 people, shouting, dancing, and singing. 
 
 On came the crowd. The jingling of bells, and the sound of 
 music grew louder and louder, and the procession, lost for awhile 
 behind some intervening habitations, though the men bestriding 
 the rush-cart could be discerned over their summits, burst sud- 
 denly into view ; and the revellers entering the churchyard, drew 
 up on either side of the little path leading to the porch, while the 
 rush-cart coming up the next moment, stopped at the gate. 
 Then four young maidens dressed in white, and having baskets 
 in their hands, advanced and scattered flowers along the path ; 
 after which ladders were reared against the sides of the rush-cart, 
 and the men, descending from their exalted position, bore the 
 garlands to the church, preceded by the vicar and the two other 
 divines, and followed by Robin Hood and his band, the morris- 
 dancers, and a troop of little children singing a hymn. The next 
 step was to unfasten the bundles of rushes, of which the cart was 
 composed, and this was very quickly and skilfully performed, the 
 utmost care being taken of the trinkets and valuables with which, 
 it was ornamented. These were gathered together in baskets 
 and conveyed to the vestry, and there locked up. This done, the 
 bundles of rushes were taken up by several old women, who 
 strewed the aisles with them, and placed such as had been tied 
 up as mats in the pews. At the same time, two casks of ale set 
 near the gate, and given for the occasion by the vicar, were 
 broached, and their foaming contents freely distributed among 
 the dancers and the thirsty crowd. Very merry were they, as 
 may be supposed, in consequence, but their mirth was happily 
 kept within due limits of decorum. 
 
 When the rush-cart was wellnigh unladen Eichard Assheton 
 entered the church, and greatly pleased with the effect of the 
 flowery garlands with which the various pews were decorated, 
 said as much to the vicar, who smilingly replied, that he was glad 
 to find he approved of the practice, " even though it might savour 
 of superstition;" and as the good doctor walked away, being 
 called forth, the young man almost unconsciously turned into the 
 chapel on the north aisle. Here he stood for a few moments 
 gazing round the church, wrapt in pleasing meditation, in which 
 many objects, somewhat foreign to the place and time, passed 
 through his mind, when, chancing to look down, he saw a small 
 funeral wreath, of mingled yew and cypress, lying at his feet, and 
 a slight tremor passed over his frame, as he found he was stand- 
 ing on the ill-omened grave of Abbot Paslew. Before he could 
 ask himself by whom this sad garland had been so deposited, 
 Nicholas Assheton came up to him, and with a look of great 
 uneasiness cried, u Come away instantly, Dick. Do you know 
 where you are standing f " 
 
106 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " On the grave of the last Abbot of Whalley," replied Richard, 
 smiling. 
 
 44 Have you forgotten the common saying," cried Nicholas 
 " that the Assheton who stands on that unlucky grave shall die 
 within the year ? Come away at once." 
 
 " It is too late/' replied Richard, " I have incurred the fate, if 
 such a fate be attached to the tomb; and as my moving away will 
 not preserve me, so my tarrying here cannot injure me further. 
 But I have no fear." 
 
 " You have more courage than I possess," rejoined Nicholas. 
 " I would not set foot on that accursed stone for half the county. 
 Its malign influence on our house has been approved too often. 
 The first to experience the fatal destiny were Richard Assheton 
 and John Braddyll, the purchasers of the Abbey. Both met 
 here together on the anniversary of the abbot's execution some 
 fjrty years after its occurrence, it is true, and when they were 
 both pretty well stricken in years and within that year, namely 
 1578, both died, and were buried in the vault on the opposite side 
 of the church, not many paces from their old enemy. The last 
 instance was my poor brother Richard, who, being incredulous as 
 you are, was resolved to brave the destiny, and stationed himself 
 upon the tomb during divine service, but he too died within the 
 appointed time." 
 
 " He was bewitched to death so, at least, it is affirmed," said 
 Richard Assheton, with a smile. " But I believe in one evil 
 influence just as much as in the other." 
 
 l It matters not how the destiny be accomplished, so it come 
 to pass," rejoined the squire, turning away. " Heaven shield you 
 from it!" 
 
 " Stay !" said Richard, picking up the wreath. " Who, think 
 you, can have placed this funeral garland on the abbot's grave ?" 
 
 " I cannot guess !" cried Nicholas, staring at it in amazement 
 "an enemy of ours, most likely. It is neither customary nor 
 lawful in our Protestant country so to ornament graves. Put it 
 down, Dick." 
 
 " I shall not displace it, certainly," replied Richard, laying it 
 down again ; ft but I as little think it has been placed here by a 
 hostile hand, as I do that harm will ensue to me from standing 
 here. To relieve your anxiety, however, I will come forth," he 
 added, stepping into the aisle. " Why should an enemy deposit 
 a garland on the abbot's tomb, since it was by mere chance that 
 it hath met my eyes ?" 
 
 " Mere chance !" cried Nicholas ; " every thing is mere chance 
 with you philosophers. There is more than chance in it. My 
 mind misgives me strangely. That terrible old Abbot Paslew is 
 as troublesome to us in death, as he was during life to our prede- 
 cessor. Richard Assheton. Not content with making his tomb- 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. 107 
 
 stone a weapon of destruction to us, he pays the Abbey itself an 
 occasional visit, and his appearance always betides some disaster 
 to the family. I have never seen him myself, and trust I never 
 shall ; but other people have, and have been nigh scared out of 
 their senses by the apparition." 
 
 " Idle tales, the invention of overheated brains," rejoined 
 Richard. " Trust me, the abbot's rest will not be broken till the 
 day when all shall rise from their tombs ; though if ever the dead 
 (supposing such a thing possible) could be justified in injuring 
 and affrighting the living, it might be in his case, since he mainly 
 owed his destruction to our ancestor. On the same principle it 
 has been held that church-lands are unlucky to their lay posses- 
 sors ; but see how this superstitious notion has been disproved in 
 our own family, to whom Whalley Abbey and its domains have 
 brought wealth, power, and worldly happiness." 
 
 " There is something in the notion, nevertheless," replied 
 Nicholas ; " and though our case may, I hope, continue an excep- 
 tion to the rule, most grantees of ecclesiastical houses have found 
 them a curse, and the time may come when the Abbey may prove 
 so to our descendants. But, without discussing the point, there 
 is one instance in which the malignant influence of the vindictive 
 abbot has undoubtedly extended long after his death. You have 
 heard, I suppose, that he pronounced a dreadful anathema upon 
 the child of a man who had the reputation of being a wizard, and 
 who afterwards acted as his executioner. I know not the whole 
 particulars of the dark story, but I know that Paslew fixed a 
 curse upon the child, declaring it should become a witch, and the 
 mother of witches. And the prediction has been verified. Nigh 
 eighty years have flown by since then, and the infant still lives 
 a fearful and mischievous witch and all her family are simi- 
 larly fated all are witches." 
 
 " I never heard the story before," said Richard, somewhat 
 thoughtfully ; " but I guess to whom you allude Mother Dem- 
 dike of Pendle Forest, and her family." 
 
 " Precisely," rejoined Nicholas; " they are a brood of witches." 
 
 " In that case Alizon Device must be a wUch," cried Richard ; 
 " and I think you will hardly venture upon such an assertion after 
 what you have seen of her to-day. If she be a witch, I would 
 there were many such as fair and gentle. And see you not 
 how easily the matter is explained? * Give a dog an ill name and 
 hang him' a proverb with which you are familiar enough. So 
 with Mother Demdike. Whether really uttered or not, the 
 abbot's curse upon her and her issue has been bruited abroad, and 
 hence she is made a witch, and her children are supposed to in- 
 herit the infamous taint. So it is with yon tomb. It is said to 
 be dangerous to our family, and dangerous no doubt it is to those 
 who believe in the saying, which, luckily, I do not. The pro- 
 phecy works its own fulfilment. The absurdity and injustice 
 
108 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 of yielding to the opinion are manifest. No wrong can have 
 been done the abbot by Mother Demdike, any more than by her 
 children, and yet they are to be punished for the misdeeds of 
 their predecessor." 
 
 " Ay, just as you and I, who are of the third and fourth gene- 
 ration, may be punished for the sins of our fathers," rejoined 
 Nicholas. "You have Scripture against you, Dick. The only 
 thing I see in favour of your argument is, the instance you allege 
 of Alizon. She does not look like a witch, certainly ; but there 
 is no saying. She may be only the more dangerous for her rar3 
 beauty, and apparent innocence !" 
 
 " I would answer for her truth with my life," cried Richard, 
 quickly. " It is impossible to look at her countenance, in which 
 candour and purity shine forth, and doubt her goodness." 
 
 " She hath cast her spells over you, Dick, that is certain," 
 rejoined Nicholas, laughing ; but to be serious. Alizon, I admit, 
 is an exception to the rest of the family, but that only strengthens 
 the general rule. Did you ever remark the strange look they all 
 save the fair maid in question have about the eyes ?" 
 
 Richard answered in the negative. 
 
 " It is very singular, and I wonder you have not noticed it," 
 pursued Nicholas ; " but the question of reputed witchcraft in 
 Mother Demdike has some chance of being speedily settled ; for 
 Master Potts, the little London lawyer, who goes with us to 
 Pendle Forest to-morrow, is about to have her arrested and 
 examined before a magistrate." 
 
 " Indeed !" exclaimed Richard, "this must be prevented." 
 
 " Why so ? " exclaimed Nicholas, in surprise. 
 
 " Because the prejudice existing against her is sure to convict 
 and destroy her," replied Richard. " Her great age, infirmities, 
 and poverty, will be proofs against her. How can she, or any old 
 enfeebled creature like her, whose decrepitude and misery should 
 move compassion rather than excite fear how can such a person 
 defend herself against charges easily made, and impossible to 
 refute ? I do not deny the possibility of witchcraft, even in our 
 own days, though I think it of very unlikely occurrence ; but I 
 would determinately resist giving credit to any tales told by the 
 superstitious vulgar, who, naturally prone to cruelty, have so many 
 motives for revenging imaginary wrongs. It is placing a dreadful 
 weapon in their hands, of which they have cunning enough to 
 know the use, but neither mercy nor justice enough to restrain 
 them from using it. Better let one guilty person escape, than 
 many innocent perish. So many undefined charges have been 
 brought against Mother Demdike, that at last they have fixed a 
 stigma on her name, and made her an object of dread and suspi- 
 cion. She is endowed with mysterious power, which would have 
 no effect if not believed in ; and now must be burned because she 
 is called a witch, and is doting and vain enough to accept the title." 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. 109 
 
 (C There is something in a witch difficult, nay, almost impossible 
 to describe," said Nicholas, " but you cannot be mistaken about 
 her. By her general ill course of life, by repeated acts of mischief, 
 and by threats, followed by the consequences menaced, she 
 becomes known. There is much mystery in the matter, not per- 
 mitted human knowledge entirely to penetrate ; but, as we know 
 from the Scriptures that the sin of witchcraft did exist, and as we 
 have no evidence that it has ceased, so it is fair to conclude, that 
 there may be practisers of the dark offence in our own days, and 
 such I hold to be Mother Demdike and Mother Chattox. Rival 
 potentates in evil, they contend which shall do most mischief, but 
 it must be admitted the former bears away the bell." 
 
 "If all the ill attributed to her were really caused by her 
 machinations, this might be correct," replied Richard, " but it only 
 shows her to be more calumniated than the other. In a word, 
 cousin Nicholas, I look upon them as two poor old creatures, who, 
 persuaded they really possess the supernatural power accorded to 
 them by the vulgar, strive to act up to their parts, and are mainly 
 assisted in doing so by the credulity and fears of their audience." 
 
 " Admitting the blind credulity of the multitude," said Nicholas, 
 " and their proneness to discern the hand of the witch in the most 
 trifling accidents; admitting also, their readiness to accuse any 
 old crone unlucky enough to offend them of sorcery ; I still believe 
 that there are actual practisers of the black art, who, for a brief 
 term of power, have entered into a league with Satan, worship him 
 and attend his sabbaths, and have a familiar, in the shape of a cat, 
 dog, toad, or mole, to obey their behests, transform themselves 
 into various shapes as a hound, horse, or hare, raise storms of 
 wind or hail, maim cattle, bewitch and slay human beings, and 
 ride whither they will on broomsticks. But, holding the contrary 
 opinion, you will not, I apprehend, aid Master Potts in his quest 
 of witches." 
 
 u I will not," rejoined Richard. " On the contrary, I will 
 oppose him. But enough of this. Let us go forth." 
 
 And they quitted the church together. 
 
 As they issued into the churchyard, they found the principal 
 arbours occupied by the morris-dancers, Robin Hood and his troop, 
 Doctor Ormerod and Sir Ralph having retired to the vicarage- 
 house. 
 
 Many merry groups were scattered about, talking, laughing, 
 and singing; but two persons, seemingly objects of suspicion and 
 alarm, and shunned by every one who crossed their path, were 
 advancing slowly towards the three crosses of Paullinus, which 
 stood in a line, not far from the church-porch. They were females, 
 one about five-and-twenty, very comely, and habited in smart 
 holiday attire, put on with considerable rustic coquetry, so as to 
 display a very neat foot and ankle, ant 1 with plenty of ribands in 
 her fine chestnut hair. The other was a very different person, far 
 
110 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 advanced in years, bent almost double, palsy-stricken, her arms 
 and limbs shaking, her head nodding, her chin wagging, her snowy 
 locks hanging about her wrinkled visage, her brows and upper lip 
 frore, and her eyes almost sightless, the pupils being cased with 
 a thin white film. Her dress, of antiquated make and faded stuff, 
 had been once deep red in colour, and her old black hat was high- 
 crowned and broad-brimmed. She partly aided herself in walk- 
 ing with a crutch-handled stick, and partly leaned upon her 
 younger companion for support. 
 
 " Why, there is one of the old women we have just been 
 speaking of Mother Chattox," said Richard, pointing them out, 
 " and with her, her grand-daughter, pretty Nan Redferne." 
 
 " So it is," cried Nicholas, tf what makes the old hag here, I 
 marvel ! I will go question her." 
 
 So saying, he strode quickly towards her. 
 
 " How now, Mother Chattox !" he cried. u What mischief is 
 afoot? What makes the darkness-loving owl abroad in the glare 
 of day ? What brings the grisly she-wolf from her forest lair ? 
 Back to thy den, old witch ! Ar't crazed, as well as blind and 
 palsied, that thou knowest not that this is a merry-making, and not 
 a devil's sabbath 1 Back to thy hut, I say ! These sacred pre- 
 cincts are no place for thee." 
 
 u Who is it speaks to me ?" demanded the old hag, halting, and 
 fixing her glazed eyes upon him. 
 
 " One thou hast much injured," replied Nicholas. tf One into 
 whose house thou hast brought quick-wasting sickness and death 
 by thy infernal arts. One thou hast good reason to fear ; for learn, 
 to thy confusion, thou damned and murtherous witch, it is 
 Nicholas, brother to thy victim, Richard Assheton of Downham, 
 who speaks to thee." 
 
 " I know none I have reason to fear," replied Mother Chattox ; 
 " especially thee, Nicholas Assheton. Thy brother was no victim 
 of mine. Thou wert the gainer by his death, not I. Why should 
 I slay him?" 
 
 " I will tell thee why, old hag," cried Nicholas ; " he was 
 inflamed by the beauty of thy grand-daughter Nancy here, and it 
 was to please Tom Redferne, her sweetheart then, but her spouse 
 since, that thou bewitchedst him to death." 
 
 " That reason will not avail thee, Nicholas," rejoined Mother 
 Chattox, with a derisive laugh. u If I had any hand in his death, 
 it was to serve and pleasure thee, and that all men shall know, if 
 I am questioned on the subject ha ! ha ! Take me to the crosses, 
 Nance." 
 
 u Thou shalt not 'scape thus, thou murtherous hag," cried 
 Nicholas, furiously. 
 
 " Nay, let her go her way," said Richard, who had drawn near 
 during the colloquy. u No good will come of meddling with her." 
 
 " Who's that ?" asked Mother Chattox, quickly. 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. Ill 
 
 " Master Richard Assheton, o' Middleton," whispered Nan 
 ReJferne. 
 
 " Another of these accursed Asshetons," cried Mother Chattox. 
 "A plague seize them!" 
 
 " Boh he's weel-favourt an kindly," remarked her grand- 
 daughter. 
 
 u Well-favoured or not, kindly or cruel, I hate them all," cried 
 Mother Chattox. " To the crosses, I say !" 
 
 But Nicholas placed himself in their path. 
 
 " Is it to pray to Beelzebub, thy master, that thou wouldst go- 
 to the crosses?" he asked. 
 
 " Out of my way, pestilent fool!" cried the hag. 
 
 " Thou shalt not stir till I have had an answer," rejoined 
 Nicholas. " They say those are Runic obelisks, and not Christian 
 crosses, and that the carvings upon them have a magical significa- 
 tion. The first, it is averred, is written o'er with deadly curses, 
 and the forms in which they are traced, as serpentine, triangular, 
 or round, indicate and rule their swift or slow effect. The second 
 bears charms against diseases, storms, and lightning. And on 
 the third is inscribed a verse which will render him who can 
 read it rightly, invisible to mortal view. Thou shouldst be learned 
 in such lore, old Pythoness. Is it so?" 
 
 The hag's chin wagged fearfully, and her frame trembled with 
 passion, but she spoke not. 
 
 " Have you been in the church, old woman?" interposed 
 Richard. 
 
 " Ay, wherefore?" she rejoined. 
 
 " Some one has placed a cypress wreath on Abbot Paslew's 
 grave. Was it you?" he asked. 
 
 " What ! hast thou found it?" cried the hag. " It shall bring 
 thee rare luck, lad rare luck. Now let me pass." 
 
 " Not yet," cried Nicholas, forcibly grasping her withered arm. 
 
 The hag uttered a scream of rage. 
 
 u Let me go, Nicholas Assheton," she shrieked, lt or thou shalt 
 rue it. Cramps and aches shall wring and rack thy flesh and 
 bones ; fever shall consume thee ; ague shake thee shake thee 
 ha!" 
 
 And Nicholas recoiled, appalled by her fearful gestures. 
 
 " You carry your malignity too far, old woman," said Richard 
 severely. 
 
 " And thou darest tell me so," cried the ha r. " Set me 
 before him, Nance, that I may curse him," she added, raising 
 her palsied arm. 
 
 " Nah, nah yo'n cursed ower much already, grandmother," 
 cried Nan Redferne, endeavouring to drag her away. But the 
 old woman resisted. 
 
 " I will teach him to cross my path," she vociferated, in 
 accents shrill and jarring as the cry of the goat-sucker. 
 
112 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Handsome he is, it may be, now, but he shall not be so long. 
 The bloom shall fade from his cheek, the lire be extinguished in 
 his eyes, the strength depart from his limbs. Sorrow shall be 
 her portion who loves him sorrow and shame !" 
 
 " Horrible!" exclaimed Richard, endeavouring to exclude the 
 voice of the crone, which pierced his ears like some sharp 
 instrument. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! you fear me now," she cried. " By this, and this, 
 the spell shall work," she added, describing a circle in the air 
 with her stick, then crossing it twice, and finally scattering over 
 him a handiul of grave dust, snatched from an adjoining hillock. 
 
 " Now lead me quickly to the smaller cross, Nance," she 
 added, in a low tone. 
 
 Her grand-daughter complied, with a glance of deep commisera- 
 tion nf. Richard, who remained stupefied at the ominous 
 proceeding. 
 
 "Ah!' this must indeed be a witch!" he cried, recovering 
 from the momentary shock. 
 
 tf So you are convinced at last," rejoined Nicholas. " I can 
 take breath now the old hell-cat is gone. But she shall not 
 escape us. Keep an eye upon her, while I see if Simon Sparshot, 
 the beadle, be within the churchyard, and if so he shall take her 
 into custody, and lock her in the cage." 
 
 With this, he ran towards the throng, shouting lustily for the 
 beadle. Presently a big, burly fellow, in a scarlet doublet, laced 
 with gold, a black velvet cap trimmed with red ribands, yellow 
 hose, and shoes with great roses in them, and bearing a long 
 silver-headed staff, answered the summons, and upon being told 
 why his services were required, immediately roared out at the top 
 of a stentorian voice, " A witch, lads ! a witch !" 
 
 All was astir in an instant. Robin Hood and his merry men, 
 with the morris-dancers, rushed out of their bowers, and the 
 whole churchyard was in agitation. Above the din was heard 
 the loud voice of Simon Sparshot, still shouting, " A witch ! 
 a witch ! Mother Chattox !" 
 
 lt Where where?" demanded several voices. 
 
 ' Bonder," replied Nicholas, pointing to the further cross. 
 
 A general movement took place in that direction, the crowd 
 being headed by the squire and the beadle, but when they came 
 up, they found only Nan Redferne standing behind the obelisk. 
 
 u Where the devil is the old witch gone, Dick ?" cried Nicholas, 
 in dismay. 
 
 " I thought I saw her standing there with her grand-daugh- 
 ter," replied Richard ; " but in truth I did not watch very 
 closely." 
 
 " Search for her search for her," cried Nicholas. 
 
 But neither behind the crosses, nor behind any monument, nor 
 in any hole or corner, nor on the other side of the churchvard 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. 113 
 
 wall, nor at the back of the little hermitage or chapel, though all 
 were quickly examined, could the old hag be found. 
 
 On being questioned, Nan Redferne refused to say aught con- 
 cerning her grandmother's flight or place of concealment. 
 
 *' I begin to think there is some truth in that strange legend of 
 the cross," said Nicholas. " Notwithstanding her blindness, the 
 old hag must have managed to read the magic verse upon it, and 
 so have rendered herself invisible. But we have got the young 
 witch safe." 
 
 " Yeigh, squoire !" responded Sparshot, who had seized hold 
 of Nance " hoo be safe enough." 
 
 " Nan Redferne is no witch," said Richard Assheton, authori- 
 tatively. 
 
 " Neaw witch, Mester Ruchot !" cried the beadle in amazement. 
 
 " No more than any of these lasses around us,'' said Richard. 
 " Release her, Sparshot." 
 
 " I forbid him to do so, till she has been examined," cried a 
 sharp voice. And the next moment Master Potts was seen 
 pushing his way through the crowd. " So you have found a 
 witch, my masters. I heard your shouts, and hurried on as fast 
 as I could. Just in time, Master Nicholas just in time," he 
 added, rubbing his hands gleefully. 
 
 u Lemme go, Simon," besought Nance. 
 
 " Neaw, neaw, lass, that munnot be," rejoined Sparshot. 
 
 " Help save me, Master Richard!" cried the young woman. 
 
 By this time the crowd had gathered round her, yelling, 
 hooting, and shaking their hands at her, as if about to tear her 
 in pieces ; but Richard Assheton planted himself resolutely 
 before her, and pushed back the foremost of them. 
 
 " Remove her instantly to the Abbey, Sparshot," he cried, 
 and let her be kept in safe custody till Sir Ralph has time to 
 examine her. Will that content you, masters ?" 
 
 " Neaw neaw," responded several rough voices; " swim her I 
 swim her!" 
 
 " Quite right, my worthy friends, quite right," said Potts. 
 " Primo, let us make sure she is a witch secundo, let us take her 
 to the Abbey." 
 
 " There can be no doubt as to her being a witch, Master Potts," 
 rejoined Nicholas ; " her old grand-dame, Mother Chattox, has 
 just vanished from our sight." 
 
 " Has Mother Chattox been here?" cried Potts, opening his 
 round eyes to their widest extent. 
 
 66 Not many minutes since," replied Nicholas. (( In fact, she 
 may be here still for aught I know." 
 
 " Here ! where ? " cried Potts, looking round. 
 
 " You wont discover her for all your quickness," replied 
 Nicholas. " She has rendered herself invisible, by reciting the 
 magical verses inscribed on that cross." 
 
 i 
 
114 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Indeed!" exclaimed the attorney, closely examining the mys- 
 terious inscriptions. " What strange, uncouth characters ! I can 
 make neither head nor tail, unless it be the devil's tail, of them." 
 
 At this moment a whoop was raised by Jem Device, who, 
 having taken his little sister home, had returned to the sports on the 
 green, and now formed part of the assemblage in the churchyard. 
 Between the rival witch potentates, Mothers Demdike and 
 Chattox, it has already been said a deadly enmity existed, and 
 the feud was carried on with equal animosity by their descendants ; 
 and though Jem himself came under the same suspicion as Nan 
 Redferne, that circumstance created no tie of interest between 
 them, but the contrary, and he was the most active of her assailants, 
 He had set up the above-mentioned cry from observing a large 
 rat running along the side of the wall. 
 
 " Theere hoo goes," whooped J em, " t' owd witch, p th' shape 
 ov a rotten ! loo-loo-loo !" 
 
 Half the crowd started in pursuit of the animal, and twenty 
 sticks were thrown at it, but a stone cast by Jem stayed its 
 progress, and it was instantly despatched. It did not change, 
 however, as was expected by the credulous hinds, into an old 
 woman, and they gave vent to their disappointment and rage in 
 renewed threats against Nan Redferne. The dead rat was hurled 
 at her by Jem, but missing its mark, it hit Master Potts on the 
 head, and nearly knocked him off the cross, upon which he had 
 mounted to obtain a better view of the proceedings. Irritated by 
 this circumstance, as well as by the failure of the experiment, the 
 little attorney jumped down, and fell to kicking the unfortunate 
 rat, after which, his fury being somewhat appeased, he turned to 
 Nance, who had sunk for support against the pedestal, and said 
 to her " If you will tell us what has become of the old witch 
 your grandmother, and undertake to bear witness against her, you 
 shall be set free." 
 
 " Ey'n tell ye nowt, mon," replied Nance, doggedly. " Put me 
 to onny trial ye like, ye shanna get a word fro me." 
 
 " That remains to be seen/' retorted Potts, " but I apprehend 
 we shall make you speak, and pretty plainly too, before we've done 
 with you. You hear what this perverse and wrong-headed young 
 witch declares, masters," he shouted, again clambering upon the 
 cross. " I have offered her liberty, on condition of disclosing to 
 us the manner of her diabolical old relative's evasion, and she 
 rejects it." 
 
 An angry roar followed, mixed with cries from Jem Device, 
 of " swim her ! swim her!" 
 
 "You had better tell them what you know, Nance," said 
 Richard, in a low tone, " or I shall have difficulty in preserving 
 you from their fury." 
 
 "Ey darena, Master Richard," she replied, shaking her head; 
 and then she added firmly, " Ey winna." 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. 115 
 
 Finding it useless to reason with her, and fearing also that the 
 infuriated crowd might attempt to put their threats into execu- 
 tion, Richard turned to his cousin Nicholas, and said : " We must 
 get her away, or violence will be done." 
 
 " She does not deserve your compassion, Dick," replied Ni- 
 cholas ; " she is only a few degrees better than the old hag who 
 has escaped. Sparshot here tells me she is noted for her skill in 
 modelling clay figures." 
 
 " Yeigh, that hoo be," replied the broad-faced beadle ; te hoo'a 
 unaccountable cliver ot that sort o' wark. A clay figger os big 
 os a six months' barn, fashiont i' th' likeness o' Farmer Grimble 
 o' Briercliffe lawnd, os died last month, war seen i' her cottage, 
 an monny others besoide. Amongst 'em a moddle o' your la- 
 mented brother, Squoire Ruchot Assheton o' Downham, wi* 
 t' yeod pood off, and th' 'eart pierct thro' an' thro' wi' pins and 
 needles." 
 
 " Ye lien i' your teeth, Simon Sparshot 1" cried Nance, regard- 
 ing him furiously. 
 
 u If the head were off, Simon, I don't see how the likeness to 
 my poor brother could well be recognised," said Nicholas, with a 
 half smile. " But let her be put to some mild trial weighed 
 against the church Bible." 
 
 " Be it so," replied Potts, jumping down ; fC but if that fail, we 
 must have recourse to stronger measures. Take notice that, with 
 ah 1 her fright, she has not been able to shed a tear, not a single 
 tear a clear witch a clear witch !" 
 
 " E/d scorn to weep fo t' like o' yo !" cried Nance, disdain- 
 fully, having now completely recovered her natural audacity. 
 
 " We'll soon break your spirit, young woman, I can promise 
 you," rejoined Potts. 
 
 As soon as it was known what was about to occur, the whole 
 crowd moved towards the church porch, Nan Redferne walking 
 between Richard Assheton and the beadle, who kept hold of her 
 arm to prevent any attempt at escape ; and by the time they 
 reached the appointed place, Ben Baggiley, the baker, who had 
 been despatched for the purpose, appeared with an enormous pair 
 of wooden scales, while Sampson Harrop, the clerk, having 
 visited the pulpit, came forth with the church Bible, an immense 
 volume, bound in black, with great silver clasps. 
 
 " Come, that's a good big Bible at all events," cried Potts, 
 eyeing it with satisfaction. " It looks like my honourable and 
 singular good Lord Chief-Justice Sir Edward Coke's learned 
 * Institutes of the Laws of England,' only that that great legal 
 tome is generally bound in calf law calf, as we say." 
 
 " Large as the book is, it will scarce prove heavy enough to 
 weigh down the witch, I opine," observed Nicholas, with a smile. 
 
 '< We shall see, sir," replied Potts. " We shall see." 
 
 By this time, the scales having been affixed to a hook in the 
 
116 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 porch by Baggiley, the sacred volume was placed on one side, and 
 Nance set down by the beadle on the other. The result of the 
 experiment was precisely what might have been anticipated- 
 the moment the young woman took her place in the balance, it 
 sank down to the ground, while the other kicked the beam. 
 
 " I hope you are satisfied now, Master Potts," cried Richard 
 Assheton. " By your own trial her innocence is approved." 
 
 " Your pardon, Master Richard, this is Squire Nicholas's trial, 
 not mine," replied Potts. " I am for the ordeal of swimming. 
 How say you, masters ! Shall we be content with this doubtful 
 experiment ? " 
 
 " Neaw neaw," responded Jem Device, who acted as spokes- 
 man to the crowd, (i swim her swim her ! " 
 
 "I knew you would have it so," said Potts, approvingly. 
 " Where is a fitting place for the trial ? " 
 
 " Th' Abbey pool is nah fur off," replied Jem, " or ye con tay 
 her to th' Calder." 
 
 " The river, by all means nothing like a running stream," 
 said Potts. " Let cords be procured to bind her." 
 
 (t Run fo 'em quickly, Ben," said Jem to Baggiley, who was 
 very zealous in the cause. 
 
 " Oh ! " groaned Nance, again losing courage, and glancing 
 piteously at Richard. 
 
 " No outrage like this shall be perpetrated," cried the young 
 man, firmly ; " I call upon you, cousin Nicholas, to help me. Go 
 into the church," he added, thrusting Nance backward, and pre- 
 senting his sword at the breast of Jem Device, who attempted 
 to follow her, and who retired muttering threats and curses ; 
 f( I will run the first man through the body who attempts to 
 pass." 
 
 As Nan Redferne made good her retreat, and shut the church- 
 door after her, Master Potts, pale with rage, cried out to Richard, 
 " You have aided the escape of a desperate and notorious 
 offender actually in custody, sir, and have rendered yourself 
 liable to indictment for it, sir, with consequences of fine and im- 
 prisonment, sir heavy fine and long imprisonment, sir. Do you 
 mark me, Master Richard?" 
 
 " I will answer the consequences of my act to those empowered 
 to question it, sir," replied Richard, sternly. 
 
 " Well, sir, I have given you notice," rejoined Potts, " due 
 notice. We shall hear what Sir Ralph will say to the matter, 
 and Master Roger Nowell, and " 
 
 " You forget me, good Master Potts," interrupted Nicholas, 
 laughingly ; " I entirely disapprove of it. It is a most flagrant 
 breach of duty. Nevertheless, I am glad the poor wench has 
 got off." 
 
 u She is safe within the church," said Potts, " and I command 
 Master Richard, in the king's name, to let us pass. Beadle! 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX. 117 
 
 Sharpshot, Sparshot, or whatever be your confounded name 
 do your duty, sirrah. Enter the church, and bring forth the 
 witch." 
 
 " Ey darna, mester," replied Simon ; " young mester Ruchot 
 ud slit mey weasand os soon os look ot meh." 
 
 Richard put an end to further altercation, by stepping back 
 quickly, locking the door, and then taking out the key, and 
 putting it into his pocket. 
 
 " She is quite safe now," he cried, with a smile at the discom- 
 fited lawyer. 
 
 "Is there no other door?" inquired Potts of the beadle, in 
 a low tone. 
 
 (s Yeigh, theere be one ot t'other soide," replied Sparshot, "boh 
 it be locked, ey reckon, an maybe hoo'n getten out that way." 
 
 " Quick, quick, and let's see," cried Potts; " justice must not 
 be thwarted in this shameful manner." 
 
 While the greater part of the crowd set off after Potts and the 
 beadle, Richard Assheton, anxious to know what had become of 
 the fugitive, and determined not to abandon her while any danger 
 existed, unlocked the church-door, and entered the holy struc- 
 ture, followed by Nicholas. On looking around, Nance was no- 
 where to be seen, neither did she answer to his repeated calls, and 
 Richard concluded she must have escaped, when all at once a 
 loud exulting shout was heard without, leaving no doubt that the 
 poor young woman had again fallen into the hands of her captors. 
 The next moment a sharp, piercing scream in a female key con- 
 firmed the supposition. On hearing this cry, Richard instantly 
 flew to the opposite door, through which Nance must have passed, 
 but on trying it he found it fastened outside ; and filled with 
 sudden misgiving, for he now recollected leaving the key in the 
 other door, he called to Nicholas to come with him, and hurried 
 back to it. His apprehensions were verified; the door was 
 locked. At first Nicholas was inclined to laugh at the trick 
 played them ; but a single look from Richard checked his ten- 
 dency to merriment, and he followed his young relative, who had 
 sprung to a window looking upon that part of the churchyard 
 whence the shouts came, and flung it open. Richard's egress, 
 however, was prevented by an iron bar, and he called out loudly 
 and fiercely to the beadle, whom he saw standing in the midst of 
 the crowd, to unlock the door. 
 
 " Have a little patience, good Master Richard," replied Potts, 
 turning up his provoking little visage, now charged with trium- 
 phant malice. " You shall come out presently. We are busy 
 just now engaged in binding the witch, as you see. Both keys 
 are safely in my pocket, and I will send you one of them when 
 we start for the river, good Master Richard. We lawyers are 
 not to be overreached you see ha ! ha ! " 
 
 "You shall repent this conduct when I do get out," cried 
 
118 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHED. 
 
 Richard, furiously. " Sparshot, I command you to bring the key 
 instantly." 
 
 But, encouraged by the attorney, the beadle affected not to 
 hear Richard's angry vociferations, and the others were unable to 
 aid the young man, if they had been so disposed, and all were 
 too much interested in what was going forward to run off to the 
 vicarage, and acquaint Sir Ralph with the circumstances in which 
 his relatives were placed, even though enjoined to do so. 
 
 On being set free by Richard, Nance had flown quickly through 
 the church, and passed out at the side door, and was making good 
 her retreat at the back of the edifice, when her flying figure was 
 descried by Jem Device, who, failing in his first attempt, had run 
 round that way, fancying he should catch her. 
 
 He instantly dashed after her with all the fury of a bloodhound, 
 and, being possessed of remarkable activity, speedily overtook her, 
 and, heedless of her threats and entreaties, secured her. 
 
 (i Lemme go, Jem," she cried, " an ey win do thee a good turn 
 one o' these days, when theaw may chonce to be i' th' same strait 
 os me." But seeing him inexorable, she added, "My grand- 
 dame shan rack thy boans sorely, lad, for this." 
 
 Jem replied by a coarse laugh of defiance, and, dragging her 
 along, delivered her to Master Potts and the beadle, who were then 
 hurrying to the other door of the church. To prevent inter- 
 ruption, the cunning attorney, having ascertained that the two 
 Asshetons were inside, instantly gave orders to have both doors 
 locked, and the injunctions being promptly obeyed, he took 
 possession of the keys himself, chuckling at the success of the strata- 
 gem. " A fair reprisal," he muttered ; " this young milksop shall 
 find he is no match for a skilful lawyer like me. Now, the cords 
 the cords I 7 '* 
 
 It was at the sight of the bonds, which were quickly brought 
 by Baggiley, that Nance uttered the piercing cry that had roused 
 Richard's indignation. Feeling secure of his prisoner, and now 
 no longer apprehensive of interruption, Master Potts was in no 
 hurry to conclude the arrangements, but rather prolonged them 
 to exasperate Richard. Little consideration was shown the un- 
 fortunate captive. The new shoes and stockings of which she 
 had been so vain a short time before, were torn from her feet and 
 limbs by the rude hands of the remorseless Jem and the beadle, 
 and bent down by the main force of these two strong men, her 
 thumbs and great toes were tightly bound together, crosswise, by 
 the cords. The churchyard rang with her shrieks, and, with his 
 blood boiling with indignation at the sight, Richard redoubled his 
 exertions to burst through the window and fly to her assistance. 
 But though Nicholas now lent his powerful aid to the task, their 
 combined efforts to obtain liberation were unavailing ; and with 
 rage almost amounting to frenzy, Richard beheld the poor young 
 woman borne shrieking away by her captors. Nor was Nicholas 
 
THE ORDEAL BY SWIMMING. 119 
 
 much less incensed, and he swore a deep oath when he did get 
 at liberty that Master Potts should pay dearly for liis rascally 
 conduct. 
 
 CHAPTER VI THE ORDEAL BY SWIMMING. 
 
 BOUND hand and foot in the painful posture before described, 
 roughly and insolently handled on all sides, in peril of her life 
 from the frightful ordeal to which she was about to be subjected, 
 the miserable captive was borne along on the shoulders of Jem 
 Device and Sparshot, her long, fine chestnut hair trailing upon 
 the ground, her white shoulders exposed to the insolent gaze of 
 the crowd, and her trim holiday attire torn to ra^s by the rough 
 treatment she had experienced. Nance Redferne, it has been said, 
 was a very comely young woman ; but neither her beauty, her 
 youth, nor her sex, had any effect upon the ferocious crowd, who 
 were too much accustomed to such brutal and debasing exhi- 
 bitions, to feel any thing but savage delight in the spectacle of a 
 fellow-creature so scandalously treated and tormented, and the 
 only excuse to be offered for their barbarity, is the firm belief they 
 entertained that they were dealing with a witch. And when even 
 in our own day so many revolting scenes are enacted to gratify 
 the brutal passions of the mob, while prize-fights are tolerated, 
 and wretched animals goaded on to tear each other in pieces, it is 
 not to be wondered at that, in times of less enlightenment and re- 
 finement, greater cruelties should be practised. Indeed, it may 
 be well to consider how far we have really advanced in civilisation 
 since then ; for until cruelty, whether to man or beast, be wholly 
 banished from our sports, w r e cannot justly reproach our ancestors, 
 or congratulate ourselves on our improvement, 
 
 Nance's cries of distress were only answered by jeers, and re- 
 newed insults, and wearied out at length, the poor creature ceased 
 struggling and shrieking, the dogged resolution she had before 
 exhibited again coming to her aid. 
 
 But her fortitude was to be yet more severely tested. Revealed 
 by the disorder of her habiliments, and contrasting strongly with 
 the extreme whiteness of her skin, a dun-coloured mole was dis- 
 covered upon her breast. It was pointed out to Potts by Jem 
 Device, who declared it to be a witch-mark, and the spot where 
 her familiar drained her blood. 
 
 *' This is one of the ( good helps' to the discovery of a witch, 
 pointed out by our sovereign lord the king," said the attorney, 
 narrowly examining the spot. (t ' The one,' saith our wise prince, 
 * is the finding of their mark, and the trying the insensibleness 
 thereof. The other is their fleeting on the water/ The water- 
 
120 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES 
 
 ordeal will come presently, but the insensibility of the mark might 
 be at once attested." 
 
 " Yeigh, that con soon be tried," cried Jem, with a savage 
 laugh. 
 
 And taking a pin from his sleeve, the ruffian plunged it deeply 
 into the poor creature's flesh. Nance winced, but she set her 
 teeth hardly, and repressed the cry that must otherwise have been 
 wrung from her. 
 
 " A clear witch ! " cried Jem, drawing forth the pin ; " not a 
 drop o' blood flows, an hoo feels nowt !" 
 
 " Feel nowt?" rejoined Nance, between her ground teeth. 
 " May ye ha a pang os sharp i' your cancart eart, ye villain." 
 
 After this barbarous test, the crowd, confirmed by it in their 
 notions of Nan's guiltiness, hurried on, their numbers increasing 
 as they proceeded along the main street of the village leading to- 
 wards the river ; all the villagers left at home rushing forth on 
 hearing a witch was about to be swum, and when they came within 
 a bow-shot of the stream, Sparshot called to Baggiley to lay 
 hold of Nance, while he himself, accompanied by several of the 
 crowd, ran over the bridge, the part he had to enact requiring 
 him to be on the other side of the water. 
 
 Meantime, the main party turned down a little footpath pro* 
 tected by a gate on the left, which led between garden hedges to 
 the grassy banks of the Calder, and in taking this course they 
 passed by the cottage of Elizabeth Device. Hearing the shouts 
 of the rabble, little Jennet, who had been in no very happy frame 
 of mind since she had been brought home, came forth, and seeing 
 her brother, called out to him, in her usual sharp tones, " What's 
 the matter, Jem? Who han ye getten there ?" 
 
 " A witch," replied Jem, gruffly. " Nance Kedferne, Mother 
 Chattox's grand-daughter. Come an see her swum i' th' Calder." 
 
 Jennet readily complied, for her curiosity was aroused, and she 
 shared in the family feelings of dislike to Mother Chattox and 
 her descendants. 
 
 t( Is this Nance Kedferne?" she cried, keeping close to her 
 brother, " Ey'm glad yo'n caught her at last. How dun ye find 
 yersel, Nance ? " 
 
 " 111 at ease, Jennet," replied Nance, with a bitter look ; rf boh 
 it ill becomes ye to jeer me, lass, seein' yo're a born witch yoursel."" 
 
 " Aha ! " cried Potts, looking at the little girl, " So this is a 
 born witch eh, Nance ? " 
 
 ' ~V A born an' bred witch," rejoined Nance ; <s jist as her brother 
 Jem here is a wizard. They're the gran-childer o' Mother Dem- 
 dike o' Pendle, the greatest witch i' these parts, an childer o' Bess 
 Device, who's nah much better. Ask me to witness agen 'em, 
 that's aw." 
 
 " Howd thy tongue, woman, or ey'n drown thee," muttered Jem, 
 in a tone of deep menace. 
 
THE ORDEAL BY SWIMMING. 121 
 
 t( Ye canna, mon, if ey'm the witch ye ca' me," rejoined Nance. 
 " Jennet's turn'll come os weel os mine, one o' these days. Mark 
 my words." 
 
 " Efore that ey shan see ye burned, ye faggot/' cried Jennet, 
 almost fiercely. 
 
 " Ye'n getten the fiend's mark o' your sleeve," cried Nance. 
 " Ey see it written i' letters ov blood." 
 
 " That's where our cat scratted me," replied Jennet, hiding her 
 arm quickly. 
 
 "Good! very good!" observed Potts, rubbing his hands. 
 " < Who but witches can be proof against witches ? ' saith our 
 sagacious sovereign. I shall make something of this girl. She 
 seems a remarkably quick child remarkably quick ha, ha ! " 
 
 By this time, the party having gained the broad flat mead 
 through which the Calder flowed, took their way quickly towards 
 its banks, the spot selected for the ordeal lying about fifty yards 
 above the weir, where the current, ordinarily rapid, was checked 
 by the dam, offering a smooth surface, with considerable depth of 
 water. If soft natural beauties could have subdued the hearts of 
 those engaged in this cruel and wicked experiment, never was 
 scene better calculated for the purpose than that under contem- 
 plation. Through a lovely green valley meandered the Calder, 
 now winding round some verdant knoll, now washing the base 
 of lofty heights feathered with timber to their very summits, now 
 lost amid thick woods, and only discernible at intervals by a 
 glimmer amongst the trees. Immediately in front of the assem- 
 blage rose Whalley Nab, its steep sides and brow partiaUy covered 
 with timber, with green patches in the uplands where sheep and 
 cattle fed. Just below the spot where the crowd were collected, 
 the stream, here of some width, passed over the weir, and swept 
 in a foaming cascade over the huge stones supporting the dam, 
 giving the rushing current the semblance and almost the beauty 
 of a natural waterfall. Below this the stream ran brawling on in 
 a wider, but shallower channel, making pleasant music as it went, 
 and leaving many dry beds of sand and gravel in the midst; while 
 a hundred yards lower down, it was crossed by the arches of the 
 bridge. Further stih 1 , a row of tall cypresses lined the bank of 
 the river, and screened that part of the Abbey, converted into a 
 residence by the Asshetons ; and after this came the ruins of the 
 refectory, the cloisters, the dormitory, the conventual church, and 
 other parts of the venerable structure, overshadowed by noble 
 lime-trees and elms. Lovelier or more peaceful scene could not 
 be imagined. The green meads, the bright clear stream, with its 
 white foaming weir, the woody heights reflected in the glassy 
 waters, the picturesque old bridge, and the dark grey ruins 
 beyond it, all might have engaged the attention and melted the 
 heart. Then the hour, when evening was coming on, and when 
 each beautiful object, deriving new beauty from the medium 
 
122 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 through which it was viewed, exercised a softening influence, and 
 awakened kindly emotions. To most the scene was familiar, and 
 therefore could have no charm of novelty. To Potts, however, it 
 was altogether new; but he was susceptible of few gentle impres- 
 sions, and neither the tender beauty of the evening, nor the wooing 
 loveliness of the spot, awakened any responsive emotion in his 
 breast. He was dead to every thing except the ruthless experi- 
 ment about to be made. 
 
 Almost at the same time that Jem Device and his party 
 reached the near bank of the stream, the beadle and the others 
 appeared on the opposite side. Little was said, but instant pre- 
 
 Earations were made for the ordeal. Two long coils of rope 
 aving been brought by Baggiley, one of them was made fast to 
 the right arm of the victim, and the other to the left ; and this 
 done, Jem Device, shouting to Sparshot to look out, flung one 
 coil of rope across the river, where it was caught with much dex- 
 terity by the beadle. The assemblage then spread out on the 
 bank, while Jem, taking the poor young woman in his arms, who 
 neither spoke nor struggled, but held her breath tightly, approached 
 the river. 
 
 " Dunna drown her, Jem," said Jennet, who had turned very 
 pale. 
 
 " Be quiet, wench," rejoined Jem, gruffly. 
 
 And without bestowing further attention upon her, he let down 
 his burden carefully into the water ; and this achieved, he called 
 out to the beadle, who drew her slowly towards him, while Jem 
 guided her with the other rope. 
 
 The crowd watched the experiment for a few moments in pro- 
 found silence, but as the poor young woman, who had now reached 
 the centre of the stream, still floated, being supported either by 
 the tension of the cords, or by her woollen apparel, a loud shout 
 was raised that she could not sink, and was, therefore, an unde- 
 niable witch. 
 
 " Steady, lads steady a moment," cried Potts, enchanted with 
 the success of the experiment ; " leave her where she is, that her 
 buoyancy may be fully attested. You know, masters," he cried, with 
 a loud voice, u the meaning of this water ordeal. Our sovereign 
 lord and master the king, in his wisdom, hath graciously vouch- 
 safed to explain the matter thus : ' Water/ he saith, * shall refuse 
 to receive them (meaning witches, of course) in her bosom, that 
 have shaken off their sacred water of baptism, and wilfully refused 
 the benefit thereof.' It is manifest, you see, that this diabolical 
 young woman hath renounced her baptism, for the water rejecteth 
 her. Non potest mergi, as Pliny saith. She floats like a cork, 
 or as if the clear water of the Calder had suddenly become like 
 the slab, salt waves of the Dead Sea, in which nothing can sink. 
 You behold the marvel with your own eyes, mv masters." 
 
 "Ay, ay !" rejoined Baggiley and several others. 
 
THE OKDEAJ, BY SWIMMING. 123 
 
 "Hoo be a witch fo sart'in," cried Jem Device. But as he 
 spoke, chancing slightly to slacken the rope, the tension of which 
 maintained the equilibrium of the body, the poor woman instantly 
 sank. 
 
 A groan, as much of disappointment as sympathy, broke from 
 the spectators, but none attempted to aid her ; and on seeing her 
 gink, Jem abandoned the rope altogether. 
 
 But assistance was at hand. Two persons rushed quickly and 
 furiously to the spot. They were Richard and Nicholas Assheton. 
 The iron bar had at length yielded to their efforts, and the first 
 use they made of their freedom was to hurry to the river. A 
 glance showed them what had occurred, and the younger Assheton, 
 unhesitatingly plunging into the water, seized the rope dropped 
 by Jem, and calling to the beadle to let go his hold, dragged forth 
 the poor half-drowned young woman, and placed her on the bank, 
 hewing asunder the cords that bound her hands and feet with his 
 sword. But though still sensible, Nance was so much exhausted 
 by the shock she had undergone, and her muscles were so severely 
 strained by the painful and unnatural posture to which she had 
 been compelled, that she was wholly unable to move. Her thumbs 
 were blackened and swollen, and the cords had cut into the flesh, 
 while blood trickled down from the puncture in her breast. Fix- 
 ing a look of inexpressible gratitude upon her preserver, she made 
 an effort to speak, but the exertion was too great; violent hys- 
 terical sobbing came on, and her senses soon after forsook her. 
 Richard called loudly for assistance, and the sentiments of the 
 most humane part of the crowd having undergone a change since 
 the failure of the ordeal, some females came forward, and took 
 steps for her restoration. Sensibility having returned, a cloak 
 was wrapped around her, and she was conveyed to a neighbouring 
 cottage and put to bed, where her stiffened limbs were chafed and 
 warm drinks administered, and it began to be hoped that no serious 
 consequences would ensue. 
 
 Meanwhile, a catastrophe had wellnigh occurred in another 
 quarter. With eyes flashing with fury, Nicholas Assheton pushed 
 aside the crowd, and made his way to the bank whereon Master 
 Potts stood. Not liking his looks, the little attorney would have 
 taken to his heels, but finding escape impossible, he called upon 
 Baggiley to protect him. But he was instantly in the forcible 
 gripe of the squire, who shouted, " I'll teach you, mongrel hound, 
 to play tricks with gentlemen." 
 
 " Master Nicholas," cried the terrified and half-strangled attor- 
 ney, u my very good sir, I entreat you to let me alone. This is 
 a breach of the king's peace, sir. Assault and battery, under 
 aggravated circumstances, and punishable with ignominious cor- 
 poral penalties, besides fine and imprisonment, sir. I take you to 
 witness the assault. Master Baggiley. 1 shall bring my ac ac 
 ah oo oh!" 
 
124 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Then you shall have something to bring your ac ac action 
 for, rascal," cried Nicholas. And, seizing the attorney by the nape 
 of the neck with one hand, and the hind wings of his doublet with 
 the other, he cast him to a considerable distance into the river, 
 where he fell with a tremendous splash. 
 
 " He is no wizard, at all events," laughed Nicholas, as Potta 
 went down like a lump of lead. 
 
 But the attorney was not born to be drowned ; at least, at this 
 period of his career. On rising to the surface, a few seconds 
 after his immersion, he roared lustily for help, but would infallibly 
 have been carried over the weir, if Jem Device had not flung him 
 the rope now disengaged from Nance Kedferne, and which he 
 succeeded in catching. In this way he was dragged out ; and as 
 he crept up the bank, with the wet pouring from his apparel, 
 which now clung tightly to his lathy limbs, he was greeted by the 
 jeers of Nicholas. 
 
 " How like you the water-ordeal eh, Master Attorney ? No 
 occasion for a second trial, I think. If Jem Device had known 
 his own interest, he would have left you to fatten the Calder eels ; 
 but he will find it out in time." 
 
 " You will find it out too, Master Nicholas," rejoined Potts, 
 clapping on his wet cap. " Take me to the Dragon quickly, good 
 fellow," he added, to Jem Device, " and I will recompense thee 
 for thy pains, as well as for the service thou hast just rendered 
 me. I shall have rheumatism in my joints, pains in my loins, and 
 rheum in my head, oh dear oh dear !" 
 
 " In which case you will not be able to pay Mother Demdike 
 your purposed visit to-morrow," jeered Nicholas. " You forgot you 
 were to arrest her, and bring her before a magistrate." 
 
 " Thy arm, good fellow, thy arm ! " said Potts, to Jem Device. 
 
 " To the fiend wi' thee," cried Jem, shaking him off roughly. 
 " The squoire is reet. Wouldee had let thee drown." 
 
 " What, have you changed your mind already, Jem ? " cried 
 Nicholas, in a taunting tone. " You'll have your grandmother's 
 thanks for the service you've rendered her, lad ha ! ha !" 
 
 " Fo' t' matter o' two pins ey'd pitch him again," growled Jem, 
 eyeing the attorney askance. 
 
 " No, no, Jem," observed Nicholas, et things must take their 
 course. What's done is done. But if Master Potts be wise, he'H 
 take himself out of court without delay." 
 
 " You'll be glad to get me out of court one of these days, 
 squire," muttered Potts, " and so will you too, Master James 
 Device. A day of reckoning will come for both heavy reckon- 
 ing. Ugh ! ugh !" he added, shivering, " how my teeth chatter !* 
 
 rt Make what haste you can to the Dragon," cried the good- 
 natured squire ; " get your clothes dried, and bid John Lawe brew 
 you a pottle of strong sack, swallow it scalding hot, and you'll 
 never look behind you." 
 
THE ORDEAL BY SWIMMING. 125 
 
 " Nor before me either," retorted Potts, " Scalding sack 1 
 This bloodthirsty squire has a new design upon my life!" 
 
 66 Ey'n go wi' ye to th' Dragon, mester," said Baggiley ; " lean 
 o' me." 
 
 " Thanke'e friend," replied Potts, taking his arm. ei A word 
 at parting, Master Nicholas. This is not the only discovery of 
 witchcraft I've made. I've another case, somewhat nearer home. 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 With this, he hobbled off in the direction of the alehouse, his 
 steps being traceable along the dusty road like the course of a 
 watering-cart. 
 
 " Ey'n go efter him," growled Jem. 
 
 u No you won't, lad," rejoined Nicholas, "and if you'll take my 
 advice, you'll get out of Whalley as fast as you can. You will be 
 safer on the heath of Pendle than here, when Sir Ralph and 
 Master Roger Nowell come to know what has taken place. And 
 mind this, sirrah the hounds will be out in the forest to-morrow. 
 D'ye heed?" 
 
 Jem growled something in reply, and, seizing his little sister's 
 hand, strode off with her towards his mother's dwelling, uttering 
 not a word by the way. 
 
 Having seen Nance Redferne conveyed to the cottage, as 
 before mentioned, Richard Assheton, regardless of the wet state 
 of his own apparel, now joined his cousin, the squire, and they 
 walked to the Abbey together, conversing on what had taken 
 place, while the crowd dispersed, some returning to the bowers in 
 the churchyard, and others to the green, their merriment in 
 nowise damped by the recent occurrences, which they looked 
 upon as part of the day's sport. As some of them passed by, 
 laughing, singing, and dancing, Richard Assheton remarked, " I 
 can scarcely believe these to be the same people I so lately saw 
 in the churchyard. They then seemed totally devoid of humanity." 
 
 " Pshaw ! they are humane enough," rejoined Nicholas ; " but 
 you cannot expect them to show mercy to a witch, any more than 
 to a wolf, or other savage and devouring beast." 
 
 " But the means taken to prove her guilt were as absurd as 
 iniquitous," said Richard, 6i and savour of the barbarous ages. 
 If she had perished, all concerned in the trial would have been 
 guilty of murder." 
 
 " But no judge would condemn them," returned Nicholas ; 
 "and they have the highest authority in the realm to uphold 
 them. As to leniency to witches, in a general way, I would show 
 none. Traitors alike to God and man, and bond slaves of Satan, 
 they are out of the pale of Christian charity." 
 
 " No criminal, however great, is out of the pale of Christian 
 charity," replied Richard; but such scenes as we have just 
 witnessed are a disgrace to humanity, and a mockery of justice. 
 In seeking to discover and punish one offence, a greater is com- 
 
126 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 mitted. Suppose this poor young woman really guilty what 
 then Y Our laws are made for protection, as well as punishment of 
 wrong. She should be arraigned, convicted, and condemned 
 before punishment/ 
 
 " Our laws admit of torture, Richard," observed Nicholas. 
 
 " True," said the young man, with a shudder, u and it is 
 another relic of a ruthless age. But torture is only allowed under 
 the eye of the law, and can be inflicted by none but its sworn 
 servants. But, supposing this poor young woman innocent of the 
 crime imputed to her, which I really believe her to be, how, then, 
 will you excuse the atrocities to which she has been subjected?" 
 
 " I do not believe her innocent," rejoined Nicholas ; " her 
 relationship to a notorious witch, and her fabrication of clay 
 images, make her justly suspected." 
 
 " Then let her be examined by a magistrate," said Richard ; 
 "but, even then, woe betide her! When 'I think that Alizon 
 Device is liable to the same atrocious treatment, in consequence 
 of her relationship to Mother Demdike, I can scarce contain my 
 indignation." 
 
 u It is unlucky for her, indeed," rejoined Nicholas ; " but of all 
 Nance's assailants the most infuriated was Alizon's brother, Jem 
 Device." 
 
 " I saw it," cried Richard an uneasy expression passing over 
 his countenance. " Would she could be removed from that 
 family ! 
 
 "To what purpose?" demanded Nicholas, quickly. "Her 
 family are more likely to be removed from her if Master Potts 
 stay in the neighbourhood." 
 
 " Poor girl !" exclaimed Richard. 
 
 And he fell into a reverie which was not broken till they reached 
 the Abbey. 
 
 To return to Jem Device. On reaching the cottage, the 
 ruffian flung himself into a chair, and for a time seemed lost in 
 reflection. At last he looked up, and said gruffly to Jennet, 
 who stood watching him, et See if mother be come whoam ?" 
 
 ** Eigh, eigh, ey'm here, Jem," said Elizabeth Device, opening 
 the inner door and coming forth. " So, ye ha been swimmin* 
 Nance Redferne, lad, eh ! Ey'm glad on it ha ! ha !" 
 
 Jem gave her a significant look, upon which she motioned 
 Jennet to withdraw, and the injunction being complied with, 
 though with evident reluctance, by the little girl, she closed the 
 door upon her. 
 
 " Now, Jem, what hast got to say to me, lad, eh ? " demanded 
 Elizabeth, stepping up to him. 
 
 " Neaw great deal, mother," he replied ; " boh ey keawnsel ye 
 to look weel efter yersel. We're aw i' dawnger." 
 
 " Ey knoas it, lad, ey knoas it," replied Elizabeth ; " boh fo my 
 own pert ey'm nah afeerd. They darna touch me ; an' if they 
 
THE ORDEAL BY SWIMMING. 127 
 
 dun, ey con defend mysel reet weel. Here's a letter to thy gran- 
 mother," she added, giving him a sealed packet. " Take care 
 on it." 
 
 " Fro Mistress Nutter, ey suppose 1 " asked Jem. 
 
 te Eigh, who else should it be from ? rejoined Elizabeth. 
 " Your gran-mother win' ha' enough to do to neet, an so win yo, 
 too, Jem, lettin alone the walk fro here to Malkin Tower." 
 
 " Weel, gi' me mey supper, an ey'n set out," rejoined Jem. 
 " So ye ha' seen Mistress Nutter ?" 
 
 " Ey found her i' th' Abbey garden," replied Elizabeth, " an we 
 had some tawk together, abowt th' boundary line o' th' Rough 
 Lee estates, and other matters." 
 
 And, as she spoke, she set a cold pasty, with oat cakes, cheese, 
 and butter, before her son, and next proceeded to draw him a jug 
 of ale. 
 
 "What other matters dun you mean, mother?" in- 
 quired Jem, attacking the pasty. " War it owt relatin' to that 
 little Lunnon lawyer, Mester Potts ? " 
 
 " Theawst hit it, Jem," replied Elizabeth, seating herself near 
 him. (l That Potts means to visit thy gran-mother to morrow." 
 
 " Weel !" said Jem, grimly. 
 
 st An arrest her," pursued Elizabeth. 
 
 " Easily said," laughed Jem, scornfully, " boh neaw quite so 
 easily done." 
 
 " Nah quite, Jem," responded Elizabeth, joining in the laugh. 
 " 'Specially when th' owd dame's prepared, as she win be now." 
 
 " Potts may set out 'o that journey, boh he winna come back 
 again," remarked Jem, in a sombre tone. 
 
 " Wait till yo'n seen your gran-mother efore ye do owt, lad," 
 said Elizabeth. 
 
 " Ay, wait," added a voice. 
 
 "What's that?" demanded Jem, laying down his knife and 
 fork. 
 
 Elizabeth did not answer in words, but her significant looks 
 Were quite response enough for her son. 
 
 " Os ye win, mother," he said in an altered tone. After a 
 pause, employed in eating, he added, u Did Mistress Nutter put 
 onny questions to ye about Alizon ? " 
 
 " More nor enough, lad," replied Elizabeth ; " fo what had ey 
 to tell her ? She praised her beauty, an said how unlike she wur 
 to Jennet an thee, lad ha ! ha ! An wondert how ey cum to ha 
 such a dowter, an monny other things besoide. An what could 
 ey say to it aw, except " 
 
 " Except what, mother?" interrupted Jem. 
 
 " Except that she wur my child just os much os Jennet an 
 thee!" 
 
 " Humph !" exclaimed Jem. 
 
 tc Humph !" echoed the voice that had previously spoken. 
 
128 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Jem looked at his mother, and took a long pull at the ale-jug. 
 
 " Any more messages to Malkin Tower ? " he asked, getting 
 up. 
 
 " Neaw mother will onderstond," replied Elizabeth. " Bid 
 her be on her guard, fo' the enemy is abroad." 
 
 "Meanin' Potts?" said Jem. 
 
 " Meaning Potts," answered the voice. 
 
 " There are strange echoes here," said Jem, looking round 
 suspiciously. 
 
 At this moment, Tib came from under a piece of furniture, 
 where he had apparently been lying, and rubbed himself familiarly 
 against his legs. 
 
 66 Ey needna be afeerd o' owt happenin to ye, mother," said 
 Jem, patting the cat's back. u Tib win tay care on yo." 
 
 " Eigh, eigh," replied Elizabeth, bending down to pat him, 
 tf he's a trusty cat." But the ill-tempered animal would not be 
 propitiated, but erected his back, and menaced her with his 
 claws. 
 
 " Yo han offended him, mother," said Jem. s< One word efore 
 ey start. Are ye quite sure Potts didna owerhear your conver- 
 sation wi' Mistress Nutter ?" 
 
 " Why d'ye ask, Jem?" she replied. 
 
 " Fro' summat the knave threw out to Squoire Nicholas just 
 now," rejoined Jem. " He said he'd another case o' witchcraft 
 nearer whoam. Whot could he mean I" 
 
 " Whot, indeed?" cried Elizabeth, quickly. 
 
 " Look at Tib," exclaimed her son. 
 
 As he spoke, the cat sprang towards the inner door, and 
 scratched violently against it. 
 
 Elizabeth immediately raised the latch, and found Jennet 
 behind it, with a face like scarlet. 
 
 u Yo'n been listenin, ye young eavesdropper," cried Elizabeth, 
 boxing her ears soundly ; " take that fo' your pains an that." 
 
 " Touch me again, an Mester Potts shan knoa aw ey'n heer'd," 
 said the little girl, repressing her tears. 
 
 Elizabeth regarded her angrily; but the looks of the child 
 were so spiteful, that she did not dare to strike her. She glanced 
 too at Tib ; but the uncertain cat was now rubbing himself in the 
 most friendly manner against Jennet. 
 
 " Yo shan pay for this, lass, presently," said Elizabeth. 
 
 " Best nah provoke me, mother," rejoined Jennet in a deter- 
 mined tone ; " if ye dun, aw secrets shan out. Ey knoa why 
 Jem's goin' to Malkin-Tower to-neet an why yo're afeerd o' 
 Mester Potts." 
 
 " Howd thy tongue or ey'n choke thee, little pest," cried her 
 mother, fiercely. 
 
 Jennet replied with a mocking laugh, while Tib rubbed against 
 her more fondly than ever. 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 129 
 
 " Let her alone," interposed Jem. " An now ey mun be off. 
 So, fare ye weel, mother, an yo, too, Jennet." And with this, 
 he put on his cap, seized his cudgel, and quitted the cottage. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 
 
 BENEATH a wild cherry-tree, planted by chance in the Abbey 
 gardens, and of such remarkable size that it almost rivalled the 
 elms and lime trees surrounding it, and when in bloom resembled 
 an enormous garland, stood two young maidens, both of rare 
 beauty, though in totally different styles ; the one being fair- 
 haired and blue-eyed, with a snowy skin tinged with delicate 
 bloom, like that of roses seen through milk, to borrow a simile 
 from old Anacreon; while the other far eclipsed her in the 
 brilliancy of her complexion, the dark splendour of her eyes, and 
 the luxuriance of her jetty tresses, which, unbound and knotted 
 with ribands, flowed down almost to the ground. In age, there 
 was little disparity between them, though perhaps the dark-haired 
 girl might be a year nearer twenty than the other, and somewhat 
 more of seriousness, though not much, sat upon her lovely coun- 
 tenance than on the other's laughing features. Different were 
 they too, in degree, and here social position was infinitely in 
 favour of the fairer girl, but no one would have judged it so if not 
 previously acquainted with their history. Indeed, it was rather 
 the one having least title to be proud (if any one has such title) 
 who now seemed to look up to her companion with mingled 
 admiration and regard ; the latter being enthralled at the moment 
 by the rich notes of a thrush poured from a neighbouring lime-tree. 
 
 Pleasant was the garden where the two girls stood, shaded by 
 great trees, laid out in exquisite parterres, with knots and figures, 
 quaint flower-beds, shorn trees and hedges, covered alleys and 
 arbours, terraces and mounds, in the taste of the time, and above 
 all an admirably kept bowling-green. It was bounded on the one 
 hand by the ruined chapter-house and vestry of the old monastic 
 structure, and on the other by the stately pile of buildings 
 formerly making part of the Abbot's lodging, in which the long 
 gallery was situated, some of its windows looking upon the 
 bowling-green, and then kept in excellent condition, but now 
 roofless and desolate. Behind them, on the right, half hidden by 
 trees, lay the desecrated and despoiled conventual church. 
 Reared at such cost, and with so much magnificence, by thirteen 
 abbots the great work having been commenced, as heretofore 
 stated, by Robert de Topcliffe, in 1330, and only completed in all 
 its details by John Paslew; this splendid structure, surpassing, 
 according to Whitaker, " many cathedrals in extent," was now 
 abandoned to the slow ravages of decay. Would it had never en- 
 
 K 
 
130 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 countered worse enemy ! But some half century later, the hand 
 of man was called in to accelerate its destruction, and it was then 
 almost entirely rased to the ground. At the period in question, 
 though partially unroofed, and with some of the walls destroyed, 
 it was still beautiful and picturesque more picturesque, indeed, 
 than in the days of its pride and splendour. The tower with its 
 lofty crocketed spire was still standing, though the latter was 
 cracked and tottering, and the jackdaws roosted within its windows 
 and belfry. Two ranges of broken columns told of the bygone 
 glories of the aisles ; and the beautiful side chapels having 
 escaped injury better than other parts of the fabric, remained in 
 tolerable preservation. But the choir and high altar were 
 stripped of all their rich carving and ornaments, and the rain 
 descended through the open rood-loft upon the now grass-grown 
 gitives of the abbots in the presbytery. Here and there the 
 ramified mullions still retained their wealth of painted glass, and 
 the grand eastern window shone gorgeously as of yore. All else 
 was neglect and ruin. Briers and turf usurped the place of 
 the marble pavement; many of the pillars were festooned with 
 ivy ; and, in some places, the shattered walls were covered with 
 creepers, and trees had taken root in the crevices of the masonry. 
 Beautiful at ah 1 times were these magnificent ruins ; but never so 
 beautiful as when seen by the witching light of the moon the 
 hour, according to the best authority, when all ruins should be 
 viewed when the long lines of broken pillars, the mouldering 
 arches, and the still glowing panes over the altar, had a magical effect. 
 
 In front of the maidens stood a square tower, part of the 
 defences of the religious establishment, erected by Abbot Lynde- 
 lay, in the reign of Edward III., but disused and decaying. It 
 was sustained by high and richly groined arches, crossing the 
 swift mill-race, and faced the river. A path led through the 
 ruined chapter-house to the spacious cloister quadrangle, once 
 used as a cemetery for the monks, but now converted into a 
 kitchen garden, its broad area being planted out, and fruit-trees 
 trained against the hoary walls. Little of the old refectory was 
 left, except the dilapidated stairs once conducting to the gallery 
 where the brethren were wont to take their meals, but the inner 
 wall still served to enclose the garden on that side. Of the dor- 
 mitory, formerly constituting the eastern angle of the cloisters, 
 the shell was still left, and it was used partly as a grange, partly 
 as a shed for cattle, the farm-yard and tenements lying on this 
 side. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that the garden and grounds, filling up 
 the ruins of Whalley Abbey, offered abundant points of picturesque 
 attraction, all of which with the exception of the ruined 
 conventual church had been visited by the two girls. They 
 had tracked the labyrinths of passages, scaled the broken stair- 
 cases, crept into the roofless and neglected chambers, peered 
 
THE KUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 131 
 
 timorously into the black and yawning vaults, and now, having 
 finished their investigations, had paused for awhile, previous to 
 extending their ramble to the church, beneath the wild 
 cherry-tree to listen to the warbling of the birds. 
 
 " You should hear the nightingales at Middleton, Alizon," 
 observed Dorothy Assheton, breaking silence ; a they sing even 
 more exquisitely than yon thrush. You must come and see me. 
 I should like to show you the old house and gardens, though they 
 are very different from these, and we have no ancient monastic 
 ruins to ornament them. Still, they are very beautiful ; and, as 
 I find you are fond of flowers, I will show you some I have 
 reared myself, for I am something of a gardener, Alizon. Promise 
 you will come." 
 
 " I wish I dared promise it," replied Alizon. 
 
 (( And why not, then ? " cried Dorothy. " What should pre- 
 vent you ? Do you know, Alizon, what I should like better than 
 all ? You are so amiable, and so good, and so so very pretty ; 
 nay, don't blush there is no one by to hear me you are so 
 charming altogether, that I should like you to come and live with 
 me. You shall be my handmaiden if you will." 
 
 "I should desire nothing better, sweet young lady," replied 
 Alizon; "but" 
 
 "But what?" cried Dorothy. "You have only your own 
 consent to obtain." 
 
 " Alas ! I have," replied Alizon. 
 
 "How can that be !" cried Dorothy, with a disappointed look. 
 u It is not likely your mother will stand in the way of your ad- 
 vancement, and you have not, I suppose, any other tie ? Nay, 
 forgive me if I appear too inquisitive. My curiosity only pro- 
 ceeds from the interest I take in you." 
 
 st I know it I feel it, dear, kind young lady," replied Alizon, 
 with the colour again mounting her cheeks. " I have no tie in 
 the world except my family. But I am persuaded my mother 
 will never allow me to quit her, however great the advantage 
 might be to me." 
 
 " Well, though sorry, I am scarcely surprised at it," said 
 Dorothy. " She must love you too dearly to part with you." 
 
 " I wish I could think so," sighed Alizon. " Proud of me in 
 some sort, though with little reason, she may be, but love me, 
 most assuredly, she does not. Nay more, 1 am persuaded she 
 would be glad to be freed from my presence, which is an evident 
 restraint and annoyance to her, were it not for some motive 
 stronger than natural affection that binds her to me." 
 
 u Now, in good sooth, you amaze me, Alizon ! " cried Dorothy. 
 " What possible motive can it be, if not of affection ?" 
 
 " Of interest, I think," replied Alizon. " I speak to you with- 
 out reserve, dear young lady, for the sympathy you have showD 
 
132 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 me deserves and demands confidence on my part, and there are 
 none with whom I can freely converse, so that every emotion has 
 been locked up in my own bosom. My mother fancies I shall 
 one day be of use to her, and therefore keeps me with her. 
 Hints to this effect she has thrown out, when indulging in the 
 uncontrollable fits of passion to which she is liable. And yet I 
 have no just reason to complain ; for though she has shown me 
 little maternal tenderness, and repelled all exhibition of affection 
 on my part, she has treated me very differently from her other 
 children, and with much greater consideration. I can make slight 
 boast of education, but the best the village could afford has been 
 
 S'ven me ; and I have derived much religious culture from good 
 octor Ormerod. The kind ladies of the vicarage proposed, as 
 you have done, that I should live with them, but my mother for- 
 bade it ; enjoining me, on the peril of incurring her displeasure, 
 not to leave her, and reminding me of all the benefits I have 
 received from her, and of the necessity of making an adequate 
 return. And, ungrateful indeed I should be, if I did not comply ; 
 for, though her manner is harsh and cold to me, she has never 
 ill-used me, as she has done her favourite child, my little sister 
 Jennet, but has always allowed me a separate chamber, where I 
 can retire when I please, to read, or meditate, or pray. For, 
 alas ! dear young lady, I dare not pray before my mother. Be 
 not shocked at what I tell you, but I cannot hide it. My poor 
 mother denies herself the consolation of religion never addresses 
 herself to Heaven in prayer never opens the book of Life and 
 Truth never enters church. In her own mistaken way she has 
 brought up poor little Jennet, who has been taught to make a 
 scoff at religious truths and ordinances, and has never been 
 suffered to keep holy the Sabbath-day. Happy and thankful am 
 I, that no such evil lessons have been taught me, but rather, that 
 I have profited by the sad example. In my own secret chamber 
 I have prayed, daily and nightly, for both prayed that their 
 hearts might be turned. Often have I besought my mother to 
 let me take Jennet to church, but she never would consent. And 
 in that poor misguided child, dear young lady, there is a strange 
 mixture of good and ill. Afflicted with personal deformity, and 
 delicate in health, the mind perhaps sympathising with the body, 
 she is wayward and uncertain in temper, but sensitive and keenly 
 alive to kindness, and with a shrewdness beyond her years. At 
 the risk of offending my mother, for I felt confident I was acting 
 rightly, I have endeavoured to instil religious principles into her 
 heart^ and to inspire her with a love of truth. Sometimes she 
 has listened to me ; and I have observed strange struggles in her 
 nature, as if the good were obtaining mastery of the evil prin- 
 ciple, and I have striven the more to convince her, and win her 
 over, but never with entire success, for my efforts have been 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 133 
 
 overcome by pernicious counsels, and sceptical sneers. Oh, lear 
 young lady, what would I not do to be the instrument of her 
 salvation I" 
 
 " You pain me much by this relation, Alizon," said Dorothy 
 Assheton, who had listened with profound attention, ft and I now 
 wish more ardently than ever to take you from such a family." 
 
 " I cannot leave them, dear young lady," replied Alizon ; " for 
 I feel I may be of infinite service especially to Jennet by 
 staying with them. Where there is a soul to be saved, especially 
 the soul of one dear as a sister, no sacrifice can be too great to 
 make no price too heavy to pay. By the blessing of Heaven I 
 hope to save her ! And that is the great tie that binds me to a 
 home, only so in name." 
 
 a I will not oppose your virtuous intentions, dear Alizon," 
 replied Dorothy ; " but I must now mention a circumstance in 
 connexion with your mother, of which you are perhaps in igno- 
 rance, but which it is right you should know, and therefore no 
 false delicacy on my part shall restrain me from mentioning it. 
 Your grandmother, Old Demdike, is in very ill repute in Pendle, 
 and is stigmatised by the common folk, and even by others, as a 
 witch. Your mother, too, shares in the opprobrium attaching 
 to her." 
 
 "I dreaded this," replied Alizon, turning deadly pale, and 
 trembling violently, " I feared you had heard the terrible report. 
 But oh, believe it not ! My poor mother is erring enough, but 
 she is not so bad as that. Oh, believe it not !" 
 
 "I will not believe it," said Dorothy, u since she is blessed with 
 such a daughter as you. But what I fear is that you you so 
 kind, so good, so beautiful may come under the same ban." 
 
 " I must run this risk also, in the good work I have appointed 
 myself," replied Alizon. If I am ill thought of by men, I shall 
 have the approval of my own conscience to uphold me. What- 
 ever betide, and whatever be said, do not you think ill of me, 
 dear young lady." 
 
 " Fear it not," returned Dorothy, earnestly. 
 
 While thus conversing, they gradually strayed away from the 
 cherry-tree, and taking a winding path leading in that direction, 
 entered the conventual church, about the middle of the south 
 aisle. After gazing with wonder and delight at the still majestic 
 pillars, that, like ghosts of the departed brethren, seemed to 
 protest against the desolation around them, they took their way 
 along the nave, through broken arches, and over prostrate frag- 
 ments of stone, to the eastern extremity of the fane, and having 
 admired the light shafts and clerestory windows of the choir, as 
 well as the magnificent painted glass over the altar, they stopped 
 before an arched doorway on the right, with two Gothic niches, 
 in one of which was a small stone statue of Saint Agnes with 
 her lamb, and in the other a similar representation of Saint 
 
134 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Margaret, crowned, and piercing the dragon with a cross. Both 
 were sculptures of much merit, and it was wonderful they had 
 escaped destruction. The door was closed, but it easily opened 
 when tried by Dorothy, and they found themselves in a small but 
 beautiful chapel. What struck them chiefly in it was a magni- 
 ficent monument of white marble, enriched with numerous small 
 shields, painted and gilt, supporting two recumbent figures, 
 representing Henry de Lacy, one of the founders of the Abbey, 
 and his consort. The knight was cased in plate armour, covered 
 with a surcoat, emblazoned with his arms, and his feet resting 
 upon a hound. This superb monument was wholly uninjured, 
 the painting and gilding being still fresh and bright. Behind it 
 a flag had been removed, discovering a flight of steep stone steps, 
 leading to a vault, or other subterranean chamber. 
 
 After looking round this chapel, Dorothy remarked, (t There is 
 something else that has just occurred to me. When a child, a 
 strange dark tale was told me, to the effect that the last ill-fated 
 Abbot of Whalley laid his dying curse upon your grandmother, 
 then an infant, predicting that she should be a witch, and the 
 mother of witches." 
 
 " I have heard the dread tradition, too," rejoined Alizon; "but 
 I cannot, will not, believe it. An all-benign Power will never 
 sanction such terrible imprecations." 
 
 " Far be it from me to affirm the contrary," replied Dorothy ; 
 " but it is undoubted that some families have been, and are, under 
 the influence of an inevitable fatality. In one respect, connected 
 also with the same unfortunate prelate, I might instance our own 
 family. Abbot Paslew is said to be unlucky to us even in his 
 grave. If such a curse, as I have described, hangs over the head 
 of your family, all your efforts to remove it will be ineffectual." 
 
 " I trust not," said Alizon. " Oh ! dear young lady, you have 
 now penetrated the secret of my heart. The mystery of my life 
 is laid open to you. Disguise it as I may, I cannot but believe 
 my mother to be under some baneful influence. Her unholy life, 
 her strange actions, all impress me with the idea. And there is 
 the same tendency in Jennet." 
 
 " You have a brother, have you not?" inquired Dorothy. 
 
 " I have," returned Alizon, slightly colouring; "but I see little 
 of him, for he lives near my grandmother, in Pendle Forest, and 
 always avoids me in his rare visits here. You will think it 
 strange when I tell you I have never beheld my grandmother 
 Demdike." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," exclaimed Dorothy. 
 
 " I have never even been to Pendle," pursued Alizon, et though 
 Jennet and my mother go there frequently. At one time I much 
 wished to see my aged relative, and pressed my mother to take 
 nie with her; but she refused, and now I have no desire to go." 
 
 u Strange I" exclaimed Dorothy. "Every thing you tell me 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 135 
 
 strengthens the idea I conceived, the moment I saw you, and 
 which my brother also entertained, that you are not the daughter 
 of Elizabeth Device." 
 
 " Did your brother think this ? " cried Alizon, eagerly. But 
 she immediately cast down her eyes. 
 
 " He did," replied Dorothy, not noticing her confusion. " c It 
 is impossible,' he said, ' that that lovely girl can be sprung from' 
 but I will not wound you by adding the rest." 
 
 " I cannot disown my kindred," said Alizon. " Still, I must 
 confess that some notions of the sort have crossed me, arising, 
 probably, from my mother's extraordinary treatment, and from 
 many other circumstances, which, though trifling in themselves, 
 were not without weight in leading me to the conclusion. Hitherto 
 I have treated it only as a passing fancy, but if you and Master 
 Kichard Assheton" and her voice slightly faltered as she pro- 
 nounced the name u think so, it may warrant me in more seriously 
 considering the matter." 
 
 " Do consider it most seriously, dear Alizon," cried Dorothy. 
 <f I have made up my mind, and Richard has made up his mind, 
 too, that you are not Mother Demdike's grand-daughter, nor 
 Elizabeth Device's daughter, nor Jennet's sister nor any rela- 
 tion of theirs. We are sure of it, and we will have you of our 
 mind." 
 
 The fair and animated speaker could not help noticing the 
 blushes that mantled Alizon's cheeks as she spoke, but she attri- 
 buted them to other than the true cause. Nor did she mend the 
 matter as she proceeded. 
 
 " I am sure you are well born, Alizon," she said, 6e and so it 
 will be found in the end. And Richard thinks so, too, for he said 
 so to me ; and Richard is my oracle, Alizon." 
 
 In spite of herself Alizon's eyes sparkled with pleasure ; but 
 she speedily checked the emotion. 
 
 " I must not indulge the dream," she said, with a sigh. 
 " Why not?" cried Dorothy. 6t I will have strict inquiries 
 made as to your history." 
 
 " I cannot consent to it," replied Alizon. (i I cannot leave 
 one who, if she be not my parent, has stood to me in that relation. 
 Neither can I have her brought into trouble on my account. What 
 will she think of me, if she learns I have indulged such a notion ? 
 She will say, and with truth, that I am the most ungrateful of 
 human beings, as well as the most unnatural of children. No, 
 dear young lady, it must not be. These fancies are brilliant, but 
 fallacious, and, like bubbles, burst as soon as formed." 
 
 " I admire your sentiments, though I do not admit the justice 
 of your reasoning," rejoined Dorothy. " It is not on your own 
 account merely, though that is much, that the secret of your 
 birth if there be one ought to be cleared up; but, for the 
 sake of those with whom you may be connected. There may be 
 
136 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 a mother, like mine, weeping for you as lost a brother, like 
 Richard, mourning you as dead. Think of the sad hearts your 
 restoration will make joyful. As to Elizabeth Device, no con- 
 sideration should be shown her. If she has stolen you from your 
 parents, as I suspect, she deserves no pity." 
 
 " All this is mere surmise, dear young lady," replied Alizon. 
 
 At this juncture they were startled, by seeing an old woman 
 come from behind the monument and plant herself before them. 
 Both uttered a cry, and would have fled, but a gesture from the 
 crone detained them. Very old was she, and of strange and 
 sinister aspect, almost blind, bent double, with frosted brows and 
 chin, and shaking with palsy. 
 
 " Stay where you are," cried the hag, in an imperious tone. a I 
 want to speak to you. Come nearer to me, my pretty wheans ; 
 nearer nearer." 
 
 And as they complied, drawn towards her by an impulse they 
 could not resist, the old woman caught hold of Alizon's arm, and 
 said with a chuckle. u So you are the wench they call Alizon 
 Device, eh!" 
 
 " Ay," replied Alizon, trembling like a dove in the talons of a 
 hawk. 
 
 " Do you know who I am ? " cried the hag, grasping her yet 
 more tightly. " Do you know who I am, I say I If not, I will 
 tell you. I am Mother Chattox of Pendle Forest, the rival of 
 Mother Demdike, and the enemy of all her accursed brood. Now, 
 do you know me, wench? Men call me witch. Whether I am so 
 or not, I have some power, as they and you shall find. Mother 
 Demdike has often defied me often injured me, but I will have 
 my revenge upon her ha ! ha !" 
 
 " Let me go," cried Alizon, greatly terrified. 
 
 "I will run and bring assistance," cried Dorothy. And she 
 flew to the door, but it resisted her attempts to open it. 
 
 " Come back," screamed the hag. " You strive in vain. The 
 door is fast shut fast shut. Come back, I say. Who are you?" 
 she added, as the maid drew near, ready to sink with terror. 
 " Your voice is an Assheton's voice. I know you now. You are 
 Dorothy Assheton whey-skinned, blue-eyed Dorothy. Listen to- 
 me, Dorothy. I owe your family a grudge, and, if you provoke 
 me, I will pay it oflfin part on you. Stir not, as you value your life.'* 
 
 The poor girl did not dare to move, and Alizon remained as if 
 fascinated by the terrible old woman. 
 
 " I will tell you what has happened, Dorothy," pursued Mother 
 Chattox. " I came hither to Whalley on business of my own ; 
 meddling with no one ; harming no one. Tread upon the adder 
 and it will bite ; and, when molested, I bite like the adder. 
 Your cousin, Nick Assheton, came in my way, called me ' witch/ 
 and menaced me. I cursed him ha! ha! And then your brother, 
 Richard" 
 
MOTHER CHATTOX, ALIZON, AND DOROTHY. 
 
 P. 136. 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 137 
 
 " What of him, in Heaven's name ? " almost shrieked Alizon. 
 "How's this?" exclaimed Mother Chattox, placing her hand 
 on the beating heart of the girl. 
 
 " What of Richard Assheton?" repeated Alizon. 
 " You love him, I feel you do, wench," cried the old crone with 
 fierce exultation. 
 
 " Release me, wicked woman," cried Alizon. 
 " Wicked, ami? ha ! ha !" rejoined Mother Chattox, chuckling 
 maliciously, " because, forsooth, I read thy heart, and betray its 
 secrets. Wicked, eh ! I tell thee wench again, Richard Assheton 
 is lord and master here. Every pulse in thy bosom beats for him 
 for him alone. But beware of his love. Beware of it, I say. 
 It shall bring thee ruin and despair." 
 
 " For pity's sake, release me," implored Alizon. 
 " Not yet," replied the inexorable old woman, " not yet. My 
 tale is not half told. My curse fell on Richard's head, as it did 
 on Nicholas's. And then the hell-hounds thought to catch me ; 
 but they were at fault. I tricked them nicely ha ! ha ! How- 
 ever, they took my Nance my pretty Nance they seized her, 
 bound her, bore her to the Calder and there swam her. Curses 
 light on them all ! all ! but chief on him who did it !" 
 " Who was he ? " inquired Alizon, tremblingly. 
 " Jem Device," replied the old woman u it was he who bound 
 her he who plunged her in the river, he who swam her. But I 
 will pinch and plague him for it. I will strew his couch with 
 nettles, and all wholesome food shall be poison to him. His blood 
 shall be as water, and his flesh shrink from his bones. He shall 
 waste away slowly slowly slowly till he drops like a skeleton 
 into the grave ready digged for him. All connected with him shall 
 feel my fury. I would kill thee now, if thou wert aught of his." 
 
 "Aught of his! What mean you, old woman?" demanded 
 Alizon. 
 
 " Why, this," rejoined Mother Chattox, " and let the knowledge 
 work in thee, to the confusion of Bess Device. Thou art not her 
 daughter." 
 
 " It is as I thought," cried Dorothy Assheton, roused by the 
 intelligence from her terror. 
 
 " I tell thee not this secret to pleasure thee," continued Mother 
 Chattox, " but to confound Elizabeth Device. I have no other 
 motive. She hath provoked my vengeance, and she shall feel it. 
 Thou art not her child, I say. The secret of thy birth is known 
 to me, but the time is not yet oome for its disclosure. It shall 
 out, one day, to the confusion of those who offend me. When 
 thou goest home tell thy reputed mother what I have said, and 
 mark how she takes the information. Ha ! who comes here ? " 
 
 The hag's last exclamation was occasioned by the sudden ap- 
 pearance of Mistress Nutter, who opened the door of the chapel, 
 and, staring in astonishment at the group, came quickly forward. 
 
138 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " What makes you here, Mother Chattox I " she cried. 
 
 " I came here to avoid pursuit," replied the old hag, with a 
 cowed manner, and in accents sounding strangely submissive after 
 her late infuriated tone. 
 
 " What have you been saying to these girls 1 " demanded Mis- 
 tress Nutter, authoritatively. 
 
 " Ask them," the hag replied. 
 
 " She declares that Alizon is not the daughter of Elizabeth 
 Device," cried Dorothy Assheton. 
 
 u Indeed ! " exclaimed Mistress Nutter quickly, and as if a 
 spring of extraordinary interest had been suddenly touched. <e What 
 reason hast thou for this assertion ? " 
 
 i( No good reason," replied the old woman evasively, yet with 
 evident apprehension of her questioner. 
 
 " Good reason or bad, I will have it," cried Mistress Nutter. 
 
 te What you, too, take an interest in the wench, like the rest ! " 
 returned Mother Chattox. "Is she so very winning?" 
 
 66 That is no answer to my question," said the lady. " Whose 
 child is she ? " 
 
 te Ask Bess Device, or Mother Demdike," replied Mother Chat- 
 tox ; s6 they know more about the matter than me." 
 
 <l I will have thee speak, and to the purpose," cried the lady, 
 angrily." 
 
 " Many an one has lost a child who would gladly have it back 
 again," said the old hag, mysteriously. 
 
 " Who has lost one ? " asked Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Nay, it passeth me to tell," replied the old woman with 
 affected ignorance. " Question those who stole her. I have set 
 you on the track. If you fail in pursuing it, come to me. You 
 know where to find me." 
 
 te You shall not go thus," said Mistress Nutter. a I will have 
 a direct answer now." 
 
 And as she spoke she waved her hands twice or thrice over the 
 old woman. In doing this her figure seemed to dilate, and her 
 countenance underwent a marked and fearful change. All her 
 beauty vanished, her eyes blazed, and terror sat on her wrinkled 
 brow. The hag, on the contrary, crouched lower down, and seemed 
 to dwindle less than her ordinary size. Writhing as from heavy 
 blows, and with a mixture of malice and fear in her countenance, 
 she cried, " Were I to speak, you would not thank me. Let me go." 
 
 " Answer," vociferated Mistress Nutter, disregarding the cau- 
 tion, and speaking in a sharp piercing voice, strangely contrasting 
 with her ordinary utterance. " Answer, I say, or I will beat thee 
 to the dust." 
 
 And she continued her gestures, while the sufferings of the old 
 hag evidently increased, and she crouched nearer and nearer to 
 the ground, moaning out the words, " Do not force me to speak. 
 You will repent it ! you will repent it !" 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 139 
 
 " Do not torment her thus, madam," cried Alizon, who with 
 Dorothy looked at the strange scene with mingled apprehension 
 and wonderment. Much as 1 desire to know the secret of my birth, 
 I would not obtain it thus." 
 
 As she uttered these words, the old woman contrived to shuffle 
 off, and disappeared behind the tomb. 
 
 " Why did you interpose, Alizon," cried Mistress Nutter, some- 
 what angrily, and dropping her hands. " You broke the power I 
 had over her. I would have compelled her to speak." 
 
 " I thank you, gracious lady, for your consideration," replied 
 Alizon, gratefully ; " but the sight was too painful." 
 
 " What has become of her where is she gone ?" cried Dorothy, 
 peeping behind the tomb. " She has crept into this vault, I 
 suppose." 
 
 " Do not trouble yourelf about her more, Dorothy," said Mis- 
 tress Nutter, resuming her wonted voice and wonted looks. " Let 
 us return to the house. Thus much is ascertained, Alizon, that 
 you are no child of your supposed parent. Wait a little, and the 
 rest shall be found out for you. And, meantime, be assured that 
 I take strong interest in you." 
 
 " That we all do," added Dorothy. 
 
 "Thank you! thank you!" exclaimed Alizon, almost over- 
 powered. 
 
 With this they went forth, and, traversing the shafted aisle, 
 quitted the conventual church, and took then- way along the alley 
 leading to the garden. 
 
 " Say not a word at present to Elizabeth Device of the informa- 
 tion you have obtained, Alizon," observed Mistress Nutter. " I 
 have reasons for this counsel, which I will afterwards explain to 
 you. And do you keep silence on the subject, Dorothy." 
 
 " May I not tell Richard ?" said the young lady. 
 
 " Not Richard not any one," returned Mistress Nutter, " or 
 you may seriously affect Alizon's prospects." 
 
 u You have cautioned me in time," cried Dorothy, " for here 
 comes my brother with our cousin Nicholas." 
 
 And as she spoke a turn in the alley showed Richard and Nicho- 
 las Assheton advancing towards them. 
 
 A strange revolution had been produced in Alizon's feelings by 
 the events of the last half hour. The opinions expressed by 
 Dorothy Assheton, as to her birth, had been singularly confirmed 
 by Mother Chattox; but could reliance be placed on the old 
 woman's assertions ? Might they not have been made with mis- 
 chievous intent I And was it not possible, nay, probable, that, 
 in her place of concealment behind the tomb, the vindictive hag 
 had overheard the previous conversation with Dorothy, and based 
 her own declaration upon it ? All these suggestions occurred to 
 Alizon, but the previous idea having once gained admission to her 
 breast, soon established itself firmly there, in spite of doubts and 
 
140 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Tiisgivings, and began to mix itself up with new thoughts and 
 wishes, with which other persons were connected ; for she could 
 not help fancying she might be well-born, and if so the vast dis- 
 tance heretofore existing between her and Richard Asshetoii 
 might be greatly diminished, if not altogether removed. So rapid 
 is the progress of thought, that only a few minutes were required 
 for this long train of reflections to pass through her mind, and it 
 was merely put to flight by the approach of the main object of 
 her thoughts. 
 
 On joining the party, Richard Assheton saw plainly that some- 
 thing had happened ; but as both his sister and Alizon laboured 
 under evident embarrassment, he abstained from making inquiries 
 as to its cause for the present, hoping a better opportunity of 'doing 
 so would occur, and the conversation was kept up by Nicholas 
 Assheton, who described, in his wonted lively manner, the encoun- 
 ter with Mother Chattox and Nance Redferne, the swimming of 
 the latter, and the trickery and punishment of Potts. During the 
 recital Mistress Nutter often glanced uneasily at the two girls, 
 but neither of them offered any interruption until Nicholas had 
 finished, when Dorothy, taking her brother's hand, said, with a 
 look of affectionate admiration, " You acted like yourself, dear 
 Richard." 
 
 Alizon did not venture to give utterance to the same sentiment, 
 but her looks plainly expressed it. 
 
 " I only wish you had punished that cruel James Device, as 
 well as saved poor Nance," added Dorothy. 
 
 ft Hush ! " exclaimed Richard, glancing at Alizon. 
 
 " You need not be afraid of hurting her feelings," cried the 
 young lady. " She does not mind him now." 
 
 " What do you mean, Dorothy?" cried Richard, in surprise. 
 
 " Oh, nothing nothing," she replied, hastily. 
 
 " Perhaps you will explain," said Richard to Alizon. 
 
 " Indeed I cannot," she answered in confusion. 
 
 " You would have laughed to see Potts creep out of the river," 
 said Nicholas, turning to Dorothy ; (6 he looked just like a 
 drowned rat ha ! ha ! " 
 
 " You have made a bitter enemy of him, Nicholas," observed 
 Mistress Nutter ; (i so look well to yourself." 
 
 (t I heed him not," rejoined the squire ; u he knows me now too 
 well to meddle with me again, and I shall take good care how I 
 put myself in his power. One thing I may mention, to show the 
 impotent malice of the knave. Just as he was setting off", he said, 
 ' This is not the only discovery of witchcraft 1 have made 
 to-day. I have another case nearer home.' What could he 
 mean?" 
 
 " I know not," replied Mistress Nutter, a shade of disquietude 
 passing over her countenance. " But he is quite capable of bring- 
 ing the charge against you or any of us." 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 141 
 
 " He is so," said Nicholas. " After what has occurred, I 
 wonder whether he will go over to Rough Lee to-morrow ? 
 
 " Very likely not," replied Mistress Nutter, " and in that case 
 Master Roger Nowell must provide some other person competent 
 to examine the boundary-line of the properties on his behalf." 
 
 " Then you are confident of the adjudication being in your 
 favour 1 " said Nicholas. 
 
 (i Quite so," replied Mistress Nutter, with a self-satisfied smile. 
 
 u The result, I hope, may justify your expectation," said 
 Nicholas ; " but it is right to tell you, that Sir Ralph, in consent- 
 ing to postpone his decision, has only done so out of consideration 
 to you. If the division of the properties be as represented by him, 
 Master Nowell will unquestionably obtain an award in his favour." 
 
 " Under such circumstances he may," said Mistress Nutter ; 
 " but you will find the contrary turn out to be the fact. I will 
 show you a plan I have had lately prepared, and you can then 
 judge for yourself." 
 
 While thus conversing, the party passed through a door in the 
 high stone wall dividing the garden from the court, and proceeded 
 towards the principal entrance of the mansion. Built out of the 
 ruins of the Abbey, which had served as a very convenient quarry 
 for the construction of this edifice, as well as for Portfield, the 
 house was large and irregular, planned chiefly with the view of 
 embodying part of the old abbot's lodging, and consisting of a 
 wide front, with two wings, one of which looked into the court, 
 and the other, comprehending the long gallery, into the garden. 
 The old north-east gate of the Abbey, with its lofty archway and 
 embattled walls, served as an entrance to the great court-yard, and 
 at its wicket ordinarily stood Ned Huddlestone, the porter, though 
 he was absent on the present occasion, being occupied with the 
 May-day festivities. Immediately opposite the gateway sprang a 
 flight of stone steps, with a double landing-place and a broad 
 balustrade of the same material, on the lowest pillar of which was 
 placed a large escutcheon sculptured with the arms of the family 
 argent, a mullet sable with a rebus on the name an ash on a 
 tun. The great door to which these steps conducted stood wide 
 open, and before it, on the upper landing-place, were collected 
 Lady Assheton, Mistress Braddyll, Mistress Nicholas Assheton, 
 and some other dames, laughing and conversing together. Some 
 long-eared spaniels, favourites of the lady of the house, were 
 chasing each other up and down the steps, disturbing the slumbers 
 of a couple of fine blood-hounds in the court-yard ; or persecuting 
 the proud peafowl that strutted about to display their gorgeous 
 plumage to the spectators. 
 
 On seeing the party approach, Lady Assheton came down to 
 meet them. 
 
 u You have been long absent," she said to Dorothy ; rt but I 
 suppose you have been exploring the ruins?" 
 
142 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Yes, we have not left a hole or corner unvisited," was the 
 reply. 
 
 " That is right," said Lady Assheton. " I knew you would 
 make a good guide, Dorothy. Of course you have often seen the 
 old conventual church before, Alizon?" 
 
 " I am ashamed to say I have not, your ladyship," she replied. 
 
 {i Indeed ! " exclaimed Lady Assheton ; " and yet you have 
 lived all your life in the village ? " 
 
 " Quite true, your ladyship," answered Alizon ; " but these 
 ruins have been prohibited to me." 
 
 " Not by us," said Lady Assheton; u they are open to every one." 
 
 u I was forbidden to visit them by my mother," said Alizon. 
 And for the first time the word u mother" seemed strange to her. 
 
 Lady Assheton looked surprised, but made no remark, and 
 mounting the steps, led the way to a spacious though not very 
 lofty chamber, with huge uncovered rafters, and a floor of polished 
 oak. Over a great fireplace at one side, furnished with immense 
 andirons, hun r a noble pair of antlers, and similar trophies of the 
 chase were affixed to other parts of the walls. Here and there 
 were likewise hung rusty skull-caps, breastplates, two-handed and 
 single-handed swords, maces, halberts, and arquebusses, with 
 chain-shirts, buff-jerkins, matchlocks, and other warlike imple- 
 ments, amongst which were several shields painted with the arms 
 of the Asshetons and their alliances. High-backed chairs of gilt 
 leather were ranged against the walls, and ebony cabinets inlaid 
 with ivory were set between them at intervals, supporting rare 
 specimens of glass and earthenware. Opposite the fireplace, 
 stood a large clock, curiously painted and decorated with emblem- 
 atical devices, with the signs of the zodiac, and provided with 
 movable figures to strike the hours on a bell ; while from the 
 centre of the roof hung a great chandelier of stag's horn. 
 
 Lady Assheton did not tarry long within the entrance hall, for 
 such it was, but conducted her guests through an arched door- 
 way on the right into the long gallery. One hundred and fifty 
 feet in length, and proportionately wide and lofty, this vast 
 chamber had undergone little change since its original construction 
 by the old owners of the Abbey. Panelled and floored with 
 lustrous oak, and hung in some parts with antique tapestry, 
 representing scriptural subjects, one side was pierced with lofty 
 pointed windows, looking out upon the garden, while the southern 
 extremity boasted a magnificent window, with heavy stone mul- 
 lions, though of more recent workmanship than the framework, 
 commanding Whalley Nab and the river. The furniture of the 
 apartment was grand but gloomy, and consisted of antique chairs 
 and tables belonging to the Abbey. Some curious ecclesiastical 
 sculptures, wood carvings, and saintly images, were placed at 
 intervals near the walls, and on the upper panels were hung a 
 row of family portraits. 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 143 
 
 Quitting the rest of the company, and proceeding to the 
 southern window, Dorothy invited Alizon and her brother to place 
 themselves beside her on the cushioned seats of the deep embra- 
 sure. Little conversation, however, ensued ; Alizon' s heart being 
 too full for utterance, and recent occurrences engrossing Dorothy's 
 thoughts, to the exclusion of every thing else. Having made one 
 or two unsuccessful efforts to engage them in talk, Richard like- 
 wise lapsed into silence, and gazed out on the lovely scenery 
 before him. The evening has been described as beautiful ; and 
 the swift Calder, as it hurried by, was tinged with rays of the 
 declining sun, whilst the woody heights of Whalley Nab were 
 steeped in the same rosy light. But the view failed to interest 
 Richard in his present mood, and after a brief survey, he stole a 
 look at Alizon, and was surprised to find her in tears. 
 
 " What saddening thoughts cross you, fair girl?" he inquired, 
 with deep interest. 
 
 " I can hardly account for my sudden despondency," she 
 replied ; " but I have heard that great happiness is the precursor 
 of dejection, and the saying I suppose must be true, for I have 
 been happier to-day than I ever was before in my life. But the 
 feeling of sadness is now past," she added, smiling. 
 
 " I am glad of it," said Richard. " May I not know what has 
 occurred to you ? " 
 
 "Not at present," interposed Dorothy ; " but I am sure you 
 will be pleased when you are made acquainted with the circum- 
 stance. I would tell you now if I might." 
 
 " May I guess ? " said Richard. 
 
 " I don't know," rejoined Dorothy, who was dying to tell him. 
 "May he?" 
 
 " Oh no, no !" cried Alizon. 
 
 " You are very perverse," said Richard, with a look of disap- 
 pointment. " There can be no harm in guessing ; and you can 
 please yourself as to giving an answer. I fancy, then, that Alizon 
 has made some discovery." 
 
 Dorothy nodded. 
 
 " Relative to her parentage?" pursued Richard. 
 
 Another nod. 
 
 l( She has found out she is not Elizabeth Device's daughter?" 
 said Richard. 
 
 " Some witch must have told you this," exclaimed Dorothy. 
 
 " Have I indeed guessed rightly ? " cried Richard, with an 
 eagerness that startled his sister. " Do not keep me in suspense. 
 Speak plainly." 
 
 <e How im I tc answer him, Alizon ? " said Dorothy. 
 
 " Nay, do aot appeal to me, dear young lady," she answered, 
 blushing. 
 
 " I have gone too far to retreat," rejoined Dorothy, " and there- 
 fore, despite Mistress Nutter's interdiction, the truth shall out. 
 
144 THE LANCASHIKE WITCHES. 
 
 You have guessed shrewdly, Richard. A discovery has been made 
 a very great discovery. Alizon is not the daughter of Elizabeth 
 Device." 
 
 " The intelligence delights me, though it scarcely surprises 
 me," cried Richard, gazing with heartfelt pleasure at the blushing 
 girl ; for I was sure of the fact from the first. Nothing so good 
 and charming as Alizon could spring from so foul a source. How 
 and by what means you have derived this information, as well as 
 whose daughter you are, I shall wait patiently to learn. Enough 
 for me you are not the sister of James Device enough you are 
 not the grandchild of Mother Demdike." 
 
 " You know all I know, in knowing thus much," replied 
 Alizon, timidly. "And secrecy has been enjoined by Mistress 
 Nutter, in order that the rest may be found out. But oh! 
 should the hopes I have perhaps too hastily indulged, prove 
 fallacious" 
 
 u They cannot be fallacious, Alizon," interrupted Richard, 
 eagerly. et On that score rest easy. Your connexion with that 
 wretched family is for ever broken. But I can see the necessity 
 of caution, and shall observe it. And so Mistress Nutter takes 
 an interest in you 1 " 
 
 " The strongest," replied Dorothy; " but see! she comes this way." 
 
 But we must now go back for a short space. 
 
 While Mistress Nutter and Nicholas were seated at a table 
 examining a plan of the Rough Lee estates, the latter was greatly 
 astonished to see the door open and give admittance to Master 
 Potts, who he fancied snugly lying between a couple of blankets, 
 at the Dragon. The attorney was clad in a riding-dress, which 
 he had exchanged for his wet habiliments, and was accompanied 
 by Sir Ralph Assheton and Master Roger Nowell. On seeing 
 Nicholas, he instantly stepped up to him. 
 
 ft Aha ! squire," he cried, " you did not expect to see me again 
 so soon, eh ! A pottle of hot sack put my blood into circulation, 
 and having, luckily, a change of raiment in my valise, I am all 
 right again. Not so easily got rid of, you see ! " 
 
 " So it appears," replied Nicholas, laughing. 
 
 " We have a trifling account to settle together, sir," said the 
 attorney, putting on a serious look. 
 
 " Whenever you please, sir," replied Nicholas, good-humouredly, 
 tapping the hilt of his sword. 
 
 " Not in that way," cried Potts, darting quickly back. " I never 
 fight with those weapons never. Our dispute must be settled 
 in a court of law, sir in a court of law. You understand, Master 
 Nicholas?" 
 
 " There is a shrewd maxim, Master Potts, that he who is his 
 own lawyer has a fool for his client," observed Nicholas, drily. 
 " Would it not be better to stick to the defence of others, rather 
 than practise in your own behalf?" 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 145 
 
 " You have expressed my opinion, Master Nicholas," observed 
 Roger Nowell ; " and I hope Master Potts will not commence any 
 action on his own account till he has finished my business." 
 
 " Assuredly not, sir, since you desire it," replied the attorney, 
 obsequiously. " But my motives must not be mistaken. I have 
 a clear case of assault and battery against Master Nicholas 
 Assheton, or I may proceed against him criminally for an attempt 
 on my life." 
 
 " Have you given him no provocation, sir? " demanded Sir Ralph, 
 sternly. 
 
 " No provocation can justify the treatment I have experienced, 
 Sir Ralph," replied Potts. " However, to show I am a man of 
 peace, and harbour no resentment, however just grounds I may 
 have for such a feeling, I am willing to make up the matter with 
 Master Nicholas, provided " 
 
 " He offers you a handsome consideration, eh? " said the squire. 
 
 '* Provided he offers me a handsome apology such as a gentle- 
 man may accept," rejoined Potts, consequentially. 
 
 " And which he will not refuse, I am sure," said Sir Ralph, 
 glancing at his cousin. 
 
 " I should certainly be sorry to have drowned you," said the 
 squire " very sorry." 
 
 "Enough enough I am content," cried Potts, holding out 
 his hand, which Nicholas grasped with an energy that brought 
 tears into the little man's eyes. 
 
 ts I am glad the matter is amicably adjusted," observed Roger 
 Nowell, " for I suspect both parties have been to blame. And I 
 must now request you, Master Potts, to forego your search and 
 inquiries after witches, till such time as you have settled this 
 question of the boundary line for me. One matter at a time, my 
 good sir." 
 
 " But, Master Nowell," cried Potts, " my much esteemed and 
 singular good client " 
 
 " I will have no nay," interrupted Nowell, peremptorily. 
 
 " Hum ! " muttered Potts ; " I shall lose the best chance of dis- 
 tinction ever thrown in my way." 
 
 66 1 care not," said Nowell. 
 
 " Just as you came up, Master Nowell," observed Nicholas, who 
 was examining a plan of the disputed estates in Pendle Forest, 
 It differs from yours, and, if correct, certainly substantiates Mis- 
 tress Nutter's claim." 
 
 " I have mine with me," replied Nowell, producing a plan, and 
 opening it. " We can compare the two, if you please. The line 
 runs thus : From the foot of Pendle Hill, beginning with Barley 
 Booth, the boundary is marked by a stone wall, as far as certain 
 fields in the occupation of John Ogden. Is it not so?" 
 
 "It is," replied Nicholas, comparing the statement with the 
 other plan. 
 
146 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " It then runs on in a northerly direction," pursued Nowell, 
 towards Burst Clough, and here the landmarks are certain stones 
 placed in the moor, one hundred yards apart, and giving me twenty 
 acres of this land, and Mistress Nutter ten." 
 
 " On the contrary," replied Nicholas. " This plan gives Mis- 
 tress Nutter twenty acres, and you ten." 
 
 " Then the plan is wrong," cried Nowell, sharply. 
 
 " It has been carefully prepared," said Mistress Nutter, who 
 had approached the table. 
 
 " No matter ; it is wrong, I say," cried Nowell, angrily. 
 
 " You see where the landmarks are placed, Master Nowell," 
 said Nicholas, pointing to the measurement. ff I merely go by 
 them." 
 
 " The landmarks are improperly placed in that plan," cried 
 Nowell. 
 
 " I will examine them myself to-morrow," said Potts, taking 
 out a large memorandum-book ; " there cannot be an error of 
 ten acres ten perches or ten feet, possibly, but acres pshaw ! " 
 
 " Laugh as you please ; but go on," said Mrs. Nutter. 
 
 66 Well, then," pursued Nicholas, " the line approaches the 
 bank of a rivulet, called Moss Brook a rare place for woodcocks 
 and snipes that Moss Brook, I may remark the land on the left 
 consisting of five acres of waste land, marked by a sheepfold, 
 and two posts set up in a line with it, belonging to Mistress 
 Nutter." 
 
 " To Mistress Nutter !" exclaimed Nowell, indignantly. " To 
 me, you mean." 
 
 " It is here set down to Mistress Nutter," said Nicholas. 
 
 " Then it is set down wrongfully," cried Nowell. u That plan 
 is altogether incorrect." 
 
 " On which side of the field does the rivulet flow ? " inquired 
 Potts. 
 
 " On the right," replied Nicholas. 
 
 On the left," cried Nowell. 
 
 tf There must be some extraordinary mistake," said Potts. " I 
 shall make a note of that, and examine it to-morrow. N.B. 
 Waste land sheepfold rivulet called Moss Brook, flowing on 
 the left." 
 
 (i On the right," cried Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " That remains to be seen," rejoined Potts, " I have made the 
 entry as on the left." 
 
 " Go on, Master Nicholas," said Nowell, " I should like to see 
 how many other errors that plan contains." 
 
 "Passing the rivulet," pursued the squire, "we come to a 
 footpath leading to the limestone quarry, about which there can 
 be no mistake. Then by Cat Gallows Wood and Swallow Hole; 
 and then by another path to Worston Moor, skirting a hut in the 
 occupation of James Device ha 1 ha I Master Jem, are you 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 147 
 
 here ? I thought you dwelt with your grandmother at Malkin 
 Tower excuse me, Master Nowell, but one must relieve the 
 dulness of this plan by an exclamation or so and here being 
 waste land again, the landmarks are certain stones set at inter- 
 vals towards Hook Cliff, and giving Mistress Nutter two-thirds 
 of the whole moor, and Master Roger Nowell one-third." 
 
 " False again," cried Nowell, furiously. st The two-thirds are 
 mine, the one-third Mistress Nutter's." 
 
 " Somebody must be very wrong," cried Nicholas. 
 
 " Yery wrong indeed," added Potts ; " and I suspect that that 
 eomebody is " 
 
 " Master Nowell," said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Mistress Nutter," cried Master Nowell. 
 
 "Both are wrong and both right, according to your own 
 showing," said Nicholas, laughing. 
 
 " To-morrow will decide the question," said Potts. 
 
 " Better wait till then," interposed Sir Ralph. " Take both 
 plans with you, and you will then ascertain which is correct." 
 
 " Agreed," cried Nowell. " Here is mine." 
 
 " And here is mine," said Mistress Nutter. " I will abide by 
 the investigation." 
 
 " And Master Potts and I will verify the statements," said 
 Nicholas. 
 
 " We will, sir," replied the attorney, putting his memorandum 
 book in his pocket. " We will." 
 
 The plans were then delivered to the custody of Sir Ralph, 
 who promised to hand them over to Potts and Nicholas on the 
 morrow. 
 
 The party then separated ; Mistress Nutter shaping her course 
 towards the window where Alizon and the two other young 
 people were seated, while Potts, plucking the squire's sleeve, said, 
 with a very mysterious look, that he desired a word with him in 
 private. Wondering what could be the nature of the communi- 
 cation the attorney desired to make, Nicholas withdrew with him 
 into a corner, and Nowell, who saw them retire, and could not 
 help watching them with some curiosity, remarked that the 
 squire's hilarious countenance fell as he listened to the attorney, 
 while, on the contrary, the features of the latter gleamed with 
 malicious satisfaction. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mistress Nutter approached Alizon, and beckoning 
 her towards her, they quitted the room together. As the young 
 girl went forth, she cast a wistful look at Dorothy and her 
 brother. 
 
 " You think with me, that that lovely girl is well born 1 " said 
 Dorothy, as Alizon disappeared. 
 
 " It were heresy to doubt it," answered Richard. 
 
 " Shall I tell you another secret?" she continued, regarding 
 him fixedly " if, indeed, it be a secret, for you must be sadly 
 
148 THE LANCASHIRE' WITCHES. 
 
 wanting in discernment if you have not found it out ere this. 
 She loves you." 
 
 " Dorothy !" exclaimed Richard. 
 
 " I am sure of it," she rejoined. " But I would not tell you 
 this, if I were not quite equally sure that you love her in return." 
 
 " On my faith, Dorothy, you give yourself credit for wonder- 
 ful penetration," cried Richard. 
 
 " Not a whit more than I am entitled to," she answered. 
 et Nay, it will not do to attempt concealment with me. If I had 
 not been certain of the matter before, your manner now would 
 convince me. I am very glad of it. She will make a charming 
 sister, and I shall be very fond of her." 
 
 " Hovf you do run on, madcap !" cried her brother, trying to 
 look displeased, but totally failing in assuming the expression. 
 
 " Stranger things have cpme to pass," said Dorothy ; " and 
 one reads in story-books of young nobles marrying village 
 maidens in spite of parental opposition. I dare say you will get 
 nobody's consent to the marriage but mine, Richard." 
 
 " I 'dare say not," he replied, rather blankly. 
 
 " That is, if she should not turn out to be somebody's 
 daughter," pursued Dorothy ; " somebody, I mean, quite as great 
 as the heir of Middleton, which I make no doubt she will." 
 
 " I hope she may," replied Richard. 
 
 " Why, you don't mean to say you wouldn't marry her if she 
 didn't !" cried Dorothy. "I'm ashamed of you, Richard." 
 
 " It would remove all opposition, at aU events/' said her 
 brother. 
 
 " So it would," said Dorothy ; " and now I'll tell you another 
 notion of mine, Richard. Somehow or other, it has come into 
 my head that Alizon is the daughter of whom do you think ? " 
 
 Whom! "he cried. 
 
 " Guess," she rejoined. 
 
 " I can't," he exclaimed, impatiently. 
 
 st Well, then, I'll tell you without more ado," she answered. 
 " Mind, it's only my notion, and I've no precise grounds for it. 
 But, in my opinion, she's the daughter of the lady who has just 
 left the room." 
 
 * Of Mistress Nutter !" ejaculated Richard, starting. "What 
 makes you think so ? " 
 
 " The extraordinary and otherwise unaccountable interest she 
 takes in her," replied Dorothy. " And, if you recollect, Mistress 
 Nntter had an infant daughter who was lost in a strange manner." 
 
 <f I thought the child died," replied Richard ; " but it may be 
 as you say. I hope it is so." 
 
 " Time will show," said Dorothy ; " but I have made up iny 
 mind about the matter." 
 
 At this moment Nicholas Assheton came up to them, looking 
 grave and uneasy. 
 
THE RUINED CONVENTUAL CHURCH. 149 
 
 s( What has happened f " asked Richard, anxiously. 
 
 <C I have just received some very unpleasant intelligence," 
 replied Nicholas. " I told you of a menace uttered by that 
 confounded Potts, on quitting me after his ducking. He has 
 now spoken out plainly, and declares he overheard part of a 
 conversation between Mistress Nutter and Elizabeth Device, 
 which took place in the ruins of the convent church this morning, 
 and he is satisfied that " 
 
 " Well !" cried Richard, breathlessly. 
 
 " That Mistress Nutter is a witch, and in league with witches," 
 continued Nicholas. 
 
 " Ha ! " exclaimed Richard, turning deathly pale. 
 
 " I suspect the rascal has invented the charge," said Nicholas ; 
 " but he is quite unscrupulous enough to make it ; and, if made, 
 it will be fatal to our relative's reputation, if not to her life." 
 
 "It is false, I am sure of it," cried Richard, torn by conflicting 
 emotions. 
 
 " Would I could think so !" cried Dorothy, suddenly recollect- 
 ing Mistress Nutter's strange demeanour in the little chapel, and 
 the unaccountable influence she seemed to exercise over the old 
 crone. " But something has occurred to-day that leads me to a 
 contrary conviction." 
 
 " What is it ? Speak !" cried Richard. 
 
 " Not now not now," replied Dorothy. 
 
 " Whatever suspicions you may entertain, keep silence, or you 
 will destroy Mistress Nutter," said Nicholas. 
 
 " Fear me not," rejoined Dorothy. " Oh, Alizon !" she mur- 
 mured, "that this unhappy question should arise at such a 
 moment." 
 
 " Do you indeed believe the charge, Dorothy ? " asked Richard, 
 in a low voice. 
 
 66 1 do," she answered in the same tone. " If Alizon be her 
 daughter, she can never be your wife." 
 
 "How?" cried Richard. 
 
 "Never never!" repeated Dorothy, emphatically. "The 
 daughter of a witch, be that witch named Elizabeth Device or 
 Alice Nutter, is no mate for you." 
 
 " You prejudge Mistress Nutter, Dorothy," he cried. 
 
 " Alas ! Richard. I have too good reason for what I say," she 
 answered, sadly. 
 
 Richard uttered an exclamation of despair. And on the instant 
 the lively sounds of tabor and pipe, mixed with the jingling of 
 bells, arose from the court-yard, and presently afterwards an at- 
 tendant entered to announce that the May-day revellers were 
 without, and directions were given by Sir Ralph that they should 
 be shown into the great banqueting-hall below the gallery, which 
 had been prepared for their reception. 
 
150 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES* 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. THE REVELATION. 
 
 ON quitting the long gallery, Mistress Nutter and Alizon 
 ascended a wide staircase, and, traversing a corridor, came to an 
 antique, tapestried chamber, richly but cumbrously furnished, 
 having a carved oak bedstead with sombre hangings, a few high- 
 backed chairs of the same material, and a massive wardrobe, with 
 shrine-work atop, and two finely sculptured figures, of the size of 
 life, in the habits of Cistertian monks, placed as supporters at either 
 extremity. At one side of the bed the tapestry was drawn aside, 
 showing the entrance to a closet or inner room, and opposite it 
 there was a great yawning fireplace, with a lofty mantelpiece and 
 chimney projecting beyond the walls. The windows were narrow, 
 and darkened by heavy transom bars and small diamond panes 
 while the view with out, looking upon Whalley Nab, was obstruct- 
 ed by the contiguity of a tall cypress, whose funereal branches 
 added to the general gloom. The room was one of those formerly 
 allotted to their guests by the hospitable abbots, and had under- 
 gone little change since their time, except in regard to furniture ; 
 and even that appeared old and faded now. What with the gloomy 
 arras, the shrouded bedstead, and the Gothic wardrobe with its 
 mysterious figures, the chamber had a grim, ghostly air, and so the 
 young girl thought on entering it. 
 
 " I have brought you hither, Alizon," said Mistress Nutter, 
 motioning her to a seat, " that we may converse without chance 
 of interruption, for I have much to say. On first seeing you to- 
 day, your appearance, so superior to the rest of the May-day 
 mummers, struck me forcibly, and I resolved to question Elizabeth 
 Device about you. Accordingly I bade her join me in the Abbey 
 gardens. She did so, and had not long left me when I accident- 
 ally met you and the others in the Lacy Chapel. When questioned, 
 Elizabeth affected great surprise, and denied positively that there 
 was any foundation for the idea that you were other than her 
 child; but, notwithstanding her asseverations, I could see from her 
 confused manner that there was more in the notion than she chose 
 to admit, and I determined to have recourse to other means of 
 arriving at the truth, little expecting my suspicions would be so 
 soon confirmed by Mother Chattox. To my interrogation of that 
 old woman, you were yourself a party, and I am now rejoiced that 
 you interfered to prevent me from prosecuting my inquiries to the 
 utmost. There was one present from whom the secret of your 
 birth must be strictly kept at least, for awhile and my impa- 
 tience carried me too far." 
 
 " I only obeyed a natural impulse, madam," said Alizon ; " but 
 I am at a loss to conceive what claim I can possibly have to the 
 consideration you show me." 
 
THE REVELATION. 151 
 
 a Listen to me, and you shall learn," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 ts It is a sad tale, and its recital will tear open old wounds, but it 
 must not be withheld on that account. I do not ask you to bury 
 the secrets I am about to impart in the recesses of your bosom. 
 You will do so when you learn them, without my telling you. 
 When little more than your age I was wedded ; but not to him I 
 would have chosen if choice had been permitted me. The union 
 I need scarcely say was unhappy most unhappy though my 
 discomforts were scrupulously concealed, and I was looked upon 
 as a devoted wife, and iny husband as a model of conjugal affec- 
 tion. But this was merely the surface internally all was strife 
 and misery. Erelong my dislike of my husband increased to 
 absolute hate, while on his part, though_he still regarded me with 
 as much passion as heretofore, he became frantically jealous and 
 above all of Edward Braddyll of Portfield,who,as his bosom friend, 
 and my distant relative, was a frequent visiter at the house. To 
 relate the numerous exhibitions of jealousy that occurred would 
 answer little purpose, and it will be enough to say that not a word 
 or look passed between Edward and myself but was misconstrued. 
 I took care never to be alone with our guest nor to give any just 
 ground for suspicion but my caution availed nothing. An easy 
 remedy would have been to forbid Edward the house, but this my 
 husband's pride rejected. He preferred to endure the jealous 
 torment occasioned by the presence of his wife's fancied lover, and 
 inflict needless anguish on her, rather than brook the jeers of a 
 few indifferent acquaintances. The same feeling made him desire 
 to keep up an apparent good understanding with me ; and so far 
 I seconded his views, for I shared in his pride, if in nothing else. 
 Our quarrels were all in private, when no eye could see us no 
 ear listen." 
 
 " Yours is a melancholy history, madam," remarked Alizon, in 
 a tone of profound interest. 
 
 " You will think so ere I have done," returned the lady, sadly. 
 u The only person in my confidence, and aware of my secret sor- 
 rows, was Elizabeth Device, who with her husband, John Device, 
 then lived at Kough Lee. Serving me in the quality of tire- 
 woman and personal attendant, she could not be kept in ignorance 
 of what took place, and the poor soul offered me all the sympathy 
 in her power. Much was it needed, for I had no other sympathy. 
 After awhile, I know not from what cause, unless from some im- 
 
 Erudence on the part of Edward Braddyll, who was wild and reck- 
 588, my husband conceived worse suspicions than ever of me, and 
 began to treat me with such harshness and cruelty, that, unable 
 longer to endure his violence, I appealed to my father. But he 
 was of a stern and arbitrary nature, and, having forced me into 
 the match, would not listen to my complaints, but bade me submit. 
 i It was my duty to do so,' he said, and he added some cutting 
 expressions to the effect that I deserved the treatment I experi- 
 
152 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 enced, and dismissed me. Driven to desperation, I sought counsel 
 and assistance from one I should most have avoided from Edward 
 Braddyll and he proposed flight from my husband's roof flight 
 with him." 
 
 " But you were saved, madam?" cried Alizon, greatly shocked 
 by the narration. " You were saved 1 " 
 
 " Hear me out," rejoined Mistress Nutter. et Outraged as my feel- 
 ings were, and loathsome as my husband was to me, I spurned the 
 base proposal, and instantly quitted my false friend. Nor would I 
 have seen him more, if permitted; but that secret interview with him 
 was my first and last ; for it had been witnessed by my husband." 
 
 " Ha !" exclaimed Alizon. 
 
 " Concealed behind the arras, Richard Nutter heard enough to 
 confirm his worst suspicions," pursued the lady ; " but he did not 
 hear my justification. He saw Edward Braddyll at my feet he 
 heard him urge me to fly but he did not wait to learn if I con- 
 sented, and, looking upon me as guilty, left his hiding-place to 
 take measures for frustrating the plan, he supposed concerted be- 
 tween us. That night I was made prisoner in my room, and 
 endured treatment the most inhuman. But a proposal was made 
 by my husband, that promised some alleviation of my suffering. 
 Henceforth we were to meet only in public, \vhen a semblance of 
 affection was to be maintained on both sides. This was done, he 
 said, to save my character, and preserve his own name unspotted 
 in the eyes of others, however tarnished it might be in his own. 
 I willingly consented to the arrangement ; and thus for a brief 
 epace I became tranquil, if not happy. But another and severer 
 trial awaited me/' 
 
 "Alas, madam!" exclaimed Alizon, sympathisingly. 
 
 " My cup of sorrow, I thought, was full," pursued Mistress 
 Nutter ; " but the drop was wanting to make it overflow. It 
 came soon enough. Amidst my griefs I expected to be a 
 mother, and with that thought how many fond and cheering 
 anticipations mingled ! In my child I hoped to find a balm for my 
 woes : in its smiles and innocent endearments a compensation for 
 the harshness and injustice I had experienced. How little did I 
 foresee that it was to be a new instrument of torture to me ; and 
 that I should be cruelly robbed of the only blessing ever vouch- 
 safed me !" 
 
 ts Did the child die, madam ? " asked Alizon. 
 
 " You shall hear," replied Mistress Nutter. " A daughter 
 was born to me. I was made happy by its birth. A new 
 existence, bright and unclouded, seemed dawning upon me ; but 
 it was like a sunburst on a stormy day. Some two months before 
 this event Elizabeth Device had given birth to a daughter, and 
 ehe now took my child under her fostering care; for weakness 
 prevented me from affording it the support it is a mother's 
 blessed privilege to bestow. She seemed as fond of it as myself; 
 
THE REVELATION. 153 
 
 and never was babe more calculated to win love than my little 
 Millicent. Oh! how shall I go on? The retrospect I am com- 
 pelled to take is frightful, but I cannot shun it. The foul and 
 false suspicions entertained by my husband began to settle on the 
 child. He would not believe it to be his own. With violent 
 oaths and threats he first announced his odious suspicions to 
 Elizabeth Device, and she, full of terror, communicated them to 
 me. The tidings filled me with inexpressible alarm ; for I knew, if 
 the dread idea had once taken possession of him, it would never 
 be removed, while what he threatened would be executed. I 
 would have fled at once with my poor babe if I had known where 
 to go ; but I had no place of shelter. It would be in vain to seek 
 refuge with my father; and I had no other relative or friend 
 whom I could trust. Where then should I fly? At last I 
 bethought me of a retreat, and arranged a plan of escape with 
 Elizabeth Device. Vain were my precautions. On that very 
 night, I was startled from slumber by a sudden cry from the 
 nurse, who was seated by the fire, with the child on her knees. 
 It was long past midnight, and all the household were at rest. 
 Two persons had entered the room. One was my ruthless 
 husband, Richard Nutter ; the other was John Device, a powerful 
 ruffianly fellow, who planted himself near the door. 
 
 " Marching quickly towards Elizabeth, who had arisen on 
 seeing him, my husband snatched the child from her before I 
 could seize it, and with a violent blow on the chest felled me to 
 the ground, where I lay helpless, speechless. With reeling senses 
 I heard Elizabeth cry out that it was her own child, and call upon 
 her husband to save it. Richard Nutter paused, but re-assured 
 by a laugh of disbelief from his ruffianly follower, he told Elizabeth 
 the pitiful excuse would not avail to save the brat. And then I 
 saw a weapon gleam there was a feeble piteous cry a cry that 
 might have moved a demon but it did not move him. With 
 wicked words and blood-imbrued hands he cast the body on the 
 fire. The horrid sight was too much for me, and I became 
 senseless." 
 
 " A dreadful tale, indeed, madam ! " cried Alizon, frozen with 
 horror, 
 
 " The crime was hidden hidden from the eyes of men, but 
 mark the retribution that followed," said Mistress Nutter; her 
 eyes sparkling with vindictive joy. " Of the two murderers 
 both perished miserably. John Device was drowned in a moss- 
 pool. Richard Nutter's end was terrible, sharpened by the pangs 
 of remorse, and marked by frightful suffering. But another dark 
 event preceded his death, which may have laid a crime the more 
 on his already heavily-burdened soul. Edward Braddyll, the 
 object of his jealousy and Kate, suddenly sickened of a malady so 
 Strange and fearful, that all who saw him affirmed it the result of 
 Witchcraft. None thought of my husband's agency in the dark 
 
154 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 affair except myself; but knowing he had held many secret confe- 
 rences about the time with Mother Chattox, I more than 
 suspected him. The sick man died ; and from that hour Richard 
 Nutter knew no rest. Ever on horseback, or fiercely carousing, 
 he sought in vain to stifle remorse. Visions scared him by night, 
 and vague fears pursued him by day. He would start at shadows, 
 and talk wildly. To me his whole demeanour was altered ; and 
 he strove by every means in his power to win my love. But he 
 could not give me back the treasure he had taken. He could 
 not bring to life my murdered babe. Like his victim, he fell ill on 
 a sudden, and of a strange and terrible sickness. I saw he could 
 not recover, and therefore tended him carefully. He died ; and I 
 shed no tear." 
 
 " Alas !" exclaimed Alizon, " though guilty, I cannot but com- 
 passionate him." 
 
 " You are right to do so, Alizon," said Mistress Nutter, rising, 
 while the young girl rose too ; " for he was your father." 
 
 " My father I" she exclaimed, in amazement. " Then you are 
 my mother?" 
 
 " I am I am," replied Mistress Nutter, straining her to her 
 bosom. u Oh, my child ! my dear child!" she cried. "The 
 voice of nature from the first pleaded eloquently in your behalf, 
 and I should have been deaf to all impulses of affection if I had 
 not listened to the call. I now trace in every feature the 
 lineaments of the babe I thought lost for ever. All is clear to me. 
 The exclamation of Elizabeth Device, which, like my ruthless 
 husband, I looked upon as an artifice to save the infant's life, I 
 now find to be the truth. Her child perished instead of mine. 
 How or why she exchanged the infants on that night remains 
 to be explained, but that she did so is certain; while that she 
 should afterwards conceal the circumstance is easily comprehended, 
 from a natural dread of her own husband as well as of mine. It 
 is possible that from some cause she may still deny the truth, but 
 I can make it her interest to speak plainly. The main difficulty 
 will lie in my public acknowledgment of you. But, at whatever 
 cost, it shall be made." 
 
 " Oh ! consider it well ; " said Alizon, " I will be your daughter 
 in love in duty in all but name. But sully not my poor father's 
 honour, which even at the peril of his soul he sought to maintain! 
 How can I be owned as your daughter without involving the dis- 
 covery of this tragic history?" 
 
 " I pu are right, Alizon," rejoined Mistress Nutter, thoughtfully. 
 " It will bringthe dark deed to light. But you shall never return 
 to Elizabeth Device. You shall go with me to Rough Lee, and 
 take up your abode in the house where I was once so wretched 
 but where I shall now be full of happiness with you. You shall 
 Bee the dark spots on the hearth, which I took to bo your 
 blood." 
 
THE REVELATION. 155 
 
 " If not mine, it was blood spilt by my father," said Alizon 
 with a shudder. 
 
 Was it fancy, or did a low groan break upon her ear! It must 
 be imaginary, for Mistress Nutter seemed unconscious of the 
 dismal sound. It was now growing rapidly dark, and the more 
 distant objects in the room were wrapped in obscurity ; but 
 Alizon's gaze rested on the two monkish figures supporting 
 the wardrobe. 
 
 " Look there, mother," she said to Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Where ?" cried the lady, turning round quickly, " Ah ! I see. 
 You alarm yourself needlesky, my child. Those are only carved 
 figures of two brethren of the Abbey. They are said, I know not 
 \vith what truth to be statues of John Paslew aud Borlace 
 Alvetham." 
 
 " I thought they stirred," said Alizon. 
 
 " It was mere fancy," replied Mistress Nutter. " Calm your- 
 self, sweet child. Let us think of other things of our newly 
 discovered relationship. Henceforth, to me you are Millicent 
 Nutter ; though to others you must still be Alizon Device. My 
 sweet Millicent," she cried, embracing her again and again. " Ah, 
 little little did I think to see you more !" 
 
 Alizon's fears were speedily chased away. 
 
 " Forgive me, dear mother," she cried, " if I have failed to 
 express the full delight I experience in my restitution to you. 
 The shock of your sad tale at first deadened my joy, while the 
 suddenness of the information respecting myself so overwhelmed 
 me, that like one chancing upon a hidden treasure, and gazing at 
 it confounded, I was unable to credit my own good fortune. 
 Even now I am quite bewildered ; and no wonder, for many 
 thoughts, each of different import, throng upon me. Indepen- 
 dently of the pleasure and natural pride I must feel in being 
 acknowledged by you as a daughter, it is a source of the 
 deepest satisfaction to me to know that I am not, in any way, 
 connected with Elizabeth Device not from her humble station 
 for poverty weighs little with me in comparison with virtue and 
 goodness but from her sinfulness. You know the dark offence 
 laid to her charge 1" 
 
 (( I do," replied Mistress Nutter, in a low deep tone, " but I do 
 not believe it" 
 
 " Nor I," returned Alizon. " Still, she acts as if she were the 
 wicked thing she is called ; avoids all religious offices ; shuns all 
 places of worship; and derides the Holy Scriptures. Oh, mother! 
 you will comprehend the frequent conflict of feelings I must have 
 endured. You will understand my horror when I have sometimes 
 thought myself the daughter of a witch." 
 
 " Why did you not leave her if you thought so?" said Mistress 
 Nutter, frowning. 
 
156 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " I could not leave her," replied Alizon, " for I then thought 
 her my mother." 
 
 Mistress Nutter fell upon her daughter's neck, and wept aloud. 
 
 " You have an excellent heart, my child," she said at length, 
 checking her emotion. 
 
 " I have nothing to complain of in Elizabeth Device, dear 
 mother," she replied. " What she denied herself, she did not 
 refuse me ; and though I have necessarily many and great defi- 
 ciencies, you will find in me, I trust, no evil principles. And, 
 oh ! shall we not strive to rescue that poor benighted creature 
 from the pit ? We may yet save her." 
 
 " It is too late," replied Mistress Nutter in a sombre tone. 
 
 " It cannot be too late," said Alizon, confidently. " She cannot 
 be beyond redemption. But even if she should prove intractable, 
 poor little Jennet may be preserved. She is yet a child, with 
 some good though, alas ! much evil, also in her nature. Let 
 our united efforts be exerted in this good work, and we must 
 succeed. The weeds extirpated, the flowers will spring up freely, 
 and bloom in beauty." 
 
 " I can have nothing to do with her," said Mistress Nutter, in 
 a freezing tone " nor must you." 
 
 " Oh ! say not so, mother," cried Alizon. " You rob me of 
 half the happiness I feel in being restored to you. When I was 
 Jennet's sister, I devoted myself to the task of reclaiming her. 
 I hoped to be her guardian angel to step between her and the 
 assaults of evil and I cannot, will not, now abandon her. If no 
 longer my sister, she is still dear to me. And recollect that I 
 owe a deep debt of gratitude to her mother a debt I can never 
 pay." 
 
 " How so ?" cried Mistress Nutter. " You owe her nothing 
 but the contrary." 
 
 " I owe her a life," said Alizon. se Was not her infant's blood 
 poured out for mine ! And shall I not save the child left her, if I 
 can?" 
 
 " I shall not oppose your inclinations," replied Mistress Nutter, 
 with reluctant assent ; " but Elizabeth, I suspect, will thank you 
 little for your interference. 
 
 " Not now, perhaps," returned Alizon ; " but a time will come 
 when she will do so." 
 
 While this conversation took place, it had been rapidly grow 
 ing dark, and the gloom at length increased so much, that the 
 speakers could scarcely see each other's faces. The sudden and 
 portentous darkness was accounted for by a vivid flash of light- 
 ning, followed by a low growl of thunder rumbling over Whalley 
 Nab. The mother and daughter drew close together, and Mistress 
 Nutter passed her arm round Alizon's neck. 
 
 The storm came quickly on, with forked and dangerous light- 
 
THE REVELATION. 157 
 
 ning, and loud claps of thunder threatening mischief. Presently, 
 all its fury seemed collected over the Abbey. The red flashes 
 hissed, and the peals of thunder rolled overhead. But other 
 terrors were added to Alizon's natural dread of the elemental 
 warfare. Again she fancied the two monkish figures, which had 
 before excited her alarm, moved, and even shook their arms 
 menacingly at her. At first she attributed this wild idea to her 
 overwrought imagination, and strove to convince herself of its 
 fallacy by keeping her eyes steadily fixed upon them. But each 
 succeeding flash only served to confirm her superstitious appre- 
 hensions. 
 
 Another circumstance contributed to heighten her alarm. Scared 
 most probably by the storm, a large white owl fluttered down the 
 chimney, and after wheeling twice or thrice round the chamber, 
 settled upon the bed, hooting, puffing, ruffling its feathers, and 
 glaring at her with eyes that glowed like fiery coals. 
 
 Mistress Nutter seemed little moved by tne storm, though she 
 kept a profound silence , but when Alizon gazed in her face, she 
 was frightened by its expression, which reminded her of the terrible 
 aspect she had worn at the interview with Mother Chattox. 
 
 All at once Mistress Nutter arose, and, rapid as the lightning 
 playing around her and revealing her movements, made several 
 passes, with extended hands, over her daughter ; and on this the 
 latter instantly fell back, as if fainting, though still retaining her 
 consciousness ; and, what was stranger still, though her eyes were 
 closed, her power of sight remained. 
 
 In this condition she fancied invisible forms were moving about 
 her. Strange sounds seemed to salute her ears, like the gibbering 
 of ghosts, and she thought she felt the flapping of unseen wings 
 around her. 
 
 All at once her attention was drawn she knew not why 
 towards the closet, and from out it she fancied she saw issue the 
 tall dark figure of a man. She was sure she saw him; for her 
 imagination could not body forth features charged with such a 
 fiendish expression, or eyes of such unearthly lustre. He was 
 clothed in black, but the fashion of his raiments was unlike aught 
 she had ever seen. His stature was gigantic, and a pale phos- 
 phoric light enshrouded him. As he advanced, forked lightnings 
 shot into the room, and the thunder split overhead; The owl 
 hooted fearfully, quitted its perch, and flew off* by the way it had 
 entered the chamber. 
 
 The Dark Shape came on. It stood beside Mistress Nutter, 
 and she prostrated herself before it. The gestures of the figure 
 were angry and imperious those of Mistress Nutter supplicating. 
 Their converse was drowned by the rattling of the storm. At 
 last the figure pointed to Alizon, and the word "midnight" broke 
 in tones louder than the thunder from its lips. All consciousness 
 then forsook her. 
 
158 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 How long she continued in this state she knew not, but the 
 touch of a finger applied to her brow seemed to recall her sud- 
 denly to animation. She heaved a deep sigh, and looked around. 
 A wondrous change had occurred. The storm had passed off, 
 and the moon was shining brightly over the top of the cypress- 
 tree, flooding the chamber with its gentle radiance, while her 
 mother was bending over her with looks of tenderest affection. 
 
 "You are better now, sweet child," said Mistress Nutter. 
 " You were overcome by the storm. It was sudden and terrible." 
 
 "Terrible, indeed!" replied Alizon, imperfectly recalling what 
 had passed. " But it was not alone the storm that frightened 
 me. This chamber has been invaded by evil beings. Methought I 
 beheld a dark figure come from out yon closet, and stand before you." 
 
 " You have been thrown into a state of stupor by the influence 
 of the electric fluid," replied Mistress Nutter, " and while in that 
 condition visions have passed through your brain. That is all, 
 my child." 
 
 " Oh ! I hope so," said Alizon. 
 
 " Such ecstasies are of frequent occurrence," replied Mistress 
 Nutter. " But, since you are quite recovered, we will descend to 
 Lady Assheton, who may wonder at our absence. You will share 
 this room with me to-night, my child; for, as I have already said, 
 you cannot return to Elizabeth Device. I will make all needful 
 explanations to Lady Assheton, and will see Elizabeth in the 
 morning perhaps to-night. Reassure yourself, sweet child. 
 There is nothing to fear. 
 
 " I trust not, mother," replied Alizon. " But it would ease my 
 mind to look into that closet." 
 
 " Do so, then, by all means," replied Mistress Nutter with a 
 forced smile. 
 
 Alizon peeped timorously into the little room, which was lighted 
 up by the moon's rays. There was a faded white habit, like the 
 robe of a Cistertian monk, hanging in one corner, and beneath it 
 an old chest. Alizon would fain have opened the chest, but 
 Mistress Nutter called out to her impatiently, " You will discover 
 nothing, I am sure. Come, let us go down-stairs." 
 
 And they quitted the room together. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE 
 BANQUETING-HALL. 
 
 THE banqueting-hall lay immediately under the long gallery, 
 corresponding with it in all but height ; and though in thi* 
 respect it fell somewhat short of the magnificent upper room, it 
 was quite lofty enough to admit of a gallery of its own for spec- 
 tators and minstrels. Great pains had been taken in decorating 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 159 
 
 the "hall for the occasion. Between the forest of stags' horns that 
 branched from the gallery rails were hung rich carpets, intermixed 
 with garlands of flowers, and banners painted with the arms of 
 the Assheton family, were suspended from the corners. Over the 
 fireplace, where, despite the advanced season, a pile of turf and 
 wood was burning, were hung two panoplies of arms, and above 
 them, on a bracket, was set a complete suit of mail, once belonging 
 to Richard Assheton, the first possessor of the mansion. On the 
 opposite wall hung two remarkable portraits the one represent- 
 ing a religious votaress in a loose robe of black, with wide sleeves, 
 holding a rosary and missal in her hand, and having her brow 
 and neck entirely concealed by the wimple, in which her head 
 and shoulders were enveloped. Such of her features as could be 
 seen were of extraordinary loveliness, though of a voluptuous 
 character, the eyes being dark and languishing, and shaded by 
 long lashes, and the lips carnation-hued and full. This was the 
 fair votaress, Isole de Heton, who brought such scandal on the 
 Abbey in the reign of Henry VI. The other portrait was that 
 of an abbot, in the white gown and scapulary of the Cistertian 
 order. The countenance was proud and stern, but tinctured with 
 melancholy. In a small shield at one corner the arms were bla- 
 zoned argent, a fess between three mullets, sable, pierced of the 
 field, a crescent for difference proving it to be the portrait of John 
 Paslew. Both pictures had been found in the abbot's lodgings, when 
 taken possession of by Richard Assheton, but they owed their pre- 
 Bent position to his descendant, Sir Ralph, who discovering them in 
 an out-of-the-way closet, where they had been cast aside, and struck 
 with their extraordinary merit, hung them up as above stated. 
 
 The long oaken table, usually standing in the middle of the 
 hall, had been removed to one side, to allow free scope for dan- 
 cing and other pastimes, but it was still devoted to hospitable 
 uses, being covered with trenchers and drinking-cups, and spread 
 for a substantial repast. Near it stood two carvers, with aprons 
 round their waists, brandishing long knives, while other yeomen 
 of the kitchen and cellar were at hand to keep the trenchers well 
 supplied, and the cups filled with strong ale, or bragget, as might 
 suit the taste of the guests. Nor were these the only festive 
 preparations. The upper part of the hall was reserved for Sir 
 Ralph's immediate friends, and here, on a slightly raised elevation, 
 stood a cross table, spread for a goodly supper, the snowy napery 
 being ornamented with wreaths and ropes of flowers, and shining 
 with costly vessels. At the lower end of the room, beneath the 
 gallery, which it served to support, was a Gothic screen, embel- 
 lishing an open armoury, which made a grand display of silver 
 plates and flagons. Through one of the doorways contrived in 
 this screen, the May-day revellers were ushered into the hall by 
 old Adam Whitworth, the white-headed steward. 
 
 " I pray you be seated, good masters, and you, too, comely 
 
160 THE LANCASHIKE WITCHES. 
 
 dames," said Adam, leading them to the table, and assigning 
 each a place with his wand. " Fall to, and spare not, for it is my 
 honoured master's desire you should sup well. You will find 
 that venison pasty worth a trial, and the baked red deer in the 
 centre of the table is a noble dish. The fellow to it was served 
 at Sir Ralph's own table at dinner, and was pronounced excellent. 
 I pray you try it, masters. Here, Ned Scargill, mind your office, 
 good fellow, and break me that deer. And you, Paul Pimlot, 
 exercise your craft on the venison pasty." 
 
 And as trencher after trencher was rapidly filled by the two 
 carvers, who demeaned themselves in their task like men ac- 
 quainted with the powers of rustic appetite, the old steward 
 addressed himself to the dames. 
 
 " What can I do for you, fair mistresses ?" he said. " Here be 
 sack possets, junkets and cream, for such as like them French 
 puffs and Italian puddings, right good, I warrant you, and espe- 
 cially admired by my honourable good lady. Indeed, I am not 
 sure she hath not lent a hand herself in their preparation. Then 
 here be fritters in the court fashion, made with curds of sack 
 posset, eggs and ale, and seasoned with nutmeg and pepper. 
 You will taste them, I am sure, for they are favourites with our 
 sovereign lady, the queen. Here, Gregory, Dickon bestir your- 
 selves, knaves, and pour forth a cup of sack for each of these 
 dames. As you drink, mistresses, neglect not the health of our 
 honourable good master Sir Ralph, and his lady. It is well it is 
 well. I will convey to them both your dutiful good wishes. But I 
 must see all your wants supplied. Good Dame Openshaw, you have 
 nought before you. Be prevailed upon to taste these dropt 
 raisins or a fond pudding And you, too, sweet Dame Tetlow. 
 Squire Nicholas gave me special caution to take care of you, but 
 the injunction was unneeded, as I should have done so without 
 it. Another cup of canary to Dame Tetlow, Gregory. Fill to 
 the brim, knave to the very brim. To the health of Squire 
 Nicholas," he added in a low tone, as he handed the brimming 
 goblet to the blushing dame ; " and be sure and tell him, if he 
 questions you, that I obeyed his behests to the best of my ability. 
 I pray you taste this pippin jelly, dame. It is as red as rubies, 
 but not so red as your lips , or some leach of almonds, which, 
 lily-white though it be, is not to be compared with the teeth that 
 shall touch it." 
 
 " Odd's heart ! mester steward, yo mun ha' larnt that protty 
 speech fro' th' squoire himself," replied Dame Tetlow, laughing. 
 
 " It may be the recollection of something said to me by him, 
 brought to mind by your presence," replied Adam Whitworth, 
 gallantly. " If I can serve you in aught else, sign to me, dame. 
 Now, knaves, fill the cups ale or bragget, at your pleasure 
 masters. Drink and stint not, and you will the better please 
 your liberal entertainer and my honoured master." 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 161 
 
 Thus exhorted, the guests set seriously to work to fulfil the 
 hospitable intentions of the provider of the feast. Cups flowed 
 fast and freely, and erelong little was left of the venison pasty 
 but the outer crust, and nothing more than a few fragments of the 
 baked red deer. The lighter articles then came in for a share of 
 attention, and salmon from the Kibble, jack, trout, and eels from 
 the Hodder and Calder, boiled, broiled, stewed, and pickled, and 
 of delicious flavour, were discussed with infinite relish. Puddings 
 and pastry were left to more delicate stomachs the solids only 
 being in request with the men. Hitherto, the demolition of the 
 viands had given sufficient employment , but now the edge of 
 appetite beginning to be dulled, tongues were unloosed, and much 
 merriment prevailed. More than eighty in number, the guests 
 were dispersed without any regard to order, and thus the chief 
 actors in the revel were scattered promiscuously about the table, 
 diversifying it with their gay costumes. Robin Hood sat between 
 two pretty female morris-dancers, whose partners had got to the 
 other end of the table ; while Ned Huddlestone, the representative 
 of Friar Tuck, was equally fortunate, having a buxom dame on 
 either side of him, towards whom he distributed his favours with 
 singular impartiality. As porter to the Abbey, Ned made him- 
 self at home ; and, next to Adam Whitworth, was perhaps the 
 most important personage present, continually roaring for ale, 
 and pledging the damsels around him. From the way he went 
 on, it seemed highly probable he would be under the table before 
 supper was over ; but Ned Huddlestone, like the burly priest 
 whose gown he wore, had a stout bullet head, proof against all 
 assaults of liquor ; and the copious draughts he swallowed, instead 
 of subduing him, only tended to make him more uproarious. 
 Blessed also with lusty lungs, his shouts of laughter made the roof 
 ring again. But if the strong liquor failed to make due impression 
 upon him, the like cannot be said of Jack Roby, who, it will 
 be remembered, took the part of the Fool, and who, having drunk 
 overmuch, mistook the hobby-horse for a real steed, and in an 
 effort to bestride it, fell head-foremost on the floor, and, being found 
 incapable of rising, was carried out to an adjoining room, and laid 
 on a bench. This, however, was the only case of excess ; for though 
 the Sherwood foresters emptied their cups often enough to 
 heighten their mirth, none of them seemed the worse for what 
 they drank. Lawrence Blackrod, Mr. Parker's keeper, had 
 fortunately got next to his old flame, Sukey Worseley ; while 
 Phil Rawson, the forester, who enacted Will Scarlet, and Nancy 
 Holt, between whom an equally tender feeling subsisted, had 
 likewise got together. A little beyond them sat the gentleman 
 usher and parish clerk, Sampson Harrop, who, piquing himself on 
 his good manners, drank very sparingly, and was content to sup 
 on sweetmeats and a bowl of fleetings, as curds separated from 
 whey are termed in this district. Tom the piper, and his companion 
 
162 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the taborer, ate for the next week, but were somewhat more 
 sparing in the matter of drink, their services as minstrels being 
 required later on. Thus the various guests enjoyed themselves 
 according to their bent, and universal hilarity prevailed. It would 
 be strange indeed if it had been otherwise ; for what with the good 
 cheer, and the bright eyes around them, the rustics had attained 
 a point of felicity not likely to be surpassed. Of the numerous 
 assemblage more than half were of the fairer sex ; and of these the 
 greater portion were young and good-looking, while in the case 
 of the morris-dancers, their natural charms were heightened by 
 their fanciful attire. 
 
 Before supper was half over, it became so dark that it was found 
 necessary to illuminate the great lamp suspended from the centre 
 of the roof, while other lights were set on the board, and two 
 flaming torches placed in sockets on either side of the chimney- 
 piece. Scarcely was this accomplished when the storm came on, 
 much to the surprise of the weatherwise, who had not calculated 
 upon such an occurrence, not having seen any indications whatever 
 of it in the heavens. But all were too comfortably sheltered, and 
 too well employed, to pay much attention to what was going on 
 without ; and, unless when a flash of lightning more than usually 
 vivid dazzled the gaze, or a peal of thunder more appalling than the 
 rest broke overhead, no alarm was expressed, even by the women. 
 To be sure, a little pretty trepidation was now and then evinced 
 by the younger damsels ; but even this was only done with the 
 view of exacting attention on the part of their swains, and never 
 failed in effect. The thunder-storm, therefore, instead of putting 
 a stop to the general enjoyment, only tended to increase it. 
 However the last peal was loud enough to silence the most up- 
 roarious. The women turned pale, and the men looked at each 
 other anxiously, listening to hear if any damage had been done. 
 But, as nothing transpired, their spirits revived. A few minutes 
 afterwards word was brought that the Conventual Church had 
 been struck by a thunderbolt, but this was not regarded as a 
 very serious disaster. The bearer of the intelligence was little 
 Jennet, who said she had been caught in the ruins by the storm, 
 and after being dreadfully frightened by the lightning, had seen 
 a bolt strike the steeple, and heard some stones rattle down, after 
 which she ran away. No one thought of inquiring what she had 
 been doing there at the time, but room was made for her at the 
 supper-table next to Sampson Harrop, while the good steward, 
 patting her on the head, filled her a cup of canary with his own 
 Land, and gave her some cates to eat. 
 
 " Ey dunna see Alizon" observed the little girl, looking round 
 the table, after she had drunk the wine. 
 
 " Your sister is not here, Jennet," replied Adam Whit worth, 
 with a smile. " She is too great a lady for us now. Since she 
 came up with her ladyship from the green she has been treated 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 163 
 
 quite like one of the guests, and has been walking about the garden 
 and ruins all the afternoon with young Mistress Dorothy, who has 
 taken quite a fancy to her. Indeed, for the matter of that, all the 
 ladies seem to have taken a fancy to her, and she is now closeted 
 with Mistress Nutter in her own room." 
 
 This was gall and wormwood to Jennet. 
 
 " She'll be hard to please when she goes home again, after 
 playing the fine dame here," pursued the steward. 
 
 a Then ey hope she'll never come home again," rejoined Jennet, 
 spitefully, " fo' we dunna want fine dames i' our poor cottage." 
 
 " For my part I do not wonder Alizon pleases the gentle folks,** 
 observed Sampson Harrop, " since such pains have been taken 
 with her manners and education ; and I must say she does great 
 credit to her instructor, who, for reasons unnecessary to mention, 
 shall be nameless. I wish I could say the same for you, Jennet ; 
 but though you're not deficient in ability, you've no perseverance 
 or pleasure in study." 
 
 " Ey knoa os much os ey care to knoa," replied Jennet, " an 
 more than yo con teach me, Mester Harrop. Why is Alizon 
 always to be thrown i' my teeth ? " 
 
 " Because she's the best model you can have," rejoined Samp- 
 son. " Ah ! if I'd my own way wi' ye, lass, I'd mend your temper 
 and manners. But you come of an ill stock, ye saucy hussy." 
 
 " Ey come fro' th' same stock as Alizon, onny how," said 
 Jennet. 
 
 " Unluckily that cannot be denied," replied Sampson ; " but 
 you're as different from her as light from darkness." 
 
 Jennet eyed him bitterly, and then rose from the table. 
 
 " Ey'n go," she said. 
 
 " No no ; sit down," interposed the good-natured steward. 
 " The dancing and pastimes will begin presently, and you will see 
 your sister. She will come down with the ladies." 
 
 " That's the very reason she wishes to go," said Sampson 
 Harrop. " The spiteful little creature cannot bear to see her 
 sister better treated than herself. Go your ways, then. It is the 
 best thing you can do. Alizon would blush to see you here." 
 
 " Then ey'n een s^ay an vex her," replied Jennet, sharply; " boh 
 ey winna sit near yo onny longer, Mester Sampson Harrop, who 
 ca' yersel gentleman usher, boh who are nah gentleman at aw, nor 
 owt like it, boh merely parish clerk an schoolmester, an a poor 
 schoolm ester to boot. Eyn go an sit by Sukey Worseley an Nancy 
 Holt, whom ey see yonder." 
 
 (i You've found your match, Master Harrop," said the steward, 
 laughing, as the little girl walked away. 
 
 " I should account it a disgrace to bandy words with the like of 
 her, Adam," rejoined the clerk, angrily ; " but I'm greatly out in 
 my reckoning, if she does not make a second Mother Demdike, 
 and worse could not well befall her." 
 
164 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Jennet's society could have been very well dispensed with by 
 her two friends, but she would not be shaken off. On the contrary, 
 finding herself in the way, she only determined the more pertina- 
 ciously to remain, and began to exercise all her powers of teasing, 
 which have been described as considerable, and which on this 
 occasion proved eminently successful. And the worst of it was, 
 there was no crushing the plaguy little insect ; any effort made to 
 catch her only resulting in an escape on her part, and a new charge 
 on some undefended quarter, with sharper stinging and more in- 
 tolerable buzzing than ever. 
 
 Out of all patience, Sukey Worseley at length exclaimed, " Ey 
 should loike to see ye swum, crosswise, i' th' Calder, Jennet, as 
 Nance Redferne war this efternoon." 
 
 "May be ye would, Sukey," replied the little girl, "boh eym 
 nah so likely to be tried that way as yourself, lass ; an if ey war 
 swum ey should sink, while yo, wi' your broad back and shouthers, 
 would be sure to float, an then yo'd be counted a witch." 
 
 " Heed her not, Sukey," said Blackrod, unable to resist a laugh, 
 though the poor girl was greatly discomfited by this personal al- 
 lusion ; ye may ha' a broad back o' our own, an the broader the 
 better to my mind, boh mey word on't ye'll never be ta'en fo a 
 witch. Yo're far too comely." 
 
 This assurance was a balm to poor Stikey's wounded spirit, and 
 she replied with a well-pleased smile, (s Ey hope ey dunna look 
 like one, Lorry." 
 
 " Not a bit, lass," said Blackrod, lifting a huge ale-cup to his 
 lips. u Your health, sweetheart." 
 
 "What think ye then o' Nance Redferne?" observed Jennet. 
 " Is she neaw comely ? ay, comelier far than fat, fubsy Sukey 
 here or than Nancy Holt, wi' her yallo hure an frecklet feace an 
 yet ye ca' her a witch. 1 * 
 
 " Ey ca' thee one, theaw feaw little whean an the dowter an 
 grandowter o' one an that's more," cried Nancy. " Freckles i' 
 your own feace, ye mismannert minx." 
 
 " Ne'er heed her, Nance," said Phil Rawson, putting his arm 
 round the angry damsel's waist, and drawing her gently down. 
 " Every one to his taste, an freckles an yellow hure are so to mine. 
 So dunna fret about it, an spoil your protty lips wi' pouting. 
 Better ha' freckles o' your feace than spots o' your heart, loike that 
 ill-favort little hussy." 
 
 " Dunna offend her, Phil," said Nancy Holt, noticing with alarm 
 the malignant look fixed upon her lover by Jennet. " She's dawn- 
 gerous." 
 
 " Firnips tak her I" replied Phil Rawson. Boh who the dule's 
 that ? Ey didna notice him efore, an he's neaw one o' our party." 
 
 The latter observation was occasioned by the entrance of a tall 
 personage, in the garb of a Cistertian monk, who issued from one 
 of the doorways in the screen, and glided towards the upper table, 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 165 
 
 attracting general attention and misgiving as he proceeded. His 
 countenance was cadaverous, his lips livid, and his eyes black and 
 deep sunken in their sockets, with a bistre-coloured circle around 
 them. His frame was meagre and bony. What remained of hair 
 on his head was raven black, but either he was bald on the crown, 
 or carried his attention to costume so far as to adopt the priestly 
 tonsure. His forehead was lofty and sallow, and seemed stampecl, 
 like his features, with profound gloom. His garments were faded 
 and mouldering, and materially contributed to his ghostly appear- 
 ance. 
 
 " Who is it ? " cried Sukey and Nance together. 
 But no one could answer the question. 
 
 16 He dusna look loike a bein' o' this warld," observed Blackrod, 
 gaping with alarm, for the stout keeper was easily assailable on 
 the side of superstition ; " an there is a mowdy air about him, 
 that gies one the shivers to see. Ey've often heer'd say the Abbey 
 is haanted ; an that pale-feaced chap looks like one o' th' ovvd 
 monks risen fro' his grave to join our revel." 
 
 " An see, he looks this way," cried Phil Rawson. 
 *< What flaming een ! they mey the very flesh crawl o' one's 
 booans.' 
 
 "Is it a ghost, Lorry?" said Sukey, drawing nearer to the 
 stalwart keeper. 
 
 " By th' maskins, lass, ey conna tell," replied Blackrod ; (t boh 
 whotever it be, ey'll protect ye." 
 
 u Tak care o' me, Phil," ejaculated Nancy Holt, pressing close 
 to her lover's side. 
 
 " Eigh, that I win," rejoined the forester. 
 
 " Ey dunna care for ghosts so long as yo are near me, Phil," 
 said Nancy, tenderly. 
 
 " Then ey'n never leave ye, Nance," replied Phil. 
 Cf Ghost or not," said Jennet, who had been occupied in re- 
 garding the new-comer attentively, tf ey'n go an speak to it. Ey'm 
 nah afeerd, if yo are." 
 
 " Eigh do, Jennet, that's a brave little lass," said Blackrod, glad 
 to be rid of her in any way. 
 
 " Stay ! " cried Adam Whitworth, coming up at the moment, 
 and overhearing what was said " you must not go near the gen- 
 tleman. I will not have him molested, or even spoken with, till 
 Sir Ralph appears." 
 
 Meanwhile, the stranger, without returning the glances fixed 
 upon him, or deigning to notice any of the company, pursued his 
 way, and sat down in a chair at the upper table. 
 
 But his entrance had been witnessed by others besides the rustic 
 guests and servitors. Nicholas and Richard Assheton chanced to 
 be in the gallery at the time, and, greatly struck by the singularity 
 of his appearance, immediately descended to make inquiries re. 
 
166 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 specting him. As they appeared below, the old steward advanced 
 to meet them. 
 
 " Who the devil have you got there, Adam I" asked the squire. 
 
 " It passeth me almost to tell you, Master Nicholas," replied 
 the steward; ft and, not knowing whether the gentleman be invited 
 or not, I am fain to wait Sir Ralph's pleasure in regard to him." 
 
 " Have you no notion who he is ?" inquired Richard. 
 
 " All I know about him may be soon told, Master Richard," re- 
 plied Adam. (t He is a stranger in these parts, and hath very 
 recently taken up his abode in Wiswall Hall, which has been 
 abandoned of late years, as you know, and suffered to go to decay. 
 Some few months ago an aged couple from Colne, named Hewit, 
 took possession of part of the hall, and were suffered to remain there, 
 though old Katty Hewit, or Mould-heels, as she is familiarly term- 
 ed by the common folk, is in no very good repute hereabouts, and 
 was driven, it is said from Colne, owing to her practices as a witch. 
 Be that as it may, soon after these Hewits were settled at Wis- 
 wall, comes this stranger, and fixes himself in another part of the 
 hall. How he lives no one can tell, but it is said he rambles all 
 night long, like a troubled spirit, about the deserted rooms, at- 
 tended by Mother Mould-heels ; while in the daytime he is never 
 seen." 
 
 " Can he be of sound mind ?" asked Richard. 
 
 " Hardly so, I should think, Master Richard," replied the stew- 
 ard. " As to who he may be there are many opinions ; and some 
 aver he is Francis Paslew, grandson of Francis, brother to the 
 abbot, and being a Jesuit priest, for you know the Paslews have 
 all strictly adhered to the old faith and that is why they have 
 fled the country and abandoned their residence he is obliged to 
 keep himself concealed." 
 
 " If such be the case, he must be crazed indeed to venture here," 
 observed Nicholas ; "and yet I am half inclined to credit the report. 
 Look at him, Dick. He is the very image of the old abbot." 
 
 " Yon portrait might have been painted for him," said Richard, 
 gazing at the picture on the wall, and from it to the monk as he 
 spoke; "the very same garb, too." 
 
 " There is an old monastic robe up-stairs, in the closet adjoining 
 the room occupied by Mistress Nutter," observed the steward, 
 " said to be the garment in which Abbot Paslew suffered death. 
 Some stains are upon it, supposed to be the blood of the wizard 
 Demdike, who perished in an extraordinary manner on the same 
 day." 
 
 " I have seen it," cried Nicholas, " and the monk's habit looks 
 precisely like it, and, if my eyes deceive me not, is stained in the 
 same manner." 
 
 " I see the spots plainly on the breast," cried Richard. *' How 
 can he have procured the robe ? " 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 167 
 
 " Heaven only knows," replied the old steward. " It is a 
 very strange occurrence.** 
 
 " I will go question him," said Richard. 
 
 So saying, he proceeded to the upper table, accompanied by 
 Nicholas. As they drew near, the stranger arose, and fixed a 
 grim look upon Richard, who was a little in advance. 
 
 "It is the abbot's ghost!" cried Nicholas, stopping, and 
 detaining his cousin. " You shall not address it." 
 
 During the contention that ensued, the monk glided towards a 
 side-door at the upper end of the hall, and passed through it. 
 So general was the consternation, that no one attempted to stay 
 him, nor would any one follow to see whither he went. Released, 
 at length, from the strong grasp of the squire, Richard rushed 
 forth, and not returning, Nicholas, after the lapse of a few 
 minutes, went in search of him, but came back presently, and 
 told the old steward he could neither find him nor the monk. 
 
 66 Master Richard will be back anon, I dare say, Adam," he 
 remarked; " if not, I will make further search for him; but you 
 had better not mention this mysterious occurrence to Sir Ralph, 
 at all events not until the festivities are over, and the ladies have 
 retired. It might disturb them. I fear the appearance of this 
 monk bodes no good to our family ; and what makes it worse is, 
 it is not the first ill omen that has befallen us to-day, Master 
 Richard was unlucky enough to stand on Abbot Paslew's grave !" 
 
 " Mercy on us! that was unlucky indeed !" cried Adam, in 
 great trepidation. " Poor dear young gentleman ! Bid him take 
 especial care of himself, good Master Nicholas. I noticed just 
 DOW, that yon fearsome monk regarded him more attentively 
 than you. Bid him be careful, 1 conjure you, sir. But here 
 comes my honoured master and his guests. Here, Gregory, 
 Dickon, bestir yourselves, knaves ; and serve supper at the upper 
 table in a trice." 
 
 Any apprehensions Nicholas might entertain for Richard were 
 at this moment relieved, for as Sir Ralph and his guests came in 
 at one door, the young man entered by another. He looked 
 deathly pale. Nicholas put his finger to his lips in token of 
 silence a gesture which the other signified that he understood. 
 
 Sir Ralph and his guests having taken their places at the table, 
 an excellent and plentiful repast was speedily set before them, 
 and if they did not do quite such ample justice to it as the hungry 
 rustics at the lower board had done to the good things provided 
 for them, the cook could not reasonably complain. No allusion 
 whatever being made to the recent strange occurrence, the cheer- 
 fulness of the company was uninterrupted ; but the noise in the 
 lower part of the hall had in a great measure subsided, partly out 
 of respect to the host, and partly in consequence of the alarm 
 occasioned by the supposed supernatural visitation. Richard 
 continued silent and preoccupied, and neither ate nor drank ; but 
 
168 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Nicholas appearing to think his courage would be best sustained 
 by an extra allowance of clary and sack, applied himself fre- 
 quently to the goblet with that view, and erelong his spirits 
 improved so wonderfully, and his natural boldness was so much 
 increased, that he was ready to confront Abbot Paslew, or any 
 other abbot of them all, wherever they might chance to cross 
 him. In this enterprising frame of mind he drew Richard aside, 
 and questioned him as to what had taken place in his pursuit of 
 the mysterious monk. 
 
 "You overtook him, Dick, of course?" he said, "and put it 
 to him roundly why he came hither, where neither ghosts nor 
 Jesuit priests, whichever he may be, are wanted. What an- 
 swered he, eh ? Would I had been there to interrogate him ! 
 He should have declared how he became possessed of that old 
 moth-eaten, blood-stained, monkish gown, or I would have 
 unfrocked him, even if he had proved to be a skeleton. But I 
 interrupt you. You have not told me what occurred at the 
 interview ? " 
 
 " There was no interview," replied Richard, gravely. 
 
 "No interview!" echoed Nicholas. i( S'blood, man ! but I 
 must be careful, for Doctor Ormerod and Parson Dewhurst are 
 within hearing, and may lecture me on the wantonness and pro- 
 fanity of swearing. By Saint Gregory de Northbury ! no, 
 that's an oath too, and, what is worse, a Popish oath. By I 
 have several tremendous imprecations at my tongue's end, but 
 they shall not out. It is a sinful propensity, and must be con- 
 trolled. In a word, then, you let him escape, Dick ? " 
 
 " If you were so anxious to stay him, I wonder you came not 
 with me," replied Richard ; " but you now hold very different 
 language from what you used when I quitted the hall." 
 
 " Ah, true right Dick," replied Nicholas ; " my sentiments 
 have undergone a wonderful change since then. I now regret 
 having stopped you. By my troth ! if I meet tliat confounded 
 monk again, he shall give a good account of himself, I promise 
 him. But what said he to you, Dick ? Make an end of your 
 story." 
 
 " I have not begun it yet," replied Richard. " But pay atten- 
 tion, and you shall hear what occurred. When I rushed forth, 
 the monk had already gained the entrance-hall. No one was 
 within it at the time, all the serving-men being busied here with 
 the feasting. I summoned him to stay, but he answered not, 
 and, still grimly regarding me, glided towards the outer door, 
 which (I know not by what chance) stood open, and passing 
 through it, closed it upon me. This delayed me a moment ; and 
 when I got out, he had already descended the steps, and was 
 moving towards the garden. It was bright moonlight, so I could 
 see him distinctly. And mark this, Nicholas the two great 
 blood-hounds were running about at large in the court-yard, but 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 169 
 
 they slunk off, as if alarmed at his appearance. The monk had 
 now gained the garden, and was shaping his course swiftly 
 towards the ruined Conventual Church. Determined to overtake 
 him, I quickened my pace ; but he gained the old fane before me, 
 and threaded the broken aisles with noiseless celerity. In the 
 choir he paused and confronted me. When within a few yards 
 of him, I paused, arrested by his fixed and terrible gaze. Nicholas., 
 his look froze my blood. I would have spoken, but I could not. 
 My tongue clove to the roof of my mouth for very fear. Before 
 I could shake off this apprehension the figure raised its hand 
 menacingly thrice, and passed into the Lacy Chapel. As soon 
 as he was gone my courage returned, and I followed. The little 
 chapel was brilliantly illuminated by the moon ; but it was empty. 
 I could only see the white monument of Sir Henry de Lacy 
 glistening in the pale radiance." 
 
 " I must take a cup of wine after this horrific relation,'' said 
 Nicholas, replenishing his goblet. " It has chilled my blood, as 
 the monk's icy gaze froze yours. Body o' me ! but this is strange 
 indeed. Another oath. Lord help me ! I shall never get rid 
 of the infernal I mean, the evil habit. Will you not pledge 
 me, Dick I" 
 
 The young man shook his head. 
 
 " You are wrong," pursued Nicholas, " decidedly wrong. 
 Wine gladdeneth the heart of man, and restoreth courage. A 
 short while ago I was downcast as you, melancholy as an owl, 
 and timorous as a kid, but now I am resolute as an eagle, stout 
 of heart, and cheerful of spirit ; and all owing to a cup of wine. 
 Try the remedy, Dick, and get rid of your gloom. You look 
 like a death's-head at a festival. What if you have stumbled on 
 an ill-omened grave ! What if you have been banned by a 
 witch ! What if you have stood face to face with the devil or 
 a ghost ! Heed them not ! Drink, and set care at defiance. 
 And, not to gainsay my own counsel, I shall fill my cup again. 
 For, in good sooth, this is rare clary, Dick ; and, talking of wine, 
 you should taste some of the wonderful Ehenish found in the 
 abbot's cellar by our ancestor, .Richard Assheton a century old 
 if it be a day, and yet cordial and corroborative as ever. Those 
 monks were lusty tipplers, Dick. I sometimes wish I had been 
 an abbot myself. I should have made a rare father confessor . 
 especially to a pretty penitent. Here, Gregory, hie thee to the 
 master cellarer, and bid him fill me a goblet of the old Rhenish 
 the wine from the abbot's cellar. Thou understandest or, 
 stay, better bring the flask. I have a profound respect for the 
 venerable bottle, and would pay my devoirs to it. Hie away, 
 good fellow!" 
 
 "You will drink too much if you go on thus," remarked 
 Richard. 
 
 u Not a drop," rejoined Nicholas. " I am blithe as a lark, and 
 
170 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 would keep so. That is why I drink. But to return to our 
 
 f hosts. Since this place must be haunted, I would it were visited 
 y spirits of a livelier kind than old Paslew. There is Isole de 
 Heton, for instance. The fair votaress would be the sort of ghost 
 for me. I would not turn my back on her, but face her manfully. 
 Look at her picture, Dick. Was ever countenance sweeter than 
 hers lips more tempting, or eyes more melting! Is she not 
 adorable? Zounds !" he exclaimed, suddenly pausing, and staring 
 at the portrait " Would you believe it, Dick ? The fair Isole 
 winked at me I'll swear she did. I mean I will venture to 
 affirm upon oath, if required, that she winked." 
 
 " Pshaw !" exclaimed Richard. " The fumes of the wine have 
 mounted to your brain, and disordered it." 
 
 "No such thing," cried Nicholas, regarding the picture as 
 steadily as he could" she's leering at me now. By the Queen 
 of Paphos ! another wink. Nay, if you doubt me, watch her well 
 yourself. A pleasant adventure this ha! ha!" 
 
 " A truce to this drunken foolery," cried Richard, moving 
 away. 
 
 "Drunken! s'death! recall that epithet, Dick," cried Nicholas, 
 angrily. " I am no more drunk than yourself, you dog. I can 
 walk as steadily, and see as plainly, as you ; and I will maintain 
 it at the point of the sword, that the eyes of that picture have 
 lovingly regarded me ; nay, that they follow me now." 
 
 " A common delusion with a portrait," said Richard ; they 
 appear to follow me." 
 
 " But they do not wink at you as they do at me," said Nicholas, 
 " neither do the lips break into smiles, and display the pearly 
 teeth beneath them, as occurs in my case. Grim old abbots 
 frown on you, but fair, though frail, votaresses smile on me. I 
 am the favoured mortal, Dick." 
 
 " Were it as you represent, Nicholas/' replied Richard, gravely, 
 " I should say, indeed, that some evil principle was at work to 
 lure you through your passions to perdition. But I know they 
 are all fancies engendered by your heated brain, which in your 
 calmer moments you will discard, as I discard them now. If I 
 have any weight with you, I counsel you to drink no more, or 
 you will commit some mad foolery, of which you will be ashamed 
 hereafter. The discreeter course would be to retire altogether ; 
 and for this you have ample excuse, as you will have to arise 
 betimes to-morrow, to set out for Pendle Forest with Master 
 Potts." 
 
 "Retire!" exclaimed Nicholas, bursting into a loud, con- 
 temptuous laugh. " I like thy counsel, lad. Yes, I will retire 
 when I have finished the old monastic Rhenish which Gregory is 
 bringing me. I will retire when I have danced the Morisco with 
 the May Queen the Cushion Dance with Dame Tetlow and 
 the Brawl with the lovely Isole de Heton. Another wink, Dick. 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUE TING-HALL. 171 
 
 By our Lady! she assents to my proposition. When I have done 
 all this, and somewhat more, it will be time to think of retiring. 
 But I have the night before me, Dick not to be spent in drowsy 
 unconsciousness, as thou recommendest, but in active, pleasurable 
 enjoyment. No man requires less sleep than I do. Ordinarily, 
 I 6 retire/ as thou termest it, at ten, and rise with the sun. In 
 summer I am abroad soon after three, and mend that if thou 
 canst, Dick. To-night 1 shall seek my couch about midnight, 
 and yet I'll warrant me I shall be the first stirring in the Abbey; 
 and, in any case, I shall be in the saddle before thee." 
 
 " It may be," replied Richard ; " but it was to preserve you 
 from extravagance to-night that I volunteered advice, which, from 
 my knowledge of your character, I might as well have withheld. 
 But let me caution you on another point. Dance with Dame 
 Tetlow, or any other dame you please dance with the fair Isole 
 de Heton, if you can prevail upon her to descend from her frame 
 and give you her hand; but I object most decidedly object to 
 your dancing with Alizon Device." 
 
 "Why so?" cried Nicholas; "why should I not dance with 
 whom I please ? And what right hast thou to forbid me Alizon ? 
 Troth, lad, art thou so ignorant of human nature as not to know 
 that forbidden fruit is the sweetest. It hath ever been so since 
 the fall. I am now only the more bent upon dancing with the 
 prohibited damsel. But I would fain know the principle on which 
 thou erectest thyself into her guardian. Is it because she fainted 
 when thy sword was crossed with that hot-headed fool, Sir Thomas 
 Metcalfe, that thou flatterest thyself she is in love with thee? Be 
 not too sure of it, Dick. Many a timid wench has swooned at 
 the sight of a naked weapon, without being enamoured of the 
 swordsman. The fainting proves nothing. But grant she loves 
 thee what then ? An end must speedily come of it ; so better 
 finish at once, before she be entangled in a mesh from which she 
 cannot be extricated without danger. For hark thee, Dick, what- 
 ever thou mayst think, I am not so far gone that I know not what 
 I say, neither is my vision so much obscured that I see not some 
 matters plainly enough, and I understand thee and Alizon well, 
 and see through you both. This matter must go no further. 
 It has gone too far already. After to-night you must see her no 
 more. I am serious in this serious inter pocula, if such a thing 
 can be. It is necessary to observe caution, for reasons that will 
 at once occur to thee. Thou canst not wed this girl then why 
 trifle with her till her heart be broken." 
 
 " Broken it shall never be by me !" cried Richard. 
 
 " But I tell you it will be broken, if you do not desist at once," 
 rejoined Nicholas. " I was but jesting when I said I would rob 
 you of her in the Morisco, though it would be charity to both, 
 and spare you many a pang hereafter, were I to put my threat 
 into execution. However, I have a soft heart where aught of 
 
172 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Jove is concerned, and, having pointed out the risk you will incur, 
 I shall leave you to follow your own devices. But, for Alizon's 
 sake, stop in time." 
 
 " You now speak soberly and sensibly enough, Nicholas," replied 
 Richard, " and I thank you heartily for your counsel ; and if I 
 do not follow it by withdrawing at once from a pursuit which may 
 appear to you hopeless, if not dangerous, you will, I hope, give 
 me credit for being actuated by worthy motives. I will at once, 
 and frankly admit, that I love Alizon ; and loving her, you may 
 rest assured I would sacrifice my life a thousand times rather than 
 endanger her happiness. But there is a point in her history, with 
 which if you were acquainted, it might alter your view of the 
 case ; but this is not the season for its disclosure, neither, I am 
 bound to say, does the circumstance so materially alter the appa- 
 rent posture of affairs as to remove all difficulty. On the contrary, 
 it leaves an insurmountable obstacle behind it." 
 
 u Are you wise, then, in going on ? " asked Nicholas. 
 
 " I know not," answered Richard, tc but I feel as if I were the 
 sport of fate. Uncertain whither to turn for the best, I leave 
 the disposition of my course to chance. But, alas !" he added, 
 sadly, " all seems to point out that this meeting with Alizon will 
 be my last." 
 
 " Well, cheer up, lad," said Nicholas. " These afflictions are 
 hard to bear, it is true ; but somehow they are got over. Just 
 as if your horse should fling you in the midst of a hedge when 
 you are making a flying leap, you get scratched and bruised, but 
 
 E)u scramble out, and in a day or two are on your legs again, 
 ove breaks no bones, that's one comfort. When at your age, I 
 was desperately in love, not with Mistress Nicholas Assheton 
 Heaven help the fond soul ! but with never mind with whom ; 
 but it was not a very prudent match, and so, in my worldly wis- 
 dom, I was obliged to cry off. A sad business it was. I thought 
 I should have died of it, and I made quite sure that the devoted 
 girl would die first, in which case we were to occupy the same 
 grave. But I was not driven to such a dire extremity, for before 
 I had kept house a week, Jack Walker, the keeper of Downham, 
 made his appearance in my room, and after telling me of the 
 mischief done by a pair of otters in the Ribble, finding me in a 
 very desponding state, ventured to inquire if I had heard the 
 news. Expecting to hear of the death of the girl, I prepared 
 myself for an outburst of grief, and resolved to give immediate 
 directions for a double funeral, when he informed me what do 
 you think, Dick ? that she was going to be married to himself. 
 I recovered at once, and immediately went out to hunt the otters, 
 and rare sport we had. But here comes Gregory with the famous 
 old Rhenish. Better take a cup, Dick; this is the best cure for 
 the heartache, and for all other aches and grievances. Ah ! glo- 
 rious stuff miraculous wine!" he added, smacking his lips with 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IX THE BANQUETING-HALL. 173 
 
 extraordinary satisfaction after a deep draught ; " those worthy 
 fathers were excellent judges. I have a great reverence for them. 
 But where can Alizon be all this while 1 Supper is wellnigh over, 
 and the dancing and pastimes will commence anon, and yet she 
 comes not." 
 
 " She is here," cried Richard. 
 
 And as he spoke Mistress Nutter and Alizon entered the hall. 
 
 Richard endeavoured to read in the young girl's countenance 
 some intimation of what had passed between her and Mistress 
 Nutter, but he only remarked that she was paler than before, and 
 had traces of anxiety about her. Mistress Nutter also looked 
 gloomy and thoughtful, and there was nothing in the manner or 
 deportment of either to lead to the conclusion, that a discovery of 
 relationship between them had taken place. As Alizon moved on, 
 her eyes met those of Richard but the look was intercepted by 
 Mistress Nutter, who instantly called off her daughter's attention 
 to herself; and, while the young man hesitated to join them, his 
 sister came quickly up to him, and drew him away in another 
 direction. Left to himself, Nicholas tossed off another cup of the 
 miraculous Rhenish, which improved in flavour as he discussed it, 
 and then, placing a chair opposite the portrait of Isole de Heton, 
 filled a bumper, and, uttering the name of the fair votaress, drained 
 it to her. This time he was quite certain he received a significant 
 glance in return, and no one being near to contradict him, he went 
 on indulging the idea of an amorous understanding between him- 
 self and the picture, till he had finished the bottle, and obtained 
 as many ogles as he swallowed draughts of wine, upon which he 
 arose and staggered off in search of Dame Tetlow. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mistress Nutter having made her excuses to Lady 
 Assheton for not attending the supper, walked down the hall with 
 her daughter, until such time as the dancing and pastimes should 
 commence. As will be readily supposed under the circumstances, 
 this part of the entertainment was distasteful to both of them ; but 
 it could not be avoided without entering into explanations, which 
 Mistress Nutter was unwilling to make, and she, therefore, 
 counselled her daughter to act in all respects as if she were still 
 Alizon Device, and in no way connected with her. 
 
 " I shah 1 take an early opportunity of announcing my intention 
 to adopt you," she said, " and then you can act differently. 
 Meantime, keep near me as much as you can. Say little to 
 Dorothy or Richard Assheton, and prepare to retire early; for this 
 noisy and riotous assemblage is not much to my taste, and I care 
 not how soon I quit it." 
 
 Alizon assented to what was said, and stole a timid glance 
 towards Richard and Dorothy; but the latter, who alone perceived 
 it, instantly averted her head, in such way as to make it evident 
 she wished to shun her regards. Slight as it was, this circum- 
 stance occasioned Alizon much pain, for she could not conceive 
 
174 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 how she had offended her new-made friend, and it was some 
 relief to encounter a party of acquaintances who had risen from 
 the lower table at her approach, though they did not presume to 
 address her while she was with Mistress Nutter, but waited 
 respectfully at a little distance. Alizon, however, flew towards 
 them. 
 
 " Ah, Susan ! ah, Nancy !" she cried taking the hand of each 
 "how glad I am to see you here; and you too, Lawrence 
 Blackrod and you, Phil Rawson and you, also, good Master 
 Harrop. How happy you all look I" 
 
 " AJI wi' good reason, sweet Alizon," replied Blackrod. " Boh 
 we began to be afeerd we'd lost ye, an that wad ha' bin a sore 
 mishap to lose our May Queen an th' prottiest May Queen os 
 ever dawnced i' this ha', or i' onny other ha' i' Lonkyshiar." 
 
 " We ha drunk your health, sweet Alizon," added Phil " an 
 wishin' ye may be os happy os ye desarve, wi' the mon o' your 
 heart, if onny sich lucky chap there be." 
 
 " Thank you thank you both," replied Alizon, blushing ; " and 
 in return I cannot wish you better fortune, Philip, than to be 
 united to the good girl near you, for I know her kindly disposition 
 so well, that I am sure she will make you happy." 
 
 " Ey'm satisfied on't myself, replied Rawson ; " an ey hope ere 
 long she'll be missus o' a little cot i' Bowland Forest, an that yo'll 
 pay us a visit, Alizon, an see an judge fo' yourself how happy we 
 be. Nance win make a rare forester's wife." 
 
 " Not a bit better than my Sukey," cried Lawrence Blackrod. 
 " Ye shanna get th' start o' me, Phil, fo' by th' mess ! the very 
 same day os sees yo wedded to Nancy Holt shan find me united to 
 Sukey Worseley. An so Alizon win ha' two cottages i' Bowland 
 Forest to visit i' stead o' one." 
 
 " And well pleased I shall be to visit them both," she rejoined, 
 At this moment Mistress Nutter came up. 
 
 My good friends," she said, " as you appear to take so much 
 interest in Alizon, you may be glad to learn that it is my intention 
 to adopt her as a daughter, having no child of my own ; and, 
 though her position henceforth will be very different from what it 
 has been, I am sure she will never forget her old friends." 
 
 " Never, indeed, never ! " cried Alizon, earnestly. 
 
 " This is good news, indeed," cried Sampson Harrop, joyfully, 
 while the others joined in his exclamation. u We all rejoice in 
 Alizon's good fortune, and think she richly deserves it. For my 
 own part, I was always sure she would have rare luck, but I did 
 not expect such luck as this." 
 
 " What's to become o' me ? " cried Jennet, coming from 
 behind a chair, where she had hitherto concealed herself. 
 
 " I will always take care of you," replied Alizon, stooping, and 
 kissing her. 
 
 " Do not promise more than you may be able to perform, Alizon," 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 175 
 
 observed Mistress Nutter, coldly, and regarding the little girl 
 with a look of disgust ; " an ill-favour'd little creature, with the 
 Demdike eyes." 
 
 6i And as ill-tempered as she is ill-favoured," rejoined Sampson 
 Harrop; (i and, though she cannot help being ugly, she might help 
 being malicious." 
 
 Jennet gave him a bitter look. 
 
 " You do her injustice, Master Harrop," said Alizon. " Poor 
 little Jennet is quick-tempered, but not malevolent." 
 
 " Ey con hate weel if ey conna love," replied Jennet, e( an con 
 recollect injuries if ey forget kindnesses. Boh dunna trouble 
 yourself about me, sister. Ey dunna envy ye your luck. Ey 
 dunna want to be adopted by a grand-dame. Ey'm content os 
 ey am. Boh are na ye gettin' on rayther too fast, lass ? Mother's 
 consent has to be axed, ey suppose, efore ye leave her." 
 
 " There is little fear of her refusal," observed Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Ey dunna knoa that," rejoined Jennet. " If she were to 
 refuse, it wadna surprise me." 
 
 " Nothing spiteful she could do would surprise me," remarked 
 Harrop. " But how are you likely to know what your mother 
 will think and do, you forward little hussy \ " 
 
 " Ey judge fro circumstances," replied the little girl. " Mother 
 has often said she conna weel spare Alizon. An mayhap Mistress 
 Nutter may knoa, that she con be very obstinate when she tays a 
 whim into her head." 
 
 " 1 do know it," replied Mistress Nutter ; " and, from my expe- 
 rience of her temper in former days, I should be loath to have you 
 near me, who seem to inherit her obstinacy." 
 
 " Wi' sich misgivings ey wonder ye wish to tak Alizon, 
 madam," said Jennet ; " fo she's os much o' her mother about 
 her os me, onny she dunna choose to show it." 
 
 " Peace, thou mischievous urchin," cried Mistress Nutter, 
 losing all patience. 
 
 " Shall I take her away?" said Harrop seizing her hand. 
 
 " Ay, do," said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " No, no, let her stay !" cried Alizon, quickly; " I shall be 
 miserable if she goes." 
 
 " Oh, ey'm quite ready to go," said Jennet, " fo ey care little 
 fo sich sects os this boh efore ey leave ey wad fain say a few 
 words to Mester Potts, whom ey see yonder." 
 
 " What can you want with him, Jennet," cried Alizon, in 
 surprise. 
 
 u Onny to tell him what brother Jem is gone to Pendle fo to- 
 neet," replied the little girl, with a significant and malicious look 
 at Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Ha ! " muttered the lady. " There is more malice in this little 
 wasp than I thought. But I must rob it of its sting." 
 
 And while thus communing with herself, she fixed a searching 
 
176 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 look on Jennet, and then raising her hand quickly, waved it in her 
 face. 
 
 " Oh !" cried the little girl, falling suddenly backwards. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " demanded Alizon, flying to her. 
 
 " Ey dunna reetly knoa," replied Jennet. 
 
 " She's seized with a sudden faintness," said Harrop. (( Better 
 she should go home then at once. I'll find somebody to take her-'* 
 
 " Neaw, neaw, ey'n sit down here," said Jennet ; rt ey shan be 
 better soon." 
 
 " Come along, Alizon," said Mistress Nutter, apparently 
 unconcerned at the circumstance. 
 
 Having confided the little girl, who was now recovered from 
 the shock, to the care of Nancy Holt, Alizon followed her mother. 
 
 At this moment Sir Ralph, who had quitted the supper-table, 
 clapped his hands loudly, thus giving the signal to the minstrels, 
 who, having repaired to the gallery, now struck up a merry tune, 
 and instantly the whole hall was in motion. Snatching up his 
 wand Sampson Harrop hurried after Alizon, beseeching her to 
 return with him, and join a procession about to be formed by the 
 revellers, and of course, as May Queen, and the most important 
 personage in it, she could not refuse. Very short space sufficed 
 the morris-dancers to find their partners ; Robin Hood and the 
 foresters got into their places ; the hobby-horse curveted and 
 capered ; Friar Tuck resumed his drolleries ; and even Jack Roby 
 was so far recovered as to be able to get on his legs, though he 
 could not walk very steadily. Marshalled by the gentleman- 
 usher, and headed by Robin Hood and the May Queen, the 
 procession marched round the hall, the minstrels playing merrily 
 the while, and then drew up before the upper table, where a brief 
 oration was pronounced by Sir Ralph. A shout that made the 
 rafters ring again followed the address, after which a couranto was 
 called for by the host, who, taking Mistress Nicholas 'Assheton by 
 the hand, led her into the body of the hall, whither he was speedily 
 followed by the other guests, who had found partners in like manner. 
 
 Before relating how the ball was opened a word must be be- 
 stowed upon Mistress Nicholas Assheton, whom I have neglected 
 nearly as much as she was neglected by her unworthy spouse, and 
 I therefore hasten to repair the injustice by declaring that she was 
 a very amiable and very charming woman, and danced delightfully. 
 And recollect, ladies, these were dancing days I mean days 
 when knowledge of figures as well as skill was required, more than 
 twenty forgotten dances being in vogue, the very names of which 
 may surprise you as I recapitulate them. There was the Passa- 
 mezzo, a great favourite with Queen Elizabeth, who used to foot, 
 it merrily, when, as you are told by Gray 
 
 " The great Lord-keeper led the brawls, 
 And seals and maces danced before him ! " 
 
 the grave Pa vane, likewise a favourite with the Virgin Queen, and 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 177 
 
 which I should like to see supersede the eternal polka at Almack'a 
 and elsewhere, and in which 
 
 ' Five was the number of the music's feet 
 Which still the dance did with five paces meet ; " 
 
 the Couranto, with its " current traverses," " sliding passages," 
 and solemn tune, wherein, according to Sir John Davies 
 
 " that dancer greatest praise hath won 
 Who with best order can all order shun ; " 
 
 the Lavolta, also delineated by the same knowing hand 
 
 " Where arm in arm two dancers are entwined, 
 And whirl themselves with strict embracements bound, 
 And still their feet an anapest do sound." 
 
 Is not this very much like a waltz ? Yes, ladies, you have been 
 dancing the lavolta of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 
 without being aware of it. But there was another waltz still older, 
 called the Sauteuse, which I suspect answered to your favourite 
 polka. Then there were brawls, galliards, paspys, sarabands, 
 country-dances of various figures, cushion dances (another dance 
 I long to see revived), kissing dances, and rounds, any of which 
 are better than the objectionable polka. Thus you will see that 
 there was infinite variety at least at the period under consideration, 
 and that you have rather retrograded than advanced in the salta- 
 tory art. But to return to the ball. 
 
 Mistress Nicholas Assheton, I have said, excelled in the graceful 
 accomplishment of dancing, and that was probably the reason why 
 she had been selected for the couranto by Sir Ralph, who knew 
 the value of a good partner. By many persons she was accounted 
 the handsomest woman in the room, and in dignity of carriage 
 she was certainly unrivalled. This was precisely what Sir Kalph 
 required, and having executed a few " current traverses and sliding 
 passages" with her, with a gravity and stateliness worthy of Sir 
 Christopher Hatton himself, when graced by the hand of his 
 sovereign mistress, he conducted her, amid the hushed admiration 
 of the beholders, to a seat. Still the dance continued with 
 unabated spirit ; all those engaged in it running up and down, or 
 " turning and winding with unlooked-for change." Alizon's hand 
 had been claimed by Richard Assheton, and next to the stately 
 host and his dignified partner, they came in for the largest share 
 of admiration and attention ; and if the untutored girl fell short 
 of the accomplished dame in precision and skill, she made up for 
 the want of them in natural grace and freedom of movement, for 
 the display of which the couranto, with its frequent and impromptu 
 changes, afforded ample opportunity. Even Sir Ralph was struck 
 with her extreme gracefulness, and pointed her out to Mistress 
 Nicholas, who, unen vying and amiable, joined heartily in his 
 praises. Overhearing what was said, Mrs. Nutter thought it a 
 fitting opportunity to announce her intention of adopting the 
 young girl ; and though Sir Ralph seemed a good deal surprised 
 
178 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 at the suddenness of the declaration, he raised no objection to the 
 plan ; but, on the contrary, applauded it. But another person, by 
 no means disposed to regard it in an equally favourable light, 
 became acquainted with the intelligence at the same time. This 
 was Master Potts, who instantly set his wits at work to discover 
 its import. Ever on the alert, his little eyes, sharp as needles, 
 had detected Jennet amongst the rustic company, and he now 
 made his way towards her, resolved, by dint of cross-questioning 
 and otherwise, to extract all the information he possibly could 
 from her. 
 
 The dance over, Richard and his partner wandered towards a 
 more retired part of the hall. 
 
 " Why does your sister shun me ? " inquired Alizon, with a look 
 of great distress. " What can I have done to offend her ? 
 Whenever I regard her she averts her head, and as I approached 
 her just now, she moved away, making it evident she designed to 
 avoid me. If I could think myself in any way different from what 
 I was this morning, when she treated me with such unbounded 
 confidence and kindness, or accuse myself of any offence towards 
 her, even in thought, I could understand it ; but as it is, her 
 present coldness appears inexplicable and unreasonable, and gives 
 me great pain. I would not forfeit her regard for worlds, and 
 therefore beseech you to tell me what I have done amiss, that I 
 may endeavour to repair it." 
 
 " You have done nothing nothing whatever, sweet girl," re- 
 plied Richard. u It is only caprice on Dorothy's part, and except 
 that it distresses you, her conduct, which you justly call ' unreason- 
 able,' does not deserve a moment's serious consideration." 
 
 " Oh no ! you cannot deceive me thus," cried Alizon. te She 
 is too kind too well-judging, to be capricious. Something must 
 have occurred to make her change her opinion of me, though what 
 it is I cannot conjecture. I have gained much to-day more than 
 I had any right to expect ; but if I have forfeited the good opinion 
 of your sister, the loss of her friendship will counterbalance all 
 the rest." 
 
 " But you have not lost it, Alizon," replied Richard, earnestly. 
 " Dorothy has got some strange notions into her head, which 
 only require to be combated. She does not like Mistress Nutter, 
 and is piqued and displeased by the extraordinary interest which 
 that lady displays towards you. That is all." 
 
 "But why should she not like Mistress Nutter?" inquired 
 Alizon. 
 
 " Nay, there is no accounting for fancies," returned Richard, 
 with a faint smile. " I do not attempt to defend her, but simply 
 offer the only excuse in my power for her conduct." 
 
 " I am concerned to hear it," said Alizon, sadly, if because hence- 
 forth I shall be so intimately connected with Mistress Nutter, that 
 this estrangement, which I hoped arose only from some trivial causej 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 179 
 
 and merely required a little explanation to be set aside, may be- 
 come widened and lasting. Owing every thing to Mistress Nutter, 
 I must espouse her cause; and if your sister likes her not, she likes 
 me not in consequence, and therefore we must continue divided. 
 But surely her dislike is of very recent date, and cannot have any 
 strong hold upon her ; for when she and Mistress Nutter met this 
 morning, a very different feeling seemed to animate her." 
 
 (t So, indeed, it did," replied Richard, visibly embarrassed and 
 distressed. " And since you have made me acquainted with the 
 new tie and interests you have formed, I can only regret alluding 
 to the circumstance." 
 
 " That you may not misunderstand me," said Alizon, " I will 
 explain the extent of my obligations to Mistress Nutter, and then 
 you will perceive how much I am bounden to her. Childless her- 
 self, greatly interested in me, and feeling for my unfortunate 
 situation, with infinite goodness of heart she has declared her in- 
 tention of removing me from all chance of baneful influence, from 
 the family with whom I have been heretofore connected, by adopt- 
 ing me as her daughter." 
 
 ec I should indeed rejoice at this," said Richard, " were it not 
 that" 
 
 And he stopped, gazing anxiously at her. 
 
 " Were not what 1 " cried Alizon, alarmed by his looks. " What 
 do you mean ? " 
 
 " Do not press me further," he rejoined; " I cannot answer you. 
 Indeed I have said too much already." 
 
 " You have said too much or too little," cried Alizon. " Speak, 
 I implore you. What mean these dark hints which you throw 
 out, and which like shadows elude all attempts to grasp them I 
 Do not keep me in this state of suspense and agitation. Your 
 looks speak more than your words. Oh, give your thoughts ut- 
 terance!" 
 
 " I cannot," replied Richard. " I do not believe what I have 
 heard, and therefore will not repeat it. It would only increase 
 the mischief. But oh ! tell me this ! Was it, indeed, to remove 
 you from the baneful influence of Elizabeth Device that Mistress 
 Nutter adopted you ? " 
 
 " Other motives may have swayed her, and I have said they did 
 so," replied Alizon ; " but that wish, no doubt, had great weight 
 with her. Nay, notwithstanding her abhorrence of the family, she 
 has kindly consented to use her best endeavours to preserve little 
 Jennet from further ill, as well as to reclaim poor misguided Eliza- 
 beth herselfV 
 
 " Oh ! what a weight you have taken from my heart,"^ cried 
 Richard, joyfully. " I will tell Dorothy what you say, and it will 
 at once remove all her doubts and suspicions. She will now be 
 the same to you as ever, and to Mistress Nutter." 
 
 u I will not ask you what those doubts and suspicions were, 
 
180 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 since you so confidently promise me this, which is all I desire/* 
 replied Alizon, smiling; " but any unfavourable opinions entertain- 
 ed of Mistress Nutter are wholly undeserved. Poor lady ! she 
 has endured many severe trials and sufferings, and whenever you 
 learn the whole of her history, she will, I am sure, have your sin- 
 cere sympathy." 
 
 " You have certainly produced a complete revolution in my 
 feelings towards her," said Richard, ts and I shall not be easy till 
 I have made a like convert of Dorothy." 
 
 At this moment a loud clapping of hands was heard, and Nicho- 
 las was seen marching towards the centre of the hall, preceded by 
 the minstrels, who had descended for the purpose from the gallery, 
 and bearing in his arms a large red velvet cushion. As soon as 
 the dancers had formed a wide circle round him, a very lively tune 
 called " Joan Sanderson," from which the dance about to be exe- 
 cuted sometimes received its name, was struck up, and the squire, 
 after a few preliminary flourishes, set down the cushion, and gave 
 chase to Dame Tetlow, who, threading her way rapidly through 
 the ring, contrived to elude him. This chase, accompanied by 
 music, excited shouts of laughter on all hands, and no one knew 
 which most to admire, the eagerness of the squire, or the dexterity 
 of the lissom dame in avoiding him. 
 
 Exhausted at length, and baffled in his quest, Nicholas came 
 to a halt before Tom the Piper, and, taking up the cushion, thus 
 preferred his complaint : " This dance it can no further go no 
 further go." 
 
 Whereupon the piper chanted in reply, " I pray you, good 
 sir, why say you so why say you so ? " 
 
 Amidst general laughter, the squire tenderly and touchingly 
 responded " Because Dame Tetlow will not come to will not 
 come to." 
 
 Whereupon Tom the Piper, waxing furious, blew a shrill whistle, 
 accompanied by an encouraging rattle of the tambarine, and en- 
 forcing the mandate by two or three energetic stamps on the floor, 
 delivered himself in this fashion : " She must come to, and she 
 SHALL come to. And she must come, whether she will or no." 
 
 Upon this two of the prettiest female morris-dancers, taking 
 each a hand of the blushing and overheated Dame Tetlow, for she 
 had found the chase rather warm work, led her forward ; while the 
 squire advancing very gallantly placed the cushion upon the ground 
 before her, and as she knelt down upon it, bestowed a smacking 
 kiss upon her lips. This ceremony being performed amidst much 
 tittering and flustering, accompanied by many knowing looks and 
 some expressed wishes among the swains, who hoped that their 
 turn might come next, Dame Tetlow arose, and the squire seizing 
 her hand, they began to whisk round in a sort of jig, singing mer- 
 rily as they danced 
 
THE TWO PORTKAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 181 
 
 " Prinkum prankum is a fine dance, 
 And we shall go dance it once again ! 
 Once again, 
 And we shall go dance it once again ! " 
 
 And they made good the words too; for on coming to a stop, 
 Dame Tetlow snatched up the cushion, and ran in search of the 
 squire, who retreating among the surrounding damsels, made sad 
 havoc among them, scarcely leaving a pretty pair of lips un visited. 
 Oh Nicholas ! Nicholas ! I am thoroughly ashamed of you, and 
 regret becoming your historian. You get me into an infinitude 
 of scrapes. But there is a rod in pickle for you, sir, which shall 
 be used with good effect presently. Tired of such an unprofitable 
 quest, Dame Tetlow came to a sudden halt, addressed the piper 
 as Nicholas had addressed him, and receiving a like answer, sum- 
 moned the delinquent to come forward; but as he knelt down on 
 the cushion, instead of receiving the anticipated salute, he got a 
 sound box on the ears, the dame, actuated probably by some feel- 
 ing of jealousy, taking advantage of the favourable opportunity af- 
 forded her of avenging herself. No one could refrain from laughing 
 at this unexpected turn in affairs, and Nicholas, to do him justice, 
 took it in excellent part, and laughed louder than the rest. Springing 
 to his feet, he snatched the kiss denied him by the spirited dame, 
 and led her to obtain some refreshment at the lower table, of 
 which they both stood in need, while the cushion being appropri- 
 ated by other couples, other boxes on the ear and kisses were in- 
 terchanged, leading to an infinitude of merriment. 
 
 Long before this Master Potts had found his way to Jennet, 
 and as he drew near, affecting to notice her for the first time, he 
 made some remarks upon her not looking very well. 
 
 " 'Deed, an ey'm nah varry weel," replied the little girl, " boh 
 ey knoa who ey han to thonk fo' my ailment." 
 
 " Your sister, most probably," suggested the attorney. " It 
 must be very vexatious to see her so much noticed, and be your- 
 self so much neglected very vexatious, indeed I quite feel for 
 you." 
 
 " Ey dunna want your feelin'," replied Jennet, nettled by the 
 remark ; " boh it wasna my sister os made me ill." 
 
 " Who was it then, my little dear," said Potts. 
 
 " Dunna < dear' me," retorted Jennet ; et yo're too ceevil by half, 
 os the lamb said to the wolf. Boh sin ye mun knoa, it wur Mis- 
 tress Nutter." 
 
 " Aha ! very good I mean very bad," cried Potts. " What 
 did Mistress Nutter do to you, my little dear 1 Don't be afraid 
 of telling me. If I can do any thing for you I shall be very happy. 
 Speak out and don't be afraid." 
 
 " Nay fo' shure, ey'm nah afeerd," returned Jennet. u Boh 
 whot mays ye so inqueesitive ? Ye want to get summat out'n 
 me, ey con see that plain enough, an os ye stand there glenting 
 
182 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 at me wi' your sly little een, ye look loike an owd fox ready to snap 
 up a chicken o' th' furst opportunity." 
 
 " Your comparison is not very flattering, Jennet," replied Potts ; 
 " but I pass it by for the sake of its cleverness. You are a sharp 
 child, Jennet a very sharp child. I remarked that from the first 
 moment I saw you. But in regard to Mistress Nutter, she seems 
 a very nice lady and must be a very kind lady, since she has 
 made up her mind to adopt your sister. Not that I am sur- 
 prised at her determination, for really Alizon is so superior so 
 unlike" 
 
 " Me, ye wad say," interrupted Jennet. rf Dunna be efeerd 
 to speak out, sir." 
 
 " No, no," replied Potts, ft on the contrary, there's a very 
 
 freat likeness between you. I saw you were sisters at once, 
 don't know which is the cleverest or prettiest but perhaps you 
 are the sharpest. Yes, you are the sharpest, undoubtedly, 
 Jennet. If I wished to adopt any one, which unfortunately I'm 
 not in a condition to do, having only bachelor's chambers in 
 Chancery Lane, it should be you. But I can put you in a way 
 of making your fortune, Jennet, and that's the next best thing to 
 adopting you. Indeed, it's much better in my case." 
 
 (f May my fortune !" cried the little girl, pricking up her ears, 
 " ey should loike to knoa how ye wad contrive that." 
 
 " I'll show you how directly, Jennet," returned Potts. " Pay 
 particular attention to what I say, and think it over carefully, 
 when you are by yourself. You are quite aware that there is a 
 great talk about witches in these parts; and, I may speak it 
 without offence to you, your own family come under the charge. 
 There is your grandmother Demdike, for instance, a notorious 
 witch your mother, Dame Device, suspected your brother 
 James suspected." 
 
 " Weel, sir," cried Jennet, eyeing him sharply, " what does 
 all this suspicion tend to ?" 
 
 " You shall hear, my little dear," returned Potts. " It would 
 not surprise me, if every one of. your family, including yourself, 
 should be arrested, shut up in Lancaster Castle, and burnt for 
 witches !" 
 
 " Alack a day ! an this ye ca' makin my fortin," cried Jennet, 
 derisively. " Much obleeged to ye, sir, boh ey'd leefer be with- 
 out the luck." 
 
 " Listen to me," pursued Potts, chuckling, (s and I will point 
 out to you a way of escaping the general fate of your family 
 not merely of escaping it but of acquiring a large reward. 
 And that is by giving evidence against them by telling all you 
 know you understand eh !" 
 
 " Yeigh, ey think ey do onderstond," replied Jennet, sullenly. 
 " An so this is your grand scheme, eh, sir?" 
 
 " This is my scheme, Jennet," said Potts, " and a notable 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 183 
 
 scheme it is, my little lass. Think it over. You're an admissible 
 and indeed a desirable witness; for our sagacious sovereign has 
 expressly observed that e bairns/ (I believe you call children 
 ' bairns' in Lancashire, Jennet ; your uncouth dialect very much 
 resembles the Scottish language, in which our learned monarch 
 writes as well as speaks) * bairns,' says he, * or wives, or never 
 so defamed persons, may of our law serve for sufficient witnesses 
 and proofs ; for who but witches can be proofs, and so witnesses 
 of the doings of witches.' " 
 
 "Boh, ey am neaw witch, ey tell ye, mon," cried Jennet, 
 angrily. 
 
 " But you're a witch's bairn, my little lassy," replied Potts, 
 " and that's just as bad, and you'll grow up to be a witch in due 
 time that is, if your career be not cut short. I'm sure you must 
 have witnessed some strange things when you visited your grand- 
 mother at Malkin Tower that, if I mistake not, is the name of 
 her abode ? and a fearful and witch-like name it is ; you must 
 have heard frequent mutterings and curses, spells, charms, and 
 diabolical incantations beheld strange and monstrous visions- 
 listened to threats uttered against people who have afterwards 
 perished unaccountably." 
 
 " Ey've heerd an seen nowt o't sort," replied Jennet ; t( boh 
 ey' han heerd my mother threaten yo." 
 
 u Ah, indeed," cried Potts, forcing a laugh, but looking rather 
 blank afterwards ; " and how did she threaten me, Jennet, eh ? 
 But no matter. Let that pass for the moment. As I was saying, 
 you must have seen mysterious proceedings both at Malkin Tower 
 and your own house. A black gentleman with a club foot must 
 visit you occasionally, and your mother must, now and then say 
 once a week take a fancy to riding on a broomstick. Are you 
 quite sure you have never ridden on one yourself, Jennet, and 
 got whisked up the chimney without being aware of it I It's the 
 common witch conveyance, and said to be very expeditious and 
 agreeable but I can't vouch for it myself ha ! ha ! Possibly 
 though you are rather young but possibly, I say, you may have 
 attended a witch's Sabbath, and seen a huge He-Goat, with four 
 horns on his head, and a large tail, seated in the midst of a large 
 circle of devoted admirers. If you have seen this, and can recol- 
 lect the names and faces of the assembly, it would be highly 
 important." 
 
 " When ey see it, ey shanna forget it," replied Jennet. " Boh 
 ey am nah quite so familiar wi' Owd Scrat os yo seem to 
 suppose." 
 
 " Has it ever occurred to you that Alizon might be addicted 
 to these practices ? " pursued Potts, u and that she obtained her 
 extraordinary and otherwise unaccountable beauty by some ma- 
 gical process some charm some diabolical unguent prepared, 
 as the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seals, the singularly learned 
 
184 TOE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Lord Bacon, declares, from fat of unbaptised babes, compounded 
 with henbane, hemlock, mandrake, moonshade, and other terrible 
 ingredients. She could not be so beautiful without some 
 such aid." 
 
 " That shows how little yo knoaw about it," replied Jennet. 
 " Alizon is os good as she's protty, and dunna yo think to wheedle 
 me into sayin' out agen her, fo' yo winna do it. Ey'd dee rayther 
 than harm a hure o' her heaod." 
 
 " Very praiseworthy, indeed, my little dear," replied Potts, 
 ironically. " I honour you for your sisterly affection ; but, not- 
 withstanding all this, I cannot help thinking she has bewitched 
 Mistress Nutter." 
 
 " Licker, Mistress Nutter has bewitched her," replied Jennet. 
 
 " Then you think Mistress Nutter is a witch, eh ?" cried Potts, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " Ey'st neaw tell ye what ey think, mon," rejoined Jennet, 
 doggedly. 
 
 " But hear me," cried Potts, " I have my own suspicions, also, 
 nay, more than suspicions." 
 
 ' If ye're shure, yo dunna want me," said Jennet. 
 
 sc But I want a witness," pursued Potts, " and if you'll serve 
 as one" 
 
 " Whot'll ye gi' me f " said Jennet. 
 
 " Whatever you like," rejoined Potts. fl Only name the sum. 
 So you can prove the practice of witchcraft against Mistress 
 Nutter eh?" 
 
 Jennet nodded. " Wad ye loike to knoa why brother Jem is 
 gone to Pendle to-neet f " she said. 
 
 " Very much, indeed," replied Potts, drawing still nearer to 
 her. " Very much, indeed." 
 
 The little girl was about to speak, but on a sudden a sharp 
 convulsion agitated her frame ; her utterance totally failed her ; 
 and she fell back in the seat insensible. 
 
 Very much startled, Potts flew in search of some restorative, 
 and on doing so, he perceived Mistress Nutter moving away from 
 this part of the hall. 
 
 " She has done it," he cried. " A piece of witchcraft before 
 my very eyes. Has she killed the child ? No ; she breathes, and 
 her pulse beats, though faintly. She is only in a swoon, but a 
 deep and deathlike one. It would be useless to attempt to revive 
 her ; she must come to in her own way, or at the pleasure of 
 the wicked woman who has thrown her into this condition. I 
 have now an assured witness in this girl. But I must keep watch 
 upon Mistress Nutter's further movements." 
 
 And he walked cautiously after her. 
 
 As Richard had anticipated, his explanation was perfectly 
 satisfactory to Dorothy ; and the young lady, who had suffered 
 greatly from the restraint she had imposed upon herself, flew to- 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IN THE BANQUETING-HALL. 185 
 
 Alizon, and poured forth excuses, which were as readily accepted 
 as they were freely made. They were instantly as great friends 
 as before, and their brief estrangement only seemed to make 
 them dearer to each other. Dorothy could not forgive herself, 
 and Alizon assured her there was nothing to be forgiven, and so 
 they took hands upon it, and promised to forget ail that had 
 passed. Richard stood by, delighted with the change, and 
 wrapped in the contemplation of the object of his love, who, thus 
 engaged, seemed to him more beautiful than he had ever beheld 
 her. 
 
 Towards the close of the evening, while all three were still to- 
 gether, Nicholas came up and took Richard aside. The squire 
 looked flushed ; and there was an undefined expression of alarm 
 in his countenance. 
 
 " What is the matter?" inquired Richard, dreading to hear of 
 some new calamity. 
 
 " Have you not noticed it, Dick?" said Nicholas, in a hollow 
 tone. " The portrait is gone/' 
 
 " What portrait ? " exclaimed Richard, forgetting the previous 
 circumstances. 
 
 " The portrait of Isole de Heton," returned Nicholas, becoming 
 more sepulchral in his accents as he proceeded ; " it has vanished 
 from the wall. See and believe." 
 
 " Who has taken it down ? " cried Richard, remarking that the 
 picture had certainly disappeared. 
 
 " No mortal hand," replied Nicholas. Cs It has come down of 
 itself. I knew what would happen, Dick. I told you the fair 
 votaress gave me the din d?oeil the wink. You would not believe 
 me then and now you see your mistake." 
 
 " I see nothing but the bare wall," said Richard. 
 
 " But you will see something anon, Dick," rejoined Nicholas, 
 with a hollow laugh, and in a dismally deep tone. " You will see 
 Isole herself. I was foolhardy enough to invite her to dance the 
 brawl with me. She smiled her assent, and winked at me thus 
 very significantly, I protest to you and she will be as good as 
 her word." 
 
 "Absurd!" exclaimed Richard. 
 
 " Absurd, sayest thou thou art an infidel, and believest 
 nothing, Dick," cried Nicholas. " Dost thou not see that the 
 picture is gone ? She will be here presently. Ha ! the brawl is 
 called for the very dance I invited her to. She must be in the 
 room now. I will go in search of her. Look out, Dick. Thou 
 wilt behold a sight presently shall make thine hair stand on 
 end." 
 
 And he moved away with a rapid but uncertain step. 
 
 " The potent wine has confused his brain," said Richard. a I 
 must see that no mischance befalls him." 
 
 And, waving his hand to his sister, he followed the squire, who 
 
186 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 moved on, staring inquisitively into the countenance of every 
 pretty damsel he encountered. 
 
 Time had flown fleetly with Dorothy and Alizon, who, occupied 
 with each other, had taken little note of its progress, and were 
 surprised to find how quickly the hours had gone by. Mean- 
 while several dances had been performed ; a Morisco, in which all 
 the May-day revellers took part, with the exception of the queen 
 herself, who, notwithstanding the united entreaties of Robin Hood 
 and her gentleman-usher, could not be prevailed upon to join it : 
 a trenchmore, a sort of long country-dance, extending from top to 
 bottom of the hall, and in which the whole of the rustics stood 
 up : a galliard, confined to the more important guests, and in 
 which both Alizon and Dorothy were included, the former dancing, 
 of course, with Richard, and the latter with one of her cousins, 
 young Joseph Robinson : and a jig, quite promiscuous and unex- 
 clusive, and not the less merry on that account. In this way, 
 what with the dances, which were of some duration the trench- 
 more alone occupying more than an hour and the necessary 
 breathing-time between them, it was on the stroke of ten without 
 any body being aware of it. Now this, though a very early hour 
 for a modern party, being about the time when the first guest 
 would arrive, was a very late one even in fashionable assemblages 
 at the period in question, and the guests began to think of retir- 
 ing, when the brawl, intended to wind up the entertainment, was 
 called. The highest animation still prevailed throughout the 
 company, for the generous host had taken care that the intervals 
 between the dances should be well filled up with refreshments, 
 and large bowls of spiced wines, with burnt oranges and crabs 
 floating in them, were placed on the side-table, and liberally 
 dispensed to all applicants. Thus all seemed destined to be 
 brought to a happy conclusion. 
 
 Throughout the evening Alizon had been closely watched by 
 Mistress Nutter, who remarked, with feelings akin to jealousy and 
 distrust, the marked predilection exhibited by her for Richard 
 and Dorothy Assheton, as well as her inattention to her own 
 expressed injunctions in remaining constantly near them. Though 
 secretly displeased by this, she put a calm face upon it, and neither 
 remonstrated by word or look. Thus Alizon, feeling encouraged 
 in the course she had adopted, and prompted by her inclinations, 
 soon forgot the interdiction she had received. Mistress Nutter 
 even went so far in her duplicity as to promise Dorothy, that 
 Alizon should pay her an early visit at Middleton though 
 inwardly resolving no such visit should ever take place. How- 
 ever, she now received the proposal very graciously, and made 
 Alizon quite happy in acceding to it. 
 
 u I would fain have her go back with me to Middleton when I 
 return," said Dorothy, " but I fear you would not like to part 
 with your newly-adopted daughter so soon ; neither would it be 
 
THE TWO PORTRAITS IX THE BANQUETIXG-HALL. 187 
 
 quite fair to rob you of her. But I shall hold you to your pro- 
 mise of an early visit." 
 
 Mistress Nutter replied by a bland smile, and then observed to 
 Alizon that it was time for them to retire, and that she had 
 stayed on her account far later than she intended a mark of 
 consideration duly appreciated by Alizon. Farewells for the 
 night were then exchanged between the two girls, and Alizon 
 looked round to bid adieu to Richard, but unfortunately, at this 
 very juncture, he was engaged in pursuit of Nicholas. Before 
 quitting the hall she made inquiries after Jennet, and receiving 
 for answer that she was still in the hall, but had fallen asleep in a 
 chair at one corner of the side-table, and could not be wakened, 
 she instantly flew thither and tried to rouse her, but in vain ; when 
 Mistress Nutter, coming up the next moment, merely touched her 
 brow, and the little girl opened her eyes and gazed about her with 
 a bewildered look." 
 
 '* She is unused to these late hours, poor child," said Alizon. 
 " Some one must be found to take her home." 
 
 (i You need not go far in search of a convoy," said Potts, who 
 had been hovering about, and now stepped up ; " I am going to 
 the Dragon myself, and shall be happy to take charge of her." 
 
 " You are over-officious, sir," rejoined Mistress Nutter, coldly ; 
 " when we need your assistance we will ask it. My own servant, 
 Simon Blackadder, will see her safely home." 
 
 And at a sign from her, a tall fellow with a dark, scowling coun- 
 tenance, came from among the other serving-men, and, receiving 
 his instructions from his mistress, seized Jennet's hand, and 
 strode off with her. During all this time, Mistress Nutter kept 
 her eyes steadily fixed on the little girl, who spoke not a word, 
 nor replied even by a gesture to Alizon's affectionate good-night, 
 retaining her dazed look to the moment of quitting the hall. 
 
 " I never saw her thus before," said Alizon. " What can be 
 the matter with her 1 " 
 
 <f I think I could tell you," rejoined Potts, glancing maliciously 
 and significantly at Mistress Nutter. 
 
 The lady darted an ireful and piercing look at him, which 
 seemed to produce much the same consequences as those expe- 
 rienced by Jennet, for his visage instantly elongated, and he sank 
 back in a chair. 
 
 "Oh dear!" he cried, putting his hand to his head; " I'm 
 struck all of a heap. I feel a sudden qualm a giddiness a sort 
 of don't-know-howishness. Ho, there ! some aquavitae or impe- 
 rial water or cinnamon water or whatever reviving cordial may 
 be at hand. I feel very ill very ill, indeed oh dear !" 
 
 While his requirements were attended to, Mistress Nutter 
 moved away with her daughter; but they had not pioceeded far 
 when they encountered Richard, who, having fortunately descried 
 them, came up to say good-night. 
 
188 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 The brawl, meanwhile, had commenced, and the dancers were 
 whirling round giddily in every direction, somewhat like the 
 couples in a grand polka, danced after a very boisterous, romping, 
 and extravagant fashion. 
 
 " Who is Nicholas dancing with ? " asked Mistress Nutter sud- 
 denly. 
 
 "Is he dancing with any one?" rejoined Richard, looking 
 amidst the crowd. 
 
 " Do you not see her?" said Mistress Nutter; " a very beau- 
 tiful woman with flashing eyes : they move so quickly, that I can 
 scarce discern her features ; but she is habited like a nun." 
 
 "Like a nun!" cried Richard, his blood growing chill in his 
 veins. " 'Tis she indeed, then! Where is he?" 
 
 " Yonder, yonder, whirling madly round," replied Mistress 
 Nutter. 
 
 "I see him now," said Richard, "but he is alone. He has 
 lost his wits to dance in that strange manner by himself. How 
 wild, too, is his gaze !" 
 
 " I tell you he is dancing with a very beautiful woman in the 
 habit of a nun," said Mistress Nutter. " Strange 1 should never 
 have remarked her before. No one in the room is to be compared 
 with her in loveliness not even Alizon. Her eyes seem to flash 
 fire, and she bounds like the wild roe." 
 
 " Does she resemble the portrait of Isole de Heton ? " asked 
 Richard, shuddering. 
 
 " She does she does," replied Mistress Nutter. " See ! she 
 whirls past us now." 
 
 " I can see no one but Nicholas," cried Richard. 
 
 " Nor I," added Alizon, who shared in the young man's alarm. 
 
 " Are you sure you behold that figure?" said Richard, drawing 
 Mistress Nutter aside, and breathing the words in her ear. " If 
 so, it is a phantom or he is in the power of the fiend He was 
 rash enough to invite that wicked votaress, Isole de Heton, 
 condemned, it is said, to penal fires for her earthly enormities, to 
 dance with him, and she has come." 
 
 u Ha !" exclaimed Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " She will whirl him round till he expires," cried Richard ; *' I 
 must free him at all hazards." 
 
 " Stay," said Mistress Nutter ; " it is I who have been deceived. 
 Now I look again, I see that Nicholas is alone." 
 
 " But the nun's dress the wondrous beauty the flashing 
 r.yes ! " cried Richard. " You described Isole exactly." 
 
 " It was mere fancy," said Mistress Nutter. " I had just been 
 looking at her portrait, and it dwelt on my mind, and created the 
 image." 
 
 " The portrait is gone," cried Richard, pointing to the empty 
 wall. 
 
 Mistress Nutter looked confounded. 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 189 
 
 And without a word more, she took Alizon, who was full of 
 alarm and astonishment, by the arm, and hurried her out of the 
 hall. 
 
 As they disappeared, the young man flew towards Nicholas, 
 whose extraordinary proceedings had excited general amazement. 
 The other dancers had moved out of the way, so that free space 
 was left for his mad gyrations. Greatly scandalised by the exhi- 
 bition, which he looked upon as the effect of intoxication, Sir 
 Kalph called loudly to him to stop, but he paid no attention to 
 the summons, but whirled on with momently-increasing velocity, 
 oversetting old Adam Whitworth, Gregory, and Dickon, who 
 severally ventured to place themselves in his path, to enforce their 
 master's injunctions, until at last, just as Richard reached him, he 
 uttered a loud cry, and fell to the ground insensible. By Sir 
 Ralph's command he was instantly lifted up and transported to 
 his own chamber. 
 
 This unexpected and extraordinary incident put an end to the 
 ball, and the whole of the guests, after taking a respectful and 
 grateful leave of the host, departed not in " most admired" 
 disorder, but full of wonder. By most persons the squire's 
 " fantastical vagaries," as they were termed, were traced to the 
 vast quantity of wine he had drunk, but a few others shook their 
 heads, and said he was evidently bewitched, and that Mother 
 Chattox and Nance Redferne were at the bottom of it. As to 
 the portrait of Isole de Heton, it was found under the table, and 
 it was said that Nicholas himself had pulled it down; but this he 
 obstinately denied, when afterwards taken to task for his indeco- 
 rous behaviour ; and to his dying day he asserted, and believed, 
 that he had danced the brawl with Isole de Heton. u And never," 
 he would say, " had mortal man such a partner." 
 
 From that night the two portraits in the banqueting-hall were 
 regarded with great awe by the inmates of the Abbey. 
 
 CHAPTER X. THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 
 
 ON gaining the head of the staircase leading to the corridor, 
 Mistress Nutter, whose movements had hitherto been extremely 
 rapid, paused with her daughter to listen to the sounds arising 
 from below. Suddenly was heard a loud cry, and the music, 
 which had waxed fast and furious in order to keep pace with the 
 frenzied boundings of the squire, ceased at once, showing some 
 interruption had occurred, while from the confused noise that 
 ensued, it was evident the sudden stoppage had been the result 
 of accident. With blanched cheek Alizon listened, scarcely 
 daring to look at her mother, whose expression of countenance, 
 revealed by the lamp she held in her hand, almost frightened her; 
 
190 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and it was a great relief to hear the voices and laughter of the 
 serving-men as they came forth with Nicholas, and bore him 
 towards another part of the mansion ; and though much shocked^ 
 she was glad when one of them, who appeared to be Nicholas's 
 own servant, assured the others " that it was only a drunken fit, 
 and that the squire would wake up next morning as if nothing 
 had happened." 
 
 Apparently satisfied with this explanation, Mistress Nutter 
 moved on ; but a new feeling of uneasiness came over Alizon as 
 she followed her down the long dusky corridor, in the direction of 
 the mysterious chamber, where they were to pass the night. The 
 fitful flame of the lamp fell upon many a grim painting depicting 
 the sufferings of the early martyrs ; and these ghastly representa- 
 tions did not serve to re-assure her. The grotesque carvings on 
 the panels and ribs of the vaulted roof, likewise impressed her 
 with vague terror, and there was one large piece of sculpture 
 Saint Theodora subjected to diabolical temptation, as described 
 in the Golden Legend that absolutely scared her. Their foot- 
 steps echoed hollowly overhead, and more than once, deceived by 
 the sound, Alizon turned to see if any one was behind them. At 
 the end of the corridor lay the room once occupied by the superior 
 of the religious establishment, and still known from that 
 circumstance as the " Abb6t's Chamber." Connected with this 
 apartment was the beautiful oratory built by Paslew, wherein he 
 had kept his last vigils ; and though now no longer applied to 
 purposes of worship, still wearing from the character of its archi- 
 tecture, its sculptured ornaments, and the painted glass in its 
 casements, a dim religious air. The abbot's room was allotted to 
 Dorothy Assheton ; and from its sombre magnificence, as well as 
 the ghostly tales connected with it, had impressed her with so 
 much superstitious misgiving, that she besought Alizon to share 
 her couch with her, but the young girl did not dare to assent. 
 Just, however, as Mistress Nutter was about to enter her own 
 room, Dorothy appeared on the corridor, and, calling to Alizon to 
 stay a moment, flew quickly towards her, and renewed the pro- 
 position. Alizon looked at her mother, but the latter decidedly, 
 and somewhat sternly, negatived it. 
 
 The young girls then said good-night, kissing each other 
 affectionately, after which Alizon entered the room with 
 Mistress Nutter, and the door was closed. Two tapers were 
 burning on the dressing-table, and their light fell upon the carved 
 figures of the wardrobe, which still exercised the same weird 
 influence over her. Mistress Nutter neither seemed disposed to 
 retire to rest immediately, nor willing to talk, but sat down, and 
 was soon lost in thought. After awhile, an impulse of curiosity 
 which she could not resist, prompted Alizon to peep into the 
 closet, and pushing aside the tapestry, partly drawn over the 
 entrance, she held the lamp forward so as to throw its light into 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 191 
 
 the little chamber. A mere glance was all she was allowed, but 
 it sufficed to show her the large oak chest, though the monkish 
 robe lately suspended above it, and which had particularly attracted 
 her attention, was gone. Mistress Nutter had noticed the 
 movement, and instantly and somewhat sharply recalled her. 
 
 As Alizon obeyed, a slight tap was heard at the door. The 
 young girl turned pale, for in her present frame of mind any 
 little matter affected her. Nor were her apprehensions materially 
 allayed by the entrance of Dorothy, who, looking white as a sheet 
 said she did not dare to remain in her own room, having been 
 terribly frightened, by seeing a monkish figure in mouldering 
 white garments, exactly resembling one of the carved images or 
 the wardrobe, issue from behind the hangings on the wall, and 
 glide into the oratory, and she entreated Mistress Nutter to let 
 Alizon go back with her. The request was peremptorily refused, 
 and the lady, ridiculing Dorothy for her fears, bade her return ; 
 but she still lingered. This relation filled Alizon with inexpres- 
 sible alarm, for though she did not dare to allude to the dis- 
 appearance of the monkish gown, she could not help connecting 
 the circumstance with the ghostly figure seen by Dorothy. 
 
 Unable otherwise to get rid of the terrified intruder, whose 
 presence was an evident restraint to her, Mistress Nutter, at 
 length, consented to accompany her to her room, and convince 
 her of the folly of her fears, by an examination of the oratory. 
 Alizon went with them, her mother not choosing to leave her 
 behind, and indeed she herself was most anxious to go. 
 
 The abbot's chamber was large and gloomy, nearly twice the 
 size of the room occupied by Mistress Nutter, but resembling it 
 in many respects, as well as in the dusky hue of its hangings and 
 furniture, most of which had been undisturbed since the days of 
 Paslew. The very bed, of carved oak, was that in which he had 
 slept, and his arms were still displayed upon it, and on the 
 painted glass of the windows. As Alizon entered she looked 
 round with apprehension, but nothing occurred to Justify her 
 uneasiness. Having raised the arras, from behind which Dorothy 
 averred the figure had issued, and discovering nothing but a panel 
 of oak; with a smile of incredulity, Mistress Nutter walked 
 boldly towards the oratory, the two girls, hand in hand, following 
 tremblingly after her ; but no fearful object met their view. A 
 dressing-table, with a large mirror upon it, occupied the spot 
 where the altar had formerly stood ; but, in spite of this, and of 
 other furniture, the little place of prayer, as has previously been 
 observed, retained much of its original character, and seemed 
 more calculated to inspire sentiments of devotional awe than any 
 other. 
 
 After remaining for a short time in the oratory, during which 
 she pointed out the impossibility of any one being concealed there, 
 Mistress Gutter assured Dorothy she might rest quite easy that 
 
192 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 nothing further would occur to alarm her, and recommending her 
 to lose the sense of her fears as speedily as she could in sleep, 
 took her departure with Alizon. 
 
 But the recommendation was of little avail. The poor girl's 
 heart died within her, and all her former terrors returned, and 
 with additional force. Sitting down, she looked fixedly at the 
 hangings till her eyes ached, and then covering her face with her 
 hands, and scarcely daring to breathe, she listened intently for 
 the slightest sound. A rustle would have made her scream but 
 all was still' as death, so profoundly quiet, that the very hush and 
 silence became a new cause of disquietude, and longing for some 
 cheerful sound to break it, she would have spoken aloud but from 
 a fear of hearing her own voice. A book lay before her, and she 
 essayed to read it, but in vain. She was ever glancing fearfully 
 round ever listening intently. This state could not endure for 
 ever, and feeling a drowsiness steal over her she yielded to it, 
 and at length dropped asleep in her chair. Her dreams, however, 
 were influenced by her mental condition, and slumber was no 
 refuge, as promised by Mistress Nutter, from the hauntings of 
 terror. 
 
 At last a jarring sound aroused her, and she found she had 
 been awakened by the clock striking twelve. Her lamp required 
 trimming and burnt dimly, but by its imperfect light she saw the 
 arras move. This could be no fancy, for the next moment the 
 hangings were raised, and a figure looked from behind them ; and 
 this time it was not the monk, but a female robed in white. A 
 glimpse of the figure was all Dorothy caught, for it instantly 
 retreated, and the tapestry fell back to its place against the wall. 
 Scared by this apparition, Dorothy rushed out of the room so 
 hurriedly that she forgot to take her lamp, and made her way, 
 she scarcely knew how, to the adjoining chamber. She did not 
 tap at the door, but trying it, and finding it unfastened, opened it 
 softly, and closed it after her, resolved if the occupants of the 
 room were asleep not to disturb them, but to pass the night in a 
 chair, the presence of some living beings beside her sufficing, in 
 some degree, to dispel her terrors. The room was buried in 
 darkness, the tapers being extinguished. 
 
 Advancing on tiptoe she soon discovered a seat, when what 
 was her surprise to find Alizon asleep within it. She was sure it 
 was Alizon for she had touched her hair and face, and she felt 
 surprised that the contact had not awakened her. Still more 
 surprised did she feel that the young girl had not retired to rest. 
 Again she stepped forward in search of another chair, when a 
 gleam of light suddenly shot from one side of the bed, and the 
 tapestry, masking the entrance to the closet, was slowly drawn 
 aside. From behind it, the next moment, appeared the same 
 female figure, robed in white, that she had previously beheld in 
 the abbot's chamber. The figure held a lamp in one hand, and 
 
ALIZON ALARMED AT THE APPEARANCE OF TARS. NUTTER. P. 192. 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 193 
 
 a small box in the other, and, to her unspeakable horror, dis- 
 closed the livid and contorted countenance of Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Dreadful though undefined suspicions crossed her mind, and 
 she feared, if discovered, she should be sacrificed to the fury of 
 this strange and terrible woman. Luckily, where she stood, 
 though Mistress Nutter was revealed to her, she herself was 
 screened from view by the hangings of the bed, and looking 
 around for a hiding-place, she observed that the mysterious ward- 
 robe, close behind her, was open, and without a moment's hesi- 
 tation, she slipped into the covert and drew the door to, noiselessly. 
 But her curiosity overmastered her fear, and, firmly believing 
 some magical rite was about to be performed, she sought for 
 means of beholding it ; nor was she long in discovering a small 
 eyelet-hole in the carving which commanded the room. 
 
 Unconscious of any other presence than that of Alizon, whose 
 stupor appeared to occasion her no uneasiness, Mistress Nutter, 
 placed the lamp upon the table, made fast the door, and, mutter- 
 ing some unintelligible words, unlocked the box. It contained 
 two singularly-shaped glass vessels, the one filled with a bright 
 sparkling liquid, and the other with a greenish-coloured unguent. 
 Pouring forth a few drops of the liquid into a glass near her, Mis- 
 tress Nutter swallowed them, and then taking some of the unguent 
 upon her hands, proceeded to anoint her face and neck with it, 
 exclaiming as she did so, "Emen hetan! Emen hetan!" words 
 that fixed themselves upon the listener's memory. 
 
 Wondering what would follow, Dorothy gazed on, when she 
 suddenly lost sight of Mistress Nutter, and after looking for her 
 as far as her range of vision, limited by the aperture, would ex- 
 tend, she became convinced that she had left the room. All remain- 
 ing quiet, she ventured, after awhile, to quit her hiding-place, and 
 flying to Alizon, tried to waken her, but in vain. The poor girl 
 retained the same moveless attitude, and appeared plunged in a 
 deathly stupor. 
 
 Much frightened, Dorothy resolved to alarm the house, but some 
 fears of Mistress Nutter restrained her, and she crept towards the 
 closet to see whether that dread lady could be there. All was 
 perfectly still; and somewhat emboldened, she returned to the table, 
 where the box, which was left open and its contents unguarded, 
 attracted her attention. 
 
 What was the liquid in the phial ? What could it do ? These 
 were questions she asked herself, and longing to try the effect, she 
 ventured at last to pour forth a few drops and taste it. It was 
 like a potent distillation, and she became instantly sensible of a 
 strange bewildering excitement. Presently her brain reeled, and 
 she laughed wildly. Never before had she felt so light and buoy- 
 ant, and wings seemed scarcely wanting to enable her to fly. An 
 idea occurred to her. The wondrous liquid might arouse Alizon. 
 The experiment should be tried at once, and, dipping her finger 
 
 o 
 
194 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 in the phial, she touched the lips of the sleeper, who sighed deeply 
 and opened her eyes. Another drop, and Alizon was on her feet, 
 gazing at her in astonishment, and laughing wildly as herself. 
 
 Poor girls ! how wild and strange they looked and how unlike 
 themselves I 
 
 " Whither are you going?" cried Alizon. 
 
 " To the moon ! to the stars ! any where !" rejoined Dorothy, 
 with a laugh of frantic glee. 
 
 t( I will go with you," cried Alizon, echoing the laugh. 
 
 " Here and there ! here and there !" exclaimed Dorothy, taking 
 her hand. " Emen hetan ! Emen hetan !" 
 
 As the mystic words were uttered they started away. It seem- 
 ed as if no impediments could stop them ; how they crossed the 
 closet, passed through a sliding panel into the abbot's room, 
 entered the oratory, and from it descended, by a secret staircase, 
 to the garden, they knew not but there they were, gliding swiftly 
 along in the moonlight, like winged spirits. What took them to- 
 wards the conventual church they could not say. But they were 
 drawn thither, as the ship was irresistibly dragged towards the 
 loadstone rock described in the Eastern legend. Nothing surprised 
 them then, or they might have been struck by the dense vapour, 
 enveloping the monastic ruins, and shrouding them from view ; 
 nor was it until they entered the desecrated fabric, that any con- 
 sciousness of what was passing around returned to them. 
 
 Their ears were then assailed by a wild hubbub of discordant 
 sounds, hootings and croakings as of owls and ravens, shrieks and 
 jarring cries as of night-birds, bellowings as of cattle, groans and 
 dismal sounds, mixed with unearthly laughter. Undefined and ex- 
 traordinary shapes, whether men or women, beings of this world 
 or of another they could not tell, though they judged them thelatter, 
 flew past with wild whoops and piercing cries, flapping the air as if 
 with great leathern bat-like wings, or bestriding black, monstrous, 
 misshapen steeds. Fantastical and grotesque were these objects, yet 
 hideous and appalling. Now and then a red and fiery star would 
 whiz crackling through the air, and then exploding break into 
 numerous pale phosphoric lights, that danced awhile overhead, 
 and then flitted away among the ruins. The ground seemed to 
 heave and tremble beneath the footsteps, as if the graves were 
 opening to give forth their dead, while toads arid hissing reptiles 
 crept forth. 
 
 Appalled, yet partly restored to herself by this confused and 
 horrible din, Alizon stood still and kept fast hold of Dorothy, who, 
 seemingly under a stronger influence than herself, was drawn to- 
 wards the eastern end of the fane, where a fire appeared to be 
 blazing, a strong ruddy glare being cast upon the broken roof of 
 the choir, and the mouldering arches around it. The noises around 
 them suddenly ceased, and all the uproar seemed concentrated near 
 the spot where the fire was burning. Dorothy besought her friend 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 195 
 
 so earnestly to let her see what was going forward, that Alizon 
 reluctantly and tremblingly assented, and they moved slowly to- 
 wards the transept, taking care to keep under the shelter of the 
 columns. 
 
 On reaching the last pillar, behind which they remained, an ex- 
 traordinary and fearful spectacle burst upon them. As they had 
 supposed, a large fire was burning in the midst of the choir, the 
 smoke of which, ascending in eddying wreaths, formed a dark can- 
 opy overhead, where it was mixed with the steam issuing from a 
 large black bubbling caldron set on the blazing embers. Around 
 the fire were ranged, in a wide circle, an assemblage of men and 
 women, but chiefly the latter, and of these almost all old, hideous, 
 and of malignant aspect, their grim and sinister features looking 
 ghastly in the lurid light. Above them, amid the smoke and steam, 
 wheeled bat and flitter-mouse, horned owl and screech-owl, in mazy 
 circles. The weird assemblage chattered together in some wild 
 jargon, mumbling and muttering spells and incantations, chanting 
 fearfully with hoarse, cracked voices a wild chorus, and anon break- 
 ing into a loud and long-continued peal of laughter. Then there 
 was more mumbling, chattering, and singing, and one of the troop 
 producing a wallet, hobbled forward. 
 
 She was a fearful old crone; hunchbacked, toothless, blear-eyed, 
 bearded, halt, with huge gouty feet swathed in flannel. As she 
 cast in the ingredients one by one, she chanted thus : 
 
 " Head of monkey, brain of cat, 
 Eye of weasel, tail of rat, 
 Juice of mugwort, mastic, myrrh- 
 All within the pot I stir." 
 
 " Well sung, Mother Mould-heels," cried a little old man, whose 
 doublet and hose were of rusty black, with a short cloak, of the 
 same hue, over his shoulders. " Well sung, Mother Mould- heels," 
 he cried, advancing as the old witch retired, amidst a roar of laugh- 
 ter from the others, and chanting as he filled the caldron : 
 
 " Here is foam from a mad dog's lips, 
 Gather'd beneath the moon's eclipse, 
 Ashes of a shroud consumed, 
 And with deadly vapour fumed. 
 These within the mess I cast 
 Stir the caldron stir it fast ! " 
 
 A red-haired witch then took his place, singing, 
 
 " Here are snakes from out the river, 
 Bones of toad and sea-calf's liver ; 
 Swine's flesh fatten' d on her brood,' 
 Wolf's tooth, hare's foot, weasel's blood. 
 Skull of ape and fierce baboon, 
 And panther spotted like the moon ; 
 Feathers of the horned owl, 
 Daw, pie, and other fatal fowl. 
 Fruit from fig-tree never sown. 
 Seed from cypress never grown. 
 All within the mess I cast, 
 Stir the caldron stir it fast! r 
 
196 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Nance Redferne then advanced, and, taking from her wallet a 
 small clay image, tricked out in attire intended to resemble that 
 of James Device, plunged several pins deeply into its breast, sing- 
 ing as she did so, thus, 
 
 " In his likeness it is moulded, 
 In his vestments 'tis enfolded. 
 Ye may know it, as I show it ! 
 In its breast sharp pins I stick, 
 And I drive them to the quick. 
 They are in they are in . 
 And the wretch's pangs begin. 
 Now his heart, 
 Feels the smart ; 
 Through his marrow, 
 Sharp as arrow, 
 Torments quiver 
 He shall shiver, 
 He shall burn, 
 
 He shall toss, and he shall turn. 
 Unavailingly. 
 Aches shall rack him, 
 Cramps attack him ; 
 He shall wail, 
 Strength shall fail, 
 Till he die 
 Miserably ! " 
 
 As Nance retired, another witch advanced, and sung thus : 
 
 '* Over mountain, over valley, over woodland, over waste, 
 On our gallant broomsticks riding we have come with frantic haste, 
 And the reason of our coming, as ye wot well, is to see 
 Who this night, as new-made witch, to our ranks shall added be." 
 
 A wild burst of laughter followed this address, and another 
 wizard succeeded, chanting thus : 
 
 " Beat the water, Demdike's daughter ! 
 
 Till the tempest gather o'er us ; 
 Till the thunder strike with wonder 
 
 And the lightnings flash before us ! 
 Beat the water, Demdike's daughter ! 
 Kuin seize our foes and slaughter ! " 
 
 As the words were uttered, a woman stepped from out the 
 circle, and throwing back the grey-hooded cloak in which she was 
 enveloped, disclosed the features of Elizabeth Device. Her 
 presence in that fearful assemblage occasioned no surprise to 
 Alizon, though it increased her horror. A pail of water was next 
 set before the witch, and a broom being placed in her hand, she 
 struck the lymph with it, sprinkling it aloft, and uttering this spell : 
 
 " Mount, water, to the skies ! 
 Bid the sudden storm arise. 
 Bid the pitchy clouds advance, 
 Bid the forked lightnings glance, 
 Bid the angry thunder growl, 
 Bid the wild wind fiercely howl ! 
 Bid the tempest come amain, 
 Thunder, lightning, wind, and rain!" 
 
 As she concluded, clouds gathered thickly overhead, obscuring 
 
THE INCANTATION 
 
 P. 196. 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 197 
 
 the stars that had hitherto shone down from the heavens. The 
 wind suddenly arose, but in lie.u of dispersing the vapours it 
 seemed only to condense them. A flash of forked lightning cub 
 through the air, and a loud peal of thunder rolled overhead. 
 Then the whole troop sang together 
 
 " Beat the water, Demdike's daughter ! 
 
 See the tempests gathers o'er us, 
 Lightning flashes thunder crashes, 
 Wild winds sing in lusty chorus ! " 
 
 For a brief space the storm raged fearfully, and recalled the 
 terror of that previously witnessed by Alizon, which she now 
 began to think might have originated in a similar manner. The 
 wind raved around the ruined pile, but its breath was not felt 
 within it, and the rain was heard descending in deluging showers 
 without, though no drop came through the open roof. The thun- 
 der shook the walls and pillars of the old fabric, and threatened 
 to topple them down from their foundations, but they resisted the 
 shocks. The lightning played around the tall spire springing 
 from this part of the fane, and ran down from its shattered sum- 
 mit to its base, without doing any damage. The red bolts struck 
 the ground innocuously, though they fell at the very feet of the 
 weird assemblage, who laughed wildly at the awful tumult. 
 
 Whilst the storm was at its worst, while the lightning was 
 flashing fiercely, and the thunder rattling loudly, Mother Chattox, 
 with a chafing-dish in her hand, advanced towards the fire, and 
 placing the pan upon it, threw certain herbs and roots into it, 
 chanting thus : 
 
 " Here is juice of poppy braised, 
 
 With black hellebore infused ; 
 
 Here is mandrake's bleeding root, 
 
 Mixed with moonshade's deadly fruit ; 
 
 Viper's bag with venom fill'd, 
 
 Taken ere the beast was kill'd ; 
 
 Adder's skin and raven's feather, 
 
 With shell of beetle blent together ; 
 
 Dragonwort and barbatus, 
 
 Hemlock black and poisonous ; 
 
 Horn of hart, and storax red, 
 
 Lapwing's blood, at midnight shed. 
 
 In the heated pan they burn, 
 
 And to pungent vapours turn. 
 
 By this strong suffumigation, 
 
 By this potent invocation, 
 
 Spirits ! I compel you here ! 
 
 All who list may call appear ! " 
 
 After a moment's pause, she resumed as follows : 
 
 " White-robed brethren, who of old, 
 Nightly paced yon cloisters cold, 
 Sleeping now beneath the mould ! 
 I bid ye rise. 
 
 " Abbots ! by the weakling fear'd, 
 By the credulous revered, 
 Who this mighty fabric rear'd ! 
 I bid ye rise ! 
 
198 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " And thou last and guilty one ! 
 By thy lust of power undone, 
 Whom in death thy fellows shun ! 
 
 I bid thee come ! 
 
 " And thou fair one, who disdain'd 
 To keep the vows thy lips had feign' d ; 
 And thy snowy garments stain'd ! 
 
 I bid thee come ! " 
 
 During this invocation, the glee of the assemblage ceased, and 
 they looked around in hushed expectation of the result. Slowly 
 then did a long procession of monkish forms, robed in white, glide 
 along the aisles, and gather round the altar. The brass-covered 
 stones within the presbytery were lifted up, as if they moved on 
 hinges, and from the yawning graves beneath them arose solemn 
 shapes, sixteen in number, each with mitre on head and crosier in 
 hand, which likewise proceeded to the altar. Then a loud cry 
 was heard, and from a side chapel burst the monkish form, in 
 mouldering garments, which Dorothy had seen enter the oratory, 
 and which would have mingled with its brethren at the altar, but 
 they waved it off menacingly. Another piercing shriek followed, 
 and a female shape, habited like a nun, and of surpassing loveli- 
 ness, issued from the opposite chapel, and hovered near the fire. 
 Content with this proof of her power, Mother Chattox waved her 
 hand, and the long shadowy train glided off as they came. The 
 ghostly abbots returned to their tombs, and the stones closed over 
 them. But the shades of Paslew and Isole de Heton still lingered. 
 
 The storm had wellnigh ceased, the thunder rolled hollowly at 
 intervals, and a flash of lightning now and then licked the walls. 
 The weird crew had resumed their rites, when the door of the Lacy 
 chapel flew open, and a tall female figure came forward. 
 
 Alizon doubted if she beheld aright. Could that terrific woman 
 in the strangely-fashioned robe of white, girt by a brazen zone 
 graven with mystic characters, with a long glittering blade in her 
 hand, infernal fury in her wildly-rolling orbs, the livid hue of 
 death on her cheeks, and the red brand upon her brow could 
 that fearful woman, with the black dishevelled tresses floating 
 over her bare shoulders, and whose gestures were so imperious, be 
 Mistress Nutter ? Mother no longer, if it indeed were she ! How 
 came she there amid that weird assemblage ? Why did they so 
 humbly salute her, and fall prostrate before her, kissing the hem 
 of her garment ? Why did she stand proudly in the midst of them, 
 and extend her hand, armed with the knife, over them ? Was she 
 their sovereign mistress, that they bent so lowly at her coming, 
 and rose so reverentially at her bidding? Was this terrible 
 woman, now seated on a dilapidated tomb, and regarding the dark 
 conclave with the eye of a queen who held their lives in her hands 
 was she her mother 1 Oh, no ! no ! it could not be ! It 
 must be some fiend that usurped her likeness. 
 
 Still, though Alizon thus strove to discredit the evidence of her 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 199 
 
 senses, and to hold all she saw to be delusion, and the work of 
 darkness, she could not entirely convince herself, but imperfectly 
 recalling the fearful vision she had witnessed during her former 
 stupor, began to connect it with the scene now passing before her. 
 The storm had wholly ceased, and the stars again twinkled down 
 through the shattered roof. Deep silence prevailed, broken only 
 by the hissing and bubbling of the caldron. 
 
 Alizon's gaze was riveted upon her mother, whose slightest 
 gestures she watched. After numbering the assemblage thrice, 
 Mistress Nutter majestically arose, and motioning Mother Chattox 
 towards her, the old witch tremblingly advanced, and some words 
 passed between them, the import of which did not reach the 
 listener's ear. In conclusion, however, Mistress Nutter exclaimed 
 aloud, in accents of command" Go, bring it at once, the sacrifice 
 must be made." And on this, Mother Chattox hobbled off to one 
 of the side chapels. 
 
 A mortal terror seized Alizon, and she could scarcely draw 
 breath. Dark tales had been told her that unbaptised infants were 
 sometimes sacrificed by witches, and their flesh boiled and de- 
 voured at their impious banquets, and dreading lest some such 
 atrocity was now about to be practised, she mustered all her 
 resolution, determined, at any risk, to interfere, and, if possible, 
 prevent its accomplishment. 
 
 In another moment, Mother Chattox returned bearing some 
 living thing, wrapped in a white cloth, which struggled feebly for 
 liberation, apparently confirming Alizon's suspicions, and she was 
 about to rush forward, when Mistress Nutter, snatching the bun- 
 dle from the old witch, opened it, and disclosed a beautiful bird, 
 with plumage white as driven snow, whose legs were tied 
 together, so that it could not escape. Conjecturing what was to 
 follow, Alizon averted her eyes, and when she looked round again 
 the bird had been slain, while Mother Chattox was in the act of 
 throwing its body into the caldron, muttering a charm as she 
 did so. Mistress Nutter held the ensanguined knife aloft, and 
 casting some ruddy drops upon the glowing embers, pronounced, 
 as they hissed and smoked, the following adjuration : 
 *' Thy aid I seek, infernal Power ! 
 
 Be thy word sent to Malkin Tower, 
 
 That the beldame old may know 
 
 Where I will, thou'dst have her go 
 
 \V hat I will, thou'dst have her do ! " 
 
 An immediate response was made by an awful voice issuing 
 apparently from the bowels of the earth. 
 
 M Thou who seek'st the Demon's aid, 
 Know'st the price that must be paid." 
 
 The queen witch rejoined 
 
 " I do. But grant the aid 1 crave, 
 And that thou wishest thou shalt have. 
 Another worshipper is won, 
 Thine to be, when all is done." 
 
200 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Agnin the deep voice spake, with something of mockery in its 
 accents : 
 
 " Enough proud witch, I am content. 
 To Malkin Tower the word is sent, 
 Forth to her task the beldame goes, 
 And where she points the streamlet flows j 
 Its customary bed forsaking, 
 Another distant channel making. 
 Hound about like elfets tripping, 
 Stock and stone, and tree are skipping ; 
 Halting where she plants her staff, 
 With a wild exulting laugh. 
 Ho ! ho ! 'tis a merry sight, 
 Thou hast given the hag to-night. 
 
 Lo ! the sheepfold, and the herd, 
 
 To another site are stirr'd ! 
 
 And the rugged limestone quarry, 
 
 Where 'twas digg'd may no more tarry; 
 
 While the goblin haunted dingle, 
 
 With another dell must mingle. 
 
 Pendle Moor is in commotion, 
 
 Like the billows of the ocean, 
 
 When the winds are o'er it ranging, 
 
 Heaving, falling, bursting, changing. 
 
 Ho ! ho ! 'tis a merry sight 
 
 Thou hast given the hag to-night. 
 
 Lo ! the moss-pool sudden flies, 
 In another spot to rise ; 
 And the scanty-grown plantation, 
 Finds another situation, 
 And a more congenial soil, 
 Without needing woodman's toil. 
 Now the warren moves and see ! 
 How the burrowing rabbits flee, 
 Hither, thither till they find it, 
 With another brake behind it. 
 
 Ho ! ho ! 'tis a merry sight 
 
 Thou hast given the hag to-night, 
 Lo ! new lines the witch is tracing, 
 Every well-known mark effacing, 
 Elsewhere, other bounds erecting, 
 So the old there's no detecting. 
 
 Ho ! ho ! 'tis a pastime quite, 
 
 Thou hast given the hag to-night I 
 
 The hind at eve, who wander'd o'er 
 The dreary waste of Pendle Moor, 
 Shall wake at dawn, and in surprise, 
 Doubt the strange sight that meets his cyc& 
 The pathway leading to his hut 
 Winds differently, the gate is shut. 
 The ruin on the right that stood. 
 Lies on the left, and nigh the wood ; 
 The paddock fenced with wall of stone, 
 Well-stock'd with kine, a mile hath flown, 
 The sheepfold and the herd are gone. 
 Through channels new the brooklet rushes, 
 Its ancient course conceal'd by bushes. 
 Where the hollow was, a mound 
 Rises from the upheaved ground. 
 Doubting, shouting with surprise, 
 How the fool stares, and rubs his eyes ! 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 201 
 
 All's so changed, the simple elf 
 
 Fancies he is changed himself 1 
 
 Ho ! ho ! 'tis a merry sight 
 
 The hag shall have when dawns the light. 
 
 But see ! she halts and waves her hand. 
 
 All is done as thou hast plann'd." 
 
 After a moment's pause the voice added, 
 
 " I have done as thou hast will'd . 
 Now be thy path straight fulfill'd." 
 
 " It shall be," replied Mistress Nntter, whose features gleamed 
 with fierce exultation. " Bring forth the proselyte ! " she shouted. 
 
 And at the words, her swarthy serving-man, Blackadder, came 
 forth from the Lacy chapel, leading Jennet by the hand. They were 
 followed by Tib, who, dilated to twice his former size, walked 
 with tail erect, and eyes glowing like carbuncles. 
 
 At sight of her daughter a loud cry of rage and astonishment 
 burst from Elizabeth Device, and, rushing forward, she would have 
 seized her, if Tib had not kept her off by a formidable display of 
 teeth and talons. Jennet made no effort to join her mother, but 
 regarded her with a malicious and triumphant grin. 
 
 " This is my chilt," screamed Elizabeth. " She canna be 
 baptised without my consent, an ey refuse it. Ey dunna want 
 her to be a witch at least not yet awhile. What mays yo 
 here, yo little plague ? " 
 
 " Ey wur brought here, mother," replied Jennet, with affected 
 simplicity. 
 
 " Then get whoam at once, and keep there," rejoined Elizabeth, 
 furiously. 
 
 " Nay, eyst nah go just yet," replied Jennet. rt Ey'd fain be 
 a witch as weel as yo." 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! ho !" laughed the voice from below. 
 
 " Nah, nah ey forbid it," shrieked Elizabeth, <{ ye shanna be 
 bapteesed. Whoy ha ye brought her here, madam 1 " she added 
 to Mistress Nutter. " Yo ha' stolen her fro' me. Boh ey pro- 
 test agen it." 
 
 "Your consent is not required," replied Mistress Nutter, 
 waving her off. " Your daughter is anxious to become a witch. 
 That is enough." 
 
 " She is not owd enough to act for herself," said Elizabeth. 
 
 " Age matters not," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " What mun ey do to become a witch?" asked Jennet. 
 
 " You must renounce all hopes of heaven," replied Mistress 
 Nutter, te and devote yourself to Satan. You will then be 
 baptised in his name, and become one of his worshippers. You 
 will have power to afflict all persons with bodily ailments to 
 destroy cattle blight corn burn dwellings and, if you be so 
 minded, kill those you hate, or who molest you. Do you desire 
 to do all this?" 
 
 " Eigh, that ey do," replied Jennet. " Ey ha' more pleasure 
 
202 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 in evil than in good, an wad rayther see folk weep than laugh ; 
 un if ey had the power, ey wad so punish them os jeer at me, 
 that they should rue it to their deem' day." 
 
 rf All this you shall do, and more," rejoined Mistress Nutter. 
 You renounce all hopes of salvation, then, and devote yourself, 
 soul and body, to the Powers of Darkness." 
 
 Elizabeth, who was still kept at bay by Tib, shaking her arms, 
 and gnashing her teeth, in impotent rage, now groaned aloud ; 
 but ere Jennet could answer, a piercing cry was heard, which 
 thrilled through Mistress Nutter's bosom, and Alizon, rushing 
 from her place of concealment, passed through the weird circle, 
 and stood beside the group in the midst of it. 
 
 " Forbear, Jennet," she cried ; " forbear ! Pronounce not 
 those impious words, or you are lost for ever. Come with me, 
 and I will save you." 
 
 " Sister Alizon," cried Jennet, staring at her in surprise, " what 
 makes you here ? " 
 
 i( Do not ask but come," cried Alizon, trying to take her hand . 
 
 "Oh! what is this?" cried Mistress Nutter, now partly re- 
 covered from the consternation and astonishment into which she 
 had been thrown by Alizon's unexpected appearance. " Why 
 are you here ? How have you broken the chains of slumber in 
 which I bound you ? Fly fly at once, this girl is past your 
 help. You cannot save her. She is already devoted. Fly. I 
 am powerless to protect you here." 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! ho !" laughed the voice. 
 
 " Do you not hear that laughter ? " cried Mistress Nutter, with 
 a haggard look. " Go !" 
 
 " Never, without Jennet," replied Alizon, firmly. 
 
 " My child my child on my knees I implore you to depart," 
 cried Mistress Nutter, throwing herself before her " You know 
 not your danger oh, fly fly !" 
 
 But Alizon continued inflexible. 
 
 i( Yo are caught i' your own snare, madam," cried Elizabeth 
 Device, with a taunting laugh. " Sin Jennet mun be a witch, 
 Alizon con be bapteesed os weel. Your consent is not required 
 and age matters not ha ! ha !" 
 
 " Curses upon thy malice," cried Mistress Nutter, rising. 
 " What can be done in this extremity ?" 
 
 " Nothing," replied the voice. " Jennet is mine already. If 
 not brought hither by thee, or by her mother, she would have 
 come of her own accord. I have watched her, and marked her 
 for my own. Besides, she is fated. The curse of Paslew clings 
 to her." 
 
 As the words were uttered, the shade of the abbot glided for- 
 wards, and, touching the shuddering child upon the brow with its 
 finger, vanished with a lamentable cry. 
 
 " Kneel, Jennet," cried Alizon ; " kneel, and pray !" 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 203 
 
 " To me," rejoined the voice; <( she can bend to no other power. 
 Alice Nutter, thou hast sought to deceive me, but in vain. I 
 bade thee bring thy daughter here, and in place of her thou 
 offerest me the child of another, who is mine already. I am not 
 to be thus trifled with. Thou knowest my will. Sprinkle water 
 over her head, and devote her to me." 
 
 Alizon would fain have thrown herself on her knees, but 
 extremity of horror, or some overmastering influence, held her 
 fast ; and she remained with her gaze fixed upon her mother, who 
 seemed torn by conflicting emotions. 
 
 " Is there no way to avoid this ? " cried Mistress Nutter. 
 
 a No way but one," replied the voice. " I have been offered 
 a new devotee, and I claim fulfilment of the promise. Thy 
 daughter or another, it matters not but not Jennet." 
 
 " I embrace the alternative," cried Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " It must be done upon the instant," said the voice. 
 
 " It shall be," replied Mistress Nutter. And, stretching her 
 arm in the direction of the mansion, she called in a loud impe- 
 rious voice, u Dorothy Assheton, come hither !" 
 
 A minute elapsed, but no one appeared, and, with a look of 
 disappointment, Mistress Nutter repeated the gesture and the 
 words. 
 
 Still no one came. 
 
 " Baffled ! " she exclaimed, " what can it mean ? " 
 
 " There is a maiden within the south transept, who is not one 
 of my servants," cried the voice. c( Call her." 
 
 " 'Tis she !" cried Mistress Nutter, stretching her arm towards 
 the transept. u This time I am answered," she added, as with a 
 wild laugh Dorothy obeyed the summons. 
 
 " I have anointed myself with the unguent, and drank of the 
 potion, ha! ha! ha!" cried Dorothy, with a wild gesture, and 
 wilder laughter. 
 
 " Ha ! this accounts for her presence here," muttered Mistress 
 Nutter. " But it could not be better. She is in no mood to 
 offer resistance. Dorothy, thou shalt be a witch." 
 
 " A witch ! " exclaimed the bewildered maiden. " Is Alizon 
 a witch?" 
 
 " We are all witches here," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Alizon had no power to contradict her. 
 
 " A merry company !" exclaimed Dorothy, laughing loudly. 
 
 " You will say so anon," replied Mistress Nutter, waving her 
 hand over her, and muttering a spell ; " but you see them not 
 in their true forms, Dorothy. Look again what do you behold 
 now?" 
 
 "In place of a troop of old wrinkled crones in wretched 
 habiliments," replied Dorothy, " I behold a band of lovely nymphs 
 in light gauzy attire, wreathed with flowers, and holding myrtle 
 and olive branches in their hands. See they rise, and prepare 
 
204 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 for the dance. Strains of ravishing music salute the ear. 1 never 
 heard sounds so sweet and stirring. The round is formed. The 
 dance begins. How gracefully how lightly they move 
 ha! ha!" 
 
 Alizon could not check her could not undeceive her for 
 power of speech as of movement was denied her, but she com- 
 prehended the strange delusion under which the poor girl 
 laboured. The figures Dorothy described as young and lovely, 
 were still to her the same loathsome and abhorrent witches ; the 
 ravishing music jarred discordantly on her ear, as if produced by 
 a shrill cornemuse ; and the lightsome dance was a fantastic 
 round, performed with shouts and laughter by the whole unhal- 
 lowed crew. 
 
 Jennet laughed immoderately, and seemed delighted by the 
 antics of the troop. 
 
 (s Ey never wished to dance efore," she cried, " boh ey should 
 like to try now." 
 
 u Join them, then," said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 And to the little girl's infinite delight a place was made for her 
 in the round, and, taking hands with Mother Mould-heels and the 
 red-haired witch, she footed it as merrily as the rest. 
 
 "Who is she in the nunlike habit t" inquired Dorothy, point- 
 ing to the shade of Isole de Heton, which still hovered near the 
 weird assemblage. " She seems more beautiful than all the 
 others. Will she not dance with me ? " 
 
 " Heed her not," said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Dorothy, however, would not be gainsaid, but, spite of the 
 caution, beckoned the figure towards her. It came at once, and 
 in another instant its arms were enlaced around her. The same 
 frenzy that had seized Nicholas now took possession of Dorothy, 
 and her dance with Isole might have come to a similar conclu- 
 sion, if it had not been abruptly checked by Mistress Nutter, 
 who, waving her hand, and pronouncing a spell, the figure in- 
 stantly quitted Dorothy, and, with a wild shriek, fled. 
 
 tc How like you these diversions ? " said Mistress Nutter to the 
 panting and almost breathless maiden. 
 
 " Marvellously," replied Dorothy ; " but why have you scared 
 my partner away?" 
 
 " Because she would have done you a mischief," rejoined Mis- 
 tress Nutter. But now let me put a question to you. Are you 
 willing to renounce your baptism, and enter into a covenant with 
 the Prince of Darkness 1 " 
 
 Dorothy did not seem in the least to comprehend what was 
 said to her ; but she nevertheless replied, " I am." 
 
 u Bring water and salt," said Mistress Nutter to Mother 
 Chattox. " By these drops I baptise you," she added, dipping 
 her fingers in the liquid, and preparing to sprinkle it over the 
 brow of the proselyte. 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 205 
 
 Then it was that Alizon, by an almost superhuman effort, burst 
 the spell that bound her, and clasped Dorothy in her arms, 
 
 " You know not what you do, dear Dorothy," she cried. cc I 
 answer for you. You will not yield to the snares and tempta- 
 tions of Satan, however subtly devised. You defy him and all 
 his works. You will make no covenant with him. Though 
 surrounded by his bond-slaves, you fear him not. Is it not so I 
 Speak!" 
 
 But Dorothy could only answer with an insane laugh " I will 
 be a witch." 
 
 " It is too late," interposed Mistress Nutter. " You cannot 
 save her. And, remember ! she stands in your place. Or you or 
 she must be devoted." 
 
 " I will never desert her," cried Alizon, twining her arms round 
 her. " Dorothy dear Dorothy address yourself to Heaven." 
 
 An angry growl of thunder was heard. 
 
 " Beware ! " cried Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " I am not to be discouraged," rejoined Alizon, firmly. " You 
 cannot gain a victory over a soul in this condition, and I shall 
 effect her deliverance. Heaven will aid us, Dorothy." 
 
 A louder roll of thunder was heard, followed by a forked flash 
 of lightning. 
 
 " Provoke not the vengeance of the Prince of Darkness," said 
 Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " I have no fear," replied Alizon. " Cling to me, Dorothy. 
 No harm shall befall you." 
 
 " Be speedy ! " cried the voice. 
 
 et Let her go," cried Mistress Nutter to Alizon, " or you will 
 rue this disobedience. Why should you interfere with my pro- 
 jects, and bring ruin on yourself! I would save you. What, still 
 obstinate ? Nay, then, I will no longer show forbearance. Help 
 me, sisters. Force the new witch from her. But beware how 
 you harm my child." 
 
 At these words the troop gathered round the two girls. But 
 Alizon only clasped her hands more tightly round Dorothy; while 
 the latter, on whose brain the maddening potion still worked, 
 laughed frantically at them. It was at this moment that Eliza- 
 beth Device, who had conceived a project of revenge, put it into 
 execution. While near Dorothy, she stamped, spat on the ground, 
 and then cast a little mould over her, breathing in her ear, u Thou 
 art bewitched bewitched by Alizon Device." 
 
 Dorothy instantly struggled to free herself from Alizon. 
 
 " Oh ! do not you strive against me, dear Dorothy," cried 
 Alizon. " Remain with me, or you are lost." 
 
 "Hence! off! set me free!" shrieked Dorothy; "you have 
 bewitched me. I heard it this moment." 
 
 " Do not believe the false suggestion," cried Alizon. 
 
 " It is true," exclaimed all the other witches together. " Alizon 
 
206 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 has bewitched you, and will kill you. Shake her off shake her 
 off!" 
 
 " Away !" cried Dorothy, mustering all her force. " Away !" 
 
 But Alizon was still too strong for her, and, in spite of her 
 efforts at liberation, detained her. 
 
 " My patience is wellnigh exhausted," exclaimed the voice. 
 
 " Alizon!" cried Mistress Nutter, imploringly. 
 
 And again the witches gathered furiously round the two girls. 
 
 " Kneel, Dorothy, kneel !" whispered Alizon. And forcing her 
 down, she fell on her knees beside her, exclaiming, with uplifted 
 hands, Cs Gracious heaven ! deliver us.'* 
 
 As the words were uttered, a fearful cry was heard, and the 
 weird troop fled away screaming, like ill-omened birds. The 
 caldron sank into the ground ; the dense mist arose like a 
 curtain ; and the moon and stars shone brightly down upon the 
 ruined pile. 
 
 Alizon prayed long and fervently, with clasped hands and closed 
 eyes, for deliverance from evil. When she looked round again, 
 all was so calm, so beautiful, so holy in its rest, that she could 
 scarcely believe in the recent fearful occurrences. Her hair and 
 garments were damp with the dews of night ; and at her feet lay 
 Dorothy, insensible. 
 
 She tried to raise her to revive her, but in vain; when at this 
 moment footsteps were heard approaching, and the next moment 
 Mistress Nutter, accompanied by Adam Whitworth and some 
 other serving-men, entered the choir. 
 
 " I see them they are here !" cried the lady, rushing forward. 
 
 rt Heaven be praised you have found them, madam !" exclaimed 
 the old steward, coming quickly after her. 
 
 " Oh! what an alarm you have given me, Alizon," said Mistress 
 Nutter. " What could induce you to go forth secretly at night 
 in this way with Dorothy ! I dreamed you were here, and missing 
 you when I awoke, roused the house and came in search of you. 
 What is the matter wifrh Dorothy ? She has been frightened, I 
 suppose. I will give her to breathe at this phial. It will revive 
 her. See, she opens her eyes. 
 
 Dorothy looked round wildly for a moment, and then pointing 
 her finger at Alizon, said 
 
 " She has bewitched me." 
 
 " Poor thing ! she rambles," observed Mistress Nutter to Adam 
 Whitworth, who, with the other serving-men, stared aghast at the 
 accusation ; " she has been scared out of her senses by some fear- 
 ful sight. Let her be conveyed quickly to my chamber, and I 
 will see her cared for." 
 
 The orders were obeyed. Dorothy was raised gently by the 
 serving-men, but she stiU kept pointing to Alizon, and repeatedly 
 exclaimed 
 
 " She has bewitched me 1" 
 
THE NOCTURNAL MEETING. 207 
 
 The serving-men shook their heads, and looked significantly at 
 each other, while Mistress Nutter lingered to speak to her 
 daughter. 
 
 " You look greatly disturbed, Alizon, as if you had been visited 
 by a nightmare in your sleep, and were still under its influence." 
 
 Alizon made no reply. 
 
 " A few hours' tranquil sleep will restore you," pursued Mistress 
 Nutter, u and you will forget your fears. You must not indulge 
 in these nocturnal rambles again, or they may be attended with 
 dangerous consequences. 1 may not have a second warning 
 dream. Come to the house." 
 
 And, as Alizon followed her along the garden path, she could 
 not help asking herself, though with little hope in the question, 
 if all she had witnessed was indeed nothing more than a troubled 
 dream. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST BOOK. 
 
THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES, 
 
 BOOK THE SECOND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. FLINT. 
 
 A LOVELY morning succeeded the strange and terrible night. 
 Brightly shone the sun upon the fair Calder as it winded along 
 the green meads above the bridge, as it rushed rejoicingly over 
 the weir, and pursued its rapid course through the broad plain 
 below the Abbey. A few white vapours hung upon the summit 
 of Whalley Nab, but the warm rays tinging them with gold, and 
 tipping with fire the tree-tops that pierced through them, augured 
 their speedy dispersion. So beautiful, so tranquil, looked the old 
 monastic fane, that none would have deemed its midnight rest 
 had been broken by the impious rites of a foul troop. The choir, 
 where the unearthly scream and the demon laughter had resounded, 
 was now vocal with the melodies of the blackbird, the thrush, 
 and other songsters of the grove. Bells of dew glittered upon 
 the bushes rooted in the walls, and upon the ivy-grown pil- 
 lars ; and gemming the countless spiders' webs stretched from 
 bough to bough, showed they were ah 1 unbroken. No traces were 
 visible on the sod where the unhallowed crew had danced their 
 round ; nor were any ashes left where the fire had burnt and the 
 caldron had bubbled. The brass-covered tombs of the abbots in 
 the presbytery looked as if a century had passed over them with- 
 out disturbance ; while the graves in the cloister cemetery, 
 obliterated, and only to be detected when a broken coffin or a 
 mouldering bone was turned up by the tiller of the ground, pre- 
 served their wonted appearance. The face of nature had received 
 neither impress nor injury from the fantastic freaks and necro- 
 mantic exhibitions of the witches. Every thing looked as it was 
 left overnight ; and the only footprints to be detected were those 
 of the two girls, and of the party who came in quest of them. 
 AU else had passed by like a vision or a dream. The rooks 
 cawed loudly in the neighbouring trees, as if discussing the 
 question of breakfast, and the jackdaws wheeled merrily round 
 the tall spire, which sprang from the eastern end of the fane. 
 
FLINT. 209 
 
 Brightly shone the sun upon the noble timber embowering the 
 mansion of the Asshetons ; upon the ancient gateway, in the 
 upper chamber of which Ned Huddlestone, the porter, and the 
 burly representative of Friar Tuck, was rubbing his sleepy eyes, 
 preparatory to habiting himself in his ordinary attire ; and upon 
 the wide court-yard, across which Nicholas was walking in the 
 direction of the stables. Notwithstanding his excesses overnight, 
 the squire was astir, as he had declared he should be, before day- 
 break; and a plunge into the Calder had cooled his feverish 
 limbs and cured his racking headache, while a draught of ale set 
 his stomach right. Still, in modern parlance, he looked rather 
 " seedy," and his recollection of the events of the previous night 
 was somewhat confused. Aware he had committed many fool- 
 eries, he did not desire to investigate matters too closely, and 
 only hoped he should not be reminded of them by Sir Ralph, or 
 worse still, by Parson Dewhurst. As to his poor, dear, uncom- 
 plaining wife, he never once troubled his head about her, feeling 
 quite sure she would not upbraid him. On his appearance in the 
 court-yard, the two noble blood-hounds and several lesser dogs 
 came forward to greet him, and, attended by this noisy pack, he 
 marched up to a groom, who was rubbing down his horse at the 
 stable-door. 
 
 "Poor Robin," he cried to the steed, who neighed at his 
 approach. " Poor Robin," he said, patting his neck affectionately, 
 " there is not thy match for speed or endurance, for fence or 
 ditch, for beck or stone wall, in the country. Half an hour on 
 thy back will make all right with me ; but I would rather take 
 thee to Bowland Forest, and hunt the stag there, than go and 
 perambulate the boundaries of the Rough Lee estates with a ras- 
 cally attorney. I wonder how the fellow will be mounted." 
 
 "If yo be speering about Mester Potts, squoire," observed the 
 groom, " ey con tell ye. He's 'to ha' little Flint, the Welsh 
 pony." 
 
 "Why, zounds, you don't say, Peter!" exclaimed Nicholas, 
 laughing ; " he'll never be able to manage him. Flint's the 
 wickedest and most wilful little brute I ever knew. We shall 
 have Master Potts run away with, or thrown into a moss-pit. 
 Better give him something quieter." 
 
 " It's Sir Roaph's orders," replied Peter, " an ey darna disobey 
 'em. Boh Flint's far steadier than when yo seed him last, squoire. 
 Ey dar say he'll carry Mester Potts weel enough, if he dusna 
 mislest him." 
 
 " You think nothing of the sort, Peter," said Nicholas. " You 
 expect to see the little gentleman fly over the pony's head, and 
 perhaps break his own at starting. But if Sir Ralph has ordered 
 it, he must abide by the consequences. I sha'n't interfere further. 
 How goes on the young colt you were breaking in 1 You should 
 take care to show him the saddle in the manger, let him smell it, 
 
210 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and jingle the stirrups in his ears, before you put it on his back. 
 Better ground for his first lessons could not be desired than the 
 field below the grange, near the Calder. Sir Kalph was saying 
 yesterday, that the roan mare had pricked her foot. You must 
 wash the sore well with white wine and salt, rub it with the oint- 
 ment the farriers call Eegyptiacum, and then put upon it a hot 
 plaster compounded of flax hards, turpentine, oil and wax, bath- 
 ing the top of the hoof with bole armeniac and vinegar. This is 
 the best and quickest remedy. And recollect, Peter, that for a 
 new strain, vinegar, bole armeniac, whites of eggs, and bean-flour, 
 make the best salve. How goes on Sir Ralph's black charger. 
 Dragon 1 A brave horse that, Peter, and the only one in your 
 master's whole stud to compare with my Robin ! But Dragon, 
 though of high courage and great swiftness, has not the strength 
 and endurance of Robin neither can he leap so well. Why, 
 Robin would almost clear the Calder, Peter, and makes nothing 
 of Smithies Brook, near Downham, and you know how wide that 
 stream is. I once tried him at the Ribble, at a narrow point, 
 and if horse could have done it, he would but it was too much 
 to expect." 
 
 "A great deal, ey should say, squoire," replied the groom, 
 opening his eyes to their widest extent. "Whoy, th' Ribble, 
 where yo speak on, mun be twenty yards across, if it be an inch; 
 and no nag os ever wur bred could clear that, onless a witch wur 
 on his back." 
 
 " Don't allude to witches, Peter," said Nicholas. " Pve had 
 enough of them. But to come back to our steeds. Colour is 
 matter of taste, and a man must please his own eye with bay or 
 grey, chestnut, sorrel, or black ; but dun is my fancy. A good 
 horse, Peter, should be clean-limbed, short-jointed, strong-hoofed, 
 out-ribbed, broad-chested, deep-necked, loose-throttled, thin- 
 crested, lean-headed, full-eyed, with wide nostrils. A horse with 
 half these points would not be wrong, and Robin has them all." 
 
 " So he has, sure enough, squoire," replied Peter, regarding the 
 animal with an approving eye, as Nicholas enumerated his merits. 
 " Boh, if ey might choose betwixt him an yunk Mester Ruchot 
 Assheton's grey gelding, Merlin, ey knoas which ey'd tak." 
 
 " Robin, of course," said Nicholas. 
 
 " Nah, squoire, it should be t'other," replied the groom. 
 
 "You're no judge of a horse, Peter," rejoined Nicholas, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders. 
 
 " May be not," said the groom, " boh ey'm bound to speak 
 truth. An see I Turn Lomax is bringin' out Merlin. We con 
 put th' two nags soide by soide, if yo choose." 
 
 " They shall be put side by side in the field, Peter that's the 
 way to test their respective merit," returned Nicholas, " and they 
 won't remain long together, I'll warrant you. I offered to make 
 a match for twenty pieces with Master Richard, but he declined 
 
FLINT. 211 
 
 the offer. Harkee, Peter, break an egg in Robin's mouth before 
 you put on his bridle. It strengthens the wind, and adds to a 
 horse's power of endurance. You understand ? " 
 
 '< Parfitly, squoire," replied the groom. " By th' mess ! that's 
 a secret worth knoain'. Onny more orders ?" 
 
 " No," replied Nicholas. " We shall set out in an hour or it 
 may be sooner." 
 
 " Aw shan be ready," said Peter. And he added to himself 
 as Nicholas moved away, " Ey'st tak care Turn Lomax gies an 
 egg to Merlin, an that'll may aw fair, if they chance to try their 
 osses' mettle. 
 
 As Nicholas returned to the house, he perceived to his dismay 
 Sir Ralph and Parson Dewhurst standing upon the steps; and 
 convinced, from their grave looks, that they were prepared to 
 lecture him, he endeavoured to nerve himself for the infliction. 
 
 " Two to one are awkward odds," said the squire to himself, 
 " especially when they have the 'vantage ground. But I must 
 face them, and make the best fight circumstances will allow. I 
 shall never be able to explain that mad dance with Isole de Heton. 
 No one but Dick will believe me, and the chances are he will not 
 support my story. But I must put on an air of penitence, and 
 sooth to say, in my present state, it is not very difficult to 
 assume." 
 
 Thus pondering, with slow step, affectedly humble demeanour, 
 and surprisingly-lengthened visage, he approached the pair who 
 \vere waiting for him, and regarding him with severe looks. 
 
 Thinking it the best plan to open the fire himself, Nicholas 
 saluted them, and said 
 
 " Give you good- day, Sir Ralph, and you too, worthy Master 
 Dewhurst. I scarcely expected to see you so early astir, good 
 sirs; but the morning is too beautiful to allow us to be sluggards. 
 For my own part I have been awake for hours, and have passed 
 the time wholly in self-reproaches for my folly and sinfulness last 
 night, as well as in forming resolutions for self-amendment, and 
 better governance in future." 
 
 " I hope you will adhere to those resolutions, then, Nicholas," 
 rejoined Sir Ralph, sternly ; " for change of conduct is absolutely 
 necessary, if you would maintain your character as a gentleman. 
 I can make allowance for high animal spirits, and can excuse some 
 licence, though I do not approve of it; but I will not permit de- 
 corum to be outraged in my house, and suffer so ill an example 
 to be set to my tenantry." 
 
 " Fortunately I was not present at the exhibition," said Dew- 
 hurst ; but I am told you conducted yourself like one possessed, 
 and committed such freaks as are rarely, if ever, acted by a rational 
 being." 
 
 et I can offer no defence, worthy sir, and you my respected re- 
 lative," returned Nicholas, with a contrite air; " neither can you 
 
212 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 reprove me more strongly than I deserve, nor than I upbraid my- 
 self. I allowed myself to be overcome by wine, and in that con- 
 dition was undoubtedly guilty of follies I must ever regret." 
 
 " Amongst others, I believe you stood upon your head," re- 
 marked Dewhurst. 
 
 " I am not aware of the circumstance, reverend sir," replied 
 Nicholas, with difficulty repressing a smile ; " but as I certainly 
 lost my head, I may have stood upon it unconsciously. But I do 
 recollect enough to make me heartily ashamed of myself, and 
 determine to avoid all such excesses in future." 
 
 " In that case, sir," rejoined Dewhurst, " the occurrences of last 
 night, though sufficiently discreditable to you, will not be without 
 profit ; for I have observed to my infinite regret, that you are apt 
 to indulge in immoderate potations, and when under their influence 
 to lose due command of yourself, and commit follies which your 
 sober reason must condemn. At such times I scarcely recognise 
 you. You speak with unbecoming levity, and even allow oaths 
 to escape your lips." 
 
 " It is too true, reverend sir," said Nicholas ; " but, zounds ! 
 a plague upon my tongue it is an unruly member. Forgive me, 
 good sir, but my brain is a little confused." 
 
 "I do not wonder, from the grievous assaults made upon it last 
 night, Nicholas," observed Sir Ralph. u Perhaps you are not aware 
 that your crowning act was whisking wildly round the room by 
 yourself, like a frantic dervish." 
 
 " I was dancing with Isole de Heton," said Nicholas. 
 
 " With whom?" inquired Dewhurst, in surprise. 
 
 " With a wicked votaress, who has been dead nearly a couple 
 of centuries," interposed Sir Ralph ; t( and who, by her sinful life, 
 merited the punishment she is said to have incurred. This delusion 
 shows how dreadfully intoxicated you were, Nicholas. For the 
 time you had quite lost your reason." 
 
 " I am sober enough now, at all events," rejoined Nicholas; "and 
 I am convinced that Isole did dance with me, nor will any argu- 
 ments reason me out of that belief." 
 
 ft I am sorry to hear you say so, Nicholas," returned Sir Ralph. 
 " That you were under the impression at the time I can easily 
 understand ; but that you should persist in such a senseless and 
 wicked notion is more than I can comprehend." 
 
 " I saw her with my own eyes as plainly as I see you, Sir Ralph," 
 replied Nicholas, warmly ; " that I declare upon my honour and 
 conscience, and I also felt the pressure of her arms. Whether 
 it may not have been the Fiend in her likeness I will not take 
 upon me to declare and indeed I have some misgivings on the 
 subject; but that a beautiful creature, exactly resembling the 
 votaress, danced with me, I will ever maintain." 
 ^ " If so, she was invisible to others, for I beheld her not," said 
 Sir Ralph; " and, though I cannot yield credence to your explana- 
 
FLINT. 213 
 
 fcion, yet, granting it to be correct, I do not see how it mends your 
 
 case." 
 
 " On the contrary, it only proves that Master Nicholas yielded 
 to the snares of Satan," said Dewhurst, shaking his head. " I would 
 recommend you long fasting and frequent prayer, my good sir, 
 and I shall prepare a lecture for your special edification, which I 
 will propound to you on your return to Downham, and, if it fails in 
 effect, I will persevere with other godly discourses." 
 
 " With your aid, I trust to be set free, reverend sir," returned 
 Nicholas; "but, as I have already passed two or three hours in 
 prayer, I hope they may stand me in lieu of any present fasting, and 
 induce you to omit the article of penance, or postpone it to some 
 future occasion, when I may be better able to perform it ; for I am 
 just now particularly hungry, and am always better able to resist 
 temptation with a full stomach than an empty one. As I find it 
 displeasing to Sir Ralph, I will not insist upon my visionary part- 
 ner in the dance, at least until I am better able to substantiate 
 the fact ; and I shall listen to your lectures, worthy sir, with great 
 delight, and, I doubt not, with equal benefit ; but in the mean- 
 time, as carnal wants must be supplied, and mundane matters 
 attended to, I propose, with our excellent host's permission, that 
 we proceed to breakfast." 
 
 Sir Ralph made no answer, but ascended the steps, and was 
 followed by Dewhurst, heaving a deep sigh, and turning up the 
 whites of his eyes, and by Nicholas, who felt his bosom eased of 
 half its load, and secretly congratulated himself upon getting out 
 of the scrape so easily. 
 
 In the hall they found Richard Assheton habited in a riding- 
 dress, Looted, spurred, and in all respects prepared for the expe- 
 dition. There were such evident traces of anxiety and suffering 
 about him, that Sir Ralph questioned him as to the cause, and 
 Richard replied that he had passed a most restless night. He did 
 not add, that he had been made acquainted by Adam Whit worth 
 with the midnight visit of the two girls to the conventual church, 
 because he was well aware Sir Ralph would be greatly displeased 
 by the circumstance, and because Mistress Nutter had expressed 
 a wish that it should be kept secret. Sir Ralph, however, saw 
 there was more upon his young relative's mind than he chose to 
 confess, but he did not urge any further admission into his con- 
 fidence. 
 
 Meantime, the party had been increased by the arrival of Master 
 Potts, who was likewise equipped for the ride. The hour was too 
 early, it might be, for him, or he had not rested well like Richard, 
 or had been troubled with bad dreams, but certainly he did not 
 look very well, or in very good-humour. He had slept at the 
 Abbey, having been accommodated with a bed after the sudden 
 seizure which he attributed to the instrumentality of Mistresa 
 Nutter. The little attorney bowed obsequiously to Sir Ralph, 
 
214 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 who returned his salutation very stiffly, nor was he much better 
 received by the rest of the company. 
 
 At a sign from Sir Ralph, his guests then knelt down, and a 
 prayer was uttered by the divine or rather a discourse, for it 
 partook more of the latter character than the former. In the 
 course of it he took occasion to paint in strong colours the terrible 
 consequences of intemperance, and Nicholas was obliged to endure 
 a well-merited lecture of half an hour's duration. But even Parson 
 Dewhurst could not hold out for ever, and, to the relief of all his 
 hearers, he at length brought this discourse to a close. 
 
 Breakfast at this period was a much more substantial affair 
 than a modern morning repast, and differed little from dinner or 
 supper, except in respect to quantity. On the present occasion, 
 there were carbonadoes of fish and fowl, a cold chine, a huge pasty, 
 a capon, neat's tongues, sausages, botargos, and other matters as 
 provocative of thirst as sufficing to the appetite. Nicholas set to 
 work bravely. Broiled trout, steaks, and a huge slice of venison 
 pasty, disappeared quickly before him, and he was not quite so 
 sparing of the ale as seemed consistent with his previously-express- 
 ed resolutions of temperance. In vain Parson Dewhurst filled a 
 goblet with water, and looked significantly at him. He would 
 not take the hint, and turned a deaf ear to the admonitory cough 
 of Sir Ralph. He had little help from the others, for Richard ate 
 sparingly, and Master Potts made a very poor figure beside him. 
 At length, having cleared his plate, emptied his cup, and wiped his 
 lips, the squire arose, and said he must bid adieu to his wife, and 
 should then be ready to attend them. 
 
 While he quitted the hall for this purpose, Mistress Nutter 
 entered it. She looked paler than ever, and her eyes seemed 
 larger, darker, and brighter. Nicholas shuddered slightly as she 
 approached, and even Potts felt a thrill of apprehension pass 
 through his frame. He scarcely, indeed, ventured a look at her, 
 for he dreaded her mysterious power, and feared she could fathom 
 the designs he secretly entertained against her. But she took no 
 notice whatever of him. Acknowledging Sir Ralph's salutation, 
 she motioned Richard to follow her to the further end of the room. 
 
 " Your sister is very ill, Richard," she said, as the young man 
 attended her, " feverish, and almost light-headed. Adam Whit- 
 worth has told you, I know, that she was imprudent enough, in 
 company with Alizon, to visit the ruins of the conventual church late 
 last night, and she there sustained some fright, which has produced 
 a great shock upon her system. When found, she was fainting, and 
 though I have taken every care of her, she still continues much 
 excited, and rambles strangely. You will be surprised as well as 
 grieved when I tell you, that she charges Alizon with having 
 bewitched her." 
 
 " How, madam!" cried Richard. " Alizon bewitch her! It is 
 impossible." 
 
FLINT. 215 
 
 " You are right, Richard," replied Mistress Nutter ; " the 
 thing is impossible ; but the accusation will find easy credence 
 among the superstitious household here, and may be highly pre- 
 judicial, if not fatal to poor Alizon. It is most unlucky she should 
 have gone out in this way, for the circumstance cannot be 
 explained, and in itself serves to throw suspicion upon her." 
 
 " I must see Dorothy before I go," said Richard ; " perhaps I 
 may be able to soothe her." 
 
 " It was for that end I came hither," replied Mistress Nutter ; 
 " but I thought it well you should be prepared. Now come with 
 me." 
 
 Upon this they left the hall together, and proceeded to the 
 abbot's chamber, where Dorothy was lodged. Richard was 
 greatly shocked at the sight of his sister, so utterly changed was 
 she from the blithe being of yesterday then so full of health and 
 happiness. Her cheeks burnt with fever, her eyes were unnatu- 
 rally bright, and her fair hair hung about her face in disorder. 
 She kept fast hold of Alizon, who stood beside her. 
 
 " Ah, Richard !" she cried on seeing him, " I am glad you are 
 
 come. You will persuade this girl to restore me to reason to 
 
 free me from the terrors that beset me. She can do so if she will." 
 
 " Calm yourself, dear sister," said Richard, gently endeavouring 
 
 to free Alizon from her grasp. 
 
 " No, do not take her from me," said Dorothy, wildly ; Ce I am 
 better when she is near me much better. My brow does not 
 throb so violently, and my limbs are not twisted so painfully. Do 
 you know what ails me, Richard ? " 
 
 u You have caught cold from wandering out indiscreetly last 
 night," said Richard. 
 
 " I am bewitched!" rejoined Dorothy, in tones that pierced 
 her brother's brain " bewitched by Alizon Device by your 
 love ha ! ha ! She wishes to kill me, Richard, because she thinks 
 I am in her way. But you will not let her do it." 
 
 " You are mistaken, dear Dorothy. She means you no harm," 
 said Richard. 
 
 " Heaven knows how much I grieve for her, and how fondly I 
 love her !" exclaimed Alizon, tearfully. 
 
 " It is false!" cried Dorothy. She will tell a different tale 
 when you are gone. She is a witch, and you shall never marry 
 her, Richard never! never!" 
 
 Mistress Nutter, who stood at a little distance, anxiously 
 observing what was passing, waved her hand several times 
 towards the sufferer, but without effect. 
 
 " I have no influence over her," she muttered. " She is really 
 bewitched. I must find other means to quieten her." 
 
 Though both greatly distressed, Alizon and Richard redoubled 
 their attentions to the poor sufferer. For a few moments she 
 remained quiet, but with her eyes constantly fixed on Alizon, and 
 
216 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 then said, quickly and fiercely, " I have been told, if you 
 scratch one who has bewitched you till you draw blood, you will 
 be cured. I will plunge my nails in her flesh." 
 
 " I will not oppose you," replied Alizon, gently ; " tear my 
 flesh if you will. You should have my life's blood if it would 
 cure you ; but if the success of the experiment depends on my 
 having bewitched you, it will assuredly fail." 
 
 " This is dreadful," interposed Richard. " Leave her, Alizon, 
 I entreat of you. She will do you an injury." 
 
 u I care not," replied the young maid. " I will stay by her till 
 she voluntarily releases me." 
 
 The almost tigress fury with which Dorothy had seized upon 
 the unresisting girl here suddenly deserted her, and, sobbing 
 hysterically, she fell upon her neck. Oh, with what delight 
 Alizon pressed her to her bosom ! 
 
 " Dorothy, dear Dorothy !" she cried. 
 
 "Alizon, dear Alizon!'* responded Dorothy. tg Oh ! how 
 could I suspect you of any ill design against me ! " 
 
 " She is no witch, dear sister, be assured of that ! " said 
 Richard. 
 
 " Oh, no no no ! I am quite sure she is not," cried Dorothy, 
 kissing her affectionately. 
 
 This change had been wrought by the low-breathed spells of 
 Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " The access is over," she mentally ejaculated ; " but I must 
 get him away before the fit returns. " You had better go now, 
 Richard," she added aloud, and touching his arm, " I will answer 
 for your sister's restoration. An opiate will produce sleep, and if 
 possible, she shall return to Middleton to-day." 
 
 " If I go, Alizon must go with me," said Dorothy. 
 
 " Well, well, I will not thwart your desires," rejoined Mistress 
 Nutter. And she made a sign to Richard to depart. 
 
 The young man pressed his sister's hand, bade a tender farewell 
 to Alizon, and, infinitely relieved by the improvement which had 
 taken place in the former, and which he firmly believed would 
 speedily lead to her entire restoration, descended to the entrance- 
 hall, where he found Sir Ralph and Parson Dewhurst, who told 
 him that Nicholas and Potts were in the court-yard, and impatient 
 to set out. 
 
 Shouts of laughter saluted the ears of the trio as they descended 
 the steps. The cause of the merriment was speedily explained 
 when they looked towards the stables, and beheld Potts struggling 
 for mastery with a stout Welsh pony, who showed every disposition, 
 by plunging, kicking, and rearing, to remove him from his seat, 
 though without success, for the attorney was not quite such a con- 
 temptible horseman as might be imagined. A wicked-looking 
 little fellow was Flint, with a rough, rusty-black coat, a 
 thick tail that swept the ground, a mane to match, and 
 
FLINT. 217 
 
 an eye of mixed fire and cunning. When brought forth, 
 he had allowed Potts to mount him quietly enough; but no 
 sooner was the attorney comfortably in possession, than he 
 was served with a notice of ejectment. Down went Flint's head 
 and up went his heels; while on the next instant he was rearing 
 aloft, with his fore-feet beating the air, so nearly perpendicular, 
 that the chances seemed in favour of his coming down on his 
 back. Then he whirled suddenly round, shook himself violently, 
 threatened to roll over, and performed antics of the most extraordi- 
 nary kind, to the dismay of his rider, but to the infinite amusement 
 of the spectators, who were ready to split their sides with laughter 
 indeed, tears fairly streamed down the squire's cheeks. 
 However, when Sir Ralph appeared, it was thought desirable to 
 put an end to the fun ; and Peter, the groom, advanced to seize 
 the restive little animal's bridle, but, eluding the grasp, Flint 
 started off at full gallop, and, accompanied by the two blood-hounds, 
 careered round the court-yard, as if running in a ring. Vainly 
 did poor Potts tug at the bridle. Flint, having the bit firmly 
 between his teeth, defied his utmost efforts. Away he went with 
 the hounds at his heels, as if, said Nicholas, " the devil were 
 behind him." Though annoyed and angry, Sir Ralph could not 
 help laughing at the ridiculous scene, and even a smile crossed 
 Parson Dewhurst's grave countenance as Flint and his rider 
 scampered madly past them. Sir Ralph called to the grooms, 
 and attempts were instantly made to check the furious pony's 
 career; but he baffled them all, swerving suddenly round when an 
 endeavour was made to intercept him, leaping over any trifling 
 obstacle, and occasionally charging any one who stood in his path. 
 What with the grooms running hither and thither, vociferating 
 and swearing, the barking and springing of the hounds, the 
 yelping of lesser dogs, and the screaming of poultry, the whole 
 yard was in a state of uproar and confusion. 
 
 " Flint mun be possessed," cried Peter. " Ey never seed him 
 go on i' this way efore. Ey noticed Elizabeth Device near 
 th' stables last neet, an ey shouldna wonder if hoo ha' bewitched 
 him." 
 
 " Neaw doubt on't," replied another groom. (e Howsomever 
 we mun contrive to ketch him, or Sir Roaph win send us aw abowt 
 our business. 
 
 "* Ey wish yo'd contrive to do it, then, Turn Lomax," replied 
 Peter, " fo' ey'm fairly blowd. Dang me, if ey ever seed sich 
 hey-go-mad wark i' my born days. What's to be done, squoire ?" 
 he added to Nicholas. 
 
 " The devil only knows," replied the latter ; " but it seems we 
 must wait till the little rascal chooses to stop." 
 
 This occurred sooner than was expected. Thinking, possibly, 
 that he had done enough to induce Master Potts to give up all 
 idea of riding him, Flint suddenly slackened his pace, and trotted, 
 
218 THE LANCASHIKE WITCHES. 
 
 as if nothing had happened, to the stable-door ; but if he had 
 formed any such notion as the above, he was deceived, for the 
 attorney, who was quite as obstinate and wilful as himself, and 
 who through all his perils had managed to maintain his seat, was 
 resolved not to abandon it, and positively refused to dismount 
 when urged to do so by Nicholas and the grooms. 
 
 " He will go quietly enough now, I dare say," observed Potts, 
 " and if not, and you will lend me a hunting-whip, I will undertake 
 to cure him of his tricks." 
 
 Flint seemed to understand what was said, for he laid back his 
 ears as if meditating more mischief; but being surrounded by the 
 grooms, he deemed it advisable to postpone the attempt to a more 
 convenient opportunity. In compliance with his request, a heavy 
 hunting-whip was handed to Potts, and, armed with this formidable 
 weapon, the little attorney quite longed for an opportunity of 
 effacing his disgrace. Meanwhile, Sir Ralph had come up and 
 ordered a steady horse out for him ; but Master Potts adhered 
 to his resolution, and Flint remaining perfectly quiet, the baronet 
 let him have his own way. 
 
 Soon after this, Nicholas and Richard having mounted their 
 steeds, the party set forth. As they were passing through the 
 gateway, which had been thrown wide open by Ned Huddlestone, 
 they were joined by Simon Sparshot, who had been engaged by 
 Potts to attend him on the expedition in his capacity of constable. 
 Simon was mounted on a mule, and brought word that Master 
 Roger Nowell begged they would ride round by Read Hah 1 , 
 where he would be ready to accompany them, as he wished to be 
 present at the perambulation of the boundaries. Assenting to the 
 arrangement, the party set forth in that direction, Richard and 
 Nicholas riding a little in advance of the others. 
 
 CHAPTER II. READ HALL. 
 
 THE road taken by the party on quitting Whalley led up the 
 eide of a hill, which, broken into picturesque inequalities, and 
 partially clothed with trees, sloped down to the very brink of the 
 Calder. Winding round the broad green plain, heretofore 
 described, with the lovely knoll in the midst of it, and which formed, 
 with the woody hills encircling it, a perfect amphitheatre, the 
 river was ever an object of beauty sometimes lost beneath over- 
 hanging boughs or high banks, anon bursting forth where least ex- 
 pected, now rushing swiftly over its shallow androcky bed, now sub- 
 siding into a smooth full current. The Abbey and the village were 
 screened from view by the lower part of the hill which the horsemen 
 were scaling ; but the old bridge and a few cottages at the foot of 
 Whalley JSub, with their thin blue smoke mounting into the pure 
 
EEAD HALL. 219 
 
 morning air, gave life and interest to the picture. Hence, from 
 base to summit, Whalley Nab stood revealed, and the verdant 
 lawns opening out amidst the woods feathering its heights, were 
 fully discernible. Placed by Nature as the guardian of this fair 
 valley, the lofty eminence well became the post assigned to it. 
 None of the belt of hills connected with it were so well wooded 
 as their leader, nor so beautiful in form ; while some of them were 
 overtopped by the bleak fells of Longridge, rising at a distance 
 behind them. 
 
 Nor were those exquisite contrasts wanting, which are only to 
 be seen in full perfection when the day is freshest and the dew is 
 still heavy on the grass. The near side of the hill was plunged in 
 deep shade ; thin, gauzy vapour hung on the stream beneath, 
 while on the opposite heights, and where the great boulder stones 
 were visible in the bed of the river, all was sparkling with sunshine. 
 So enchanting was the prospect, that though perfectly familiar 
 with it, the two foremost horsemen drew in the rein to con- 
 template it. High above them, on a sandbank, through which 
 their giant roots protruded, shot up two tall silver-stemm'd beech- 
 trees, forming with their newly opened foliage a canopy of tenderest 
 green. Further on appeared a grove of oaks scarcely in leaf; and 
 below were several fine sycamores, already green and umbrageous, 
 intermingled with elms, ashes, and horse-chestnuts, and over- 
 shadowing brakes, covered with maples, alders, and hazels. The 
 other spaces among the trees were enlivened by patches of yellow 
 flowering and odorous gorse. Mixed with the warblings of in- 
 numerable feathered songsters were heard the cheering notes of 
 the cuckoo ; and the newly-arrived swallows were seen chasing 
 the flies along the plain, or skimming over the surface of the river. 
 Already had Richard's depression yielded to the exhilarating 
 freshness of the morning, and the same kindly influence produced 
 a more salutary effect on Nicholas than Parson Dewhurst's lecture 
 had been able to accomplish. The worthy squire was a true 
 lover of Nature ; admiring her in ah 1 her forms, whether arrayed 
 in pomp of wood and verdure, as in the lovely landscape before 
 him, or dreary and desolate, as in the heathy forest wastes they 
 were about to traverse. While breathing the fresh morning air, 
 inhaling the fragrance of the wild-flowers, and listening to the 
 warbling of the birds, he took a well-pleased survey of the scene, 
 commencing with the bridge, passing over Whalley Nab and the 
 mountainous circle conjoined with it, till his gaze settled on 
 Morton Hall, a noble mansion finely situated on a shoulder of the 
 hill beyond him, and commanding the entire valley. 
 
 " Were I not owner of Downham," he observed to Richard, 
 ** I should wish to be master of Morton." And then, pointing to 
 the green area below, he added, " What a capital spot for a race ! 
 There we might try the speed of our nags for the twenty pieces I 
 talked of yesterday ; and the judges of the match and those who 
 
220 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 chose to look on might station themselves on yon knoll, which 
 seems made for the express purpose. Three years ago I remember 
 a fair was held upon that plain, and the foot-races, the wrestling 
 matches, and the various sports and pastimes of the rustics, viewed 
 from the knoll, formed the prettiest sight ever looked upon. But, 
 pleasant as the prospect is, we must not tarry here all day." 
 
 Before setting forward, he cast a glance towards Pendle Hill, 
 which formed the most prominent object of view on the left, and 
 lay like a leviathan basking in the sunshine. The vast mass rose 
 up gradually until at its further extremity it attained an altitude 
 of more than 1800 feet above the sea. At the present moment 
 it was without a cloud, and the whole of its broad outline was 
 distinctly visible. 
 
 " I love Pendle Hill," cried Nicholas, enthusiastically ; " and 
 from whatever side I view it whether from this place, where I 
 see it from end to end, from its lowest point to its highest ; from 
 Padiham, where it frowns upon me ; from Clithero, where it 
 smiles ; or from Downham, where it rises in full majesty before 
 me from all points and under all aspects, whether robed in mist 
 or radiant with sunshine, I delight in it. Born beneath its giant 
 shadow, I look upon it with filial regard. Some folks say Pendle 
 Hill wants grandeur and sublimity, but they themselves must be 
 wanting in taste. Its broad, round, smooth mass is better than 
 the roughest, craggiest, shaggiest, most sharply splintered moun- 
 tain of them all. And then what a view it commands ! Lan- 
 caster with its grey old castle on one hand ; York with its 
 reverend minster on the other the Irish Sea and its wild coast 
 fell, forest, moor, and valley, watered by the Kibble, the Hodder, 
 the Calder, and the Lime rivers not to be matched for beauty. 
 You recollect the old distich 
 
 ' Ingleborough, Pendle Hill, and Pennygent, 
 Are the highest hills between Scotland and Trent.' 
 
 This vouches for its height, but there are two other doggerel lines 
 still more to the purpose 
 
 * Pendle Hill, Pennygent, and Ingleborough, 
 Are three such hills as you'll not find by seeking England thorough.' 
 
 With this opinion I quite agree. There is no hill in England 
 like Pendle Hill." 
 
 " Every man to his taste, squire," observed Potts ; " but to my 
 mind, Pendle Hill has no other recommendation than its size. I 
 think it a great, brown, ugly, lumpy mass, without beauty of 
 form or any striking character. I hate your bleak Lancashire 
 hills, with heathy ranges on the top, fit only for the sustenance 
 of a few poor half-starved sheep ; and as to the view from them, 
 it is little else than a continuous range of moors and dwarfed 
 forests. Highgate Hill is quite mountain enough for me, and 
 Hampstead Heath wild enough for any civilised purpose." 
 
READ HALL. 221 
 
 st A veritable son of Cockayne !" muttered Nicholas, con- 
 temptuously. 
 
 Hiding on, and entering the grove of oaks, he lost sight of his 
 favourite hill, though glimpses were occasionally caught through 
 the trees of the lovely valley below. Soon afterwards the party 
 turned off on the left, and presently arrived at a gate which 
 admitted them to Read Park. Five minutes' canter over the 
 springy turf then brought them to the house. 
 
 The manor of Reved or Read came into the possession of the 
 Nowell family in the time of Edward III., and extended on one 
 side, within a mile of Whalley, from which township it was 
 divided by a deep woody ravine, taking its name from the little 
 village of Sabden, and on the other stretched far into Pendle 
 Forest. The hall was situated on an eminence forming part of 
 the heights of Padiham, and faced a wide valley, watered by the 
 Calder, and consisting chiefly of barren tracts of moor and forest 
 land, bounded by the high hills near Accrington and Rossendale. 
 On the left, some half-dozen miles off, lay Burnley, and the 
 greater part of the land in this direction, being uninclosed and 
 thinly peopled, had a dark dreary look, that served to enhance 
 the green beauty of the well-cultivated district on the right. 
 Behind the mansion, thick woods extended to the very confines 
 of Pendle Forest, of which, indeed, they originally formed part, 
 and here, if the course of the stream, flowing through the gully 
 of Sabden, were followed, every variety of brake, glen, and 
 dingle, might be found. Read Hall was a large and commodious 
 mansion, forming, with a centre and two advancing wings, three 
 sides of a square, between which was a grass-plot ornamented 
 with a dial. The gardens were laid out in the taste of the time, 
 with trim alleys and parterres, terraces and steps, stone statues, 
 and clipped yews. 
 
 The house was kept up well and consistently by its owner, who 
 lived like a country gentleman with a good estate, entertained 
 his friends hospitably, but without any parade, and was never 
 needlessly lavish in his expenditure, unless, perhaps, in the 
 instance of the large ostentatious pew erected by him in the 
 parish church of Whalley ; and which, considering he had a 
 private chapel at home, and maintained a domestic chaplain to do 
 duty in it, seemed little required, and drew upon him the censure 
 of the neighbouring gossips, who said there was more of pride 
 than religion in his pew. With the chapel at the hall a curious 
 history was afterwards connected. Converted into a dining-room 
 by a descendant of Roger Nowell, the apartment was incau- 
 tiously occupied by the planner of the alterations before the 
 plaster was thoroughly dried ; in consequence of which he caught 
 a severe cold, and died in the desecrated chamber, his fate being 
 looked upon as a judgment. 
 
 With many good qualities Roger Nowell was little liked. His 
 
222 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 austere and sarcastic manner repelled his equals, and his harsh- 
 ness made him an object of dislike and dread among his inferiors. 
 Besides being the terror of all evil-doers, he was a hard man in 
 his dealings, though he endeavoured to be just, and persuaded 
 himself he was so. A year or two before, having been appointed 
 sheriff of the county, he had discharged the important office with 
 so much zeal and ability, as well as liberality, that he rose con- 
 siderably in public estimation. It was during this period that 
 Master Potts came under his notice at Lancaster, and the little 
 attorney's shrewdness gained him an excellent client in the owner 
 of Read. Roger No well was a widower; but his son, who resided 
 with him, was married, and had a family, so that the hall was 
 fully occupied. 
 
 Roger Nowell was turned sixty, but he was still in the full 
 vigour of mind and body, his temperate and active habits keep- 
 ing him healthy; he was of a spare muscular frame, somewhat 
 bent in the shoulders, and had very sharp features, keen grey 
 eyes, a close mouth, and prominent chin. His hair was white as 
 silver, but his eyebrows were still black and bushy. 
 
 Seeing the party approach, the lord of the mansion came forth 
 to meet them, and begged them to dismount for a moment and 
 refresh themselves. Richard excused himself, but Nicholas 
 sprang from his saddle, and Potts, though somewhat more slowly, 
 imitated his example. An open door admitted them to the 
 entrance hall, where a repast was spread, of which the host 
 pressed his guests to partake; but Nicholas declined on the score 
 of having just breakfasted, notwithstanding which he was easily 
 prevailed upon to take a cup of ale. Leaving him to discuss it, 
 Nowell led the attorney to a well-furnished library, where he 
 usually transacted his magisterial business, and held a few 
 minutes' private conference with him, after which they returned 
 to Nicholas, and by this time the magistrate's own horse being 
 brought round, the party mounted once more. The attorney 
 regretted abandoning his seat; for Flint indulged him with 
 another exhibition somewhat similar to the first, though of less 
 duration, for a vigorous application of the hunting-whip brought 
 the wrong-headed little animal to reason. 
 
 Elated by the victory he had obtained over Flint, and antici- 
 pating a successful issue to the expedition, Master Potts was in 
 excellent spirits, and found a great deal to admire in the domain 
 of his honoured and singular good client. Though not very 
 genuine, his admiration was deservedly bestowed. The portion 
 of the park they were now traversing was extremely diversified 
 and beautiful, with long sweeping lawns studded with fine trees, 
 among which were many ancient thorns, now in full bloom, and 
 richly scenting the gale. Herds of deer were nipping the short 
 grass, browsing the lower spray of the ashes, or couching amid 
 the ferny hollows. 
 
HEAD HALL. 223 
 
 It was now that Nicholas, who had been all along anxious to 
 try the speed of his horse, proposed to Richard a gallop towards 
 a clump of trees about a mile off, and the young man assenting, 
 away they started. Master Potts started too, for Flint did not 
 like to be left behind, but the mettlesome pony was soon dis- 
 tanced. For some time the two horses kept so closely together, 
 that it was difficult to say which would arrive at the goal first ; 
 but, by-and-by, Robin got a-head. Though at first indifferent to 
 the issue of the race, the spirit of emulation soon seized upon 
 Richard, and spurring Merlin, the noble animal sprang forward, 
 and was once again by the side of his opponent. 
 
 For a quarter of a mile the ground had been tolerably level, 
 and the sod firm ; but they now approached a swamp, and, in his 
 eagerness, Nicholas did not take sufficient precaution, and got 
 involved in it before he was aware. Richard was more fortunate, 
 having kept on the right, where the ground was hard. Seeing 
 Nicholas struggling out of the marshy soil, he would have stayed 
 for him ; but the latter bade him go on, saying he would soon be 
 up with him, and he made good his words. Shortly after this 
 their course was intercepted by a brook, and both horses having 
 cleared it excellently, they kept well together again for a short 
 time, when they neared a deep dyke which lay between them and 
 the clump of trees. On descrying it, Richard pointed out a course 
 to the left, but Nicholas held on, unheeding the caution. Fully 
 expecting to see him break his neck, for the dyke was of formi- 
 dable width, Richard watched him with apprehension, but the 
 squire gave him a re-assuring nod, and went on. Neither horse 
 nor man faltered, though failure would have been certain destruc- 
 tion to both. The wide trench now yawned before them they 
 were upon its edge, and without trusting himself to measure it 
 with his eye, Nicholas clapped spurs into Robin's sides. The 
 brave horse sprang forward and landed him safely on the opposite 
 bank. Hallooing cheerily, as soon as he could check his courser 
 the squire wheeled round, and rode back to look at the dyke he 
 had crossed. Its width was terrific, and fairly astounded him. 
 Robin snorted loudly, as if proud of his achievement, and showed 
 some disposition to return, but the squire was quite content with 
 what he had done. The exploit afterwards became a theme of 
 wonder throughout the country, and the spot was long after- 
 wards pointed out as " Squire Nicholas's Leap ;" but there was 
 not another horseman found daring enough to repeat the experi- 
 ment. 
 
 Richard had to make a considerable circuit to join his cousin, 
 and, while he was going round, Nicholas looked out for the others. 
 In the distance, he could see Roger Nowell riding leisurely on, 
 followed by Sparshot and a couple of grooms, who had come with 
 their master from the hall; while midway, to his surprise, he per- 
 ceived Flint galloping without a rider. A closer examination 
 
224 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 showed the squire what had happened. Like himself, Master 
 Potts had incautiously approached the swamp, and, getting en- 
 tangled in it, was thrown, head foremost, into the slough ; out of 
 which he was now floundering, covered from head to foot with 
 inky-coloured slime. As soon as they were aware of the accident, 
 the two grooms pushed forward, and one of them galloped after 
 Flint, whom he succeeded at last in catching ; while the other, 
 with difficulty preserving his countenance at the woful plight of 
 the attorney, who looked as black as a negro, pointed out a cottage 
 in the hollow which belonged to one of the keepers, and offered 
 to conduct him thither. Potts gladly assented, and soon gained 
 the little tenement, where he was being washed and rubbed down 
 by a couple of stout wenches when the rest of the party came 
 up. It was impossible to help laughing at him, but Potts took 
 the merriment in good part ; and, to show he was not disheart- 
 ened by the misadventure, as soon as circumstances would permit 
 he mounted the unlucky pony, and the cavalcade set forward 
 again. 
 
 CHAPTER III. THE BOGGART'S GLEK 
 
 THE manor of Read, it has been said, was skirted by a deep 
 woody ravine of three or four miles in length, extending from the 
 little village of Sabden, in Pendle Forest, to within a short dis- 
 tance of Whalley ; and through this gully flowed a stream which, 
 taking its rise near Barley, at the foot of Pendle Hill, added its 
 waters to those of the Calder at a place called Cock Bridge. In 
 summer, or in dry seasons, this stream proceeded quietly enough, 
 and left the greater part of its stony bed unoccupied; but in 
 winter, or after continuous rains, it assumed all the character of 
 a mountain torrent, and swept every thing before it. A narrow 
 bridle road led through the ravine to Sabden, and along it, after 
 quitting the park, the cavalcade proceeded, headed by Nicholas. 
 
 The little river danced merrily past them, singing as it went, 
 the sunshine sparkling on its bright clear waters, and glittering 
 on the pebbles beneath tkem. Now the stream would chafe and 
 foam against some larger impediment to its course ; now it would 
 dash down some rocky height, and form a beautiful cascade; then it 
 woijld hurry on for some time with little interruption, till stayed by 
 a projecting bank it would form a small deep basin, where, beneath 
 the far-cast shadow of an overhanging oak, or under its huge 
 twisted and denuded roots, the angler might be sure of finding 
 the speckled trout, the dainty greyling, or their mutual enemy, 
 the voracious jack. The ravine was well wooded throughout, and 
 in many parts singularly beautiful, from the disposition of the 
 timber on its banks, as well as from the varied form and character 
 
POTTS AFTER BEING THROWN FROM HIS HORSE. 
 
 P. 224 
 
THE BOGGART'S GLEN. 225 
 
 of the trees. Here might be seen an acclivity covered with waving 
 birch, or a top crowned with a mountain ash there, on a smooth 
 expanse of greensward, stood a range of noble elms, whose mighty 
 arms stretched completely across the ravine. Further on, there 
 were chestnut and walnut trees ; willows, with hoary stems and 
 silver leaves, almost encroaching upon the stream; larches upon the 
 heights; and here and there, upon some sandy eminence, a spread- 
 ing beeoh-tree. For the most part the bottom of the glen was 
 overgrown with brushwood, and, where its sides were too abrupt 
 to admit the growth of larger trees, they were matted with wood- 
 bine and brambles. Out of these would sometimes start a sharp 
 pinnacle, or fantastically-formed crag, adding greatly to the pic- 
 turesque beauty of the scene. On such points were not unfre- 
 quently found perched a hawk, a falcon, or some large bird of 
 prey ; for the gully, with its brakes and thickets, was a favourite 
 haunt of the leathered tribe. The hollies, of which there were 
 plenty, with their green prickly leaves and scarlet berries, afforded 
 shelter and support to the blackbird ; the thorns were frequented 
 by the thrush ; and numberless lesser songsters filled every other 
 tree. In the covert there were pheasants and partridges in abun- 
 dance, and snipe and wild-fowl resorted to the river in winter. 
 Thither also, at all seasons, repaired the stately heron, to devour 
 the finny race ; and thither came, on like errand, the splendidly- 
 plumed kingfisher. The magpie chattered, the jay screamed and 
 flew deeper into the woods as the horsemen approached, and the 
 shy bittern hid herself amid the rushes. Occasionally, too, was 
 heard the deep ominous croaking of a raven. 
 
 Hitherto, the glen had been remarkable for its softness and 
 beauty, but it now began to assume a savage and sombre charac- 
 ter. The banks drew closer together, and became rugged and 
 precipitous; while the trees met overhead, and, intermingling 
 their branches, formed a canopy impervious to the sun's rays. 
 The stream was likewise contracted in its bed, and its current, 
 which, owing to the gloom, looked black as ink, flowed swiftly on, 
 as if anxious to escape to livelier scenes. A large raven, which 
 had attended the horsemen all the way, now alighted near them, 
 and croaked ominously. 
 
 This part of the glen was in very ill repute, and was never 
 traversed, even at noonday, without apprehension. Its wild and 
 savage aspect, its horrent precipices, its shaggy woods, its 
 strangely-shaped rocks and tenebrous depths, where every imper- 
 fectly-seen object appeared doubly frightful all combined to 
 invest it with mystery and terror. No one willingly lingered 
 here, but hurried on, afraid of the sound of his own footsteps. 
 No one dared to gaze at the rocks, lest he should see some 
 hideous hobgoblin peering out of their fissures. JN o one glanced 
 at the water, for fear some terrible kelpy, with twining snakes for 
 hair and scaly hide, should issue from it and drag him down to 
 
 Q 
 
22(5 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 devour him with his shark-like teeth. Among the common folk, 
 this part of the ravine was known as " the boggart's glen," and 
 was supposed to be haunted by mischievous beings, who made the 
 unfortunate wanderer their sport. 
 
 For the last half-mile the road had been so narrow and intricate 
 in its windings, that the party were obliged to proceed singly ; 
 but this did not prevent conversation ; and Nicholas, throwing 
 the bridle over Robin's neck, left the surefooted animal to pursue 
 his course unguided, while he himself, leaning back, chatted with 
 Roger Nowell. At the entrance of the gloomy gorge above 
 described, Robin came to a stand, and refusing to move at a jerk 
 from his master, the latter raised himself, and looked forward to 
 see what could be the cause of the stoppage. No impediment 
 was visible, but the animal obstinately refused to go on, though 
 urged both by word and spur. This stoppage necessarily delayed 
 the rest of the cavalcade. 
 
 Well aware of the ill reputation of the place, when Simon 
 Sparshot and the grooms found that Robin would not go on, they 
 declared he must see the boggart, and urged the squire to turn 
 back, or some mischief would befall him. But Nicholas, though 
 not without misgivings, did not like to yield thus, especially when 
 urged on by Roger Nowell. Indeed, the party could not get out 
 of the ravine without going back nearly a mile, while Sabden was 
 only half that distance from them. What was to be done? Robin 
 still continued obstinate, and for the first time paid no attention 
 to his master's commands. The poor animal was evidently a 
 prey to violent terror, and snorted and reared, while his limbs 
 were bathed in cold sweat. 
 
 Dismounting, and leaving him in charge of Roger Nowell, 
 Nicholas walked on by himself to see if he could discover any 
 cause for the horse's alarm ; and he had not advanced far, when 
 his eye rested upon a blasted oak forming a conspicuous object 
 on a crag before him, on a scathed branch of which sat the 
 raven. 
 
 Croak! croak! croak! 
 
 " Accursed bird, it is thou who hast frightened my horse," cried 
 Nicholas. " Would I had a crossbow or an arquebuss to stop 
 thy croaking." 
 
 And as he picked up a stone to cast at the raven, a crashing 
 noise was heard among the bushes high up on the rock, and the 
 next moment a huge fragment dislodged from the cliff rolled dowa 
 and would have crushed him, if he had not nimbly avoided it. 
 
 Croak! croak! croak! 
 
 Nicholas almost fancied hoarse laughter was mingled with the 
 cries of the bird. 
 
 The raven nodded its head and expanded its wings, and the 
 squire, whose recent experience had prepared him for any wonder, 
 fully expected to hear it speak, but it only croaked loudly and 
 
THE BOGGART'S GLEN. 227 
 
 exuhingly, or if it laughed, the sound was like the creaking of rusty 
 hinges. 
 
 Nicholas did not like it at all, and he resolved to go back ; but 
 ere he could do so, he was startled by a buffet on the ear, and 
 turning angrily round to see who had dealt it, he could distinguish 
 no one, but at the same moment received a second buffet on the 
 other ear. 
 
 The raven croaked merrily. 
 
 " Would I could wring thy neck, accursed bird !" cried the 
 enraged squire. 
 
 Scarcely was the vindictive wish uttered than a shower of blows 
 fell upon him, and kicks from unseen feet were applied to his 
 person. 
 
 All the while the raven croaked merrily, and flapped his big 
 black wings. 
 
 Infuriated by the attack, the squire hit right and left manfully, 
 and dashed out his feet in every direction; but his blows and kicks 
 only met the empty air, while those of his unseen antagonist told 
 upon his own person with increased effect. 
 
 The spectacle seemed to afford infinite amusement to the raven. 
 The mischievous bird almost crowed with glee. 
 
 There was no standing it any longer. So, amid a perfect hur- 
 ricane of blows and kicks, and with the infernal voice of the raven 
 ringing in his ears, the squire took to his heels. On reaching his 
 companions he found they had not fared much better than himself. 
 The two grooms were belabouring each other lustily ; and Master 
 Potts was exercising his hunting-whip on the broad shoulders of 
 Sparshot, who in return was making him acquainted with the taste 
 of a stout ash-plant. Assailed in the same manner as the squire, 
 and naturally attributing the attack to their nearest neighbours, 
 they waited for no explanation, but fell upon each other. Rich- 
 ard Assheton and Roger Nowell endeavoured to interfere and 
 separate the combatants, and in doing so received some hard knocks 
 for their pains ; but all their pacific efforts were fruitless, until the 
 squire appeared, and telling them they were merely the sport of 
 hobgoblins, they desisted, but still the blows fell heavily on them 
 as before, proving the truth of Nicholas's assertion. 
 
 Meanwhile the squire had mounted Robin, and, finding the 
 horse no longer exhibit the same reluctance to proceed, he dashed 
 at full speed through the haunted glen ; but even above the clatter 
 of hoofs, and the noise of the party galloping after him, he could 
 hear the hoarse exulting croaking of the raven. 
 
 As the gully expanded, and the sun once more found its way 
 through the trees, and shone upon the river, Nicholas began to 
 breathe more freely ; but it was not until fairly out of the wood 
 that he relaxed his speed. Not caring to enter into any expla- 
 nation of the occurrence, he rodealittle apartto avoid conversation; 
 and as the others, who were still smarting from the blovvs they 
 
228 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 had received, were in no very good-humour, a sullen silence pre- 
 vailed throughout the party, as they mounted the bare hill-side in 
 the direction of the few scattered huts constituting the village of 
 Sabden. 
 
 A blight seemed to have fallen upon the place. Roger Nowell, 
 who had visited it a few months ago, could scarcely believe his 
 eyes, so changed was its appearance. His inquiries as to the cause 
 of its altered condition were every where met by the same answer 
 the poor people were all bewitched. Here a child was ill of a 
 strange sickness, tossed and tumbled in its bed, and contorted its 
 limbs so violently, that its parents could scarcely hold it down. 
 Another family was afflicted in a different manner, two of its num- 
 ber pining away and losing strength daily, as if a prey to some 
 consuming disease. In a third, another child was sick, and vomited 
 pins, nails, and other extraordinary substances. A fourth house- 
 hold was tormented by an imp in the form of a monkey, who came 
 at night and pinched them all black and blue, spilt the milk, broke 
 the dishes and platters, got under the bed, and, raising it to the 
 roof, let it fall with a terrible crash ; putting them all in mental 
 terror. In the next cottage there was no end to calamities, though 
 they took a more absurd form. Sometimes the fire would not 
 burn, or when it did it emitted no heat, so that the pot would not 
 boil, nor the meat roast. Then the oatcakes would stick to the 
 bake-stone, and no force could get them away from it till they 
 were burnt and spoiled ; the milk turned sour, the cheese became 
 so hard that not even rats' teeth could gnaw it, the stools and 
 settles broke down if sat upon, and the list of petty grievances 
 was completed by a whole side of bacon being devoured in a single 
 night. Roger Nowell and Nicholas listened patiently to a detail 
 of all these grievances, and expressed strong sympathy for the 
 sufferers, promising assistance and redress if possible. All the 
 complainants taxed either Mother Demdike or Mother Chattox 
 with afflicting them, and said they had incurred the anger of the 
 two malevolent old witches by refusing to supply them with poultry, 
 eggs, milk, butter, or other articles, which they had demanded. 
 Master Potts made ample notes of the strange relations, and took 
 down the name of every cottager. 
 
 At length, they arrived at the last cottage, and here a man, 
 with a very doleful countenance, besought them to stop and listen 
 to his tale. 
 
 " What is the matter, friend ?" demanded Roger Nowell, halt- 
 ing with the others. " Are you bewitched, like your neighbours ? " 
 
 " Troth am ey, your warship," replied the man, " an ey hope 
 yo may be able to deliver me. Yo mun knoa, that somehow ey 
 wor unlucky enough last Yule to offend Mother Chattox, an ever 
 sin then aw's gone wrang wi' me. Th' good-wife con never may 
 butter come without stickin' a redhot poker into t' churn ; and 
 last week, when our brindlt sow farrowed, and had fifteen to t* 
 
THE BOGGART'S GLEN. 229 
 
 litter, an' fine uns os ever yo seed, seign on um deed. Sad wark ! 
 sad wark, mesters. The week efore that t' keaw deed ; an th' 
 week efore her th' owd mare, so that aw my stock be gone. Waes 
 me ! waes me ! Nowt prospers wi' me. My poor dame is besokta 
 hersel, an' th' chilter seems possessed. Ey ha' tried every remedy, 
 boh without success. Ey ha' followed th' owd witch whoam, 
 plucked a hontle o' thatch fro' her roof, sprinklet it wi' sawt an 
 weter, burnt it an' buried th' ess at th' change o' t' moon. No 
 use, mesters. Then again, ey ha' getten a horseshoe, heated it 
 redhot, quenched it i' brine, an' nailed it to t' threshold wi' threo 
 nails, heel uppard. No more use nor t'other. Then ey ha' taen 
 sawt weter, and put it in a bottle wi' three rusty nails, needles, and 
 pins, boh ey hanna found that th' witch ha' suffered thereby. An, 
 lastly, ey ha' let myself blood, when the moon wur at full, an in 
 opposition to th' owd hag's planet, an minglin' it wi' sawt, ha' burnt 
 it i' a trivet, in hopes of afflictin' her ; boh without avail, fo' ey 
 seed her two days ago, an she flouted me an scoffed at me. What 
 mun ey do, good mesters t What mun ey do ? " 
 
 " Have you offended any one besides Mother Chattox, my poor 
 fellow?" said Nowell. 
 
 " Mother Demdike, may be, your warship," replied the man. 
 
 " You suspect Mother Demdike and Mother Chattox of be- 
 witching you," said Potts, taking out his memorandum-book, and 
 making a note in it. " Your name, good fellow ? " 
 
 " Oamfrey o' Will's o' Bens o' Tummas' o' Sabden," replied 
 the man. 
 
 Is that all?" asked Potts. 
 
 " What more would you have?" said Richard. The description 
 is sufficiently particular." 
 
 " Scarcely precise enough," returned Potts. e( However, it may 
 do. We will help you in the matter, good Humphrey Etcetera. 
 You shall not be troubled with these pestilent witches much longer. 
 The neighbourhood shall be cleared of them." 
 
 " Ey'm reet glad to hear, mester," replied the man. 
 
 " You promise much, Master Potts," observed Richard. 
 
 " Not a jot more than I am able to perform," replied the 
 attorney. 
 
 " That remains to be seen," said Richard. " If these old women 
 are as powerful as represented, they will not be so readily defeated." 
 
 " There you are in error, Master Richard," replied Potts. " The 
 devil, whose vassals they are, will deliver them into our hands." 
 
 u Granting what you say to be correct, the devil must have little 
 regard for his servants if he abandons them so easily," observed 
 Richard, drily. 
 
 " What else can you expect from him ?" cried Potts. " It is 
 his custom to ensnare his victims, and then leave them to their 
 fate." 
 
 " You are rather describing the course pursued by certain 
 
230 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 members of your own profession, Master Potts," said Richard. 
 " The devil behaves with greater fairness to his clients." 
 
 " You are not going to defend him, I hope, sir 1 " said the 
 attorney. 
 
 " No ; I only desire to give him his due," returned Richard. 
 
 "Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Nicholas. "You had better have 
 done, Master Potts ; you will never get the better in the argument. 
 But we must be moving, or we shall not get our business done 
 before nightfall. As to you, Numps," he added, to the poor man, 
 " we will not forget you. If any thing can be done for your 
 relief, rely upon it, it shall not be neglected." 
 
 " Ay, ay," said No well, " the matter shall be looked into and 
 speedily." 
 
 u And the witches brought to justice," said Potts ; " comfort 
 yourself with that, good Humphrey Etcetera." 
 
 " Ay, comfort yourself with that," observed Nicholas. 
 
 Soon after this they entered a wide dreary waste forming the 
 bottom of the valley, lying between the heights of Padiham and 
 Pendle Hill, and while wending their way across it, they heard a 
 shout from the hill-side, and presently afterwards perceived a man, 
 mounted on a powerful black horse, galloping swiftly towards them. 
 The party awaited his approach, and the stranger speedily came 
 up. He was a small man habited in a suit of rusty black, and 
 bore a most extraordinary and marked resemblance to Master 
 Potts. He had the same perky features, the same parchment 
 complexion, the same yellow forehead, as the little attorney. So 
 surprising was the likeness, that Nicholas unconsciously looked 
 round for Potts, and beheld him staring at the new-comer in angry- 
 wonder. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. THE REEVE OF THE FOUEST. 
 
 THE surprise of the party was by no means diminished when 
 the stranger spoke. His voice exactly resembled the sharp 
 cracked tones of the attorney. 
 
 " I crave pardon for the freedom I have taken in stopping you, 
 good masters," he said, doffing his cap, and saluting them respect- 
 fully ; " but, being aware of your errand, I am come to attend you 
 on it." 
 
 " And who are you, fellow, who thus volunteer your services ? " 
 demanded Roger Nowell, sharply. 
 
 " I am one of the reeves of the forest of Blackburnshire, 
 worshipful sir," replied the stranger, " and as such my presence, 
 at the intended perambulation of the boundaries of her property, 
 has been deemed necessary by Mrs. Nutter, as I shall have to make 
 a representation of the mutter at the next court of swain-mote." 
 
THE REEVE OF THE FOREST. 231 
 
 " Indeed !" exclaimed Nowell, " but how knew you we were 
 coming?" 
 
 " Mistress Nutter sent me word last night," replied the reeve, 
 " that Master Nicholas Assheton and certain other gentlemen, 
 would come to Rough Lee for the purpose of ascertaining the 
 marks, meres, and boundaries of her property, early this morning, 
 and desired my attendance on the occasion. Accordingly I 
 stationed myself on yo-n high ground to look out for you, and have 
 been on the watch for more than an hour." 
 
 "Humph!" exclaimed Roger Nowell, "and you live in the 
 forest?" 
 
 " I live at Barrowford, worshipful sir," replied the reeve, t( but 
 I have only lately come there, having succeeded Maurice Mottis- 
 font, the other reeve, who has been removed by the master 
 forester to Rossendale, where I formerly dwelt." 
 
 " That may account for my not having seen you before," rejoined 
 Nowell. " You are well mounted, sirrah. I did not know the 
 master forester allowed his men such horses as the one you ride." 
 
 " This horse does not belong to me, sir," replied the reeve ; " it 
 has been lent me by Mistress Nutter." 
 
 " Aha ! I see how it is now," cried Nowell; " you are suborned 
 to give false testimony, knave. I object to his attendance, 
 Master Nicholas." 
 
 " Nay, I think you do the man injustice," said the squire. 
 " He speaks frankly and fairly enough, and seems to know his 
 business. The worst that can be said against him is, that he 
 resembles somewhat too closely our little legal friend there. That, 
 however, ought to be no objection to you, Master Nowell, but 
 rather the contrary." 
 
 " Well, take the responsibility of the matter upon your own 
 shoulders," said Nowell; " if any ill comes of it I shall blame you." 
 
 " Be it so," replied the squire ; " my shoulders are broad 
 enough to bear the burthen. You may ride with us, master reeve." 
 
 " May I inquire your name, friend? " said Potts, as the stranger 
 fell back to the rear of the party. 
 
 " Thomas Potts, at your service, sir," replied the reeve. 
 
 " What ! Thomas Potts !" exclaimed the astonished attorney. 
 
 " That is my name, sir," replied the reeve, quietly. 
 
 " Why, zounds !" exclaimed Nicholas, who overheard the 
 reply, " you do not mean to say your name is Thomas Potts 1 
 This is more wonderful still. You must be this gentleman's twin 
 brother." 
 
 " The gentleman certainly seems to resemble me very strongly," 
 replied the reeve, apparently surprised in his turn. " Is he of 
 these parts ? " 
 
 u No, I am not/* returned Potts, angrily, " I am from London, 
 where I reside in Chancery-lane, and practise the law, though I 
 likewise attend as clerk of the court at the assizes at Lancaster, 
 
232 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 where I may possibly, one of these days, have the pleasure of 
 seeing you, my pretended namesake." 
 
 " Possibly, sir," said the reeve, with provoking calmness. ts I 
 myself am from Chester, and like yourself was brought up to the 
 law, but I abandoned my profession, or rather it abandoned me, 
 for I had few clients ; so I took to an honester calling, and became 
 a forester, as you see. My father was a draper in the city I have 
 mentioned, and dwelt in Watergate-street his name was Peter 
 Potts." 
 
 " Peter Potts your father !" exclaimed the attorney, in the last 
 state of astonishment "Why, he was mine! But I am his only son." 
 
 " Up to this moment I conceived myself an only son," said the 
 reeve; " but it seems I was mistaken, since I find I have an elder 
 brother." 
 
 "Elder brother!" exclaimed Potts, wrathfully. "You are 
 older than I am by twenty years. But it is all a fabrication. I 
 deny the relationship entirely." 
 
 " You cannot make me other than the son of my father," said 
 the reeve, with a smile. 
 
 " Well, Master Potts," interposed Nicholas, laughing, " I see 
 no reason why you should be ashamed of your brother. There 
 is a strong family likeness between you. So old Peter Potts, the 
 draper of Chester, was your father, eh ? I was not aware of the 
 circumstance before ha, ha !" 
 
 " And, but for this intrusive fellow, you would never have be- 
 come aware of it," muttered the attorney. " Give ear to me, 
 squire," he said, urging Flint close up to the other's side, and 
 speaking in a low tone, " I do not like the fellow's looks at all." 
 
 " I am surprised at that," rejoined the squire, " for he exactly 
 resembles you." 
 
 " That is why I do not like him," said Potts ; " I believe him 
 to be a wizard." 
 
 " You are no wizard to think so," rejoined the squire. And he 
 rode on to join Roger No well, who was a little in advance. 
 
 " I will try him on the subject of witchcraft," thought Potts. 
 " As you dwell in the forest," he said to the reeve, " you have no 
 doubt seen those two terrible beings, Mothers Demdike and 
 Chattox." 
 
 " Frequently," replied the reeve, " but I would rather not talk 
 about them in their own territories. You may judge of their 
 power by the appearance of the village you have just quitted. 
 The inhabitants of that unlucky place refused them their 
 customary tributes, and have therefore incurred their resentment. 
 You will meet other instances of the like kind before you have 
 gone far." 
 
 " I am glad of it, for I want to collect as many cases as I can 
 of witchcraft," observed Potts. 
 
 " They will be of little use to you," observed the reeve. 
 
THE KEEVE OF THE FOREST. 233 
 
 " How so ? n inquired Potts. 
 
 " Because if the witches discover what you are about, as they 
 will not fail to do, you will never leave the forest alive," returned 
 the other. 
 
 " You think not 1 " cried Potts. 
 
 (e I am sure of it," replied the reeve. 
 
 sc I will not be deterred from the performance of my duty," 
 said Potts. te I defy the devil and all his works." 
 
 " You may have reason to repent your temerity," replied the 
 reeve. 
 
 And anxious, apparently, to avoid further conversation on the 
 subject, he drew in the rein for a moment, and allowed the 
 attorney to pass on. 
 
 Notwithstanding his boasting, Master Potts was not without 
 much secret misgiving ; but his constitutional obstinacy made him 
 determine to prosecute his plans at any risk, and he comforted 
 himself by recalling the opinion of his sovereign authority on 
 such matters. 
 
 " Let me ponder over the exact words of our British Solomon," 
 he thought. " I have his learned treatise by heart, and it is 
 fortunate my memory serves me so well, for the sagacious prince's 
 dictum will fortify me in my resolution, which has been somewhat 
 shaken by this fellow, whom I believe to be no better than he 
 should be, for all he calls himself my father's son, and hath 
 assumed my likeness, doubtless for some mischievous purpose. 
 ' If the magistrate,' saith the King, e be slothful towards 
 witches, God is very able to make them instruments to waken 
 and punish his sloth.' No one can accuse me of slothfulness and 
 want of zeal. My best exertions have been used against the 
 accursed creatures. And now for the rest. ' But if, on the con- 
 trary, he be diligent in examining and punishing them, God will 
 not permit their master to trouble or hinder so good a work ! ' 
 Exactly what I have done. I am quite easy now, and shall go 
 on fearlessly as before. I am one of the ' lawful lieutenants' 
 described by the King, and cannot be ' defrauded or deprived' of 
 
 /Y* 
 
 my office. 
 
 As these thoughts passed through the attorney's mind a low 
 derisive laugh sounded in his ears, and, connecting it with the 
 reeve, he looked back and found the object of his suspicions 
 gazing at him, and chuckling maliciously. So fiendishly malig- 
 nant, indeed, was the gaze fixed upon him, that Potts was glad 
 to turn his head away to avoid it. 
 
 " I am confirmed in my suspicions," he thought; (f he is evidently 
 a wizard, if he be not " 
 
 Again the mocking laugh sounded in his ears, but he did not 
 venture to look round this time, being fearful of once more encoun- 
 tering the terrible gaze. 
 
 Meanwhile the party had traversed the valley, and to avoid a 
 
234 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 dangerous morass stretching across its lower extremity, and 
 shorten the distance for the ordinary road would have led them 
 too much to the right they began to climb one of the ridges of 
 Pendle Hill, which lay between them and the vale they wished 
 to gain. On obtaining the top of this eminence, an extensive view 
 on either side opened upon them. Behind was the sterile valley they 
 had just crossed, its black soil, hoary grass, and heathy wastes, 
 only enlivened at one end by patches of bright sulphur-coloured 
 moss, which masked a treacherous quagmire lurking beneath it. 
 Some of the cottages in Sabden were visible, and, from the sad 
 circumstances connected with them, and which oppressed the 
 thoughts of the beholders, added to the dreary character of the 
 prospect. The day, too, had lost its previous splendour, and 
 there were clouds overhead which cast deep shadows on the 
 ground. But on the crest of Pendle Hiil, which rose above them, 
 a sun-burst fell, and attracted attention from its brilliant contrast 
 to the prevailing gloom. Before them lay a deep gully, the 
 sinuosities of which could be traced from the elevated position 
 where they stood, though its termination was hidden by other 
 projecting ridges. Further on, the sides of the mountain were 
 bare and rugged, and covered with shelving stone. Beyond the 
 defile before mentioned, and over the last mountain ridge, lay a 
 wide valley, bounded on the further side by the hills overlooking 
 Colne, and the mountain defile, now laid open to the travellers, 
 exhibiting in the midst of the dark heathy ranges, which were its 
 distinguishing features, some marks of cultivation. In parts it 
 was inclosed and divided into paddocks by stone walls, and here 
 and there a few cottages were collected together, dignified, as in 
 the case of Sabden, by the name of a village. Amongst these 
 were the Hey-houses, an assemblage of small stone tenements, the 
 earliest that arose in the forest ; Goldshaw Booth, now a populous 
 place, and even then the largest hamlet in the district ; and in 
 the distance Ogden and Barley, the two latter scarcely comprising 
 a dozen habitations, and those little better than huts. In some 
 sheltered nook on the hill-side might be discerned the solitary 
 cottage of a cowherd, and not far from it the certain accompani- 
 ment of a sheepfold. Throughout this weird region, thinly 
 peopled it is true, but still of great extent, and apparently 
 abandoned to the powers of darkness, only one edifice could be 
 found where its inhabitants could meet to pray, and this was an 
 ancient chapel at Goldshaw Booth, originally erected in the reign 
 of Henry III , though subsequently in part rebuilt in 1544, and 
 which, with its low grey tower peeping from out the trees, was 
 just discernible. Two halls were in view ; one of which, Sabden, 
 was of considerable antiquity, and gave its name to the village ; 
 and the other was Hoarstones, a much more recently erected 
 mansion, strikingly situated on an acclivity of Pendle Hill. In 
 general, the upper parts of this mountain monarch of the waste 
 
THE BEEVE OF THE FOREST. 235 
 
 were bare and heathy, while the heights overhanging Ogden and 
 Barley were rocky, shelving, and precipitous ; but the lower ridges 
 were well covered with wood, and a thicket, once forming part of 
 the ancieut forest, ran far out into the plain near Groldshaw Booth. 
 Numerous springs burst from the mountain side, and these 
 collecting their forces, formed a considerable stream, which, under 
 the name of Pendle Water, flowed through the valley above 
 described, and, after many picturesque windings, entered the 
 rugged glen in which Rough Lee was situated, and swept past 
 the foot of Mistress Nutter's residence. 
 
 Descending the hill, and passing through the thicket, the party 
 came within a short distance of Goldshaw Booth, when they were 
 met by a cowherd, who, with looks of great alarm, told them that 
 John Law, the pedlar, had fallen down in a tit in the clough, and 
 would perish if they did not stay to help him. As the poor man 
 in question was well known both to Nicholas and Roger No well, 
 they immediately agreed to go to his assistance, and accompanied 
 the cowherd along a by-road which led through the clough to 
 the village. They had not gone far when they heard loud groans, 
 and presently afterwards found the unfortunate pedlar lying on 
 his back, and writhing in agony. He was a large, powerfully- 
 built man, of middle age, and had been in the full enjoyment of 
 health and vigour, so that his sudden prostration was the more 
 terrible. His face was greatly disfigured, the mouth and neck 
 drawn awry, the left eye pulled down, and the whole power of the 
 same side gone. 
 
 " Why, John, this is a bad business," cried Nicholas. " You have 
 had a paralytic stroke, I fear." 
 
 " Nah nah squoire," replied the sufferer, speaking with dif- 
 ficulty, " it's neaw nat'ral ailment it's witchcraft." 
 
 " Witchcraft ! " exclaimed Potts, who had come up, and 
 producing his memorandum book. " Another case. Your name 
 and description, friend ?" 
 
 " John Law o' Gown, pedlar," replied the man. 
 
 " John Law of Colne, I suppose, petty chapman," said Potts, 
 making an entry. " Now, John, my good man, be pleased to 
 tell us by whom you have been bewitched ? " 
 
 " By Mother Demdike," groaned the man. 
 
 " Mother Demdike, ah ?" exclaimed Potts, " good ! very good. 
 Now, John, as to the cause of your quarrel with the old hag?" 
 
 " Ey con scarcely rekillect it, my head be so confused, rnester," 
 replied the pedlar. 
 
 u Make an effort, John," persisted Potts ; rt it is most desirable 
 such a dreadful offender should not escape justice." 
 
 " Weel, weel, ey'n try an tell it then," replied the pedlar. 
 " Yo mun knoa ey wur crossing the hill fro' Cown to Rough Lee, 
 wi' my pack upon my shouthers, when who should ey meet boh 
 Mother Demdike, an hoo axt me to gi' her some scithers an pins, 
 
236 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 boh, os ill jluck wad ha* it, ey refused. f Yo had better do it, 
 John/ hoo said, 'or yo'll rue it efore to-morrow neet.' Ey 
 laughed at her, an trudged on, boh when I looked back, an seed 
 her shakin' her skinny hond at me, ey repented and thowt ey 
 would go back, an gi' her the choice o' my wares. Boh my pride 
 wur too strong, an ey walked on to Barley an Ogden, an slept at 
 Bess's o th' Booth, an woke this mornin' stout and strong, fully 
 persuaded th' owd witch's threat would come to nowt. Alack-a- 
 day ! ey wur out i' my reckonin', fo' scarcely had ey reached this 
 kloof, o' my way to Sabden, than ey wur seized wi' a sudden 
 shock, os if a thunder-bowt had hit me, an ey lost the use o' my 
 lower limbs, an t' laft soide, an should ha' deed most likely, if it 
 hadna bin fo' Ebil o' Jem's o' Dan's who spied me out, an brought 
 me help." 
 
 6s Yours is a deplorable case indeed, John," said Richard 
 " especially if it be the result of witchcraft." 
 
 " You do not surely doubt that it is so, Master Richard ? " 
 cried Potts. 
 
 " I offer no opinion," replied the young man ; fC but a paralytic 
 stroke would produce the same effect. But, instead of discussing 
 the matter, the best thing we can do will be to transport the poor 
 man to Bess's o' th' Booth, where he can be attended to." 
 
 " Tom and I can carry him there, if Abel will take charge of 
 his pack," said one of the grooms. 
 
 " That I win," replied the cowherd, unstrapping the box, 
 upon which the sufferer's head rested, and placing it on his own 
 shoulders. 
 
 Meanwhile, a gate having been taken from its hinges by 
 Sparshot and the reeve, the poor pedlar, who groaned deeply 
 during the operation, was placed upon it by the men, and borne 
 towards the village, followed by the others, leading their horses. 
 
 Great consternation was occasioned in Goldshaw Booth by the 
 entrance of the cavalcade, and still more, when it became known, 
 that John Law, the pedlar, who was a favourite with all, had had 
 a frightful seizure. Old and young flocked forth to see him, and 
 the former shook their heads, while the latter were appalled at 
 the hideous sight. Master Potts took care to tell them that the 
 poor fellow was bewitched by Mother Demdike ; but the infor- 
 mation failed to produce the effect he anticipated, and served 
 rather to repress than heighten their sympathy for the sufferer. 
 The attorney concluded, and justly, that they were afraid of 
 incurring the displeasure of the vindictive old hag by an open 
 expression of interest in his fate. So strongly did this feeling 
 operate, that after bestowing a glance of commiseration at the 
 pedlar, most of them returned, without a word, to their dwell- 
 ings. 
 
 On their way to the little hostel, whither they were conveying 
 the poor pedlar, the party passed the church, and the sexton, 
 
THE REEVE OF THE FOREST. 237 
 
 who was digging a grave in the yard, came forward to look at 
 them; but on seeing John Law he seemed to understand what 
 had happened, and resumed his employment. A wide-spreading 
 yew-tree grew in this part of the churchyard, and near it stood 
 a small cross rudely carved in granite, marking the spot where, in 
 the reign of Henry VI., Ralph Cliderhow, tenth abbot of 
 Whalley, held a meeting of the tenantry, to check encroach- 
 ments. Not far from this ancient cross the sexton, a hale old 
 man, with a fresh complexion and silvery hair, was at work, and 
 while the others went on, Master Potts paused to say a word 
 to him. 
 
 " You have a funeral here to-day, I suppose, Master Sexton I" 
 he said. 
 
 " Yeigh," replied the man, gruffly. 
 
 " One of the villagers?" inquired the attorney. 
 
 "Neaw ; hoo were na o' Goldshey," replied the sexton. 
 
 " Where then who was it ? " persevered Potts. 
 
 The sexton seemed disinclined to answer ; but at length said, 
 " Meary Baldwyn, the miller's dowter o' Rough Lee, os protty 
 a lass os ever yo see, mester. Hoo wur the apple o' her feyther's 
 ee, an he hasna had a dry ee sin hoo deed. Wall-a-dey ! we mun 
 aw go, owd an young owd an young an protty Meary Baldwyn 
 went young enough. Poor lass ! poor lass 1" and he brushed the 
 dew from his eyes with his brawny hand. 
 
 " Was her death sudden?" asked Potts. . 
 
 " Neaw, not so sudden, mester," replied the sexton. " Ruchot 
 Baldwyn had fair warnin'. Six months ago Meary wur ta'en ill, 
 an fro' t' furst he knoad how it wad eend." 
 
 " How so, friend ? " asked Potts, whose curiosity began to be 
 aroused. 
 
 a Becose " replied the sexton, and he stopped suddenly 
 short. 
 
 " She was bewitched ?" suggested Potts. 
 
 The sexton nodded his head, and began to ply his mattock 
 vigorously. 
 
 " By Mother Demdike ?" inquired Potts, taking out his memo- 
 randum book. 
 
 The sexton again nodded his head, but spake no word, and, 
 meeting some obstruction in the ground, took up his pick to 
 remove it. 
 
 ft Another case !" muttered Potts, making an entry. (e Mary 
 Baldwyn, daughter of Richard Baldwyn of Rough Lee, aged 
 How old was she, sexton ? " 
 
 " Throtteen," replied the man ; " boh dunna ax me ony more 
 questions, mester. Th' berrin takes place i' an hour, an ey hanna 
 half digg'd th' grave." 
 
 " Your own name, Master Sexton, and I have done?" said 
 Potts, 
 
THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Zachariah Worms," answered the man. 
 
 " Worms ha ! an excellent name for a sexton," cried Potts. 
 " You provide food for your family, eh, Zachariah !" 
 
 (t Tut tut," rejoined the sexton, testily, " go an' moind yer 
 own bus'ness, mon, an' leave me to moind mine." 
 
 u Very well, Zachariah," replied Potts. And having obtained 
 all he required, he proceeded to the little hostel, where, finding 
 the rest of the party had dismounted, he consigned Flint to a 
 cowherd, and entered the house. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. BESS'S O' TH' BOOTH. 
 
 BESS'S o' TH' BOOTH for so the little hostel at Goldshaw was 
 called, after its mistress Bess Whitaker was far more comfort- 
 able and commodious than its unpretending exterior seemed to 
 warrant. Stouter and brighter ale was not to be drunk in Lan- 
 cashire than Bess brewed ; nor was better sherris or clary to be 
 found, go where you would, than in her cellars. The traveller 
 crossing those dreary wastes, and riding from Burnley to Clithero, 
 or from Colne to Whalley, as the case might be, might well halt 
 at Bess's, and be sure of a roast fowl for dinner, with the addi- 
 tion, perhaps, of some trout from Pendle Water, or, if the season 
 permitted, a heath-cock or a pheasant ; or, if he tarried there for 
 the night, he was equally sure of a good supper and fair linen. 
 It has already been mentioned, that at this period it was the 
 custom of all classes in the northern counties, men and women, 
 to resort to the alehouses to drink, and the hostel at Goldshaw 
 was the general rendezvous of the neighbourhood. For those 
 who could afford it Bess would brew incomparable sack ; but if a 
 guest called for wine, and she liked not his looks, she would flatly 
 tell him her ale was good enough for him, and if it pleased him 
 not he should have nothing. Submission always followed in such 
 cases, for there was no disputing with Bess. Neither would she 
 permit the frequenters of the hostel to sit later than she chose, 
 and would clear the house in a way equally characteristic and 
 effectual. At a certain hour, and that by no means a late one, 
 she would take down a large horsewhip, which hung on a conve- 
 nient peg in the principal room, and after bluntly ordering her 
 guests to go home, if any resistance were offered, she would lay 
 the whip across their shoulders, and forcibly eject them from the 
 premises ; but, as her determined character was well known, this 
 violence was seldom necessary. In strength Bess was a match 
 for any man, and assistance from her cowherds for she was a 
 fanner as well as hostess was at hand if required. As will be 
 surmised from the above, Bess was large and masculine-looking, 
 but well-proportioned nevertheless, and possessed a certain coarse 
 
BESS'S o' TH' BOOTH. 239 
 
 kind ef beauty, which in earlier years had inflamed Richard 
 Baldwyn, the miller of Rough Lee, who made overtures of mar- 
 riage to her. These were favourably entertained, but a slight 
 quarrel occurring between them, the lover, in her own phrase, 
 got " his jacket soundly dusted " by her, and declared off, taking 
 to wife a more docile and light- handed maiden. As to Bess, 
 though she had given this unmistakable proof of her ability to 
 manage a husband, she did not receive a second offer, nor, as she 
 had now attained the mature age of forty, did it seem likely she 
 would ever receive one. 
 
 Bess's o' th' Booth was an extremely clean and comfortable 
 house. The floor, it is true, was of hard clay, and the windows 
 little more than narrow slits, with heavy stone frames, further 
 darkened by minute diamond panes; but the benches were scrupu- 
 lously clean, and so was the long oak table in the centre of the 
 principal and only large room in the house. A roundabout fire- 
 place occupied one end of the chamber, sheltered from the draught 
 of the door by a dark oak screen, with a bench on the warm side 
 of it ; and here, or in the deep ingle-nooks, on winter nights, the 
 neighbours would sit and chat by the blazing hearth, discussing 
 pots of " nappy ale, good and stale," as the old ballad hath it ; 
 and as persons of both sexes came thither, young as well as old, 
 many a match was struck up by Bess's cheery fireside. From 
 the blackened rafters hung a goodly supply of hams, sides of bacon, 
 and dried tongues, with a profusion of oatcakes in a bread-flake; 
 while, in case this store should be exhausted, means of replenish- 
 ment were at hand in the huge, full-crammed meal-chest standing 
 in one corner. Altogether, there was a look of abundance as well 
 as of comfort about the place. 
 
 Great was Bess's consternation when the poor pedlar, who had 
 quitted her house little more than an hour ago, full of health and 
 spirits, was brought back to it in such a deplorable condition ; 
 and when she saw him deposited at her door, notwithstanding her 
 masculine character, she had some difficulty in repressing a scream. 
 She did not, however, yield to the weakness, but seeing at once 
 what was best to be done, caused him to be transported by the 
 grooms to the chamber he had occupied over-night, and laid upon 
 the bed. Medical assistance was fortunately at hand; for it 
 chanced that Master Sudall, the chirurgeon of Colne, was in the 
 house at the time, having been brought to Goldshaw by the great 
 sickness that prevailed at Sabden and elsewhere in the neighbour- 
 hood. Sudall was immediately in attendance upon the sufferer, 
 and bled him copiously, after which the poor man seemed much 
 easier ; and Richard Assheton, taking the chirurgeon aside, asked 
 his opinion of the case, and was told by Sudall that he did not 
 think the pedlar's life in danger, but he doubted whether he would 
 ever recover the use of his limbs. 
 
240 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 "You do not attribute the attack to witchcraft, I suppose, 
 Master Sudall?" said Eichard. 
 
 " I do not like to deliver an opinion, sir," replied the chirur- 
 geon. " It is impossible to decide, when all the appearances are 
 precisely like those of an ordinary attack of paralysis. But a sad 
 case has recently come under my observation, as to which I can 
 have no doubt I mean as to its being the result of witchcraft 
 but 1 will tell you more about it presently, for I must now return 
 to my patient." 
 
 It being agreed among the party to rest for an hour at the little 
 hostel, and partake of some refreshment, Nicholas went to look 
 after the horses, while Roger Nowell and Richard remained in 
 the room with the pedlar. Bess Whitaker owned an extensive 
 farm-yard, provided with cow-houses, stables, and a large barn ; 
 and it was to the latter place that the two grooms proposed to 
 repair with Sparshot and play a game at loggats on the clay floor. 
 No one knew what had become of the reeve ; for, on depositing 
 the poor pedlar at the door of the hostel, he had mounted his 
 horse and ridden away. Having ordered some fried eggs and 
 bacon, Nicholas wended his way to the stable, while Bess, 
 assisted by a stout kitchen wench, busied herself in preparing 
 the eatables, and it was at this juncture that Master Potts entered 
 the house. 
 
 Bess eyed him narrowly, and was by no means prepossessed by 
 his looks, while the muddy condition of his habiliments did not 
 tend to exalt him in her opinion. 
 
 " Yo mey yersel a' whoam, mon, ey mun say," she observed, 
 as the attorney seated himself on the bench beside her. 
 
 " To be sure," rejoined Potts ; a where should a man make 
 himself at home, if not at an inn I Those eggs and bacon look 
 very tempting. I'll try some presently ; and, as soon as you've 
 done with the frying-pan, Til have a pottle of sack." 
 
 " Neaw, yo winna," replied Bess. " Yo'n get nother eggs nor 
 bacon nor sack here, ey can promise ye. Ele an whoat-kekes 
 mun sarve your turn. Go to t' barn wi' t' other grooms, and play 
 at kittle-pins or nine-holes wi' hin, an ey'n send ye some ele." 
 
 u I'm quite comfortable where I am, thank you, hostess," replied 
 Potts, " and have no desire to play at kittle-pins or nine-holes. 
 But what does this bottle contain?" 
 
 " Sherris," replied Bess. 
 
 " Sherris !" echoed Potts, " and yet you say I can have no sack. 
 Get me some sugar and eggs, and I'll show you how to brew the 
 drink. I was taught the art by niy friend. Ben Jonson rare 
 Ben ha, ha!" 
 
 " Set the bottle down," cried Bess, angrily. 
 
 " What do you mean, woman?" said Potts, staring at her in 
 surprise. " I told you to fetch sugar and eggs, and 1 now repeat 
 the order sugar, and halt-a-dozen eggs at least," 
 
BESS'S o' TH' BOOTH. 241 
 
 " Ar ey repeat my order to yo," cried Bess, ft to set the bottle 
 down, cr e/st r,iay ye." 
 
 " Make me ! ha, ha ! I like that," cried Potts. " Let me tell 
 you, woman, I am not accustomed to be ordered in this way. I 
 shall do no such thing. If you will not bring the eggs I shall 
 drink the wine, neat and unsophisticate." And he filled a flagon 
 near him. 
 
 " If yo dun, yo shan pay dearly for it," said Bess, putting aside 
 the frying-pan and taking down the horsewhip. 
 
 " I daresay I shall," replied Potts merrily ; " you hostesses 
 generally do make one pay dearly. Very good sherris this, i* 
 faith ! the true nutty flavour. Now do go and fetch me some 
 eggs, my good woman. You must have plenty, with all the 
 poultry I saw in the farm-yard; and then I'll teach you the 
 whole art and mystery of brewing sack." 
 
 "Ey'n teach yo to dispute my orders," cried Bess. And, 
 catching the attorney by the collar, she began to belabour him 
 soundly with the whip. 
 
 " Holloa ! ho ! what's the meaning of this ? " cried Potts, 
 struggling to get free. " Assault and battery ; ho ! " 
 
 "Ey'n sawt an batter yo, ay, an baste yo too!" replied Bess, 
 continuing to lay on the whip. 
 
 " Why, zounds ! this passes a joke," cried the attorney. te How 
 desperately strong she is ! I shall be murdered ! Help ! help ! 
 The woman must be a witch." 
 
 " A witch ! Ey'n teach yo' to ca' me feaw names," cried the 
 enraged hostess, laying on with greater fury. 
 
 "Help! help!" roared Potts. 
 
 At this moment Nicholas returned from the stables, and, seeing 
 how matters stood, flew to the attorney's assistance. 
 
 " Come, come, Bess," he cried, laying hold of her arm, " you've 
 given him enough. What has Master Potts been about ? Not 
 insulting you, I hope ? " 
 
 " Neaw, ey'd tak keare he didna do that, squoire," replied the 
 hostess. " Ey towd him he'd get nowt boh ele here, an' he made 
 free wi't wine bottle, so ey brought down t' whip jist to teach him 
 manners." 
 
 "You teach me! you ignorant and insolent hussy," cried 
 Potts, furiously ; " do you think I'm to be taught manners by an 
 overgrown Lancashire witch like you ? I'll teach you what it is 
 to assault a gentleman. I'll prefer an instant complaint against 
 you to my singular good friend and client, Master Roger, who 
 is in your house, and you'll soon find whom you've got to deal 
 with" 
 
 " Marry kem eawt !" exclaimed Bess; " who con it be? Ey 
 took yo fo' one o't grooms, mon." 
 
 " Fire and fury!" exclaimed Potts; " this is intolerable. Master 
 Nowell shall let you know who I am, woman." 
 
242 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Nay, I'll tell you, Bess," interposed Nicholas, laughing. " This 
 little gentleman is a London lawyer, who is going to Kough Lee 
 on business with Master Roger No well. Unluckily, he got pitched 
 into a quagmire in Read Park, and that is the reason why his 
 countenance and habiliments have got begrimed." 
 
 " Eigh ! ey thowt he wur i' a strawnge fettle," replied Bess ; 
 "an so he be a lawyer fro* Lunnon, eh? Weel," she added, 
 laughing, and displaying two ranges of very white teeth, " he'll 
 remember Bess Whitaker, t' next time he comes to Pendle 
 Forest." 
 
 " And she'll remember me," rejoined Potts. 
 
 u Neaw more sawce, mon," cried Bess, " or ey'n raddle thy 
 boans again." 
 
 " No you won't, woman," cried Potts, snatching up his horsewhip, 
 which he had dropped in the previous scuffle, and brandishing it 
 fiercely. " I dare you to touch me." 
 
 Nicholas was obliged once more to interfere, and as he passed 
 his arms round the hostess's waist, he thought a kiss might tend 
 to bring matters to a peaceable issue, so he took one. 
 
 " Ha* done wi' ye, squoire," cried Bess, who, however, did not 
 look very seriously offended by the liberty. 
 
 " By my faith, your lips are so sweet that I must have another," 
 cried Nicholas. " I tell you what, Bess, you're the finest woman 
 in Lancashire, and you owe it to the county to get married." 
 
 "Whoy so?" said Bess. 
 
 " Because it would be a pity to lose the breed," replied 
 Nicholas. "What say you to Master Potts there? Will he 
 suit you?" 
 
 " He pooh ! Do you think ey'd put up wi' sich powsement 
 os he ! Neaw ; when Bess Whitaker, the lonleydey o' Goldshey, 
 weds, it shan be to a mon, and nah to a ninny-hommer." 
 
 " Bravely resolved, Bess," cried Nicholas. " You deserve 
 another kiss for your spirit." 
 
 " Ha' done, ey say," cried Bess, dealing him a gentle tap that 
 sounded very much like a buffet. " See how yon jobberknow is 
 grinning at ye." 
 
 "Jobberknow and ninny-hammer," cried Potts, furiously; 
 " really, woman, I cannot permit such names to be applied to 
 me." 
 
 " Os yo please, boh ey'st gi' ye nah better," rejoined the 
 hostess. 
 
 " Come, Bess, a truce to this," observed Nicholas ; " the eggs 
 and bacon are spoiling, and I'm dying with hunger. There 
 there," he added, clapping her on the shoulder, "set the dish 
 before us, that's a good soul a couple of plates, some oatcakes 
 and butter, and we shall do." 
 
 And while Bess attended to these requirements, he observed, 
 *' This sudden seizure of poor John Law is a bad business." 
 
BESS'S o' TH' BOOTH. 243 
 
 " ' Deed on it is, squoire," replied Bess, " ey wur quite glopp'nt 
 at seet on him. Lorjus o' me ! whoy, it's scarcely an hour sin he 
 left here, looking os strong an os 'earty os yersel. Boh it's a 
 kazzardly onsartin loife we lead. Here to-day an gone the mor- 
 row, as Parson Houlden says. Wall-a-day ! " 
 
 u True, true, Bess," replied the squire, and the best plan 
 therefore is, to make the most of the passing moment. So brew 
 us each a lusty pottle of sack, and fry us some more eggs and 
 bacon." 
 
 And while the hostess proceeded to prepare the sack, Potts 
 remarked to Nicholas, " I have got another case of witchcraft, 
 squire. Mary Baldwyn, the miller's daughter, of Rough Lee." 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed Nicholas. " What, is the poor girl 
 bewitched?" 
 
 " Bewitched to death that's all," said Potts. 
 
 (i Eigh poor Meary ! hoo's to be berried here this mornin," 
 observed Bess, emptying the bottle of sherris into a pot, and placing 
 the latter on the fire. 
 
 (t And you think she was forespoken?" said Nicholas, address- 
 ing her. 
 
 " Folk sayn so," replied Bess ; " boh I'd leyther howd my tung 
 about it." 
 
 " Then I suppose you pay tribute to Mother Chattox, hostess ? " 
 cried Potts, " butter, eggs, and milk from the farm, ale and wine 
 from the cellar, with a flitch of bacon now and then, ey?" 
 
 " Nay, by th' maskins ! ey gi' her nowt," cried Bess. 
 
 " Then you bribe Mother Demdike, and that comes to the same 
 thing," said Potts. 
 
 " Weel, yo're neaw so fur fro' t' mark this time," replied Bess, 
 adding eggs, sugar, and spice to the now boiling wine, and stirring 
 up the compound. 
 
 " I wonder where your brother, the reeve of the forest, can be, 
 Master Potts !" observed Nicholas. " I did not see either him or 
 his horse at the stables." 
 
 " Perhaps the arch impostor has taken himself off altogether," 
 said Potts ; t( and if so, I shall be sorry, for I have not done with 
 him." 
 
 The sack was now set before them, and pronounced excellent, 
 and while they were engaged in discussing it, together with a 
 fresh supply of eggs and bacon, fried by the kitchen wench, Roger 
 Nowell came out of the inner room, accompanied by Richard and 
 the chirurgeon. 
 
 "Well, Master Sudall, how goes on your patient?" inquired 
 Nicholas of the latter. 
 
 " Much more favourably than I expected, squire," replied the 
 chirurgeon. " He will be better left alone for awhile, and, as I 
 shall not quit the village till evening, I shall be able to look well 
 after him." 
 
244 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " You think the attack occasioned by witchcraft of course, sir!*' 
 eaid Potts. 
 
 " The poor fellow affirms it to be so, but I can give no opinion," 
 replied Sudall, evasively. 
 
 " You must make up your mind as to the matter, for I think it 
 right to tell you your evidence will be required," said Potts. 
 s{ Perhaps, you may have seen poor Mary Baldwyn, the miller's 
 daughter of Kough Lee, and can speak more positively as to her 
 case." 
 
 " I can, sir," replied the chirurgeon, seating himself beside Potts, 
 while Roger No well and Richard placed themselves on the op- 
 posite side of the table. " This is the case I referred to a short 
 time ago, when answering your inquiries on the same subject, 
 Master Richard, and a most afflicting one it is. But you shall 
 have the particulars. Six months ago, Mary Baldwyn was as 
 lovely and blooming a lass as could be seen, the joy of her wi- 
 dowed father's heart. A hot-headed, obstinate man is Richard 
 Baldwyn, and he was unwise enough to incur the displeasure of 
 Mother Demdike, by favouring her rival, old Chattox, to whom 
 he gave flour and meal, while he refused the same tribute to the 
 other. The first time Mother Demdike was dismissed without the 
 customary dole, one of his millstones broke, and, instead of taking 
 this as a warning, he became more obstinate. She came a second 
 time, and he sent her away with curses. Then all his flour grew 
 damp and musty, and no one would buy it. Still he remained 
 obstinate, and, when she appeared again, he would have laid hands 
 upon her. But she raised her staff, and the blows fell short. e I 
 have given thee two warnings, Richard,' she said, c and thou hast 
 paid no heed to them. Now I will make thee smart, lad, in right 
 earnest. That which thou lovest best thou shalt lose.' Upon this, 
 bethinking him that the dearest thing he had in the world was his 
 daughter Mary, and afraid of harm happening to her, Richard 
 would fain have made up his quarrel with the old witch; but it had 
 now gone too far, and she would not listen to him, but uttering 
 some words, with which the name of the girl was mingled, shook 
 her staff at the house and departed. The next day poor Mary 
 was taken ill, and her father, in despair, applied to old Chattox, 
 who promised him help, and did her best, I make no doubt for 
 she would have willingly thwarted her rival, and robbed her of her 
 prey ; but the latter was too strong for her, and the hapless victim 
 got daily worse and worse. Her blooming cheek grew white and 
 hollow, her dark eyes glistened with unnatural lustre, and she was 
 seen no more on the banks of Pendle water. Before this my aid 
 had been called in by the afflicted father and I did all I could 
 but I knew she would die and I told him so. The information 
 I feared had killed him, for he fell down like a stone and I re- 
 pented having spoken. However he recovered, and made a last 
 appeal to Mother Demdike; but the unrelenting hag derided him 
 
BESS'S o' TH' BOOTH. 245 
 
 and cursed him, teJling liirn if he brought her all his mill contained, 
 and added to that all his substance, she would not spare his child. 
 He returned heart-broken, and never quitted the poor girl's bed- 
 side till she breathed her last." 
 
 fl Poor Ruchot ! Robb'd o' his ownly dowter an neaw woife 
 to cheer him ! Ey pity him fro' t' bottom o' my heart," said Bess, 
 whose tears had flowed freely during the narration. 
 
 " He is wellnigh crazed with grief," said the chirurgeon. (e I 
 hope he will commit no rash act." 
 
 Expressions of deep commiseration for the untimely death of 
 the miller's daughter had been uttered by all the party, and they 
 were talking over the strange circumstances attending it, when 
 they were roused by the trampling of horses' feet at the door, and 
 the moment after, a middle-aged man, clad in deep mourning, but 
 put on in a manner that betrayed the disorder of his mind, entered 
 the house. His looks were wild and frenzied, his cheeks haggard, 
 and he rushed into the room so abruptly that he did not at first 
 observe the company assembled. 
 
 " Why, Richard Baldwyn, is that you 1 " cried the chirurgeon. 
 
 " What ! is this the father ? " exclaimed Potts, taking out his 
 memorandum-book ; " I must prepare to interrogate him." 
 
 ts Sit thee down, Ruchot, sit thee down, mon," said Bess, taking 
 his hand kindly, and leading him to a bench. (t Con ey get thee 
 onny thing ? " 
 
 " Neaw neaw, Bess," replied the miller ; " ey ha lost aw ey 
 vallied i* this warlt, an ey care na how soon ey quit it mysel." 
 
 " Neigh, dunna talk on thus, Ruchot," said Bess, in accents of 
 sincere sympathy. " Theaw win live to see happier an brighter 
 days." 
 
 " Ey win live to be revenged, Bess," cried the miller, rising sud- 
 denly, and stamping his foot on the ground, " that accursed 
 witch has robbed me o' my 'eart's chief treasure hoo has crushed 
 a poor innocent os never injured her i' thowt or deed an has struck 
 the heaviest blow that could be dealt me; but by the heaven above 
 us ey win requite her ! A feyther's deep an lasting curse leet 
 on her guilty heoad, an on those of aw her accursed race. Nah restj 
 neet nor day, win ey know, till ey ha brought em to the stake." 
 
 " Right right my good friend an excellent resolution 
 bring them to the stake ! " cried Potts. 
 
 But his enthusiasm was suddenly checked by observing the 
 reeve of the forest peeping from behind the wainscot, and earnestly 
 regarding the miller, and he called the attention of the latter to 
 him. 
 
 Richard Baldwyn mechanically followed the expressive gestures 
 
 of the attorney, but he saw no one, for the reeve had disappeared. 
 
 The incident passed unnoticed by the others, who had been 
 
 too deepty moved by poor Baldwyn's outburst of grief to pay 
 
 attention to it. 
 
246 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 After a little while Bess Whitaker succeeded in prevailing upon 
 the miller to sit down, and when he became more composed he 
 told her that the funeral procession, consisting of some of his 
 neighbours who had undertaken to attend his 9l-fated daughter 
 to her last home, was coming from Rough Lee to Goldshaw, but 
 that, unable to bear them company, he had ridden on by himself. 
 It appeared also, from his muttered threats, that he had medi- 
 tated some wild project of vengeance against Mother Demdike, 
 which he intended to put into execution before the day was over; 
 but Master Potts endeavoured to dissuade him from this course, 
 assuring him that the most certain and efficacious mode of re- 
 venge he could adopt would be through the medium of the law, 
 and that he would give him his best advice and assistance in the 
 matter. While they were talking thus, the bell began to toll, 
 and every stroke seemed to vibrate through the heart of the afflict- 
 ed father, who was at last so overpowered by grief, that the hostess 
 deemed it expedient to lead him into an inner room, where he 
 might indulge his sorrow unobserved. 
 
 Without awaiting the issue of this painful scene, Richard, who 
 was much affected by it, went forth, and taking his horse from the 
 stable, with the intention of riding on slowly before the others, 
 led the animal towards the churchyard. When within a short 
 distance of the grey old fabric he paused. The bell continued to 
 toll mournfully, and deepened the melancholy hue of his thoughts. 
 The sad tale he had heard held possession of his mind, and while 
 he pitied poor Mary Baldwyn, he began to entertain apprehensions 
 that Alizon might meet a similar fate. So many strange circum- 
 stances had taken place during the morning's ride; he had listened 
 to so many dismal relations, that, coupled with the dark and 
 mysterious events of the previous night, he was quite bewildered, 
 and felt oppressed as if by a hideous nightmare, which it was 
 impossible to shake off. He thought of Mothers Demdike and 
 Chattox. Could these dread beings be permitted to exercise 
 such baneful influence over mankind? With all the apparent 
 proofs of their power he had received, he still strove to doubt, 
 and to persuade himself that the various cases of witchcraft 
 described to him were only held to be such by the timid and the 
 credulous. 
 
 Full of these meditations, he tied his horse to a tree and entered 
 the churchyard, and while pursuing a path shaded by a row of 
 young lime-trees leading to the porch, he perceived at a little 
 distance from him, near the cross erected by Abbot Cliderhow, 
 two persons who attracted his attention. One was the sexton, 
 who was now deep in the grave ; and the other an old woman, 
 with her back towards him. Neither had remarked his approach, 
 and, influenced by an unaccountable feeling of curiosity, ne stood 
 still to watch their proceedings. Presently, the sexton, who was 
 shovelling out the mould, paused in his task ; and the old woman. 
 
X 
 
 RICHARD OVERHEARS CHATTOX AND THE SEXTON. 
 
 P. 247. 
 
BESS'S o' TH' BOOTH. 247 
 
 in a hoarse voice, which seemed familiar to the listener, said, 
 What hast found, Zachariah?" 
 
 <e That which yo lack, mother," replied the sexton, " a mazzard 
 wi' aw th' teeth in't." 
 
 " Pluck out eight, and give them me," replied the hag. 
 
 And, as the sexton complied with her injunction, she added, 
 " Now I must have three scalps." 
 
 " Here they be, mother," replied Zachariah, uncovering a heap 
 of mould with his spade. " Two brain-pans bleached loike snow, 
 an the third wi' more hewr on it than ey ha' o' my own sconce. 
 Fro' its size an shape ey should tak it to be a female. Ey ha' laid 
 these three skulls aside fo* ye. Whot dun yo mean to do wi' 'em ?" 
 
 * Question me not, Zachariah," said the hag, sternly ; " now 
 give me some pieces of the mouldering coffin, and fill this box with 
 the dust of the corpse it contained." 
 
 The sexton complied with her request. 
 
 u Now yo ha' getten aw yo seek, mother," he said, t( ey wad pray 
 you to tay your departure, fo' the berrin folk win be here 
 presently." 
 
 " I'm going," replied the hag, " but first I must have my funeral 
 rites performed ha ! ha I Bury this for me, Zachariah," she said, 
 giving him a small clay figure. " Bury it deep, and as it moulders 
 away, may she it represents pine and wither, till she come to the 
 grave likewise!" 
 
 "An whoam doth it represent, mother?" asked the sexton, 
 regarding the image with curiosity. " Ey dunna knoa the feace ? " 
 
 " How should you know it, fool, since you have never seen her 
 in whose likeness it is made ?" replied the hag. "She is connected 
 with the race I hate." 
 
 " Wi' the Demdikes?" inquired the sexton. 
 
 " Ay," replied the hag, " with the Demdikes. She passes for 
 one of them but she is not of them. Nevertheless, I hate 
 her as though she were." 
 
 " Yo dunna mean Alizon Device?" said the sexton. " Ey ha' 
 heerd say hoo be varry comely an kind-hearted, an ey should be 
 sorry onny harm befell her." 
 
 " Mary Baldwyn, who will soon lie there, was quite as comely 
 and kind-hearted as Alizon," cried the hag, " and yet Mother 
 Demdike had no pity on her." 
 
 "An that's true," replied the sexton. " Weel, weel ; ey'n do 
 your bidding." 
 
 " Hold ! " exclaimed Richard, stepping forward. " I will not 
 suffer this abomination to be practised." 
 
 " Who is it speaks to me f " cried the hag, turning round, and 
 disclosing the hideous countenance of Mother Chattox. " The 
 voice is that of Richard Assheton." 
 
 " It is Richard Assheton who speaks," cried the young man, 
 tt and I command you to desist from this wickedness. Give me 
 
248 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 that clay image," he cried, snatching it from the sexton, and 
 trampling it to dust beneath his feet. u Thus I destroy thy 
 impious handiwork, and defeat thy evil intentions." 
 
 " Ah ! think'st thou so, lad," rejoined Mother Chattox. " Thou 
 wilt find thyself mistaken. My curse has already alighted upon 
 thee, and it shall work. Thou lov'st Alizon. I know it. But 
 she shall never be thine. Now, go thy ways." 
 
 " I will go," replied Richard " but you shall come with me, 
 old woman." 
 
 " Dare you lay hands on me ? " screamed the hag. 
 
 fs Nay, let her be, mester," interposed the sexton, "yo had better." 
 
 " You are as bad as she is," said Richard, " and deserve equal 
 punishment. You escaped yesterday at Whalley, old woman, but 
 you shall not escape me now." 
 
 " Be not too sure of that," cried the hag, disabling him for the 
 moment, by a severe blow on the arm from her staff. And 
 shuffling off with an agility which could scarcely have been 
 expected from her, she passed through a gate near her, and 
 disappeared behind a high wall. 
 
 Richard would have followed, but he was detained by the sexton, 
 who besought him, as he valued his life, not to interfere, and when 
 at last he broke away from the old man, he could see nothing of 
 her, and only heard the sound of horses' feet in the distance. 
 Either his eyes deceived him, or at a turn in the woody lane 
 skirting the church he descried the reeve of the forest galloping off 
 with the old woman behind him. This lane led towards Rough 
 Lee, and, without a moment's hesitation, Richard flew to the spot 
 where he had left his horse, and, mounting him, rode swiftly along it. 
 
 CHAPTER VI THE TEMPTATION. 
 
 SHORTLY after Richard's departure, a round, rosy-faced per- 
 sonage, whose rusty black cassock, hastily huddled over a dark 
 riding-dress, proclaimed him a churchman, entered the hostel. 
 This was the rector of Goldshaw, Parson Hold en, a very worthy 
 little man, though rather, perhaps, too fond of the sports of the 
 field and the bottle. To Roger Nowell and Nicholas Assheton he 
 was of course well known, and was much esteemed by the latter, 
 often riding over to hunt and fish, or carouse, at Downham. 
 Parson Holden had been sent for by Bess to administer spiritual 
 consolation to poor Richard Baldwyn, who she thought stood in 
 need of it, and having respectfully saluted the magistrate, of whom 
 he stood somewhat in awe, and shaken hands cordially with 
 Nicholas, who was delighted to see him, he repaired to the inner 
 room, promising to come back speedily. And he kept bis word ; 
 for in less than five minutes he reappeared with the satisfactory 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 249 
 
 intelligence that the afflicted miller was considerably calmer* 
 and had listened to his counsels with much edification. 
 
 " Take him a glass of aquavits, Bess," he said to the hostess. 
 " He is evidently a cup too low, and will be the better for it. 
 Strong water is a specific I always recommend under such cir- 
 cumstances, Master Sudall, and indeed adopt myself, and I am 
 sure you will approve of it. Harkee, Bess, when you have 
 ministered to poor Baldwyn's wants, I must crave your attention 
 to my own, and beg you to fill me a tankard with your oldest ale, 
 and toast me an oatcake to eat with it. I must keep up my 
 spirits, worthy sir," he added to Eoger Nowell, " for I have a 
 painful duty to perform. I do not know when I have been more 
 shocked than by the death of poor Mary Baldwyn. A fair flower, 
 and early nipped." 
 
 " Nipped, indeed, if all we have heard be correct, rejoined 
 Nowell. " The forest is in a sad state, reverend sir. It would 
 seem as if the enemy of mankind, by means of his abominable 
 agents, were permitted to exercise uncontrolled dominion over it. 
 I must needs say, the forlorn condition of the people reflects 
 little credit on those who have them in charge. The powers of 
 darkness could never have prevailed to such an extent if duly 
 resisted." 
 
 " I lament to hear you say so, good Master Nowell," replied 
 the rector. u I have done my best, I assure you, to keep my 
 small and widely-scattered flock together, and to save them from 
 the ravening wolves and cunning foxes that infest the country ; 
 and if now and then some sheep have gone astray, or a poor 
 lamb, as in the instance of Mary Baldwyn, hath fallen a victim, 
 I am scarcely to blame for the mischance. Rather let me say, 
 sir, that you, as an active and zealous magistrate, should take the 
 matter in hand, and by severe dealing with the offenders, arrest 
 the progress of the evil. No defence, spiritual or otherwise, aa 
 yet set up against them, has proved effectual." 
 
 " Justly remarked, reverend sir," observed Potts, looking up 
 from the memorandum book in which he was writing, " and I am 
 sure your advice will not be lost upon Master .Roger Nowell. 
 As regards the persons who may be afflicted by witchcraft, hath 
 not our sagacious monarch observed, that ' There are three kind 
 of folks who may be tempted or troubled : the wicked for their 
 horrible sins, to punish them in the like measure ; the godly that 
 are sleeping in any great sins or infirmities, and weakness in 
 faith, to waken them up the faster by such an uncouth form ; 
 and even some of the best, that their patience may be tried 
 before the world as Job's was tried. For why may not God use 
 any kind of extraordinary punishment, when it pleases Him, as 
 well as the ordinary rods of sickness, or other adversities ? ' ' 
 
 " Very true, sir," replied Holden. " And we are undergoing 
 this severe trial now. Fortunate are they who profit by it I" 
 
250 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 rt Hear what is said further, sir, by the king," pursued Potts. 
 " i No man,' declares that wise prince, < ought to presume so far 
 as to promise any impunity to himself.' But further on he gives 
 us courage, for he adds, ' and yet we ought not to be afraid for 
 that, of any thing that the devil and his wicked instruments can 
 do against us, for we daily fight against him in a hundred other 
 ways, and therefore as a valiant captain affrays no more being at 
 the combat, nor stays from his purpose for the rummishing shot 
 of a cannon, nor the small clack of a pistolet ; not being certain 
 what may light on him ; even so ought we boldly to go forward 
 in fighting against the devil without any greater terror, for these 
 his rarest weapons, than the ordinary, whereof we have daily 
 the proof.' '\ 
 
 " His majesty is quite right," observed Holden, " and I am 
 glad to hear his convincing words so judiciously cited. I myself 
 have no fear of these wicked instruments of Satan." 
 
 <e In what manner, may I ask, have you proved your courage, 
 sir ?" inquired Roger Nowell. (( Have you preached against 
 them, and denounced their wickedness, menacing them with the 
 thunders of the Church ? " 
 
 " I cannot say I have," replied Holden, rather abashed, " but 
 I shall henceforth adopt a very different course. Ah ! here 
 comes the ale !" he added, taking the foaming tankard from Bess ; 
 u this is the best cordial wherewith to sustain one's courage in 
 these trying times." 
 
 " Some remedy must be found for this intolerable grievance," 
 observed Roger Nowell, after a few moments' reflection. " Till 
 this morning I was not aware of the extent of the evil, but sup- 
 
 Cd that the two malignant hags, who seem to reign supreme 
 , confined their operations to blighting corn, maiming cattle, 
 turning milk sour ; and even these reports I fancied were greatly 
 exaggerated ; but I now find, from what I have seen at Sabden 
 and elsewhere, that they fall very far short of the reality." 
 
 " It would be difficult to increase the darkness of the picture," 
 said the chirurgeon ; rt but what remedy will you apply ?" 
 
 f( The cautery, sir," replied Potts, " the actual cautery we 
 will burn out this plague-spot. The two old hags and their 
 noxious brood shall be brought to the stake. That will effect a 
 radical cure." 
 
 " It may when it is accomplished, but I fear it will be long ere 
 that happens," replied the chirurgeon, shaking his head doubt- 
 fully. " Are you acquainted with Mother Demdike's history, 
 sir?" he added to Potts. 
 
 "In part," replied the attorney; "but I shall be glad 
 to hear any thing you may have to bring forward on the 
 subject." 
 
 " The peculiarity in her case," observed Sudall, " and the cir- 
 cumstance distinguishing her dark and dread career from that of 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 251 
 
 all other witches is., that it has been shaped out by destiny. 
 When an infant, a malediction was pronounced upon her head by 
 the unfortunate Abbot Paslew. She is also the offspring of a 
 man reputed to have bartered his soul to the Enemy of Mankind, 
 while her mother was a witch. Both parents perished lamentably, 
 about the time of Paslew's execution at Whalley." 
 
 " It is a pity their miserable infant did not perish with them," 
 observed Holden. " How much crime and misery would have 
 been spared ! " 
 
 " It was otherwise ordained," replied Sudall. " Bereft of her 
 parents in this way, the infant was taken charge of and reared by 
 Dame Croft, the miller's wife of Whalley ; but even in those 
 early days she exhibited such a malicious and vindictive dispo- 
 sition, and became so unmanageable, that the good dame was 
 glad to get rid of her, and sent her into the forest, where she 
 found a home at Rough Lee, then occupied by Miles Nutter, the 
 grandfather of the late Richard Nutter." 
 
 " Aha ! " exclaimed Potts, ts was Mother Demdike so early 
 connected with that family ? I must make a note of that cir- 
 cumstance." 
 
 " She remained at Rough Lee for some years," returned Su- 
 dall, " and though accounted of an ill disposition, there was 
 nothing to be alleged against her at the time ; though afterwards, 
 it was said, that some mishaps that befell the neighbours were 
 owing to her agency, and that she was always attended by a 
 familiar in the form of a rat or a mole. Whether this were so 
 or not, I cannot say ; but it is certain that she helped Miles 
 Nutter to get rid of his wife, and procured him a second spouse, 
 in return for which services he bestowed upon her an old ruined 
 tower on his domains." 
 
 " You mean Malkin Tower?" said Nicholas. 
 
 " Ay, Malkin Tower," replied the chirurgeon. " There is a 
 legend connected with that structure, which I will relate to you 
 anon, if you desire it. But to proceed. Scarcely had Bess 
 Demdike taken up her abode in this lone tower, than it began to 
 be rumoured that she was a witch, and attended sabbaths on the 
 summit of Pendle Hill, and on Rimington Moor. Few would 
 consort with her, and ill-luck invariably attended those with 
 whom she quarrelled. Though of hideous and forbidding aspect, 
 and with one eye lower set than the other, she had subtlety 
 enough to induce a young man named Sothernes to marry her, and 
 two children, a son and a daughter, were the fruit of the union." 
 " The daughter I have seen at Whalley," observed Potts; "but 
 I have never encountered the son." 
 
 " Christopher Demdike still lives, I believe," replied the chi- 
 rurgeon, " though what has become of him 1 know not, for he 
 has quitted these parts. He is as ill-reputed as his mother, and 
 has the same strange and fearful look about the eyes." 
 
252 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " I shall recognise him if I see him," observed Potts. 
 
 " You are scarcely likely to meet him," returned Sudall, " for, 
 as I have said, he has left the forest. But to return to my story. 
 The marriage state was little suitable to Bess Demdike, and in 
 five years she contrived to free herself from her husband's restraint, 
 and ruled alone in the tower. Her malignant influence now 
 began to be felt throughout the whole district, and by dint of 
 menaces and positive acts of mischief, she extorted all she 
 required. Whosoever refused her requests speedily experienced 
 her resentment. When she was in the fulness of her power, a 
 rival sprang up in the person of Anne Whittle, since known by 
 the name of Chattox, which she obtained in marriage, and this 
 woman disputed Bess Demdike's supremacy. Each strove to 
 injure the adherents of her rival and terrible was the mischief 
 they wrought. In the end, however, Mother Demdike got the 
 upper hand. Years have flown over the old hag's head, and her 
 guilty career has been hitherto attended with impunity. Plans 
 have been formed to bring her to justice, but they have ever 
 failed. And so in the case of old Chattox. Her career has been 
 as baneful and as successful as that of Mother Demdike." 
 
 " But their course is wellnigh run," said Potts, " and the time 
 is come for the extirpation of the old serpents." 
 
 " Ah ! who is that at the window ? " cried Sudall ; (t but that 
 you are sitting near me, I should declare you were looking 
 in at us." 
 
 " It must be Master Potts' s brother, the reeve of the forest," 
 observed Nicholas, with a laugh. 
 
 " Heed him not," cried the attorney, angrily, " but let us have 
 the promised legend of Malkin Tower." 
 
 " Willingly !" replied the chirurgeon. " But before I begin I 
 must recruit myself with a can of ale." 
 
 The flagon being set before him, Sudall commenced his story : 
 
 % Ingraft nf 3&lkm mt. 
 
 " On the brow of a high hill forming part of the range of 
 Pendle, and commanding an extensive view over the forest,^ and 
 the wild and mountainous region around it, stands a stern solitary 
 tower. Old as the Anglo-Saxons, and built as a stronghold by 
 Wulstan, a Northumbrian thane, in the time of Edmund or Edred, 
 it is circular in form and very lofty, and serves as a landmark to 
 the country round. Placed high up in the building the door was 
 formerly reached by a steep flight of stone steps, but these were 
 removed some fifty or sixty years ago by Mother Demdike, and 
 a ladder capable of being raised or let down at pleasure substi- 
 tuted for them, affording the only apparent means of entrance. 
 The tower is otherwise inaccessible, the walls being of immense 
 thickness, with no window lower than five-and-twenty feet from 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 253 
 
 the ground, though it is thought there must be a secret outlet; 
 for the old witch, when she wants to come forth, does not wait 
 for the ladder to be let down. But this may be otherwise ex- 
 plained. Internally there are three floors, the lowest being 
 placed on a level with the door, and this is the apartment chiefly 
 occupied by the hag. In the centre of this room is a trapdoor 
 opening upon a deep vault, which forms the basement story of 
 the structure, and which was once used as a dungeon, but is now 
 tenanted, it is said, by a fiend, who can be summoned by the 
 witch on stamping her foot. Round the room runs a gallery 
 contrived in the thickness of the walls, while the upper chambers 
 are gained by a secret staircase, and closed by movable stones, 
 the machinery of which is only known to the inmate of the tower. 
 All the rooms are lighted by narrow loopholes. Thus you will 
 see that the fortress is still capable of sustaining a siege, and old 
 Demdike has been heard to declare that she would hold it for a 
 month against a hundred men. Hitherto it has proved impreg- 
 nable. 
 
 " On the Norman invasion, Malkin Tower was held by Ughtred, 
 a descendant of Wulstan, who kept possession of Pendle Forest 
 and the hills around it, and successfully resisted the aggressions 
 of the conquerors. His enemies affirmed he was assisted by a 
 demon, whom he had propitiated by some fearful sacrifice made 
 in the tower, and the notion seemed borne out by the success 
 uniformly attending his conflicts. Ughtred's prowess was stained 
 by cruelty and rapine. Merciless in the treatment of his captives, 
 putting them to death by horrible tortures, or immuring them in 
 the dark and noisome dungeon of his tower, he would hold his revels 
 over their heads, and deride their groans. Heaps of treasure, 
 obtained by pillage, were secured by him in the tower. From his 
 frequent acts of treachery, and the many foul murders he perpe- 
 trated, Ughtred was styled the ' Scourge of the Normans.' For 
 along period he enjoyed complete immunity from punishment; 
 but after the siege of York, and the defeat of the insurgents, his 
 destruction was vowed by Hbert de Lacy, lord of Blackburnshire, 
 and this fierce chieftain set fire to part of the forest in which the 
 Saxon thane and his followers were concealed; drove them to 
 Malkin Tower ; took it after an obstinate and prolonged defence, 
 and considerable loss to himself, and put them all to the sword, 
 except the leader, whom he hanged from the top of his own for- 
 tress. In the dungeon were found many carcasses, and the greater 
 part of Ughtred's treasure served to enrich the victor. 
 
 " Once again, in the reign of Henry VI., Malkin Tower became 
 a robber's stronghold, and gave protection to a freebooter named 
 Blackburn, who, witn a band of daring and desperate marauders, 
 took advantage of the troubled state of the country, ravaged it 
 far and wide, and committed unheard of atrocities, even levying 
 contributions upon the Abbeys of Whalley and Salley, and the 
 
254 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 heads of these religious establishments were glad to make terms 
 with him to save their herds and stores, the rather that all at- 
 tempts to dislodge him from his mountain fastness, and destroy 
 his band, had failed. Blackburn seemed to enjoy the same kind 
 of protection as TJghtred, and practised the same atrocities, tor- 
 turing and imprisoning his captives unless they were heavily 
 ransomed. He also led a life of wildest licence, and, when not 
 engaged in some predatory exploit, spent his time in carousing 
 with his followers. 
 
 " Upon one occasion it chanced that he made a visit in disguise 
 to Whalley Abbey, and, passing the little hermitage near the 
 church, beheld the votaress who tenanted it. This was Isole de 
 Heton. Ravished by her wondrous beauty, Blackburn soon 
 found an opportunity of making his passion known to her, and his 
 handsome though fierce lineaments pleasing her, he did not long 
 sigh in vain. He frequently visited her in the garb of a Cister- 
 tian monk, and, being taken for one of the brethren, his conduct 
 brought great scandal upon the Abbey. The abandoned votaress 
 bore him a daughter, and the infant was conveyed away by the 
 lover, and placed under the care of a peasant's wife, at Barrow- 
 ford. From that child sprung Bess Blackburn, the mother of old 
 Demdike ; so that the witch is a direct descendant of Isole de 
 Heton. 
 
 " Notwithstanding all precautions, Isole's dark offence became 
 known, and she would have paid the penalty of it at the stake, if 
 she had not fled. In scaling Whalley Nab, in the woody heights 
 of which she was to remain concealed till her lover could come 
 to her, she fell from a rock, shattering her limbs, and disfiguring her 
 features. Some say she was lamed for life, and became as hideous 
 as she had heretofore been lovely ; but this is erroneous, for ap- 
 prehensive of such a result, attended by the loss of her lover, she 
 invoked the powers of darkness, and proffered her soul in return 
 for five years of unimpaired beauty. 
 
 " The compact was made, and when Blackburn came he found 
 her more beautiful than ever. Enraptured, he conveyed her to 
 Malkin Tower, and lived with her there in security, laughing to 
 scorn the menaces of Abbot Eccles, by whom he was excommuni- 
 cated. 
 
 " Time went on, and as Isole's charms underwent no change, 
 her lover's ardour continued unabated. Five years passed in 
 guilty pleasures, and the last day of the allotted term arrived. 
 No change was manifest in Isole's demeanour ; neither remorse 
 nor fear were exhibited by her. Never had she appeared more 
 lovely, never in higher or more exuberant spirits. She besought 
 her lover, who was still madly intoxicated by her infernal charms, 
 to give a banquet that night to ten of his trustiest followers. He 
 willingly assented, and bade them to the feast. They ate and 
 drank merrily, and the gayest of the company was the lovely 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 255 
 
 Isole. Her spirits seemed somewhat too wild even to Blackburn, 
 but he did not check her, though surprised at the excessive live- 
 liness and freedom of her sallies. Her eyes flashed like fire, and 
 there was not a man present but was madly in love with her, 
 and ready to dispute for her smiles with his captain. 
 
 " The wine flowed freely, and song and jest went on till mid- 
 night. When the hour struck, Isole filled a cup to the brim, and 
 called upon them to pledge her. All arose, and drained their 
 goblets enthusiastically. ' It was a farewell cup/ she said ; ' I 
 am going away with one of you.' ' How !' exclaimed Blackburn, 
 in angry surprise. ' Let any one but touch your hand, and I will 
 strike him dead at my feet.' The rest of the company regarded 
 each other with surprise, and it was then discovered that a stran- 
 ger was amongst them ; a tall dark man, whose looks were so 
 terrible and demoniacal that no one dared lay hands upon him. 
 6 1 am come/ he said, with fearful significance, to Isole. * And I 
 am ready/ she answered boldly. ' I will go with you were it to 
 the bottomless pit/ cried Blackburn catching hold of her. * It is 
 thither I am going/ she answered with a scream of laughter. 
 f I shall be glad of a companion.' 
 
 " When the paroxysm of laughter was over, she fell down on 
 the floor. Her lover would have raised her, when what was his 
 horror to find that he held in his arms an old woman, with fright- 
 fully disfigured features, and evidently in the agonies of death. 
 She fixed one look upon him and expired. 
 
 " Terrified by the occurrence the guests hurried away, and 
 when they returned next day, they found Blackburn stretched on 
 the floor, and quite dead. They cast his body, together with 
 that of the wretched Isole, into the vault beneath the room where 
 they were lying, and then, taking possession, of his treasure, 
 removed to some other retreat. 
 
 " Thenceforth, Malkin Tower became haunted. Though 
 wholly deserted, lights were constantly seen shining from it at 
 night, and sounds of wild revelry, succeeded by shrieks and 
 groans, issued from it. The figure of Isole was often seen to come 
 forth, and flit across the wastes in the direction of Whalley Abbey. 
 On stormy nights a huge black cat, with flaming eyes, was 
 frequently descried on the summit of the structure, whence it 
 obtained its name of Grimalkin, or Malkin Tower. The 
 ill-omened pile ultimately came into the possession of the Nutter 
 family, but it was never tenanted, until assigned, as I have 
 already mentioned, to Mother Demdike." 
 
 The chirurgeon's marvellous story was listened to with great 
 attention by his auditors. Most of them were familiar with 
 different versions of it ; but to Master Potts it was altogether new, 
 and he made rapid notes of it, questioning the narrator as to one 
 
256 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 or two points which appeared to him to require explanation. 
 Nicholas, as may be supposed, was particularly interested in that 
 part of the legend which referred to Isole de Heton. He now for 
 the first time heard of her unhallowed intercourse with the 
 freebooter Blackburn, of her compact on Whalley Nab with the 
 fiend, of her mysterious connection with Malkin Tower, and of 
 her being the ancestress of Mother Demdike. The consideration 
 of all these points, coupled with a vivid recollection of his own 
 strange adventure with the impious votaress at the Abbey on the 
 previous night, plunged him into a deep train of thought, and he 
 began seriously to consider whether he might not have committed 
 some heinous sin, and, indeed, jeopardised his soul's welfare by 
 dancing with her. " What if I should share the same fate as the 
 robber Blackburn," he ruminated, u and be dragged to perdition 
 by her ? It is a very awful reflection. But though my fate 
 might operate as a warning to others, I am by no means anxious 
 to be held up as a moral scarecrow. Kather let me take warning 
 myself, amend my life, abandon intemperance, which leads to all 
 manner of wickedness, and suffer myself no more to be ensnared 
 by the wiles and delusions of the tempter in the form of a fair 
 woman. No no I will alter and amend my life." 
 
 I regret, however, to say that these praiseworthy resolutions 
 were but transient, and that the squire, quite forgetting that the 
 work of reform, if intended to be really accomplished, ought to 
 commence at once, and by no means be postponed till the 
 morrow, yielded to the seductions of a fresh pottle of sack, which 
 was presented to him at the moment by Bess, and in taking it 
 could not help squeezing the hand of the bouncing hostess, and 
 gazing at her more tenderly than became a married man. Oh ! 
 Nicholas Nicholas the work of reform, I am afraid, proceeds 
 very slowly and imperfectly with you. Your friend, Parson 
 Dewhurst, would have told you that it is much easier to form 
 good resolutions than to keep them. 
 
 Leaving the squire, however, to his cogitations and his sack, 
 the attorney to his memorandum-book, in which he was still 
 engaged in writing, and the others to their talk, we shall proceed 
 to the chamber whither the poor miller had been led by Bess. 
 When visited by the rector, he had been apparently soothed by 
 the worthy man's consolatory advice, but when left alone he 
 speedily relapsed into his former dark and gloomy state of mind. 
 He did not notice Bess, who, according to Holden's directions, 
 placed the aquavit bottle before him, but, as long as she stayed, 
 remained with his face buried in his hands. As soon as she was 
 gone he arose, and began to pace the room to and fro. The 
 window was open, and he could hear the funeral bell tolling 
 mournfully at intervals. Each recurrence of the dismal sound 
 added sharpness and intensity to his grief. His sufferings became 
 almost intolerable, and drove him to the very verge of despair 
 
THE TEMPTATION. 257 
 
 and madness. If a weapon had been at hand, he might have seized 
 it, and put a sudden period to his existence. His breast was a 
 chaos of fierce and troubled thoughts, in which one black and 
 terrible idea arose and overpowered all the rest. It was the 
 desire of vengeance, deep and complete, upon her whom he looked 
 upon as the murderess of his child. He cared not how it were 
 accomplished so it were done; but such was the opinion he 
 entertained of the old hag's power, that he doubted his ability to 
 the task. Still, as the bell tolled on, the furies at his heart 
 lashed and goaded him on, and yelled in his ear revenge 
 revenge ! Now, indeed, he was crazed with grief and rage ; he 
 tore off handfuls of hair, plunged his nails deeply into his breast, 
 and while committing these and other wild excesses, with frantic 
 imprecations he called down Heaven's judgments on his own 
 head. He was in that lost and helpless state when the enemy of 
 mankind has power over man. Nor was the opportunity 
 neglected ; for when the wretched Baldwyn, who, exhausted by 
 the violence of his motions, had leaned for a moment against the 
 wall, he perceived to his surprise that there was a man in the 
 room a small personage attired in rusty black, whom he thought 
 had been one of the party in the adjoining chamber. 
 
 There was an expression of mockery about this person's coun- 
 tenance which did not please the miller, and he asked him, 
 sternly, what he wanted. 
 
 " Leave off grinnin, mon," he said, fiercely, " or ey may be 
 tempted to tay yo be t' throttle, an may yo laugh o't wrong side 
 o' your mouth." 
 
 " No, 110, you will not, Richard Baldwyn, when you know my 
 errand," replied the man. " You are thirsting for vengeance 
 upon Mother Demdike. You shall have it." 
 
 " Eigh, eigh, you promised me vengeance efore," cried the 
 miller " vengeance by the law. Boh ey mun wait lung for it. 
 Ey wad ha' it swift and sure deep and deadly. Ey wad blast 
 her wi' curses, os hoo blasted my poor Meary. Ey wad strike 
 her deeod at my feet. That's my vengeance, mon." 
 
 " You shall have it," replied the other. 
 
 " Yo talk differently fro' what yo did just now, mon," said the 
 miller, regarding him narrowly and distrustfully. " An yo look 
 differently too. There's a queer glimmer abowt your een that ey 
 didna notice efore, and that ey mislike." 
 
 The man laughed bitterly. 
 
 " Leave off grinnin' or begone," cried Baldwyn, furiously. 
 And he raised his hand to strike the man, but he instantly 
 dropped it, appalled by a look which the other threw at him. 
 " WhotheduleareyoT 
 
 " The dule must answer you, since you appeal to him," replied 
 the other, with the same mocking smile ; " but you are mistaken 
 in supposing that you have spoken to me before. He with whom, 
 
258 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 you conversed in the other room, resembles me in more 
 respects than one, but he does not possess power equal to mine. 
 The law will not aid you against Mother Demdike. She will 
 escape all the snares laid for her. But she will not escape me." 
 
 " Who are ye ?" cried the miller, his hair erecting on his head, 
 and cold damps breaking out upon his brow. " Yo are nah mortal, 
 an nah good, to tawk i' this fashion." 
 
 " Heed not who and what I am," repliejd the other ; " I am known 
 here as a reeve of the forest that is ^nough. Would you have 
 vengeance on the murtheress of yourxinild 1 " 
 
 " Yeigh," rejoined Baldwyn. 
 
 " And you are willing to pay for it at the price of your soul ? " 
 demanded the other, advancing towards him. 
 
 Baldwyn reeled. He saw at once the fearful peril in which he 
 was placed, and averted his gaze from the scorching glance of the 
 reeve. 
 
 At this moment the door was tried without, and the voice of 
 Bess was heard, saying, " Who ha' yo got wi' yo, Ruchot ; and 
 whoy ha' yo fastened t' door 1 " 
 
 " Your answer?" demanded the reeve. 
 
 " Ey canna gi' it now," replied the miller. " Come in, Bess ; 
 come in." 
 
 " Ey conna," she replied. " Open t' door, mon." 
 
 " Your answer, I say ? " said the reeve. 
 
 {i Gi' me an hour to think on't," said the miller. 
 
 " Agreed," replied the other. " I will be with you after the 
 funeral." 
 
 And he sprang through the window, and disappeared before 
 Baldwyn could open the door and admit Bess. 
 
 CHAPTER YII. THE PERAMBULATION OF THE 
 BOUNDARIES. 
 
 THE lane along which Richard Assheton galloped in pursuit 
 of Mother Chattox, made so many turns, and was, moreover, so 
 completely hemmed in by high banks and hedges, that he could 
 see nothing on either side of him, and very little in advance; but, 
 guided by the clatter of hoofs, he urged Merlin to his utmost 
 speed, fancying he should soon come up with the fugitives. la 
 this, however, he was deceived. The sound that had led him on 
 became fainter and fainter, till at last it died away altogether; 
 and on quitting the lane and gaining the moor, where the view 
 was wholly uninterrupted, no traces either of witch or reeve could 
 be discerned. 
 
 With a feeling of angry disappointment, Richard was about to 
 turn back, when a large black greyhound came from out an ad- 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 259 
 
 joining clough, and made towards him. The singularity of the 
 circumstance induced him to halt and regard the dog with 
 attention. On nearing him, the animal looked wistfully in his 
 face, and seemed to invite him to follow; and the young man was 
 so struck by the dog's manner, that he complied, and had not 
 gone far when a hare of unusual size and grey with age bounded 
 from beneath a gorse-bush and speeded away, the greyhound 
 starting in pursuit. 
 
 Aware of the prevailing notion, that a witch most commonly 
 assumed such a form when desirous of escaping, or performing 
 some act of mischief, such as drying the milk of kine, Richard at 
 once came to the conclusion that the hare could be no other than 
 Mother Chattox ; and without pausing to inquire what the hound 
 could be, or why it should appear at such a singular and appa- 
 rently fortunate juncture, he at once joined the run, and cheered 
 on the dog with whoop and holloa. 
 
 Old as it was, apparently, the hare ran with extraordinary 
 swiftness, clearing every stone wall and other impediment in the 
 way, and more than once cunningly doubling upon its pursuers. 
 But every feint and stratagem were defeated by the fleet and 
 sagacious hound, and the hunted animal at length took to the 
 open waste, where the run became so rapid, that Richard had 
 enough to do to keep up with it, though Merlin, almost as furi- 
 ously excited as his master, strained every sinew to the task. 
 
 In this way the chasers and the chased scoured the dark and 
 heathy plain, skirting moss-pool and clearing dyke, till they 
 almost reached the but-end of Pendle Hill, which rose like an 
 impassable barrier before them. Hitherto the chances had 
 seemed in favour of the hare ; but they now began to turn, and 
 as it seemed certain she must fall into the hound's jaws, Richard 
 expected every moment to find her resume her natural form. 
 The run having brought him within a quarter of a mile of Barley, 
 the rude hovels composing which little booth were clearly dis- 
 cernible, the young man began to think the hag's dwelling must 
 be among them, and that she was hurrying thither as to a place 
 of refuge. But before this could be accomplished, he hoped to 
 effect her capture, and once more cheered on the hound, and 
 plunged his spurs into Merlin's sides. An obstacle, however, 
 occurred which he had not counted on. Directly in the course 
 taken by the hare lay a deep, disused limestone quarry, com- 
 pletely screened from view by a fringe of brushwood. When 
 within a few yards of this pit, the hound made a dash at the 
 flying hare, but eluding him, the latter sprang forward, and both 
 went over the edge of the quarry together. Richard had well- 
 nigh followed, and in that case would have been inevitably dashed 
 in pieces ; but, discovering the danger ere it was too late, by a 
 powerful effort, which threw Merlin upon his haunches, he pulled 
 him back on the very brink of the pit. 
 
260 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 The young man shuddered as he gazed into the depths of the 
 quarry, and saw the jagged points and heaps of broken stone that 
 would have received him; but he looked in vain for the old witch, 
 whose mangled body, together with that of the hound, he ex- 
 pected to behold ; and he then asked himself whether the chase 
 might not have been a snare set for him by the hag and her 
 familiar, with the intent of luring him to destruction. If so, he 
 had been providentially preserved. 
 
 Quitting the pit, his first idea was to proceed to Barley, which 
 was now only a few hundred yards off, to make inquiries respect- 
 ing Mother Chattox, and ascertain whether she really dwelt there; 
 but, on further consideration, he judged it best to return without 
 further delay to Goldshaw, lest his friends, ignorant as to what 
 had befallen him, might become alarmed on his account ; but he 
 resolved, as soon as he had disposed of the business in hand, to 
 prosecute his search after the hag. Riding rapidly, he soon 
 cleared the ground between the quarry and Goldshaw Lane, and 
 was about to enter the latter, when the sound of voices singing 
 a funeral hymn caught his ear, and, pausing to listen to it, he 
 beheld a little procession, the meaning of which he readily com- 
 prehended, wending its slow and melancholy way in the same 
 direction as himself. It was headed by four men in deep mourn- 
 ing, bearing upon their shoulders a small coffin, covered with a 
 pull, and having a garland of white flowers in front of it. Behind 
 them followed about a dozen young men and maidens, likewise in 
 mourning, walking two and two. with gait and aspect of unfeigned 
 affliction. Many of the women, though merely rustics, seemed 
 to possess considerable personal attraction; but their features 
 were in a great measure concealed by their large white kerchiefs, 
 disposed in the form of hoods. All carried sprigs of rosemary 
 and bunches of flowers in their hands. Plaintive was the hymn 
 they sang, and their voices, though untaught, were sweet and 
 touching, and went to the heart of the listener. 
 
 Much moved, Richard suffered the funeral procession to pre- 
 cede him along the deep and devious lane, and as it winded 
 beneath the hedges, the sight was inexpressibly affecting. Fast- 
 ening his horse to a tree at the end of the lane, Richard followed 
 on foot. Notice of the approach of the train having been given 
 in the village, all the inhabitants flocked forth to meet it, and 
 there was scarcely a dry eye among them. Arrived within a 
 short distance of the church, the colh'n was met by the minister, 
 attended by the clerk, behind whom came Roger Nowell, Nicholas, 
 and the rest of the company from the hostel. With great diffi- 
 culty poor Baldwyn could be brought to take his place as chief 
 mourner. These arrangements completed, the body of the ill- 
 fated girl was borne into the churchyard, the minister reading 
 the solemn texts appointed for the occasion, and leading the way 
 to the grave, beside which stood the sexton, together with the 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 261 
 
 beadle of Goldshaw and Sparshot. The coffin was then laid on 
 trestles, and amidst profound silence, broken only by the sobs of 
 the mourners, the service was read, and preparations made for 
 lowering the body into the grave. 
 
 Then it was that poor Baldwyn, with a wild, heart-piercing 
 cry, flung himself upon the shell containing all that remained of 
 his lost treasure, and could with difficulty be removed from it by 
 Bess and Sudall, both of whom were in attendance. The bunches 
 of flowers and sprigs of rosemary having been laid upon the coffin 
 by the maidens, amidst loud sobbing and audibly expressed lamen- 
 tations from the bystanders, it was let down into the grave, and 
 earth thrown over it. 
 
 Earth to earth ; ashes to ashes ; dust to dust. 
 
 The ceremony was over, the mourners betook themselves to the 
 little hostel, and the spectators slowly dispersed; but the bereaved 
 father still lingered, unable to tear himself away. Leaning for 
 support against the yew-tree, he fiercely bade Bess, who would 
 have led him home with her, begone. The kind-hearted hostess 
 complied in appearance, but remained nigh at hand though con- 
 cealed from view. 
 
 Once more the dark cloud overshadowed the spirit of the 
 wretched man once more the same infernal desire of vengeance 
 possessed him once more he subjected himself to temptation. 
 Striding to the foot of the grave he raised his hand, and with ter- 
 rible imprecations vowed to lay the murtheress of his child as low 
 as she herself was now laid. At that moment he felt an eye like 
 a burning-glass fixed upon him, and, looking up, beheld the reeve 
 of the forest standing on the further side of the grave. 
 
 " Kneel down, and swear to be mine, and your wish shall be 
 gratified," said the reeve. 
 
 Beside himself with grief and rage, Baldwyn would have com- 
 plied, but he was arrested by a powerful grasp. Fearing he was 
 about to commit some rash act, Bess rushed forward and caught 
 hold of his doublet. 
 
 " Bethink thee whot theaw has just heerd fro' t' minister, 
 Ruchot," she cried in a voice of solemn warning. " ' Blessed are 
 the dead that dee i' the Lord, for they rest fro their labours/ An 
 again, ' Suffer us not at our last hour, for onny pains o' death, to 
 fa' fro thee.' Oh Ruchot, dear ! fo' the love theaw hadst fo' thy 
 poor chilt, who is now delivert fro' the burthen o' th' flesh, an* 
 dwellin' i' joy an felicity wi' God an his angels, dunna endanger 
 thy precious sowl. Pray that theaw may'st depart hence i' th' 
 Lord, wi' whom are the sowls of the faithful, an Meary's, ey trust, 
 among the number. Pray that thy eend may be like hers." 
 
 " Ey conna pray, Bess," replied the miller, striking his breast. 
 " The Lord has turned his feace fro' me." 
 
 " Becose thy heart is hardened, Ruchot," she replied. "Theaw 
 
262 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 'rt nourishm 3 nowt boh black an wicked thowts. Cast em off ye, 
 I adjure thee, an come whoam wi me." 
 
 Meanwhile, the reeve had sprung across the grave. 
 
 " Thy answer at once," he said, grasping the miller's arm, and 
 breathing the words in his ears. " Vengeance is in thy power. 
 A word, and it is thine." 
 
 The miller groaned bitterly. He was sorely tempted. 
 
 " What is that mon sayin' to thee, Ruchot ? " inquired Bess. 
 
 " Dunna ax, boh tak me away," he answered. " Ey am lost 
 else." 
 
 " Let him lay a finger on yo if he dare," said Bess, sturdily. 
 
 " Leave him alone yo dunna knoa who he is," whispered the 
 miller. 
 
 " Ey con partly guess," she rejoined ; " boh ey care nother fo' 
 mon nor dule when ey'm acting reetly. Come along wi' me, 
 Ruchot." 
 
 " Fool !" cried the reeve, in the same low tone as before ; " you 
 will lose your revenge, but you will not escape me." 
 
 And he turned away, while Bess almost carried the trembling 
 and enfeebled miller towards the hostel. 
 
 Roger Nowell and his friends had only waited the conclusion 
 of the funeral to set forth, and their horses being in readiness, they 
 mounted them on leaving the churchyard, and rode slowly along the 
 lane leading towards Rough Lee. The melancholy scene they had 
 witnessed, and the afflicting circumstances connected with it, had 
 painfully affected the party, and little conversation occurred until 
 they were overtaken by Parson Holden, who, having been made 
 acquainted with their errand by Nicholas, was desirous of accom- 
 panying them. Soon after this, also, the reeve of the forest joined 
 them, and on seeing him, Richard sternly demanded why he had 
 aided Mother Chattox in her flight from the churchyard, and what 
 had become of her. 
 
 w You are entirely mistaken, sir," replied the reeve, with affected 
 astonishment. u I have seen nothing whatever of the old hag, 
 and would rather lend a hand to her capture than abet her flight. 
 I hold all witches in abhorrence, and Mother Chattox especially 
 so." 
 
 " Your horse looks fresh enough, certainly," said Richard, some- 
 what shaken in his suspicions. " Where have you been during 
 our stay at Goldshaw ? You did not put up at the hostel ? " 
 
 " I went to Farmer Johnson's," replied the reeve, " and you will 
 find upon inquiry that my horse has not been out of his stables for 
 the last hour. I myself have been loitering about Bess's grange 
 and farmyard, as your grooms will testify, for they have seen me." 
 
 " Humph !" exclaimed Richard, " I suppose I must credit asser- 
 tions made with such confidence, but I could have sworn I saw 
 you ride off with the hag behind you/' 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 263 
 
 " I hope I shall never be caught in such bad company, sir," 
 replied the reeve, with a laugh. " If I ride off with any one, it 
 shall not be with an old witch, depend upon it." 
 
 Though by no means satisfied with the explanation, Richard 
 was forced to be content with it ; but he thought he would ad- 
 dress a few more questions to the reeve. 
 
 " Have you any knowledge," he said, "when the boundaries of 
 Pendle Forest were first settled and appointed?" 
 
 " The first perambulation was made by Henry de Lacy, about 
 the middle of the twelfth century," replied the reeve. " Pendle 
 Forest, you may be aware, sir, is one of the four divisions of the 
 great forest of Blackburnshire, of which the Lacys were lords, 
 the three other divisions being Accrington, Trawden, and Ros- 
 sendale, and it comprehends an extent of about twenty-five miles, 
 part of which you have traversed to-day. At a later period, 
 namely in 1311, after the death of another Henry de Lacy, Earl 
 of Lincoln, the last of his line, and one of the bravest of Edward 
 the First's barons, an inquisition was held in the forest, and it 
 was subdivided into eleven vaccaries, one of which is the place to 
 which you are bound, Rough Lee." 
 
 " The learned Sir Edward Coke defines a vaccary to signify a 
 dairy," observed Potts. 
 
 " Here it means the farm and land as well," replied the reeve ; 
 "and the word ( booth,' which is in general use in this district, sig- 
 nifies the mansion erected upon such vaccary : Mistress Nutter's 
 residence, for instance, being nothing more than the booth of 
 Rough Lee : while a i lawnd,' another local term, is a park inclosed 
 within the forest for the preservation of the deer, and the con- 
 venience of the chase, and of such inclosures we have two, namely, 
 the Old and New Lavvnd. By a commission in the reign of Henry 
 VII., these vaccaries, originally granted only to tenants at will, 
 were converted into copyholds of inheritance, but and here is a 
 legal point for your consideration, Master Potts as it seems very 
 questionable whether titles obtained under letters-patent are se- 
 cure, not unreasonable fears are entertained by the holders of the 
 lands lest they should be seized, and appropriated by the crown." 
 
 " Ah ! ah ! an excellent idea, Master Reeve," exclaimed Potts, 
 his little eyes twinkling with pleasure. " Our gracious and saga- 
 cious monarch would grasp at the suggestion, ay, and grasp at the 
 lands too ha ! ha ! Many thanks for the hint, good reeve. I 
 will not fail to profit by it. If their titles are uncertain, the 
 landholders would be glad to compromise the matter with the 
 crown, even to the value of hah 7 their estates rather than lose the 
 whole." 
 
 " Most assuredly they would," replied the reeve ; " and further- 
 more, they would pay the lawyer well who could manage the 
 matter adroitly for them. This would answer your purpose better 
 than hunting up witches, Master Potts." 
 
264 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " One pursuit does not interfere with the other in the slightest 
 degree, worthy reeve," observed Potts. "I cannot consent to 
 give up my quest of the witches. My honour is concerned in their 
 extermination. But to turn to Pendle Forest the greater part of 
 it has been disafforested, I presume?" 
 
 " It has," replied the other " and we are now in one of the 
 purlieus." 
 
 " Pourallee is the better word, most excellent reeve," said 
 Potts. " I tell you thus much, because you appear to be a man 
 of learning. Manwood, our great authority in such matters, 
 declares a pourallee to be ' a certain territory of ground adjoining 
 unto the forest, mered and bounded with immovable marks, 
 meres, and boundaries, known by matter of record only.' And as 
 it applies to the perambulation we are about to make, I may as 
 well repeat what the same learned writer further saith touching 
 marks, meres, and boundaries, and how they may be known. 
 ' For although,' he saith, ' a forest doth lie open, and not inclosed 
 with hedge, ditch, pale, or stone-wall, which some other inclosures 
 have ; yet in the eye and consideration of the law, the same hath 
 as strong an inclosure by those marks, meres, and boundaries, as 
 if there were a brick wall to encircle the same.' Marks, learned 
 reeve, are deemed unremovable primo, gum omnes metce forestce 
 sunt integrce domino regi and those who take them away are 
 punishable for the trespass at the assizes of the forest. Secundo, 
 because the marks are things that cannot be stirred, as rivers, 
 highways, hills, and the like. Now, such unremoveable marks, 
 meres, and boundaries we have between the estate of my excellent 
 client, Master Roger Nowell, and that of Mistress Nutter, so that 
 the matter at issue will be easily decided." 
 
 A singular smile crossed the reeve's countenance, but he made 
 no observation. 
 
 " Unless the lady can turn aside streams, remove hills, and pluck 
 up huge trees, we shall win," pursued Potts, with a chuckle. 
 
 Again the reeve smiled, but he forebore to speak. 
 
 ft You talk of marks, meres, and boundaries, Master Potts," 
 remarked Richard. " Are not the words synonymous ? " 
 
 u Not precisely so, sir," replied the attorney ; " there is a slight 
 difference in their signification, which I will explain to you. The 
 words of the statute are i metas, meras, et bundas,' now nieta, or 
 mark, is an object rising from the ground, as a church, a wall, or 
 a tree ; mera, or mere, is the space or interval between the forest 
 and the land adjoining, whereupon the mark may chance to stand ; 
 and bunda is the boundary, lying on a level with the forest, as a 
 river, a highway, a pool, or a bog." 
 
 " I comprehend the distinction," replied Richard. " And now, 
 as we are on this subject," he added to the reeve, " I would gladly 
 know the precise nature of your office?" 
 
 " My duty," replied the other, " is to range daily throughout 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 265 
 
 all the purlieus, or pourallees, as Master Potts more properly 
 terms them, and disafforested lands, and inquire into all 
 trespasses and offences against vert or venison, and present them 
 at the king's next court of attachment or swainmote. It is also 
 my business to drive into the forest such wild beasts as have 
 strayed from it; to attend to the lawing and expeditation of 
 mastiffs ; and to raise hue and cry against any malefactors or 
 trespassers within the forest." 
 
 " I will give you the exact words of the statute," said Potts^ 
 * Si quis viderit malefactores infra metas forestce, debet illos capere 
 secundum posse suum y et si non possit, debet levare hutesium et 
 clamorem. 9 And the penalty for refusing to follow hue and cry is 
 heavy fine." 
 
 " I would that that part of your duty relating to the hock- 
 sinewing, and lawing of mastiffs, could be discontinued," said 
 Richard. " I grieve to see a noble animal so mutilated." 
 
 " In Bowland Forest, as you are probably aware, sir," rejoined 
 the reeve, (f only the larger mastiffs are lamed, a small stirrup or 
 gauge being kept by the master forester, Squire Robert Parker 
 of Browsholme, and the dog whose foot will pass through it 
 escapes mutilation." 
 
 " The practice is a cruel one, and I would it were abolished 
 with some of our other barbarous forest laws," observed Richard. 
 
 While this conversation had been going on, the party had pro- 
 ceeded well on their way. For some time the road, which con- 
 sisted of little more than tracts of wheels along the turf, led along 
 a plain, thrown up into heathy hillocks, and then passing through 
 a thicket, evidently part of the old forest, it brought them to the 
 foot of a hill, which they mounted, and descended into another 
 valley. Here they came upon Pendle Water, and while skirting 
 its banks, could see at a great depth below, the river rushing over 
 its rocky bed like an Alpine torrent. The scenery had now 
 begun to assume a savage and sombre character. The deep rift 
 through which the river ran was evidently the result of some 
 terrible convulsion of the earth, and the rocky strata were 
 strangely and fantastically displayed. On the further side the 
 banks rose up precipitously, consisting for the most part of bare 
 cliffs, though now and then a tree would root itself in some crevice. 
 Below this the stream sank over a wide shelf of rock, in a broad 
 full cascade, and boiled and foamed in the stony basin that re- 
 ceived it, after which, grown less impetuous, it ran tranquilly on 
 for a couple of hundred yards, and was then artificially restrained 
 by a dam, which, diverting it in part from its course, caused it to 
 turn the wheels of a mill. Here was the abode of the unfor- 
 tunate Richard Baldwyn, and here had blossomed forth the fair 
 flower so untimely gathered. An air of gloom hung over this 
 once cheerful spot : its very beauty contributing to this saddening 
 effect. The mill-race flowed swiftly and brightly on; but the 
 
266 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 wheel was stopped, windows and doors were closed, and death 
 kept his grim holiday undisturbed. No one was to be seen about 
 the premises, nor was any sound heard except the bark of the 
 lonely watch-dog. Many a sorrowing glance was cast at this for- 
 lorn habitation as the party rode past it, and many a sigh was 
 heaved for the poor girl who had so lately been its pride and 
 ornament; but if any one had noticed the bitter sneer curling 
 the reeve's lip, or caught the malignant fire gleaming in his eye, 
 it would scarcely have been thought that he shared in the general 
 regret. 
 
 After the cavalcade had passed the mill, one or two other cot- 
 tages appeared on the near side of the river, while the opposite 
 banks began to be clothed with timber. The glen became more 
 and more contracted, and a stone bridge crossed the stream, near 
 which, and on the same side of the river as the party, stood a 
 cluster of cottages constituting the little village of Rough Lee. 
 
 On reaching the bridge, Mistress Nutter's habitation came in 
 view, and it was pointed out by Nicholas to Potts, who contem- 
 plated it with much curiosity. In his eyes it seemed exactly 
 adapted to its owner, and formed to hide dark and guilty deeds. 
 It was a stern, sombre-looking mansion, built of a dark grey 
 stone, with tall square chimneys, and windows with heavy 
 mullions. High stone walls, hoary and moss-grown, ran round 
 the gardens and courts, except on the side of the river, where 
 there was a terrace overlooking the stream, and forming a pleasant 
 summer's walk. At the back of the house were a few ancient 
 oaks and sycamores, and in the gardens were some old clipped 
 yews. 
 
 Part of this ancient mansion is still standing, and retains much 
 of its original character, though subdivided and tenanted by 
 several humble families. The garden is cut up into paddocks, 
 and the approach environed by a labyrinth of low stone walls, 
 while miserable sheds -and other buildings are appended to it ; the 
 terrace is wholly obliterated; and the grange and offices are 
 pulled down, but sufficient is still left of the place to give an idea 
 of its pristine appearance and character. Its situation is striking 
 and peculiar. In front rises a high hill, forming the last link of 
 the chain of Pendle, and looking upon Barrowford and Colne, on 
 the further side of which, and therefore not discernible from the 
 mansion, stood Malkin Tower. At the period in question the 
 lower part of this hill was well wooded, and washed by the Pendle 
 Water, which swept past it through banks picturesque and 
 beautiful, though not so bold and rocky as those in the neighbour- 
 hood of the mill. In the rear of the house the ground gradually 
 rose for more than a quarter of a mile, when it obtained a 
 considerable elevation. Following the course of the stream, and 
 looking down the gorge, another hill appeared, so that the house 
 was completely shut in by mountainous acclivities. In winter, 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 267 
 
 when the snow lay on the heights, or when the mists hung upon 
 them for weeks together, or descended in continuous rain, Rough 
 Lee was sufficiently desolate, and seemed cut off from all 
 communication with the outer world ; but at the season when the 
 party beheld it, though the approaches were rugged and difficult, 
 and almost inaccessible except to the horseman or pedestrian, 
 bidding defiance to any vehicle except of the strongest construction, 
 still the place was not without a certain charm, mainly, however, 
 derived from its seclusion. The scenery was stern and sombre, 
 the hills were dark and dreary ; but the very wildness of the place 
 was attractive, and the old house, with its grey walls, its lofty 
 chimneys, its gardens with their clipped yews, and its rook-haunted 
 trees, harmonised well with all around it. 
 
 As the party drew near the house, the gates were thrown open 
 by an old porter with two other servants, who besought them to 
 stay and partake of some refreshment ; but Roger No well haughtily 
 and peremptorily declined the invitation, and rode on, and the 
 others, though some of them would fain have complied, followed 
 him. 
 
 Scarcely were they gone, than James Device, who had been in 
 the garden, issued from the gate and speeded after them. 
 
 Passing through a close at the back of the mansion, and 
 tracking a short narrow lane, edged by stone walls, the party, 
 which had received some accessions from the cottages of Rough 
 Lee, as well as from the huts on the hill-side, again approached 
 the river, and proceeded along its banks. 
 
 The new-comers, being all of them tenants of Mrs. Nutter, and 
 acting apparently under the directions of James Device, who had 
 now joined the troop, stoutly and loudly maintained that the lady 
 would be found right in the inquiry, with the exception of one old 
 man named Henry Mitton ; and he shook his head gravely when 
 appealed to by Jem, and could by no efforts be induced to join 
 him in the clamour. 
 
 Notwithstanding this demonstration, Roger Noweli and his 
 legal adviser were both very sanguine as to the result of the 
 survey being in their favour, and Master Potts turned to ascertain 
 from Sparshot that the two plans, which had been rolled up and 
 consigned to his custody, were quite safe. 
 
 Meanwhile, the party having foUowed the course of Pendle 
 Water through the glen for about half a mile, during which they 
 kept close to the brawling current, entered a little thicket, and 
 then striking off on the left, passed over the foot of a hill, and 
 came to the edge of a wide moor, where a halt was called by 
 Noweli. 
 
 It being now announced that they were on the confines of the 
 disputed property, preparations were immediately made for the 
 survey ; the plans were taken out of a quiver, in which they had 
 been carefully deposited by Sparshot, and handed to Potts, who, 
 
208 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 giving one to Roger Nowell and the other to Nicholas, and 
 opening his memorandum-book, declared that all was ready, and 
 the two leaders rode slowly forward, while the rest of the troop 
 followed, their curiosity being stimulated to the highest pitch. 
 
 Presently Roger Nowell again stopped, and pointed to a woody 
 brake. 
 
 " We are now come," he said, "to a wood forming part of my 
 property, and which from an eruption, caused by a spring, that 
 took place in it many years ago, is called Burst Clough." 
 
 " Exactly, sir exactly," cried Potts ; " Burst Clough I have 
 it here landmarks, five grey stones, lying apart at a distance of 
 one hundred yards or thereabouts, and giving you, sir, twenty 
 acres of moor tand. Is it not so, Master Nicholas ? The marks 
 are such as I have described, eh ? " 
 
 " They are, sir," replied the squire ; " with this slight difference 
 in the allotment of the land namely, that Mistress Nutter claims 
 the twenty acres, while she assigns you only ten." 
 
 " Ten devils !" cried Roger Nowell, furiously. a Twenty acres 
 are mine, and I will have them." 
 
 " To the proof, then," rejoined Nicholas. " The first of the 
 grey stones is here." 
 
 " And the second on the left, in that hollow," said Roger Nowell. 
 " Come on, my masters, come on." 
 
 " Ay, come on!" cried Nicholas; "this perambulation will be 
 rare sport. Who wins, for a piece of gold, cousin Richard ? " 
 
 " Nay, I will place no wager on the event," replied tHe young 
 man. 
 
 t( Well, as you please," cried the squire ; " but I would lay five 
 to one that Mistress Nutter beats the magistrate." 
 
 Meanwhile, the whole troop having set forward, they soon 
 arrived at the second stone. Grey and moss-grown, it was deeply 
 imbedded in the soil, and to all appearance had rested undisturbed 
 for many a year. 
 
 "You measure from the clough, I presume, sir?" remarked 
 Potts to Nowell. 
 
 u To be sure," replied the magistrate; "but how is this? This 
 stone seems to me much nearer the clough than it used to be." 
 
 " Yeigh, so it dun, mester," observed old Mitton. 
 
 ",It does not appear to have been disturbed, at all events," said 
 Nicholas, dismounting and examining it. 
 
 " It would seem not," said Nowell " and yet it certainly is not 
 in its old place." 
 
 " Yo are mistaen, mester/* observed Jem Device; "eyknoa th* 
 lond weel, an this stoan has stood where it does fo' t' last twenty 
 year. H a'n't it, neeburs ? " 
 
 '' Yeigh yeigh," responded several voices. 
 
 " Well, let us go on to the next stone," said Potts, looking 
 rather blank. 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 2(39 
 
 Accordingly they went forward, the hinds exchanging signifi- 
 cant looks, and Koger Nowell and Nicholas carefully examining 
 their respective maps. 
 
 " These landmarks exactly tally with my plan," said the squire, 
 as they arrived at the third stone. 
 
 " But not with mine," said Nowell ; " this stone ought to be 
 two hundred yards to the right. Some trickery has been prac- 
 tised." 
 
 " Impossible !" exclaimed the squire; " these ponderous masses 
 could never have been moved. Besides, there are several persons 
 here who know every inch of the ground, and will give you their 
 unbiassed testimony. What say you, my men ? Are these the 
 old boundary stones ?" 
 
 All answered in the affirmative except old Mitton, who still 
 raised a dissenting voice. 
 
 " They be th* owd boundary marks, sure enough," he said; "boh 
 they are neaw i' their owd places." 
 
 " It is quite clear that the twenty acres belong to Mistress 
 Nutter," observed Nicholas, u and that you must content yourself 
 with ten, Master Nowell. Make an entry to that effect, Master 
 Potts, unless you will have the ground measured." 
 
 "No, it is needless," replied the magistrate, sharply; " let us 
 go on." 
 
 During this survey, some of the features of the country ap- 
 peared changed to the rustics, but how or in what way they could 
 not precisely teh 1 , and they were easily induced by James Device 
 to give their testimony in Mistress Nutter's favour. 
 
 A small rivulet was now reached, and another halt being called 
 upon its sedgy banks, the plans were again consulted. 
 
 " What have we here, Master Potts marks or boundaries?" 
 inquired Richard, with a smile. 
 
 " Both," replied Potts, angrily. " This rivulet, which I take to 
 be Moss Brook, is a boundary, and that sheepfold and the two 
 posts standing in a line with it are marks. But hold ! how is this ? " 
 he cried, regarding the plan in dismay; "the five acres of waste 
 land should be on the left of the brook." 
 
 " It would doubtless suit Master Nowell better if it were so," 
 said Nicholas ; " but as they chance to be on the right, they belong 
 to Mistress Nutter. I merely speak from the plan." 
 
 " Your plan is naught, sir," cried Nowell, furiously, " By what 
 foul practice these changes have been wrought I pretend not to 
 say, though I can give a good guess ; but the audacious witch who 
 has thus deluded me shall bitterly rue it." 
 
 "Hold, hold, Master Nowell!" rejoined Nicholas; "I can make 
 great allowance for your anger, which is natural considering your 
 disappointment, but I will not permit such unwarrantable insinua- 
 tions to be thrown out against Mistress Nutter. You agreed to 
 abide by Sir Ralph Asshe ton's award, and you must not complain 
 
270 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 if it be made against you. Do you imagine that this stream can 
 have changed its course in a single night ; or that yon sheepfold 
 has been removed to the further side of it?" 
 
 " I do," replied Nowell. 
 
 " And so do I," cried Potts ; " it has been accomplished by the 
 aid of " 
 
 But feeling himself checked by a glance from the reeve, he 
 stammered out, " of of Mother Demdike." 
 
 " You declared just now that marks, meres, and boundaries, 
 were unremovable, Master Potts," said the reeve, with a sneer ; 
 te you have altered your opinion." 
 
 The crestfallen attorney was dumb. 
 
 rt Master Roger Nowell must find some better plea than the 
 imputation of witchcraft to set aside Mistress Nutter's claim," ob- 
 served Richard. 
 
 "Yeigh, that he mun," cried James Device, and the hinds who 
 supported him. 
 
 The magistrate bit his lips with vexation. 
 
 " There is witchcraft in it, I repeat," he said. 
 
 " Yeigh, that there be," responded old Mitton. 
 
 But the words were scarcely uttered, when he was felled to the 
 ground by the bludgeon of James Device. 
 
 " Ey'd sarve thee i* t' same way, fo' two pins," said Jem, 
 regarding Potts with a savage look. 
 
 " No violence, Jem," cried Nicholas, authoritatively " you 
 do harm to the cause you would serve by your outrageous con- 
 duct." 
 
 " Beg pardon, squoire," replied Jem, " boh ey winna hear lies 
 towd abowt Mistress Nutter." 
 
 " No one shan speak ill on her here," cried the hinds. 
 
 66 Well, Master Nowell,'* said Nicholas, u are you willing to 
 concede the matter at once, or will you pursue the investigation 
 further?" 
 
 u I will ascertain the extent of the mischief done to me before 
 I stop," rejoined the magistrate, angrily. 
 
 " Forward, then," cried Nicholas. " Our course now lies along 
 this footpath, with a croft on the left, and an old barn on the right. 
 Here the plans correspond, I believe, Master Potts ? " 
 
 The attorney yielded a reluctant assent. 
 
 " There is next a small spring and trough on the right, and we 
 then come to a limestone quarry then by a plantation called Cat 
 Gallows Wood so named, because some troublesome mouser has 
 been hanged there, I suppose, and next by a deep moss-pit, called 
 Swallow Hole. All right, eh, Master Potts ? We shall now enter 
 upon Worston Moor, and come to the hut occupied by Jem De- 
 vice, who can, it is presumed, speak positively as to its situation." 
 
 " Very true," cried Potts, as if struck by an idea. " Let the 
 rascal step forward. I wish to put a few questions to him respect- 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 271 
 
 ing his tenement. I think I shall catch him now," he added in a 
 low tone to No well. 
 
 " Here ey be," cried Jem, stepping up with an insolent and 
 defying look. " Whot d'ye want wi' me * " 
 
 u First of all 1 would caution you to speak the truth," com- 
 menced Potts, impressively, " as I shall take down your answers 
 in my memorandum book, and they will be produced against you 
 hereafter." 
 
 " If he utters a falsehood I will commit him," said Roger No well, 
 sharply. 
 
 " Speak ceevily, an ey win gi' yo a ceevil answer," rejoined Jem, 
 in a surly tone ; " boh ey'm nah to be browbeaten." 
 
 (i First, then, is your hut in sight?" asked Potts. 
 
 "Neaw," replied Jem. 
 
 " But you can point out its situation, I suppose ?" pursued the 
 attorney. 
 
 " Sartinly ey con," replied Jem, without heeding a significant 
 glance cast at him by the reeve. " It stonds behind yon kloof, 
 ot soide o' t' moor, wi' a rindle in front." 
 
 " Now mind what you say, sirrah," cried Potts. " You are 
 quite sure the hut is behind the clough ; and the rindle, which, 
 being interpreted from your base vernacular, I believe means a 
 gutter, in front of it I " 
 
 The reeve coughed slightly, but failed to attract Jem's atten- 
 tion, who replied quickly, that he was quite sure of the circum- 
 stances. 
 
 u Very well," said Potts " you have all heard the answer. 
 He is quite sure as to what he states. Now, then, I suppose you 
 can tell whether the hut looks to the north or the south ; whether 
 the door opens to the moor or to the clough ; and whether there 
 is a path leading from it to a spot called Hook Cliff?" 
 
 At this moment Jem caught the eye of the reeve, and the look 
 given him by the latter completely puzzled him. 
 
 " Ey dunna reetly recollect which way it looks," he answered. 
 
 66 What ! you prevaricating rascal, do you pretend to say that 
 you do not know which way your own dwelling stands," thun- 
 dered Roger Nowell. " Speak out, sirrah, or Sparshot shall take 
 you into custody at once." 
 
 " Ey'm ready, your worship," replied the beadle. 
 
 " Weel, then," said Jem, imperfectly comprehending the signs 
 made to him by the reeve, " the hut looks nather to t' south naw 
 to t' north, but to t' west ; it feaces t' moor ; an there is a path 
 fro' it to Hook Cliff." 
 
 As he finished speaking, he saw from the reeve's angry gestures 
 that he had made a mistake, but it was now too late to recall his 
 words However, he determined to make an effort. 
 
 " Now ey bethink me, ey'm naw sure that ey'm reet," he said. 
 
 " You must be sure, sirrah," said Roger Nowell, bending his 
 
272 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 awful brows upon him. " You cannot be mistaken as to your 
 own dwelling. Take down his description, Master Potts, and 
 proceed with your interrogatories if you have any more to put 
 to him." 
 
 " I wish to ask him whether he has been at home to-day," said 
 Potts. 
 
 " Answer, fellow," thundered the magistrate. 
 
 Before replying, Jem would fain have consulted the reeve, but 
 the latter had turned away in displeasure. Not knowing whether 
 a lie would serve his turn, and fearing he might be contradicted 
 by some of the bystanders, he said he had not been at home for 
 two days, but had returned the night before at a late hour from 
 Whalley, and had slept at Rough Lee. 
 
 " Then you cannot tell what changes may have taken place in 
 your dwelling during your absence 1 " said Potts. 
 
 " Of course not," replied Jem, " boh ey dunna see how ony 
 chawnges con ha' happent i' so short a time." 
 
 "But I do, if you do not, sirrah," said Potts. "Be pleased 
 to give me your plan, Master Nowell. I have a further question 
 to ask him," he added, after consulting it for a moment. 
 
 " Ey win awnser nowt more," replied Jem, gruffly. 
 
 " You will answer whatever questions Master Potts may put 
 to you, or you are taken into custody," said the magistrate, 
 sternly. 
 
 Jem would have willingly beaten a retreat; but being sur- 
 rounded by the two grooms and Sparshot, who only waited a sign 
 from Nowell to secure him, or knock him down if he attempted 
 to fly, he gave a surly intimation that he was ready to speak. 
 
 " You are aware that a dyke intersects the heath before us, 
 namely, Worston Moor?" said Potts. 
 
 Jem nodded his head. 
 
 " I must request particular attention to your plan as I proceed, 
 Master Nicholas," pursued the attorney. " 1 now wish to be in- 
 formed by you, James Device, whether that dyke cuts through 
 the middle of the moor, or traverses the side ; and if so, which 
 side 1 I desire also to be informed where it commences, and where 
 it ends?" 
 
 Jem scratched his head, and reflected a moment. 
 
 " The matter does not require consideration, sirrah," cried Now- 
 ell. ft I must have an instant answer." 
 
 " So yo shan," replied Jem ; " weel, then, th' dyke begins near 
 a little mound ca'd Turn Heaod, about a hundert yards fro' my 
 dwellin', an runs across th' easterly soide o't moor till it reaches 
 Knowl Bottom." 
 
 " You will swear this ? " cried Potts, scarcely able to conceal 
 his satisfaction." 
 
 " Swere it ! eigh," replied Jem. 
 
 " Eigh, we'n aw swere it," chorused the hinds. 
 
THE PERAMBULATION OF THE BOUNDARIES. 273 
 
 *' I'm delighted to hear it," cried Potts, radiant with delight, 
 <c for your description corresponds exactly with Master Nowell'a 
 plan, and differs materially from that of Mistress Nutter, as Squire 
 Nicholas Assheton will tell you." 
 
 " I cannot deny it," replied Nicholas, in some confusion. 
 
 " Ey should ha' said 6 westerly* i' stead o' ' yeasterly,' " cried 
 Jem, " boh yo puzzle a mon so wi' your lawyerly questins, that 
 he dusna knoa his reet hond fro' his laft." 
 
 " Yeigh, yeigh, we aw meant to say e yeasterly,' " added the 
 hinds. 
 
 " You have sworn the contrary," cried Nowell. " Secure him," 
 he added to the grooms and Sparshot, " and do not let him go till 
 we have completed the survey. We will now see how far the 
 reality corresponds with the description, and what further devilish 
 tricks have been played with the property." 
 
 Upon this the troop was again put in motion, James Device 
 walking between the two grooms, with Sparshot behind him. 
 
 So wonderfully elated was Master Potts by the successful hit 
 he had just made, and which, in his opinion, quite counterbalanced 
 his previous failure, that he could not help communicating his 
 satisfaction to Flint, and this in such manner, that the fiery 
 little animal, who had been for some time exceedingly tractable 
 and good-natured, took umbrage at it, and threatened to dislodge 
 him if he did not desist from his vagaries delivering the hint so 
 clearly and unmistakeably that it was not lost upon his rider, 
 who endeavoured to cairn him down. In proportion as the at- 
 torney's spirits rose, those of James Device and his followers sank, 
 for they felt they were caught in a snare, from which they could 
 not easily escape. 
 
 By this time they had reached the borders of Worston Moor, 
 which had been hitherto concealed by a piece of rising ground, 
 covered with gorse and brushwood, and Jem's hut, together with 
 the clough, the rindle, and the dyke, came distinctly into view. 
 The plans were again produced, and, on comparing them, it ap- 
 peared that the various landmarks were precisely situated as laid 
 down by Mistress Nutter, while their disposition was entirely at 
 variance with James Device's statement. 
 
 Master Potts then rose in his stirrups, and calling for silence, 
 addressed the assemblage. 
 
 ' ' There stands the hut," he said, " and instead of being behind 
 the clough, it is on one side of it, while the door certainly does 
 not face the moor, neither is the rindle in front of the dwelling or 
 near it ; while the dyke, which is the main and important boun- 
 dary line between the properties, runs above two hundred yards 
 further west than formerly. Now, observe the original position 
 of these marks, meres, and boundaries that is, of this hut, this 
 clough, this rindle, and this dyke exactly corresponds with the 
 description given of them by the man Device, who dwells in the 
 
274 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 place, and who is, therefore, a person most likely to be accurately 
 acquainted with the country ; and yet, though he has only been 
 absent two days, changes the most surprising have taken place 
 changes so surprising, indeed, that he scarcely knows the way to 
 his own house, and certainly never could find the path which he 
 has described as leading to Hook Cliff, since it is entirely obliter- 
 ated. Observe, further, all these extraordinary and incompre- 
 hensible changes in the appearance of the country, and in the 
 situation of the marks, meres, and boundaries, are favourable to 
 Mistress Nutter, and give her the advantage she seeks over my 
 honoured and honourable client. They are set down in Mistress 
 Nutter's plan, it is true ; but when, let me ask, was that plan 
 prepared ? In my opinion it was prepared first, and the changes 
 in the land made after it by diabolical fraud and contrivance. I 
 am sorry to have to declare this to you, Master Nicholas, and to 
 you, Master Richard, but such is my firm conviction." 
 
 " And mine, also," added Nowell ; " and I here charge Mistress 
 Nutter with sorcery and witchcraft, and on my return I will im- 
 mediately issue a warrant for her arrest. Sparshot, I command 
 you to attach the person of James Device, for aiding and abetting 
 her in her foul practices." 
 
 " I will help you to take charge of him," said the reeve, riding 
 forward. 
 
 Probably this was done to give Jem a chance of escape, and if 
 so, it was successful, for as the reeve pushed among his captors, and 
 thrust Sparshot aside, the ruffian broke from them ; and running 
 with great swiftness across the moor, plunged into the clough, and 
 disappeared. 
 
 Nicholas and Richard instantly gave chase, as did Master Potts, 
 but the fugitive led them over the treacherous bog in such a 
 manner as to baffle all pursuit. A second disaster here overtook 
 the unlucky attorney, and damped him in his hour of triumph. 
 Flint, who had apparently not forgotten or forgiven the joyous 
 kicks he had recently received from the attorney's heels, came to 
 a sudden halt by the side of the quagmire, and, putting down his 
 head, and flinging up his legs, cast him into it. While Potts was 
 scrambling out, the animal galloped off in the direction of the 
 clough, and had just reached it when he was seized upon by 
 James Device, who suddenly started from the covert, and vaulted 
 upon his back. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. ROUGH LEE. 
 
 ON returning from their unsuccessful pursuit of James Device, 
 the two Asshetons found Roger Nowell haranguing the hinds, who, 
 on the flight of their leader, would have taken to their heels like- 
 wise, if they had not been detained, partly by the energetic efforts 
 
ROUGH LEE. 275 
 
 of Sparshot and the grooms, and partly by the exhortations and 
 menaces of the magistrate and Holden. As it was, two or three 
 contrived to get away, and fled across the moor, whither the reeve 
 pretended to pursue them ; while those left behind were taken 
 sharply to task by Roger Nowell. 
 
 " Listen to me," he cried, " and take good heed to what I say, 
 for it concerns you nearly. Strange and dreadful things have 
 come under my observation on my way hither. I have seen a 
 whole village stricken as by a plague a poor pedlar deprived of 
 the use of his limbs and put in peril of his life and a young 
 maiden, once the pride and ornament of your own village, snatched 
 from a fond father's care, and borne to an untimely grave. These 
 things I have seen with my own eyes; and I am resolved that the 
 perpetrators of these enormities, Mothers Demdike and Chattox, 
 shall be brought to justice. As to you, the deluded victims of 
 the impious hags, I can easily understand why you shut your eyes 
 to their evil doings. Terrified by their threats you submit to 
 their exactions, and so become their slaves slaves of the bond- 
 slaves of Satan. What miserable servitude is this ! By so doing 
 you not only endanger the welfare of your souls, by leaguing with 
 the enemies of Heaven, and render yourselves unworthy to be 
 classed with a religious and Christian people, but you place your 
 lives in jeopardy by becoming accessories to the crimes of those 
 great offenders, and render yourselves liable to like punishment 
 with them. Seeing, then, the imminency of the peril in which 
 you stand, you will do well to avoid it while there is yet time. 
 Nor is this your only risk. Your servitude to Mistress Nutter is 
 equally perilous. What if she be owner of the land you till, and 
 the flocks you tend ! You owe her no fealty. She has forfeited 
 all title to your service and, so far from aiding her, you ought to 
 regard her as a great criminal, whom you are bound to bring to 
 justice. I have now incontestable proofs of her dealing in the 
 black art, and can show that by witchcraft she has altered the face 
 of this country, with the intent to rob me of my land." 
 
 Holden now took up the theme. " The finger of Heaven is 
 pointed against such robbery," he cried. " * Cursed is he,' saith 
 the scripture, 'that removeth his neighbour's landmark/ And 
 again, it is written, ' Cursed is he that smiteth his neighbour 
 secretly.' Both these things hath Mistress Nutter done, and for 
 both shall she incur divine vengeance." 
 
 " Neither shall she escape that of man," added Nowell, severely; 
 " for our sovereign lord hath enacted that all persons employing 
 or rewarding any evil spirit, shall be held guilty of felony, and 
 shall suffer death. And death will be her portion, for such de- 
 moniacal agency most assuredly hath she employed." 
 
 The magistrate here paused for a moment to regard his audience, 
 and reading in their terrified looks that his address had produced 
 the desired impression, he continued with increased severity 
 
276 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " These wicked women shall trouble the land no longer. They 
 shall be arrested and brought to judgment ; and if you do not 
 heartily bestir yourselves in their capture, and undertake to ap- 
 pear in evidence against them, you shall be held and dealt with 
 as accessories in their crimes." 
 
 Upon this, the hinds, who were greatly alarmed, declared with 
 one accord their willingness to act as the magistrate should direct. 
 
 " You do wisely," cried Potts, who by this time had made his 
 way back to the assemblage, covered from head to foot with ooze, 
 as on his former misadventure. " Mistress Nutter and the two 
 old hags who hold you in thrall would lead you to destruction. 
 For understand it is the firm determination of my respected client, 
 Master Koger No well, as well as of myself, not to relax in our exer- 
 tions till the whole of these pestilent witches who trouble the country 
 be swept away, and to spare none who assist and uphold them." 
 
 The hinds stared aghast, for so grim was the appearance of the 
 attorney, that they almost thought Hobthurst, the lubber-fiend, 
 was addressing them. 
 
 At this moment old Henry Mitton came up. He had partially 
 recovered from the stunning effects of the blow dealt him by 
 James Device, but his head was cut open, and his white locks 
 were dabbled in blood. Pushing his way through the assemblage, 
 he stood before the magistrate. 
 
 c< If yo want a witness agen that foul murtheress and witch, 
 Alice Nutter, ca' me, Master Roger Nowell," he said. " Ey con 
 tay my Bible oath that the whole feace o' this keawntry has been 
 chaunged sin yester neet, by her hondywark. Ca' me also to 
 speak to her former life to her intimacy wi' Mother Demdike 
 an owd Chattox. Ca' me to prove her constant attendance at 
 devils' sabbaths on Pendle Hill, and elsewhere, wi' other black 
 and damning offences an among 'em the murder, by witchcraft, 
 o' her husband, Euchot Nutter." 
 
 A thrill of horror pervaded the assemblage at this denunciation; 
 and Master Potts, who was being cleansed from his sable stains 
 by one of the grooms, cried out 
 
 " This is the very man for us, my excellent client. Your name 
 and abode, friend?" 
 
 " Harry Mitton o' Rough Lee," replied the old man. " Ey 
 ha' dwelt there seventy year an uppards, an ha' known the 
 feyther and granfeyther o' Ruchot Nutter, an also Alice Nutter, 
 when hoo war Alice Assheton. Ca' me, sir, an aw* ye want to 
 knoa ye shan lam." 
 
 " We will call you, my good friend," said Potts ; " and, if you 
 have sustained any private wrongs from Mistress Nutter, they 
 shall be amply redressed." 
 
 " Ey ha' endured much ot her honts," rejoined Mitton ; " boh 
 ey dunna speak o' mysel'. It be high time that Owd Scrat should 
 lia' his claws dipt, an honest folk be allowed to live in peace." 
 
ROUGH LEE. 277 
 
 " Very true, my worthy friend very true," assented Potts. 
 
 An immediate return to Whalley was now proposed by Nowell; 
 but Master Potts was of opinion that, as they were in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Malkin Tower, they should proceed thither at once, 
 and effect the arrest of Mother Demdike, after which Mother 
 Chattox could be. sought out and secured. The presence of these 
 two witches would be most important, he declared, in the exami- 
 nation of Mistress Nutter. Hue and cry for the fugitive, James 
 Device, ought also to be made throughout the forest." 
 
 Confounded by what they heard, Richard and Nicholas had 
 hitherto taken no part in the proceedings, but they now seconded 
 Master Potts's proposition, hoping that the time occupied by the 
 visit to Malkin Tower would prove serviceable to Mistress 
 Nutter; for they did not doubt that intelligence would be 
 conveyed to her by some of her agents, of Nowell's intention 
 to arrest her. 
 
 Additional encouragement was given to the plan by the arrival 
 of Richard Baldwyn, who, at this juncture, rode furiously up to 
 the party. 
 
 " Weel, han yo settled your business here, Mester Nowell ? " 
 he asked, in breathless anxiety. 
 
 rt We have so far settled it, that we have established proofs of 
 witchcraft against Mistress Nutter," replied Nowell. " Can you 
 speak to her character, Baldwyn ? " 
 
 " Yeigh, that ey con," rejoined the miller, " an nowt good. 
 Ey wish to see aw these mischeevous witches burnt ; an that's 
 why ey ha' ridden efter yo, Mester Nowell. Ey want your help 
 os a magistrate agen Mother Demdike. Yo ha a constable wi' 
 ye, and so can arrest her at wonst." 
 
 " You have come most opportunely, Baldwyn," observed Potts. 
 " We were just considering whether we should go to Malkin 
 Tower." 
 
 " Then decide upon 't," rejoined the miller, " or th' owd hag 
 win escape ye. Tak her unaweares." 
 
 " I don't know that we shall take her unawares, Baldwyn," 
 said Potts ; " but I am decidedly of opinion that we should go 
 thither without delay. Is Malkin Tower far off?" 
 
 " About a mile fro' Rough Lee," replied the miller. " Go back 
 wi' me to t' mill, where yo con refresh yourselves, an ey'n get 
 together some dozen o' my friends, an then we'n aw go up to t' 
 Tower together." 
 
 " A very good suggestion," said Potts ; rt and no doubt Master 
 Nowell will accede to it." 
 
 " We have force enough already, it appears to me," observed 
 Nowell. 
 
 " I should think so," replied Richard. " Some dozen men, 
 armed, against a poor defenceless old woman, are surely enough." 
 
 " Owd, boh neaw defenceless, Mester Ruchot," rejoined Bald- 
 
278 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 wyn. " Yo canna go i' too great force on an expedition like this. 
 Malkin Tower is a varry strong place, os yo'n find." 
 
 " Well," said Nowell, u since we are here, I agree with Master 
 Potts, that it would be better to secure these two offenders, and 
 convey them to Whalley, where their examination can be taken 
 at the same time with that of Mistress Nutter. We therefore 
 accept your offer of refreshment, Bald wyn, as some of our party 
 may stand in need of it, and will at once proceed to the mill." 
 
 " Well resolved, sir," said Potts. 
 
 " We'n tae th' owd witch, dead or alive," cried Baldwyn. 
 
 " Alive we must have her alive, good Baldwyn," said Potts. 
 " You must see her perish at the stake." 
 
 " Reet, mon," cried the miller, his eyes blazing with fury ; 
 u that's true vengeance. Ey'n ride whoam an get aw ready fo ye. 
 Yo knoa t' road." 
 
 So saying, he struck spurs into his horse and galloped off. 
 Scarcely was he gone than the reeve, who had kept out of his 
 sight, came forward. 
 
 " Since you have resolved upon going to Malkin Tower," he 
 said to Nowell, " and have a sufficiently numerous party for the 
 purpose, my further attendance can be dispensed with. I will 
 ride in search of James Device." 
 
 " Do so," replied the magistrate, " and let hue and cry be made 
 after him." 
 
 " It shall be," replied the reeve, te and, if taken, he shall be 
 conveyed to Whalley." 
 
 And he made towards the clough, as if with the intention of 
 putting his words into execution. 
 
 Word was now given to set forward, and Master Potts having 
 been accommodated with a horse by one of the grooms, who 
 proceeded on foot, the party began to retrace their course to the 
 mill. 
 
 They were soon again by the side of Pendle Water, and ere- 
 long reached Rough Lee. As they rode through the close at the 
 back of the mansion, Roger Nowell halted for a moment, and 
 observed with a grim smile to Richard 
 
 " Never more shall Mistress Nutter enter that house. Within 
 a week she shall be lodged in Lancaster Castle, as a felon of the 
 darkest dye, and she shall meet a felon's fate. And not only 
 shall she be sent thither, but all her partners in guilt Mother 
 Demdike and her accursed brood, the Devices ; old Chattox and 
 her grand- daughter, Nance Redferne : not one shall escape." 
 
 " Y"ou do not include Alizon Device in your list?" cried 
 Richard. 
 
 " I include all I will spare none," rejoined Nowell, sternly. 
 
 " Then I will move no further with you," said Richard. 
 
 " How !" cried Nowell, " are you an upholder of these witches? 
 Beware what you do, young man. Beware how you take part 
 
ROUGH LEE. 279 
 
 with them. You will bring suspicion upon yourself, and get en- 
 tangled in a net from which you will not easily escape." 
 
 " I care not what may happen to me," rejoined Richard ; " I 
 will never lend myself to gross injustice such as you are about 
 to practise. Since you announce your intention of including the 
 innocent with the guilty, of exterminating a whole family for the 
 crimes of one or two of its members, I have done. You have 
 made dark accusations against Mistress Nutter, but you have 
 proved nothing. You assert that, by witchcraft, she has changed 
 the features of your land, but in what way can you make good 
 the charge ? Old Mitton has, indeed, volunteered himself as a 
 witness against her, and has accused her of most heinous offences ; 
 but he has at the same time shown that he is her enemy, and his 
 testimony will be regarded with doubt. I will not believe her 
 guilty on mere suspicion, and I deny that you have aught more 
 to proceed upon." 
 
 " I shall not argue the point with you now, sir," replied Nowell, 
 angrily. " Mistress Nutter will be fairly tried, and if I fail in 
 my proofs against her, she will be acquitted. But I have little 
 fear of such a result," he added, with a sinister smile. 
 
 "You are confident, sir, because you know there would be 
 every disposition to find her guilty," replied Richard. "She 
 will not be fairly tried. All the prejudices of ignorance and 
 superstition, heightened by the published opinions of the King, will 
 be arrayed against her. Were she as free from crime, or thought 
 of crime, as the new-born babe, once charged with the horrible 
 and inexplicable offence of witchcraft, she would scarce escape. 
 You go determined to destroy her." 
 
 " I will not deny it," said Roger Nowell, " and I am satisfied 
 that I shall render good service to society by freeing it from so 
 vile a member. So abhorrent is the crime of witchcraft, that 
 were my own son suspected, I would be the first to deliver him 
 to justice. Like a noxious and poisonous plant, the offence has 
 taken deep root in this country, and is spreading its baneful 
 influence around, so that, if it be not extirpated, it may spring up 
 anew, and cause incalculable mischief. But it shall now be effec- 
 tually checked. Of the families I have mentioned, not one shall 
 escape; and if Mistress Nutter herself had a daughter, she should 
 be brought to judgment. In such cases, children must suffer for 
 the sins of the parents." 
 
 " You have no regard, then, for their innocence?" said Richard, 
 who felt as if a weight of calamity was crushing him down. 
 
 " Their innocence must be proved at the proper tribunal," 
 rejoined Nowell. " It is not for me to judge them." 
 
 " But you do judge them," cried Richard, sharply. " In making 
 the charge, you know that you pronounce the sentence of con- 
 demnation as well. This is why the humane man why the just 
 man would hesitate to bring an accusation, even where he sus- 
 
280 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 pected guilt but where suspicion could not possibly attach, he 
 would never suffer himself, however urged on by feelings of ani- 
 mosity, to injure the innocent." 
 
 "You ascribe most unworthy motives to me, young sir," 
 rejoined Nowell, sternly. " I am influenced only by a desire to 
 see justice administered, and I shall not swerve from my duty v 
 because my humanity may be called in question by a love-sick 
 boy. I understand why you plead thus warmly for these infa- 
 mous persons. You are enthralled by the beauty of the young 
 witch, Alizon Device. I noted how you were struck by her 
 yesterday and I heard what Sir Thomas Metcalfe said on the 
 subject. But take heed what you do. You may jeopardise both 
 soul and body in the indulgence of this fatal passion. Witchcraft 
 is exercised in many ways. Its professors have not only power 
 to maim and to kill, and to do other active mischief, but to 
 ensnare the affections and endanger the souls of their victims, by 
 enticing them to unhallowed love. Alizon Device is comely to 
 view, no doubt, but who shall say whence her beauty is derived? 
 Hell may have arrayed her in its fatal charms. Sin is beautiful, 
 but all-destructive. And the time will come when you may 
 thank me for delivering you from the snares of this seductive siren." 
 Richard uttered an angry exclamation. 
 
 " Not now I do not expect it you are too much besotted by 
 her," pursued Nowell; " but I conjure you to cast off this wicked 
 and senseless passion, which, unless checked, will lead you to 
 perdition. You have heard what abominable rites are practised 
 at those unholy meetings called Devil's Sabbaths, and how can 
 you say that some demon may not be your rival in Alizon' s love ? " 
 " You pass all licence, sir," cried Richard, infuriated past 
 endurance ; " and, if you do not instantly retract the infamous 
 accusation you have made, neither your age nor your office shall 
 protect you." 
 
 " I can fortunately protect myself, young man," replied Nowell, 
 coldly ; " and if aught were wanting to confirm my suspicions 
 that you were under some evil influence, it would be supplied by 
 your present conduct. You are bewitched by this girl." 
 " It is false !" cried Richard. 
 
 And he raised his hand against the magistrate, when Nicholas 
 quickly interposed. 
 
 " Nay, cousin Dick," cried the squire, " this must not be. 
 You must take other means of defending the poor girl, whose 
 innocence I will maintain as stoutly as yourself. But, since 
 Master Roger Nowell is resolved to proceed to extremities, I shall 
 likewise take leave to retire." 
 
 " Your pardon, sir," rejoined Nowell; "you will not withdraw 
 till I think fit. Master Richard Assheton, forgetful alike of the 
 respect due to age and constituted authority, has ventured to 
 raise his hand against me, for which, if I chose, I could place him, 
 
ROUGH LEE. 281 
 
 in immediate arrest. But I have no such intention. On the 
 contrary, I am willing to overlook the insult, attributing it to the 
 frenzy by which he is possessed. But both he and you, Master 
 Nicholas, are mistaken if you suppose I will permit you to retire. 
 As a magistrate in the exercise of my office, I call upon you both 
 to aid me in the capture of the two notorious witches, Mothers 
 Demdike and Chattox, and not to desist or depart from me till 
 such capture be effected. You know the penalty of refusal." 
 
 " Heavy fine or imprisonment, at the option of the magistrate," 
 remarked Potts. 
 
 " My cousin Nicholas will do as he pleases," observed Richard ; 
 et but, for my part, I will not stir a step further." 
 
 "Nor will I," added Nicholas, " unless I have Master Newell' s 
 solemn pledge that he will take no proceedings against Alizon 
 Device." 
 
 '* You can give no such assurance, sir," whispered Potts, seeing 
 that the magistrate wavered in his resolution. 
 
 " You must go, then," said Nowell, u and take the consequences 
 of your refusal to act with me. Your relationship to Mistress 
 Nutter will not tell in your favour." 
 
 (e I understand the implied threat," said Nicholas, " and laugh 
 at it. Richard, lad, I am with you. Let him catch the witches 
 himself, if he can. I will not budge an inch further with him." 
 
 " Farewell, then, gentlemen," replied Roger Nowell ; " I am 
 sorry to part company with you thus, but when next we meet " 
 and he paused. 
 
 " We meet as enemies, I presume" supplied Nicholas. 
 
 " We meet no longer as friends," rejoined the magistrate, 
 coldly. 
 
 With this he moved forward with the rest of the troop, while 
 the two Asshetons, after a moment's consultation, passed through 
 a gate and made their way to the back of the mansion, where they 
 found one or two men on the look-out, from whom they received 
 intelligence, which induced them immediately to spring from their 
 horses and hurry into the house. 
 
 Arrived at the principal entrance of the mansion, which was 
 formed by large gates of open iron-work, admitting a view of the 
 garden and front of the house, Roger Nowell again called a halt, 
 and Master Potts, at his request, addressed the porter and two 
 other serving-men who were standing in the garden, in this 
 fashion 
 
 u Pay attention to what I say to you, my men," he cried in a 
 loud and authoritative voice " a warrant will this day be issued 
 for the arrest of Alice Nutter of Rough Lee, in whose service 
 you have hitherto dwelt, and who is charged with the dreadful 
 crime of witchcraft, and with invoking, consulting, and covenanting 
 with, entertaining, employing, feeding, and rewarding evil spirits, 
 contrary to the laws of God and man, and in express violation of 
 
282 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 his Majesty's statute. Now take notice, that if the said Alice 
 Nutter shall at any time hereafter return to this her former abode, 
 or take refuge within it, you are hereby bound to deliver her up 
 forthwith to the nearest constable, to be by him brought before 
 the worshipful Master Roger Nowell of Read, in this county, so 
 that she may be examined by him on these charges. You hear 
 what I have said?" 
 
 The men exchanged significant glances, but made no reply. 
 
 Potts was about to address them, but to his surprise he saw 
 the central door of the house thrown open, and Mistress Nutter 
 issue from it. She marched slowly and majestically down the 
 broad gravel walk towards the gate. The attorney could scarcely 
 believe his eyes, and he exclaimed to the magistrate with a 
 chuckle 
 
 " Who would have thought of this ! We have her safe enough 
 now. Ha! ha!" 
 
 But no corresponding smile played upon NowelTs hard lips. 
 His gaze was fixed inquiringly upon the lady. 
 
 Another surprise. From the same door issued Alizon Device, 
 escorted by Nicholas and Richard Assheton, who walked on 
 either side of her, and the three followed Mistress Nutter slowly 
 down the broad walk. Such a display seemed to argue no want 
 of confidence. Alizon did not look towards the group outside 
 the gates, but seemed listening eagerly to what Richard was 
 saying to her. 
 
 " So, Master Nowell," cried Mistress Nutter, boldly, (e since 
 you find yourself defeated in the claims you have made against 
 my property, you are seeking to revenge yourself, I understand, by 
 bringing charges against me as false as they are calumnious. 
 But I defy your malice, and can defend myself against your 
 violence." 
 
 " If I could be astonished at any thing in you, madam, I should 
 be at your audacity," rejoined Nowell, " but I am glad that you 
 have presented yourself before me ; for it was my fixed intention, 
 on my return to Whalley, to cause your arrest, and your unex- 
 pected appearance here enables me to put my design into 
 execution somewhat sooner than I anticipated." 
 
 Mistress Nutter laughed scornfully. 
 
 " Sparshot," vociferated Nowell, " enter those gates, and arrest 
 the lady in the King's name." 
 
 The beadle looked irresolute. He did not like the task. 
 
 " The gates are fastened," cried Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Force them open, then," roared Nowell, dismounting and 
 shaking them furiously. " Bring me a heavy stone. By heaven ! 
 I will not be baulked of my prey." 
 
 " My servants are armed," cried Mistress Nutter, " and the 
 first man who enters shall pay the penalty of his rashness with life, 
 Bring me a petronel, Blackadder." 
 
BOUGH LEE. 283 
 
 The order was promptly obeyed by the ill-favoured attendant, 
 who was stationed near the gate. 
 
 " I am in earnest, said Mistress Nutter," aiming the 
 petronel, " and seldom miss my mark." 
 
 " Give attention to me, my men," cried Roger Nowell. " I 
 charge you in the King's name to throw open the gate." 
 
 " And I charge you in mine to keep it fast," rejoined Mistress 
 Nutter. " We shall see who will be obeyed." 
 
 One of the grooms now advanced with a large stone taken from 
 an adjoining wall, which he threw with great force against the 
 
 fates, but though it shook them violently the fastenings continued 
 nn. Blackadder and the two other serving-men, all of whom 
 were armed with halberts, now advanced to the gates, and, 
 thrusting the points of their weapons through the bars, drove 
 back those who were near them. 
 
 A short consultation now took place between Nowell and Potts, 
 after which the latter, taking care to keep out of the reach of the 
 halberts, thus delivered himself in a loud voice: 
 
 " Alice Nutter, in order to avoid the serious consequences which 
 might ensue were the necessary measures taken to effect a forcible 
 entrance into your habitation, the worshipful Master Nowell has 
 thought fit to grant you an hour's respite for reflection ; at the 
 expiration of which time he trusts that you, seeing the futility of 
 resisting the law, will quietly yield yourself a prisoner. Other- 
 wise, no further leniency will be shown you and those who may 
 uphold you in your contumacy." 
 
 Mistress Nutter laughed loudly and contemptuously. 
 
 " At the same time," pursued Potts, on a suggestion from the 
 magistrate, " Master Roger Nowell demands that Alizon Device, 
 daughter of Elizabeth Device, whom he beholds in your company, 
 and who is likewise suspected of witchcraft, be like wised delivered 
 up to him." 
 
 " Aught more ? " inquired Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Only this," replied Potts, in a taunting tone, " the worshipful 
 magistrate would offer a friendly counsel to Master Nicholas 
 Assheton, and Master Richard Assheton,whom, to his infinite sur- 
 prise, he perceives in a hostile position before him, that they in 
 nowise interfere with his injunctions, but, on the contrary, lend 
 their aid in furtherance of them, otherwise he may be compelled 
 to adopt measures towards them, which must be a source of regret 
 to him. I have furthermore to state, on the part of his worship, 
 that strict watch will be kept at all the approaches of your house, 
 and that no one, on any pretence whatever, during the appointed 
 tune of respite, will be suffered to enter it, or depart from it. In 
 an hour his worship will return." 
 
 " And in an hour he shall have my answer," replied Mistress 
 Nutter, turning away. 
 
284 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. HOW ROUGH LEE WAS DEFENDED 
 BY NICHOLAS. 
 
 WHEN skies are darkest, and storms are gathering thickest 
 overhead, the star of love will oft shine out with greatest bril- 
 liancy ; and so, while Mistress Nutter was hurling defiance against 
 her foes at the gate, and laughing their menaces to scorn while 
 those very foes were threatening Alizon's liberty and life she 
 had become wholly insensible to the peril environing her, and 
 almost unconscious of any other presence save that of Richard, 
 now her avowed lover ; for, impelled by the irresistible violence 
 of his feelings, the young man had chosen that moment, apparently 
 so unpropitious, and so fraught with danger and alarm, for the 
 declaration of his passion, and the offer of his life in her service. 
 A few low-murmured words were all Alizon could utter in reply, 
 but they were enough. They told Richard his passion was re- 
 quited, and his devotion fully appreciated. Sweet were those 
 moments to both sweet, though sad. Like Alizon, her lover 
 had become insensible to all around him. Engrossed by one 
 thought and one object, he was lost to aught else, and was only at 
 last aroused to what was passing by the squire, who, having good- 
 naturedly removed to a little distance from the pair, now gave 
 utterance to a low whistle, to let them know that Mistress Nutter 
 was coming towards them. The lady, however, did not stop, but 
 motioning them to follow, entered the house. 
 
 u You have heard what has passed," she said. " In an hour 
 Master No well threatens to return and arrest me and Alizon." 
 
 " That shall never be," cried Richard, with a passionate look at 
 the young girl. " We will defend you with our lives." 
 
 " Much may be done in an hour," observed Nicholas to Mis- 
 tress Nutter, " and my advice to you is to use the time allowed 
 you in making good your retreat, so that, when the hawks come 
 back, they may find the doves flown." 
 
 " I have no intention of quitting my dovecot," ^replied Mistress 
 Nutter, with a bitter smile. 
 
 " Unless you are forcibly taken from it, I suppose," said the 
 squire; (i a contingency not impossible if you await Roger Nowell's 
 return. This time, be assured, he will not go away empty-handed." 
 
 " He may not go away at all," rejoined Mistress Nutter, sternly. 
 
 t( Then you mean to make a determined resistance ? " said 
 Nicholas. " Recollect that you are resisting the law. I wish I 
 could induce you to resort to the safer expedient of flight. This 
 affair is already dark and perplexed enough, and does not require 
 further complication. Find any place of concealment, no matter 
 where, till some arrangement can be made with Roger Nowell." 
 
 " I should rather urge you to fly, Nicholas," rejoined the lady ; 
 " for it is evident you have strong misgivings as to the justice of 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS DEFENDED BY NICHOLAS. 285 
 
 my cause, and would not willingly compromise yourself. I will 
 not surrender to this magistrate, because, by so doing, my life 
 would assuredly be forfeited, for my innocence could never be 
 established before the iniquitous and bloody tribunal to which I 
 should be brought. Neither, for the same reason, will I surrender 
 Alizon, who, with a refinement of malignity, has been similarly 
 accused. I shall now proceed to make preparations for my de- 
 fence. Go, if you think fitting or stay but if you do stay, I 
 shall calculate upon your active services." 
 
 " You may," replied the squire. " Whatever I may think, I 
 admire your spirit, and will stand by you. But time is passing, 
 and the foe will return and find us engaged in deliberation when 
 we ought to be prepared. You have a dozen men on the premises 
 on whom you can rely. Half of these must be placed at the back 
 of the house to prevent any entrance from being effected in that 
 quarter. The rest can remain within the entrance hall, and be 
 ready to rush forth when summoned by us; but we will not so 
 summon them unless we are hardly put to it, and their aid is in- 
 dispensable. All should be well armed, but I trust they will not 
 have to use their weapons. Are you agreed to this, madam ? " 
 
 "I am,'' replied Mistress Nutter, "and I will give instant 
 directions that your wishes are complied with. All approaches 
 to the back of the house shall be strictly guarded as you direct, 
 and my trusty man, Blackadder, on whose fidelity and courage I 
 can entirely rely, shall take the command of the party in the hall, 
 and act under your orders. Your prowess will not be unobserved, 
 for Alizon and I shall be in the upper room commanding the gar- 
 den, whence we can see all that takes place." 
 
 A slight smile was exchanged between the lovers ; but it was 
 evident, from her anxious looks, that Alizon did not share in Rich- 
 ard's confidence. An opportunity, however, was presently afforded 
 him of again endeavouring to reassure her, for Mistress Nutter 
 went forth to give Blackadder his orders, and Nicholas betook 
 himself to the back of the house to ascertain, from personal inspec- 
 tion, its chance of security. 
 
 " You are still uneasy, dear Alizon," said Richard, taking her 
 hand ; " but do not be cast down. No harm shall befall you." 
 
 " It is not for myself I am apprehensive," she replied, " but for 
 you, wlio are about to expose yourself to needless risk in this 
 encounter ; and, if any thing] should happen to you, I shall be for 
 ever wretched. I would far rather you left me to my fate." 
 
 " And can you think I would allow you to be borne away a 
 captive to ignominy and certain destruction?" cried Richard. 
 " No, I will shed my heart's best blood before such a calamity 
 shall occur." 
 
 "Alas!" said Alizon, "I have no means of requiting your 
 devotion. All I can offer you in return is my love, and that, I 
 fear, will prove fatal to you." 
 
286 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Oh ! do not say so," cried Richard. " Why should this sad 
 presentiment still haunt you? I strove to chase it away just now, 
 and hoped I had succeeded. You are dearer to me than life. 
 Why, therefore, should I not risk it in your defence ? And why 
 should your love prove fatal to me 1 " 
 
 " I know not," replied Alizon, in a tone of deepest anguish, 
 " but I feel as if my destiny were evil ; and that, against my will, 
 I shall drag those I most love on earth into the same dark gulf 
 with myself. I have the greatest affection for your sister Doro- 
 thy, and yet I have been the unconscious instrument of injury to 
 her. And you too, Richard, who are yet dearer to me, are now 
 put in peril on my account. I fear, too, when you know my 
 whole history, you will think of me as a thing of evil, and shun me." 
 "What mean you, Alizon?" he cried. 
 
 " Richard, I can have no secrets from you," she replied ; " and 
 though I was forbidden to tell you what 1 am now about to dis- 
 close, I will not withhold it. I was born in this house, and am 
 the daughter of its mistress." 
 
 " You tell me only what I guessed, Alizon," rejoined the young 
 man ; " but I see nothing in this why I should shun you." 
 
 Alizon hid her face for a moment in her hands; and then look- 
 ing up, said wildly and hurriedly, st Would I had never known 
 the secret of my birth ; or, knowing it, had never seen what I 
 beheld last night!" 
 
 " What did you behold?" asked Richard, greatly agitated. 
 " Enough to convince me, that in gaining a mother I was lost 
 myself," replied Alizon ; " for oh ! how can I survive the shock 
 of telling you I am bound, by ties that can never be dissevered, 
 to one abandoned alike of God and man who has devoted herself 
 to the Fiend!" Pity me, Richard pity me, and shun me !" 
 
 There was a moment's dreadful pause, which the young man 
 was unable to break. 
 
 " Was I not right in saying my love would be fatal to you ? " 
 continued Alizon. " Fly from me while you can, Richard. Fly 
 from this house, or you are lost for ever !" 
 
 " Never, never ! I will not stir without you," cried Richard. 
 " Come with me, and escape all the dangers by which you are 
 menaced, and leave your sinning parent to the doom she so richly 
 merits." 
 
 " No, no ; sinful though she be, she is still my mother. I can- 
 not leave her," cried Alizon. 
 
 " If you stay, I stay, be the consequences what they may," 
 replied the young man ; " but you have rendered my arm power- 
 less by what you have told me. How can I defend one whom I 
 know to be guilty ? " 
 
 " Therefore I urge you to fly," she rejoined. 
 " I can reconcile myself to it thus," said Richard " in defend- 
 ing you, whom I know to be innocent, I cannot avoid defending 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS DEFENDED BY NICHOLAS. 287 
 
 her. The plea is not a good one, but it will suffice to allay my 
 scruples of conscience." 
 
 At this moment Mistress Nutter entered the hall, followed by 
 Blackadder and three other men, armed with calivers. 
 
 " All is ready, Richard," she said, " and it wants but a few 
 minutes of the appointed time. Perhaps you shrink from the 
 task you have undertaken?" she added, regarding him shaq>ly ; 
 " if so, say so at once, and I will adopt my own line of defence." 
 " Nay, I shall be ready to go forth in a moment," rejoined the 
 young man, glancing at Alizon. " Where is Nicholas?" 
 
 (s Here," replied the squire, clapping him on the shoulder. 
 "All is secure at the back of the house, and the horses are 
 coming round. We must mount at once." 
 Richard arose without a word. 
 
 " Blackadder will attend to your orders," said Mistress Nutter; 
 " he only waits a sign from you to issue forth with his three com- 
 panions, or to fire through the windows upon the aggressors, if 
 you see occasion for it." 
 
 " I trust it will not come to such a pass," rejoined the squire ; 
 " a few blows from these weapons will convince them we are in 
 earnest, and will, I hope, save further trouble." 
 
 And as he spoke he took down a couple of stout staves, and 
 gave one of them to Richard. 
 
 " Farewell, then, preux chevaliers" cried Mistress Nutter, with 
 affected gaiety ; " demean yourselves valiantly, and remember 
 that bright eyes will be upon you. Now, Alizon, to our 
 chamber." 
 
 Richard did not hazard a look at the young girl as she quitted 
 the hall with her mother, but followed the squire mechanically 
 into the garden, where they found the horses. Scarcely were 
 they mounted than a loud hubbub, arising from the little village, 
 proclaimed that their opponents had arrived, and presently after 
 a large company of horse and foot appeared at the gate. 
 
 At sight of the large force brought against them, the counte- 
 nance of the squire lost its confident and jovial expression. He 
 counted nearly forty men, each of whom was armed in some way 
 or other, and began to fear the affair would terminate awkwardly, 
 and entail unpleasant consequences upon himself and his cousin. 
 He was, therefore, by no means at his ease. As to Richard, he 
 did not dare to ask himself how things would end, neither did he 
 know how to act. His mind was in utter confusion, and his 
 breast oppressed as if by a nightmare. He cast one look towards 
 the upper window, and beheld at it the white face of Mistress 
 Nutter, intently gazing at what was going forward, but Alizon 
 was not to be seen. 
 
 Within the last half hour the sky had darkened, and a heavy 
 cloud hung over the house, threatening a storm. Richard hoped 
 it would come on fiercely and fast. 
 
288 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Meanwhile, Roger Nowell had dismounted and advanced to 
 the gate. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he cried, addressing the two Asshetons, f( I 
 expected to find free access given to me and my followers ; but 
 as these gates are still barred against me, I call upon you, as 
 loyal subjects of the King, not to resist or impede the course of 
 law, but to throw them instantly open." 
 
 "You must unbar them yourself, Master Nowell," replied 
 Nicholas. " We shall give you no help." 
 
 " Nor offer any opposition, I hope, sir ? " said the magistrate, 
 sternly. 
 
 " You are twenty to one, or thereabout," returned the squire, 
 with a laugh ; " we shall stand a poor chance with you." 
 
 "But other defensive and offensive preparations have been 
 made, I doubt not," said Nowell ; " nay, I descry some armed 
 men through the windows of the hall. Before coming to extre- 
 mities, I will make a last appeal to you and your kinsman. I 
 have granted Mistress Nutter and the girl with her an hour's 
 delay, in the hope that, seeing the futility of resistance, they 
 would quietly surrender. But I find my clemency thrown away, 
 and undue advantage taken of the time allowed for respite; 
 therefore, I shall show them no further consideration. But to 
 you, my friends, I would offer a last warning. Forget not that 
 you are acting in direct opposition to the law ; that we are here 
 armed with full authority and power to carry out our intentions ; 
 and that all opposition on your part will be fruitless, and will be 
 visited upon you hereafter with severe pains and penalties. For- 
 get not, also, that your characters will be irrecoverably damaged 
 from your connexion with parties charged with the heinous offence 
 of witchcraft. Meddle not, therefore, in the matter, but go your 
 ways, or, if you would act as best becomes you, aid me in the 
 arrest of the offenders." 
 
 " Master Roger Nowell," replied Nicholas, walking his horse 
 slowly towards the gate, " as you have given me a caution, I will 
 give you one in return; and that is, to put a bridle on your 
 tongue when you address gentlemen, or, by my fay, you are 
 likely to get answers little to your taste. You have said that 
 our characters are likely to suffer in this transaction, but, in my 
 humble opinion, they will not suffer so much as your own. ^ The 
 magistrate who uses the arm of the law for purposes of private 
 vengeance, and who brings a false raid foul charge against his 
 enemy, knowing that it cannot be repelled, is not entitled to any 
 particular respect or honour. Thus have you acted towards 
 Mistress Nutter. Defeated by her in the boundary question, 
 without leaving its decision to those to whom you had referred 
 it, you instantly accuse her of witchcraft, and seek to destroy 
 her, as well as an innocent and unoffending girl, by whom she is 
 attended. Is such conduct worthy of you, or likely to redound 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS DEFENDED BY NICHOLAS. 289 
 
 to your credit 1 I think not. But this is not all. Aided by 
 your crafty and unscrupulous ally, Master Potcs, you get together 
 a number of Mistress Nutter's tenants, and, by threats and mis- 
 representations, induce them to become instruments of your 
 vengeance. But when these misguided men come to know the 
 truth of the case when they learn that you have no proofs 
 whatever against Mistress Nutter, and that you are influenced 
 solely by animosity to her, they are quite as likely to desert you 
 as to stand by you. At all events, we are determined to resist 
 this unjust arrest, and, at the hazard of our lives, to oppose your 
 entrance into the house." 
 
 Nowell and Potts were greatly exasperated by this speech, but 
 they were little prepared for its consequences. Many of 
 those who had been induced to accompany them, as has been 
 shown, wavered in their resolution of acting against Mistress 
 Nutter, but they now began to declare in her favour. In vain 
 Potts repeated all his former arguments. They were no longer of 
 any avail. Of the troop assembled at the gate more than half 
 inarched off, and shaped their course towards the rear of the 
 house with what intention it was easy to surmise while of those 
 who remained it was very doubtful whether the whole of them 
 would act. 
 
 The result of his oration was quite as surprising to Nicholas as 
 to his opponents, and, enchanted by the effect of his eloquence, he 
 could not help glancing up at the window, where he perceived 
 Mistress Nutter, whose smiles showed that she was equally well 
 pleased. 
 
 Seeing that, if any further desertions took place, his chances 
 would be at an end, with a menacing gesture at the squire, Koger 
 Nowell ordered the attack to commence immediately. 
 
 While some of his men, amongst whom were Baldwyn and old 
 Mitton, battered against the gate with stones, another party, 
 headed by Potts, scaled the walls, which, though of considerable 
 height, presented no very serious obstacles in the way of active 
 assailants. Elevated on the shoulders of Sparshot, Potts was 
 soon on the summit of the wall, and was about to drop into the 
 garden, when he heard a sound that caused him to suspend his 
 intention. 
 
 " What are you about to do, cousin Nicholas ? " inquired 
 .Richard, as the word of assault was given by the magistrate. 
 
 " Let loose Mistress Nutter's stag-hounds upon them," replied 
 the squire. " They are kept in leash by a varlet stationed 
 behind yon yew-tree hedge, who only awaits my signal to let 
 them slip ; and by my faith it is time he had it." 
 
 As he spoke, he applied a dog-whistle to his lips, and, blowing 
 a loud call, it was immediately answered by a savage barking, and 
 half a dozen hounds, rough-haired, of prodigious size and power, 
 
 u 
 
290 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 resembling in make, colour, and ferocity, the Irish wolf-hound, 
 bounded towards him. 
 
 a Aha!" exclaimed Nicholas, clapping his hands to encourage 
 them : ft we could have dispersed the whole rout with these 
 assistants. Hyke, Tristam ! hyke, Hubert ! Upon them ! - 
 upon them ! " 
 
 It was the savage barking of the hounds that had caught the 
 ears of the alarmed attorney, and made him desirous to scramble 
 back again. But this was no such easy matter. Sparshot's 
 broad shoulders were wanting to place his feet upon, and while he 
 was bruising his knees against the roughened sides of the wall, 
 in vain attempts to raise himself to the top of it unaided, Hubert's 
 sharp teeth met in the calf of his leg, while those of Tristam were 
 fixed in the skirts of his doublet, and penetrated deeply into the 
 flesh that filled it. A terrific yell proclaimed the attorney's 
 anguish and alarm, and he redoubled his efforts to escape. But, 
 if before it was difficult to get up, the feat was now impossible. 
 All he could do was to cling with desperate tenacity to the coping 
 of the wall, for he made no doubt, if dragged down, he should be 
 torn in pieces. Roaring lustily for help, he besought Nicholas to 
 have compassion upon him; but the squire appeared little moved 
 by his distress, and laughed heartily at his yells and vociferations. 
 
 " You will not come again on a like errand, in a hurry, I fancy 
 Master Potts," he said. 
 
 " I will not, good Master Nicholas," rejoined Potts ; ee for pity's 
 sake call off these infernal hounds. They will rend me asunder 
 as they would a fox/' 
 
 (t You were a cunning fox, in good sooth, to come hither,'* 
 rejoined Nicholas, in a taunting tone ; " but will you go hence if 
 I liberate you I " 
 
 " I will indeed I will!" replied Potts. 
 
 "And will no more molest Mistress Nutter?" thundered 
 Nicholas. 
 
 " Take heed what you promise," roared Nowell from the other 
 side of the wall. 
 
 " If you do not promise it, the hounds shall pull you down, and 
 make a meal of you!" cried Nicholas. 
 
 a I do I swear whatever you desire ! " cried the terrified 
 attorney. 
 
 The hounds were then called off by the squire, and, nerved by 
 fright, Potts sprang upon the wall, and tumbled over it upon the 
 other side, alighting upon the head of his respected and singular 
 good client, whom he brought to the ground. 
 
 Meanwhile, all those unlucky persons who had succeeded in 
 scaling the wall were attacked by the hounds, and, unable to 
 stand against them, were chased round the garden, to the infinite 
 amusement of the squire. Frightened to death, and unable 
 otherwise to escape, for the gate allowed them no means of exit, 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS DEFENDED BY NICHOLAS. 291 
 
 the poor wretches fled towards the terrace overlooking Pendle 
 Water, and, leaping into the stream, gained the opposite bank. 
 There they were safe, for the hounds were not allowed to follow 
 them further. In this way the garden was completely cleared of 
 the enemy, and Nicholas and Richard were left masters of the field. 
 
 Leaning out of the window, Mistress Nutter laughingly con- 
 gratulated them on their success, and, as no further disposition 
 was manifested on the part of Nowell and such of his troop that 
 remained to renew the attack, the contest, for the present at 
 least, was supposed to be at an end. 
 
 By this time, also, intimation had been conveyed by the 
 deserters from Nowell's troop, who, it will be remembered, had 
 made their way to the back of the premises, that they were 
 anxious to offer their services to Mistress Nutter ; and, as soon as 
 this was told her, she ordered them to be admitted, and descended 
 to give them welcome. Thus things wore a promising aspect for 
 the besieged, while the assailing party were proportionately 
 disheartened. 
 
 Long ere this, Baldwyn and old Mitton had desisted from their 
 attempts to break open the gate, and, indeed, rejoiced that such 
 a barrier was interposed between them and the hounds, whose 
 furious onslaughts they witnessed. A bolt was launched against 
 these four-footed guardians of the premises by the bearer of the 
 crossbow, but the man proved but an indifferent marksman, for, 
 instead of hitting the hound, he disabled one of his companions 
 who was battling with him. Finding things in this state, and 
 that neither Nowell nor Potts returned to their charge, while their 
 followers were withdrawn from before the gate, Nicholas thought 
 he might fairly infer that a victory had been obtained. But, like 
 a prudent leader, he did not choose to expose himself till the 
 enemy had absolutely yielded, and he therefore signed to Black- 
 adder and his men to come forth from the hall. The order was 
 obeyed, not only by them, but by the seceders from the hostile 
 troop, and some thirty men issued from the principal door, 
 and, ranging themselves upon the lawn, set up a deafening 
 and triumphant shout, very different from that raised by the same 
 individuals when under the command of Nowell. At the same 
 moment Mistress Nutter and Alizon appeared at the door, and at 
 the sight of them the shouting was renewed. 
 
 The unexpected turn in affairs had not been without its effect 
 upon Richard and Alizon, and tended to revive the spirits of both. 
 The immediate danger by which they were threatened had 
 vanished, and time was given for the consideration of new plans. 
 Richard had been firmly resolved to take no further part in the 
 affray than should be required for the protection of Alizon, and, 
 consequently, it was no little satisfaction to him to reflect that the 
 victory had been accomplished without him, and by means which 
 could not afterwards be questioned. 
 
292 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mistress Nutter had joined Nicholas, and the gates 
 being unbarred by Blackadder, they passed through them. At a 
 little distance stood Roger Nowell, now altogether abandoned, 
 except by his own immediate followers, with Baldwyn and old 
 Mitton. Poor Potts was lying on the ground, piteously bemoaning 
 the lacerations his skin had undergone. 
 
 " Well, you have got the worst of it, Master Nowell," said 
 Nicholas, as he and Mistress Nutter approached the discomfited 
 magistrate, " and must own yourself fairly defeated." 
 
 " Defeated as I am, I would rather be in my place than in yours, 
 sir," retorted Nowell, sourly. 
 
 " You have had a wholesome lesson read you, Master Nowell," 
 said Mistress Nutter ; " but I do not come hither to taunt you. 
 I am quite satisfied with the victory I have obtained, and am 
 anxious to put an end to the misunderstanding between us." 
 
 " I have no misunderstanding with you, madam," replied 
 Nowell; " I do not quarrel with persons like you. But be assured, 
 though you may escape now, a day of reckoning will come." 
 
 " Your chief cause of grievance against me, I am aware," 
 replied Mistress Nutter, calmly, " is, that I have beaten you in 
 the matter of the land. Now, I have a proposal to make to you 
 respecting it." 
 
 " I cannot listen to it," rejoined Nowell, sternly ; " I can have 
 no dealings with a witch." 
 
 At this moment his cloak was plucked behind by Potts, who 
 looked at him as much as to say, " Do not exasperate her. Hear 
 what she has got to offer." 
 
 " I shall be happy to act as mediator between you, if possible," 
 observed Nicholas ; " but in that case I must request you, Master 
 Nowell, to abstain from any offensive language," 
 
 "What is it you have to propose to me, then, madam?" 
 demanded the magistrate, gruffly. 
 
 u Come with me into the house, and you shall hear," replied 
 Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Nowell was about to refuse peremptorily, when his cloak was 
 again plucked by Potts, who whispered him to go. 
 
 u This is not a snare laid to entrap me, madam?" he said, re- 
 garding the lady suspiciously. 
 
 " I will answer for her good faith," interposed Nicholas. 
 
 Nowell still hesitated, but the counsel of his legal adviser was 
 enforced by a heavy shower of rain, which just then began to 
 descend upon them. 
 
 " You can take shelter beneath my roof," said Mistress Nutter; 
 " and before the shower is over we can settle the matter." 
 
 ^ And my wounds can be dressed at the same time," said Potts, 
 with a groan, " for they pain me sorely." 
 
 " Blackadder has a sovereign balsam, which, with a patch or 
 two of diachylon, will make all right," replied Nicholas, unable 
 
ROGER NO WELL AND HIS DOUBLE. 293 
 
 to repress a laugh. " Here, lift him up between you," he added 
 to the grooms, u and convey him into the house." 
 
 The orders were obeyed, and Mistress Nutter led the way 
 through the now wide-opened gates ; her slow and majestic 
 march by no means accelerated by the drenching shower. What 
 Roger Nowell's sensations were at following her in such a way, 
 after his previous threats and boastings, may be easily conceived. 
 
 CHAPTER X. ROGER NOWELL AND HIS DOUBLE. 
 
 THE magistrate was ushered by the lady into a small chamber, 
 opening out of the entrance-hall, which, in consequence of having 
 only one small narrow window, with a clipped yew-tree before it, 
 was extremely dark and gloomy. The walls were covered with 
 sombre tapestry, and on entering, Mistress Nutter not only care- 
 fully closed the door, but drew the arras before it, so as to prevent 
 the possibility of their conversation being heard outside. These 
 precautions taken, she motioned the magistrate to a chair, arid 
 seated herself opposite him. 
 
 " We can now deal unreservedly with each other, Master 
 Nowell," she said, fixing her eyes steadily upon him ; " and, as 
 our discourse cannot be overheard and repeated, may use perfect 
 freedom of speech." 
 
 " I am glad of it," replied Nowell, " because it will save cir- 
 cumlocution, which I dislike; and therefore, before proceeding 
 further, I must tell you, directly and distinctly, that if there be 
 aught of witchcraft in what you are about to propose to me, I 
 will have nought to do with it, and our conference may as well 
 never begin." 
 
 " Then you really believe me to be a witch?" said the lady. 
 
 " I do," replied Nowell, unflinchingly. 
 
 " Since you believe this, you must also believe that I have 
 absolute power over you," rejoined Mistress Nutter, " and might 
 strike you with sickness, cripple you, or kill you if I thought 
 fit." 
 
 " I know not that," returned Nowell. " There are limits even 
 to the power of evil beings ; and your charms and enchantments, 
 however strong and baneful, may be wholly inoperative against 
 a magistrate in the discharge of his duty. If it were not so, you 
 would scarcely think it worth while to treat with me." 
 
 " Humph ! " exclaimed the lady. " Now, tell me frankly, what 
 you will do when you depart hence 1 " 
 
 " Ride off with the utmost speed to WTialley," replied Nowell, 
 u and, acquainting Sir Ralph with all that has occurred, claim his 
 assistance ; and then, with all the force we can jointly muster, 
 return hither, and finish the work I have left undone." 
 
294 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " You will forego this intention," said Mistress Nutter, with a 
 bitter smile. 
 
 The magistrate shook his head. 
 
 " I am not easily turned from my purpose," he remarked. 
 
 " But you have not yet quitted Rough Lee," said the lady, 
 " and after such an announcement I shall scarce think of parting 
 with you." 
 
 " You dare not detain me," replied Nowell. " I have Nicholas 
 Assheton's word for my security, and I know he will not break 
 it. Besides, you will gain nothing by my detention. My ab- 
 sence will soon be discovered, and if living I shall be set free ; if 
 dead, avenged." 
 
 " That may, or may not be," replied Mistress Nutter ; " and 
 in any case I can, if I choose, wreak my vengeance upon you. I 
 am glad to have ascertained your intentions, for I now know how 
 to treat with you. You shall not go hence, except on certain 
 conditions. You have said you will proclaim me a witch, and will 
 come back with sufficient force to accomplish my arrest. Instead 
 of doing this, I advise you to return to Sir Ralph Assheton, and 
 admit to him that you find yourself in error in respect to the 
 boundaries of the land " 
 
 " Never," interrupted Nowell. 
 
 " I advise you to do this/' pursued the lady, calmly, " and I 
 advise you, also, on quitting this room, to retract all you have 
 uttered to my prejudice, in the presence of Nicholas Assheton 
 and other credible witnesses ; in which case I will not only lay 
 aside all feelings of animosity towards you, but will make over to 
 you the whole of the land under dispute, and that without pur- 
 chase-money on your part. 
 
 Roger Nowell was of an avaricious nature, and caught at the 
 bait. 
 
 " How, madam !" he cried, " the whole of the land mine without 
 payment?" 
 
 u The whole," she replied. 
 
 " If she should be arraigned and convicted it will be forfeited 
 to the crown," thought Nowell ; " the offer is tempting." 
 
 " Your attorney is here, and can prepare the conveyance at 
 once," pursued Mistress Nutter ; " a sum can be stated to lend a 
 colour to the proceeding, and I will give you a private memorandum 
 that I will not claim it. All I require is, that you clear me 
 completely from the dark aspersions cast upon my character, and 
 you abandon your projects against my adopted daughter, Alizon, 
 as well as against those two poor old women, Mothers Demdike 
 and Chattox." 
 
 " How can I be sure that I shall not be deluded in the matter?" 
 asked Nowell ; u the writing may disappear from the parchment 
 you give me, or the parchment itself may turn to ashes. Such 
 things have occurred in transactions with witches. Or it may 
 
ROGER NO WELL AND HIS DOUBLE. 295 
 
 be that, by consenting to the compact, I may imperil my own 
 soul." 
 
 "Tush!" exclaimed Mistress Nutter; "these are idle fears. 
 But it is no idle threat on my part, when I tell you you shall not 
 go forth unless you consent." 
 
 " You cannot hinder me, woman," cried Nowell, rising. 
 
 " You shall see," rejoined the lady, making two or three rapid 
 passes before him, which instantly stiffened his limbs, and deprived 
 him of the power of motion. " Now, stir if you can," she added 
 with a laugh. 
 
 Nowell essayed to cry out, but his tongue refused its office. 
 Hearing and sight, however, were left him, and he saw Mistress 
 Nutter take a large volume, bound in black, from the shelf, and 
 open it at a page covered with cabalistic characters, after which 
 she pronounced some words that sounded like an invocation. 
 
 As she concluded, the tapestry against the wall was raised, and 
 from behind it appeared a figure in all respects resembling the 
 magistrate : it had the same sharp features, the same keen eyes 
 and bushy eyebrows, the same stoop in the shoulders, the same 
 habiliments. It was, in short, his double. 
 
 Mistress Nutter regarded him with a look of triumph. 
 
 " Since you refuse, with my injunctions," she said, (e your 
 double will prove more tractable. He will go forth and do all I 
 would have you do, while I have but to stamp upon the floor and 
 a dungeon will yawn beneath your feet, where you will lie 
 immured till doomsday. The same fate will attend your crafty 
 associate, Master Potts so that neither of you will be missed 
 ha! ha!" 
 
 The unfortunate magistrate fully comprehended his danger, 
 but he could now neither offer remonstrance nor entreaty. 
 What was passing in his breast seemed known to Mistress Nutter ; 
 for she motioned the double to stay, and, touching the brow of 
 Nowell with the point of her forefinger, instantly restored his 
 power of speech. 
 
 " I will give you a last chance," she said. " Will you obey me 
 now ? " 
 
 "I must, perforce," replied Nowell: "the contest is too unequal." 
 
 " You may retire, then," she cried to the double. And 
 stepping backwards, the figure lifted up the tapestry, and dis- 
 appeared behind it. 
 
 " I can breathe, now that infernal being is gone," cried Nowell, 
 sinking into the chair. Oh ! madam, you have indeed terrible power." 
 
 " You will do well not to brave it again," she rejoined. " Shall 
 I summon Master Potts to prepare the conveyance 1 " 
 
 " Oh ! no no 1 " cried Nowell. " I do not desire the land. I 
 will not have it. I shall pay too dearly for it. Only let me get 
 out of this horrible place ? " 
 
 " Not so quickly, sir," rejoined Mistress Nutter. " Before you 
 
296 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 go hence, I must bind you to the performance of my injunctions- 
 Pronounce these words after me, e May I become subject to 
 the Fiend if I fail in my promise.' " 
 
 " I will never utter them !" cried No well, shuddering. 
 
 " Then I shall recall your double," said the lady. 
 " Hold, hold !" exclaimed No well. " Let me know what you 
 require of me." 
 
 se I require absolute silence on your part, as to all you have seen 
 and heard here, and cessation of hostility towards me and the 
 persons I have already named," replied Mistress Nutter ; (i and I 
 require a declaration from you, in the presence of the two Asshe- 
 tons, that you are fully satisfied of the justice of my claims in 
 respect to the land ; and that, mortified by your defeat, you have 
 brought a false charge against me, which you now sincerely regret. 
 This I require from you ; and you must ratify the promise by the 
 abjuration I have proposed. ' May I become subject to the Fiend 
 if I fail in my promise.' " 
 
 The magistrate repeated the words after her. As he finished, 
 mocking laughter, apparently resounding from below, smote his 
 ears. 
 
 " Enough !" cried Mistress Nutter, triumphantly ; <s and now 
 take good heed that you swerve not in the slightest degree from 
 your word, or you are for ever lost." 
 
 Again the mocking laughter was heard, and Nowell would have 
 rushed forth, if Mistress Nutter had not withheld him. 
 
 " Stay ! " she cried, u I have not done with you yet I My 
 witnesses must hear your declaration. Remember ! " 
 
 And placing her finger upon her lips, in token of silence, she 
 stepped backwards, drew aside the tapestry, and, opening the door, 
 called to the two Asshetons, both of whom instantly came to her, 
 and were not a little surprised to learn that all differences had 
 been adjusted, and that Roger Nowell acknowledged himself 
 entirely in error, retracting all the charges he had brought 
 against her ; while, on her part, she was fully satisfied with his 
 explanations and apologies, and promised not to entertain any 
 feelings of resentment towards him. 
 
 " You have made up the matter, indeed," cried Nicholas, t( and, 
 as Master Roger Nowell is a widower, perhaps a match may come 
 of it. Such an arrangement " 
 
 " This is no occasion for jesting, Nicholas," interrupted the 
 lady, sharply. 
 
 " Nay, I but threw out a hint," rejoined the squire. " It would 
 set the question of the land for ever at rest." 
 
 " It is set at rest for ever 1" replied the lady, with a side look 
 at the magistrate. 
 
 " ^ May I become subject to the Fiend if I fail in my promise,' " 
 repeated Nowell to himself. i( Those words bind me like a chain 
 of iron. I mu*t get out of this accursed house as fast as I can." 
 
ROGER NO WELL AND HIS DOUBLE. 297 
 
 As if his thoughts had been divined by Mistress Nutter, she 
 here observed to him, " To make our reconciliation complete, 
 Master Nowell, I must entreat you to pass the day with me. I 
 will give you the best entertainment my house affords nay, I will 
 take no denial; and you too, Nicholas, and you, Richard, you 
 will stay and keep the worthy magistrate company." 
 
 The two Asshetons willingly assented, but Roger Nowell would 
 fain have been excused. A look, however, from his hostess 
 enforced compliance. 
 
 " The proposal will be highly agreeable, I am sure, to Master 
 Potts," remarked Nicholas, with a laugh ; " for though much 
 better, in consequence of the balsam applied by Blackadder, he is 
 scarcely in condition for the saddle." 
 
 " I will warrant him well to-morrow morning," said Mistress 
 Nutter. 
 
 " Where is he ?" inquired Nowell. 
 
 C( In the library with Parson Holden," replied Nicholas ; 
 " making himself as comfortable as circumstances will permit, 
 with a flask of Rhenish before him." 
 
 " I will go to him, then," said Nowell. 
 
 " Take care what you say to him," observed Mistress Nutter, 
 in a low tone, and raising her finger to her lips. 
 
 Heaving a deep sigh, the magistrate then repaired to the 
 library, a small room panelled with black oak, and furnished with 
 a few cases of ancient tomes. The attorney and the divine were 
 seated at a table, with a big square-built bottle and long-stemmed 
 glasses before them, and Master Potts, with a wry grimace, 
 excused himself from rising on his respected and singular good 
 client's approach. 
 
 '' Do not disturb yourself," said Nowell, gruffly ; " we shall not 
 leave Rough Lee to-day." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," replied Potts, moving the cushions on 
 his chair and eyeing the square-built bottle affectionately. 
 
 " Nor to-morrow, it may be nor the day after nor at all, 
 possibly," said Nowell. 
 
 "Indeed!" exclaimed Potts, starting, and wincing with pain. 
 "What is the meaning of all this, worthy sir?" 
 
 " ' May I become the subject of the Fiend if I fail in my pro- 
 mise,'" rejoined Nowell, with a groan. 
 
 "What promise, worshipful sir?" cried Potts, staring with 
 lurprise. 
 
 The magistrate got out the words, " My promise to " and then 
 he stopped suddenly. 
 
 st To Mistress Nutter?" suggested Potts. 
 
 " Don't ask me," exclaimed Nowell, fiercely. ts Don't draw 
 any erroneous conclusions, man. I mean nothing I say nothing ! " 
 
 " He is certainly bewitched," observed Parson Holden in an 
 under-tone to the attorney. 
 
298 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " It was by your advice I entered this house/' thundered Nowcll, 
 " and may all the ill arising from it alight upon your head I" 
 
 <( My respected client ! " implored Potts. 
 
 " I am no longer your client ! " shrieked the infuriated magis- 
 trate. " I dismiss you. I will have nought to do with you more. 
 I wish I had never seen your ugly little face ! " 
 
 " You were quite right, reverend sir," observed Potts aside to 
 the divine ; " he is certainly bewitched, or he never would behave 
 in this way to his best friend. My excellent sir," he added to 
 Nowell, u I beseech you to calm yourself, and listen to me. My 
 motive for wishing you to comply with Mistress Nutter's request 
 was this : We were in a dilemma from which there was no escape, 
 my wounded condition preventing me from flight, and all your 
 followers being dispersed. Knowing your discretion, I apprehend- 
 ed that, finding the tables turned against you, you would not 
 desire to play a losing game, and I therefore counselled apparent 
 submission as the best means of disarming your antagonist. What- 
 ever arrangement you have made with Mistress Nutter is neither 
 morally nor legally binding upon you." 
 
 " You think not !" cried Nowell. " 'May I become subject to 
 the Fiend if I violate my promise ! ' ' 
 
 " What promise have you made, sir ? " inquired Potts and 
 Holden together. 
 
 " Do not question me," cried Nowell; " it is sufficient that I am 
 tied and bound by it." 
 
 The attorney reflected a little, and then observed to Holden, 
 " It is evident some unfair practices have been resorted to with 
 our respected friend, to extort a promise from him which he can- 
 not violate. It is also possible, from what he let fall at first, that 
 an attempt may be made to detain us prisoners within this house, 
 and, for aught I know, Master Nowell may have given his word 
 not to go forth without Mistress Nutter's permission. Under these 
 circumstances, I would beg of you, reverend sir, as an especial 
 favour to us both, to ride over to Whalley, and acquaint Sir 
 Ralph Assheton with our situation." 
 
 As this suggestion was made, NowelFs countenance brightened 
 up. The expression was not lost upon the attorney, who perceived 
 he was on the right tack. 
 
 " Tell the worthy baronet," continued Potts, " that his old and 
 esteemed friend, Master Roger Nowell, is in great jeopardy am 
 I not right, sir?" 
 
 The magistrate nodded. 
 
 <* Tell him he is forcibly detained a prisoner, and requires suf- 
 ficient force to effect his immediate liberation. Tell him, also, 
 that Master Nowell charges Mistress Nutter with robbino- him of 
 his land by witchcraft." 
 
 " No, no !" interrupted Nowell ; " do not tell him that. I no 
 longer charge her with it." 
 
MOTHER DEMDIKE. 299 
 
 " Then, tell him that I do," cried Potts ; " and that Master 
 Nowell has strangely, very strangely, altered his mind." 
 
 " ' May I become subject to the Fiend if I violate my promise !' " 
 said the magistrate. 
 
 " Ay, tell him that," cried the attorney t( tell him the worthy 
 gentleman is constantly repeating that sentence. It will explain 
 all. And now, reverend sir, let me entreat you to set out without 
 delay, or your departure may be prevented." 
 
 " I will go at once," said Holden. 
 
 As he was about to quit the apartment, Mistress Nutter ap- 
 peared at the door. Confusion was painted on the countenances 
 of all three. 
 
 " Whither go you, sir?" demanded the lady, sharply. 
 
 "On a mission which cannot be delayed, madam," replied 
 Holden. 
 
 " You cannot quit my house at present," she rejoined, peremp- 
 torily. u These gentlemen stay to dine with me, and I cannot 
 dispense with your company." 
 
 " My duty calls me hence," returned the divine. " With all 
 thanks for your proffered hospitality, I must perforce decline it." 
 
 " Not when I command you to stay," she rejoined, raising her 
 hand ; " I am absolute mistress here." 
 
 " Not over the servants of heaven, madam," replied the divine, 
 taking a Bible from his pocket, and placing it before him. u By 
 this sacred volume I shield myself against your spells, and com- 
 mand you to let me pass." 
 
 And as he went forth, Mistress Nutter, unable to oppose him, 
 ehrank back. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. MOTHER DEMDIKE. 
 
 THE heavy rain, which began to fall as Roger Nowell entered 
 Rough Lee, had now ceased, and the sun shone forth again bril- 
 liantly, making the garden look so fresh and beautiful that Richard 
 proposed a stroll within it to Alizon. The young girl seemed 
 doubtful at first whether to comply with the invitation ; but she 
 finally assented, and they went forth together alone, for Nicholas, 
 fancying they could dispense with his company, only attended 
 them as far as the door, where he remained looking after them, 
 laughing to himself, and wondering how matters would end. u No 
 
 food will come of it, I fear," mused the worthy squire, shaking 
 is head, " and I am scarcely doing right in allowing Dick to en- 
 tangle himself in this fashion. But where is the use of giving 
 advice to a young man who is over head and ears in love ? He 
 will never listen to it, and will only resent interference. Dick 
 must take his chance. I have already pointed out the danger to 
 
300 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 him, and if he chooses to run headlong into the pit, why, I cannot 
 hinder him. After all, I am not much surprised. Alizon's beauty- 
 is quite irresistible, and, were all smooth and straightforward in 
 her history, there could be no reason why pshaw ! I am as foolish 
 as the lad himself. Sir Richard Assheton, the proudest man in 
 the shire, would disown his son if he married against his inclina- 
 tions. No, my pretty youthful pair, since nothing but misery 
 awaits you, I advise you to make the most of your brief season 
 of happiness. I should certainly do so were the case my own." 
 
 Meanwhile, the objects of these ruminations had reached the 
 terrace overlooking Pendle Water, and were pacing slowly back- 
 wards and forwards along it. 
 
 " One might be very happy in this sequestered spot, Alizon," 
 observed Richard. " To some persons it might appear dull, but 
 to me, if blessed with you, it would be little short of Paradise." 
 
 "Alas! Richard," she replied, forcing a smile, "why conjure 
 up visions of happiness which never can be realised ? But even 
 with you I do not think I could be happy here. There is some- 
 thing about the house which, when I first beheld it, filled me with 
 unaccountable terror. Never since I was a mere infant have I 
 been within it till to-day, and yet it was quite familiar to me 
 horribly familiar. I knew the hall in which we stood together, 
 with its huge arched fireplace, and the armorial bearings upon it, 
 and could point out the stone on which were carved my father's 
 initials < R. N./ with the date '1572.' I knew the tapestry on 
 the walls, and the painted glass in the long range windows. I 
 knew the old oak staircase, and the gallery beyond it, and the 
 room to which my mother led me. I knew the portraits painted 
 on the panels, and at once recognised my father. I knew the 
 great carved oak bedstead in this room, and the high chimney- 
 piece, and the raised hearthstone, and shuddered as I gazed at it. 
 ou will ask me how these things could be familiar to me ? I 
 will tell you. I had seen them repeatedly in my dreams. They 
 have haunted me for years, but I only to-day knew they had an 
 actual existence, or were in any way connected with my own 
 history. The sight of that house inspired me with a horror I have 
 not been able to overcome ; and I have a presentiment that some 
 ill will befall me within it I would never willingly dwell there.' 
 
 " The warning voice within you, which should never be despised, 
 prompts you to quit it," cried Richard ; " and I also urge you in 
 like manner." 
 
 "In vain," sighed Alizon. "This terrace is beautiful," she 
 added, as they resumed their walk, " and I shall often come 
 hither, if I am permitted. At sunset, this river, and the woody 
 heights above it, must be enchanting ; and I do not dislike the 
 savage character of the surrounding scenery. It enhances, by 
 contrast, the beauty of this solitude. I only wish the spot com- 
 manded a view of Pendle Hill." 
 
MOTHER DEMDIKE. 301 
 
 ts You are like my cousin Nicholas, who thinks no prospect 
 complete unless that hill forms part of it," said Richard ; " but 
 since I find that you will often come hither at sunset, I shall not 
 despair of seeing and conversing with you again, even if I am 
 forbidden the house by Mistress Nutter. That thicket is an ex- 
 cellent hiding-place, and this stream is easily crossed." 
 
 " We can have no secret interviews, Richard," replied Alizon ; 
 " I shall come hither to think of you, but not to meet you. You 
 must never return to Rough Lee again that is, not unless some 
 change takes place, which I dare not anticipate but, hist ! I am 
 called. I must go back to the house." 
 
 " The voice came from the other side of the river," said 
 Richard " and, hark ! it calls again. Who can it be?" 
 " It is Jennet," replied Alizon ; " I see her now." 
 And she pointed out the little girl standing beside an alder on 
 the opposite bank. 
 
 " Yo didna notice me efore, Alizon," cried Jennet in her sharp 
 tone, and with her customary provoking laugh, (( boh ey seed yo 
 plain enuff, an heer'd yo too ; and ey heer'd Mester Ruchot say 
 he wad hide i' this thicket, an cross the river to meet ye at sun- 
 set. Little pigs, they say, ha' lang ears, an mine werena gi'en 
 me fo' nowt." 
 
 " They have somewhat misinformed you in this instance," re- 
 
 Elied Alizon ; " but how, in the name of wonder, did you come 
 ere?" 
 
 " Yarry easily," replied Jennet, " boh ey hanna time to tell ye 
 now. Granny Demdike has sent me hither wi' a message to ye 
 and Mistress Nutter. Boh may be ye winna loike Mester Ruchot 
 to hear what ey ha' getten to tell ye." 
 
 te I will leave you," said Richard, about to depart. 
 
 " Oh ! no, no ! " cried Alizon, " she can have nothing to say 
 which you may not hear." 
 
 (( Shan ey go back to Granny Demdike, an tell her yo're too 
 proud to receive her message?" asked the child. 
 
 " On no account," whispered Richard. " Do not let her anger 
 the old hag." 
 
 " Speak, Jennet," said Alizon, in a tone of kind persuasion. 
 
 " Ey shanna speak onless ye cum ower t' wetur to me," replied 
 the little girl ; " an whot ey ha to tell consarns ye mitch." 
 
 " I can easily cross," observed Alizon to Richard. " Those 
 stones seem placed on purpose." 
 
 Upon this, descending from the terrace to the river's brink, 
 and springing lightly upon the first stone which reared its head 
 above the foaming tide, sLe bounded to another, and so in an 
 instant was across the stream. Richard saw her ascend the 
 opposite bank, and approach Jennet, who withdrew behind the 
 alder; and then he fancied he perceived an old beldame, partly 
 
302 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 concealed by the intervening branches of the tree, advance and 
 seize hold of her. Then there was a scream ; and the sound had 
 scarcely reached the young man's ears before he was down the 
 bank and across the river, but when he reached the alder, neither 
 Alizon, nor Jennet, nor the old beldame were to be seen. 
 
 The terrible conviction that she had been carried off by 
 Mother Demdike then smote him, and though he continued 
 his search for her among the adjoining bushes, it was with fearful 
 misgivings. No answer was returned to his shouts, nor could he 
 discover any trace of the means by which Alizon had been spirited 
 away. 
 
 After some time spent in ineffectual search, uncertain what 
 course to pursue, and with a heart full of despair, Richard crossed 
 the river, and proceeded towards the house, in front of which he 
 found Mistress Nutter and Nicholas, both of whom seemed sur- 
 prised when they perceived he was unaccompanied by Alizon. 
 The lady immediately, and somewhat sharply, questioned him as 
 to what had become of her adopted daughter, and appeared at 
 first to doubt his answer ; but at length, unable to question his 
 sincerity, she became violently agitated. 
 
 " The poor girl has been conveyed away by Mother Demdike," 
 she cried, " though for what purpose I am at a loss to conceive. 
 The old hag could not cross the running water, and therefore 
 resorted to that stratagem." 
 
 * 6 Alizon must not be left in her hands, madam," said Richard. 
 
 " She must not," replied the lady. " If Blackadder, whom I 
 have sent after Parson Holden, were here, I would despatch him 
 instantly to Malkin Tower." 
 
 s6 1 will go instead," said Richard. 
 
 " You had better accept his offer," interposed Nicholas ; " he 
 will serve you as well as Blackadder." 
 
 " Go I shall, madam," cried Richard; "if not on your account, 
 on my own." 
 
 " Come, then, with me," said the lady, entering the house, 
 " and I will furnish you with that which shall be your safeguard 
 in the enterprise." 
 
 With this, she proceeded to the closet where her interview 
 with Roger Nowell had been held; and, unlocking an ebony 
 cabinet, took from a drawer within it a small flat piece of gold, 
 graven with mystic characters, and having a slender chain of the 
 same metal attached to it. Throwing the chain over Richard's 
 neck, she said, " Place this talisman, which is of sovereign virtue, 
 near your heart, and no witchcraft shall have power over you. 
 But be careful that you are not by any artifice deprived of it, for 
 the old hag will soon discover that you possess some charm to 
 protect you against her spells. You are impatient to be gone, 
 out 1 have not yet done," she continued, taking down a small 
 
MOTHER DEMDIKE. 303 
 
 silver bugle from a hook, and giving it him. (C On reaching 
 Malkin Tower, wind this horn thrice, and the old witch will 
 appear at the upper window. Demand admittance in my name, 
 and she will not dare to refuse you ; or, if she does, tell her you 
 know the secret entrance to her stronghold, and will have 
 recourse to it. And in case this should be needful, I will now 
 disclose it to you, but you must not use it till other means fail. 
 When opposite the door, which you will find is high up in the 
 building, take ten paces to the left, and if you examine the 
 masonry at the foot of the tower, you will perceive one stone 
 somewhat darker than the rest. At the bottom of this stone, 
 and concealed by a patch of heath, you will discover a knob of 
 iron. Touch it, and it will give you an opening to a vaulted 
 chamber, whence you can mount to the upper room. Even then 
 you may experience some difficulty, but with resolution you will 
 surmount all obstacles." 
 
 " I have no fear of success, madam," replied Richard, confi- 
 dently. 
 
 And quitting her, he proceeded to the stables, and calling foi 
 his horse, vaulted into the saddle, and galloped off towards the 
 bridge. 
 
 Fast as Richard rode up the steep hill-side, still faster did the 
 black clouds gather over his head. No natural cause could have 
 produced so instantaneous a change in the aspect of the sky, and 
 the young man viewed it with uneasiness, and wished to get out 
 of the thicket in which he was now involved, before the threat- 
 ened thunder-storm commenced. But the hill was steep and the 
 road bad, being full of loose stones, and crossed in many places 
 by bare roots of trees. Though ordinarily surefooted, Merlin 
 stumbled frequently, and Richard was obliged to slacken his 
 pace. It grew darker and darker, and the storm seemed ready 
 to burst upon him. The smaller birds ceased singing, and 
 screened themselves under the thickest foliage ; the pie chattered 
 incessantly; the jay screamed; the bittern flew past, booming 
 heavily in the air ; the raven croaked ; the heron arose from the 
 river, and speeded off with his long neck stretched out ; and the 
 falcon, who had been hovering over him, sweeped sidelong down 
 and sought shelter beneath an impending rock; the rabbit scudded 
 off to his burrow in the brake ; and the hare, erecting himself for 
 a moment, as if to listen to the note of danger, crept timorously 
 off into the long dry grass. 
 
 It grew so dark at last that the road was difficult to discern, 
 and the dense rows of trees on either side assumed a fantastic ap- 
 pearance in the d eep gloom. Richard was now more than half- 
 way up the hill, and the thicket had become more tangled and 
 intricate, and the road narrower and more rugged. All at once 
 Merlin stopped, quivering in every limb, as if in extremity of 
 terror. 
 
304 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Before the rider, and right in his path, glared a pair of red fiery 
 orbs, with something dusky and obscure linked to them; but 
 whether of man or beast he could not distinguish. 
 
 Richard called to it. No answer. He struck spurs into the 
 reeking flanks of his horse. The animal refused to stir. Just 
 then there was a moaning sound in the wood, as of some one in 
 pain. He turned in the direction, shouted, but received no answer. 
 When he looked back the red eyes were gone. 
 
 Then Merlin moved forward of his own accord, but ere he had 
 gone far, the eyes were visible again, glaring at the rider from the 
 wood. This time they approached, dilating, and increasing in 
 glowing intensity, till they scorched him like burning-glasses. Be- 
 thinking him of the talisman, Richard drew it forth. The light 
 was instantly extinguished, and the indistinct figure accompany- 
 ing it melted into darkness. 
 
 Once more Merlin resumed his toilsome way, and Richard was 
 marvelling that the storm so long suspended its fury, when the 
 sky was riven by a sudden blaze, and a crackling bolt shot down 
 and struck the earth at his feet. The affrighted steed reared aloft, 
 and was with difficulty prevented from falling backwards upon his 
 rider. Almost before he could be brought to his feet, an awful peal 
 of thunder burst overhead, and it required Richard's utmost efforts 
 to prevent him from rushing madly down the hill. 
 
 The storm had now fairly commenced. Flash followed flash, 
 and peal succeeded peal, without intermission. The rain descended 
 hissing and spouting, and presently ran down the hill in a torrent, 
 adding to the horseman's other difficulties and dangers. To 
 heighten the terror of the scene, strange shapes, revealed by the 
 lightning, were seen flitting among the trees, and strange sounds 
 were heard, though overpowered by the dreadful rolling of the 
 thunder. 
 
 But Richard's resolution continued unshaken, and he forced 
 Merlin on. He had not proceeded far, however, when the animal 
 uttered a cry of fright, and began beating the air with his fore hoofs. 
 The lightning enabled Richard to discern the cause of this new 
 distress. Coiled round the poor beast's legs, all whose efforts to 
 disengage himself from the terrible assailant were ineffectual, was 
 a large black snake, seemingly about to plunge its poisonous fangs 
 into the flesh. Again having recourse to the talisman, and bend- 
 ing down, Richard stretched it towards the snake, upon which the 
 reptile instantly darted its arrow-shaped head against him, but 
 instead of wounding him, its forked teeth encountered the piece 
 of gold, and, as if stricken a violent blow, it swiftly untwined it- 
 self, and fled, hissing, into the thicket. 
 
 Richard was now obliged to dismount and lead his horse. In 
 this way he toiled slowly up the hill. The storm continued with 
 unabated fury : the red lightning played around him, the brattling 
 thunder stunned him, and the pelting rain poured down upon his 
 
MOTHER DEMDIKE. 305 
 
 head. But he was no more molested. Save for the vivid flashes, 
 it had become dark as night, but they served to guide him on 
 his way. 
 
 At length he got out of the thicket, and trod upon the turf, 
 but it was rendered so slippery by moisture, that he could scarcely 
 keep his feet, while the lightning no longer aided him. Fearing 
 he had taken a wrong course, he stood still, and while debating 
 with himself a blaze of light illumined the wide heath, and showed 
 him the object of his search, Malkin Tower, standing alone, like 
 a beacon, at about a quarter of a mile's distance, on the further 
 side of the hill. Was it disturbed fancy, or did he really behold 
 on the summit of the structure a grisly shape resembling if it 
 resembled any thing human a gigantic black cat, with rough- 
 ened staring skin, and flaming eyeballs 1 
 
 Nerved by the sight of the tower, Richard was on his steed's 
 back in an instant, and the animal, having in so me degree recover- 
 ed his spirits, galloped off with him, and kept his feet in spite of 
 the slippery state of the road. Erelong, another flash showed 
 the young man that he was drawing rapidly near the tower, and 
 dismounting, he tied Merlin to a tree, and hurried towards the 
 unhallowed pile. When within twenty paces of it, mindful of 
 Mistress Nutter's injunctions, he placed the bugle to his lips, and 
 winded it thrice. The summons, though clear and loud, sounded 
 strangely in the portentous silence. 
 
 Scarcely had the last notes died away, when a light shone 
 through the dark red curtains hanging before a casement in the 
 upper part of the tower. The next moment these were drawn 
 aside, and a face appeared, so frightful, so charged with infernal 
 wickedness and malice, that Richard's blood grew chill at the sight. 
 Was it man or woman ? The white beard, and the large, broad, 
 masculine character of the countenance, seemed to denote the 
 former, but the garb was that of a female. The face was at once 
 hideous and fantastic the eyes set across the mouth awry the 
 right cheek marked by a mole shining with black hair, and hor- 
 rible from its contrast to the rest of the visage, and the brow 
 branded as if by a streak of blood. A black thrum cap constituted 
 the old witch's head- gear, and from beneath it her hoary hair 
 escaped in long elf-locks. The lower part of her person was hidden 
 from view, but she appeared to be as broad-shouldered as a man, 
 and her bulky person was wrapped in a tawny-coloured robe. 
 Throwing open the window, she looked forth, and demanded in 
 harsh imperious tones 
 
 et Who dares to summon Mother Demdike ?" 
 
 " A messenger from Mistress Nutter," replied Richard. " I 
 am come in her name to demand the restitution of Alizon Device, 
 whom thou hast forcibly and wrongfully taken from her." 
 
 " Alizon Device is my grand-daughter, and, as such, belongs to 
 me, and not to Mistress Nutter," rejoined Mother Demdike. 
 
306 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Thou knowest thou speakest false, foul hag !" cried Richard. 
 ( Alizon is no blood of thine. Open the door and cast down the 
 ladder, or I will find other means of entrance." 
 
 " Try them, then," rejoined Mother Demdike. And she closed 
 the casement sharply, and drew the curtains over it. 
 
 After reconnoitring the building for a moment, Richard moved 
 quickly to the left, and counting ten paces, as directed by Mis- 
 tress Nutter, began to search among the thick grass growing near 
 the base of the tower for the concealed entrance. It was too dark 
 to distinguish any difference in the colour of the masonry, but he 
 was sure he could not be far wrong, and presently his hand came 
 in contact with a knob of iron. He pressed it, but it did not yield 
 to the touch. Again more forcibly, but with like ill success. 
 Could he be mistaken ? He tried the next stone, and discovered 
 another knob upon it, but this was as immovable as the first. He 
 went on, and then found that each stone was alike, and that if 
 amongst the number he had chanced upon the one worked by the 
 secret spring, it had refused to act. On examining the structure 
 so far as he was able to do in the gloom, he found he had de- 
 scribed the whole circle of the tower, and was about to commence 
 the search anew, when a creaking sound was heard above, and a 
 light streamed suddenly down upon him. The door had been 
 opened by the old witch, and she stood there with a lamp in her 
 hand, its yellow flame illumining her hideous visage, and short, 
 square, powerfully built frame. Her throat was like that of a bull ; 
 her hands of extraordinary size; and her arms, which were bare to 
 
 the shoulder, brawny and muscular. 
 " What, still outside 1 " she cried ii 
 
 in a jeering tone, and with a 
 wild discordant laugh. " Methought thou afnrmedst thou couldst 
 find a way into my dwelling." 
 
 " I do not yet despair of finding it," replied Richard. 
 
 " Fool !" screamed the hag. " I tell thee it is in vain to at- 
 tempt it without my consent. With a word, I could make these 
 walls one solid mass, without window or outlet from base to sum- 
 mit. With a word, I could shower stones upon thy head, and 
 crush thee to dust. With a word, I could make the earth swaUow 
 thee up. With a word, I could whisk thee hence to the top of 
 Pendle Hill. Ha ! ha ! Dost fear me now ! " 
 
 " No," replied Richard, undauntedly. " And the word thou 
 menacest me with shall never be uttered." 
 
 " Why not?" asked Mother Demdike, derisively. 
 
 " Because thou wouldst not brave the resentment of one whose 
 power is equal to thine own if not greater," replied the young 
 man. 
 
 " Greater it is not neither equal," rejoined the old hag, 
 haughtily ; " but I do not desire a quarrel with Alice Nutter. 
 Only let her not meddle with me." 
 
 " Once more, art thou willing to admit me ? " demanded Richard. 
 
MOTHER DEMDIKE. 307 
 
 " Ay, upon one condition," replied Mother Demdike. " Thou 
 shalt learn it anon. Stand aside while I let down the ladder." 
 
 Richard obeyed, and a pair of narrow wooden steps dropped to 
 the ground. 
 
 " Now mount, if thou hast the courage," cried the hag. 
 
 The young man was instantly beside her, but she stood in the 
 doorway, and barred his further progress with her extended staff. 
 Now that he was face to face with her, he wondered at his own 
 temerity. There was nothing human in her countenance, and 
 infernal light gleamed in her strangely-set eyes. Her personal 
 strength, evidently unimpaired by age, or preserved by magical 
 art, seemed equal to her malice ; and she appeared as capable of 
 executing any atrocity, as of conceiving it. She saw the effect 
 produced upon him, and chuckled with malicious satisfaction. 
 
 " Saw'st thou ever face like mine f " she cried. " No, I wot 
 not. But 1 would rather inspire aversion and terror than love. 
 Love ! foh ! I would rather see men shrink from me, and shudder 
 at my approach, than smile upon me and court me. I would 
 rather freeze the blood in their veins, than set it boiling with 
 passion. Ho ! ho !" 
 
 " Thou art a fearful being, indeed !" exclaimed Richard, appalled. 
 
 "Fearful, am I?" ejaculated the old witch, with renewed 
 laughter. " At last thou own'st it. Why, ay, I am fearful. It 
 is my wish to be so. I live to plague mankind to blight and 
 blast them to scare them with my looks to work them mischief. 
 Ho ! ho ! And now, let us look at thee," she continued, holding 
 the lamp over him. " Why, soh ? a comely youth ! And the 
 young maids doat upon thee, I doubt not, and praise thy blooming 
 cheeks, thy bright eyes, thy flowing locks, and thy fine limbs. I 
 hate thy beauty, boy, and would mar it ! would canker thy 
 wholesome flesh, dim thy lustrous eyes, and strike thy vigorous 
 limbs with palsy, till they should shake like mine ! I am half- 
 minded to do it," she added, raising her staff, and glaring at him 
 with inconceivable malignity. 
 
 " Hold !" exclaimed Richard, taking the talisman from his 
 breast, and displaying it to her. " I am armed against thy malice !" 
 
 Mother Derndike's staff fell from her grasp. 
 
 " I knew thou wert in some way protected," she cried furiously. 
 " And so it is a piece of gold with magic characters upon it, 
 eh ? " she added, suddenly changing her tone ; " Let me look at it." 
 
 " Thou seest it plain enough," rejoined Richard. " Now, stand 
 aside and let me pass, for thou perceivest I have power to force 
 an entrance." 
 
 " I see it I see it," replied Mother Demdike, with affected 
 humility. " I see it is in vain to struggle with thee, or rather 
 with the potent lady who sent thee. Tarry where thou art, and 
 I will bring Alizon to thee." 
 
 " I almost mistrust thee," said Richard " but be speedy." 
 
308 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " I will be scarce a moment/' said the witch ; " but I must 
 warn thee that she is " 
 
 " What what hast thou done to her, thou wicked hag 1 " cried 
 Richard, in alarm. 
 
 " She is distraught," said Mother Demdike. 
 
 " Distraught !" echoed Richard. 
 
 " But thou canst easily cure her," said the old hag, significantly. 
 
 st Ay, so I can," cried Richard with sudden joy " the talisman ! 
 Bring her to me at once." 
 
 Mother Demdike departed, leaving him in a state of indescrib- 
 able agitation. The walls of the tower were of immense thickness, 
 and the entrance to the chamber towards which the arched 
 doorway led was covered by a curtain of old arras, behind which 
 the hag had disappeared. Scarcely had she entered the room 
 when a scream was heard, and Richard heard his own name 
 pronounced by a voice which, in spite of its agonised tones, he at 
 once recognised. The cries were repeated, and he then heard 
 Mother Demdike call out, " Come hither ! come hither ! " 
 
 Instantly rushing forward and dashing aside the tapestry, he 
 found himself in a mysterious-looking circular chamber, with a 
 massive oak table in the midst of it. There were many strange 
 objects in the room, but he saw only Alizon, who was struggling 
 with the old witch, and clinging desperately to the table. He 
 called to her by name as he advanced, but her bewildered looks 
 proved that she did not know him. 
 
 " Alizon dear Alizon ! I am come to free you," he exclaimed. 
 
 But in place of answering him she uttered a piercing scream. 
 
 " The talisman, the talisman?" cried the hag. "I cannot 
 undo my own work. Place the chain round her neck, and the 
 gold near her heart, that she may experience its full virtue." 
 
 Richard unsuspectingly complied with the suggestion of the 
 temptress ; but the moment he had parted with the piece of gold 
 the figure of Alizon vanished, the chamber was buried in gloom, 
 and, amidst a hubbub of wild laughter, he was dragged by the 
 powerful arm of the witch through the arched doorway, and flung 
 from it to the ground, the shock of the fall producing immediate 
 insensibility. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. THE MYSTERIES OF MALKIN TOWER. 
 
 IT was a subterranean chamber ; gloomy, and of vast extent ; 
 the roof low, and supported by nine ponderous stone columns, to 
 which rings and rusty chains were attached, still retaining the 
 mouldering bones of those they had held captive in life. Amongst 
 others was a gigantic skeleton, quite entire, with an iron girdle 
 round the middle. Fragments of mortality were elsewhere scat- 
 
THE MYS TEKIES OF MALKIN TOWEE. 309 
 
 tered about, showing the numbers who had perished in the place. 
 On either side were cells closed by massive doors, secured by bolts 
 and locks. At one end were three immense coffers made of oak, 
 hooped with iron, and fattened by large padlocks. Near them 
 stood a large armoury, likewise of oak, and sculptured with the 
 ensigns of Whalley Abbey, proving it had once belonged to that 
 establishment. Probably it hat! been carried off by some robber 
 band. At the opposite end of the vault were two niches, each 
 occupied by a rough-hewn statue the one representing a warlike 
 figure, with a visage of extraordinary ferocity, and the other an 
 anchoress, in her hood and wimple, with a rosary in her hand. 
 On the ground beneath lay a plain flag, covering the mortal 
 remains of the wicked pair, and proclaiming them to be Isole de 
 Heton and Blackburn, the freebooter. The pillars were ranged 
 in three lines, so as to form, with the arches above them, a series 
 of short passages, in the midst of which stood an altar, and near 
 it a large caldron. In front, elevated on a block of granite, was 
 a marvellous piece of sculpture, wrought in jet, and representing 
 a demon seated on a throne. The visage was human, but the 
 beard that of a goat, while the feet and lower limbs were like 
 those of the same animal. Two curled horns grew behind the 
 ears, and a third, shaped like a conch, sprang from the centre of 
 the forehead, from which burst a blue flame, throwing a ghastly 
 light on the objects surrounding it. 
 
 The only discernible approach to the vault was a steep narrow 
 stone staircase, closed at the top by a heavy trapdoor. Other out- 
 let apparently there was none. Some little air was admitted to this 
 foul abode through flues contrived in the walls, the entrances 
 to which were grated, but the light of day never came there. 
 The flame, however, issuing from the brow of the demon image, 
 like the lamps in the sepulchres of the disciples of the Rosy Cross, 
 was ever-burning. Behind the sable statue was a deep well, 
 with water as black as ink, wherein swarmed snakes, and toads, 
 and other noxious reptiles ; and as the lurid light fell upon its 
 surface it glittered like a dusky mirror, unless when broken by 
 the horrible things that lurked beneath, or crawled about upon its 
 slimy brim. But snakes and toads were not the only tenants of 
 the vault. At the head of the steps squatted a monstrous and 
 misshapen animal, bearing some resemblance to a cat, but as big 
 as a tiger. Its skin was black and shaggy ; its eyes glowed like 
 those of the hysena ; and its cry was like that of the eime 
 treacherons beast. Among the gloomy colonnades other swart 
 and bestial shapes could be indistinctly seen moving to and fro. 
 
 In this abode of horror were two human beings one, a young 
 maiden of exquisite beauty ; and the other, almost a child, and 
 strangely deformed. The elder, overpowered by terror, was 
 clinging to a pillar for support, while the younger, who might 
 
310 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 naturally be expected to exhibit the greatest alarm, appeared 
 wholly unconcerned, and derided her companion's fears. 
 
 " Oh, Jennet !" exclaimed the elder of the two, " is there no 
 means of escape?" 
 
 " None whatever," replied the other. " Yo mun stay here till 
 Granny Demdike cums fo ye." 
 
 s( Oh ! that the earth would open and snatch me from these 
 horrors," cried Alizon. " My reason is forsaking me. Would I 
 could kneel and pray for deliverance ! But something pre- 
 vents me." 
 
 " Keet ! " replied Jennet. " It's os mitch os yer loife's worth 
 to kneel an pray here, onless yo choose to ge an throw yersel at 
 th' feet o' yon black image." 
 
 " Kneel to that idol never !" exclaimed Alizon. And while 
 striving to call upon heaven for aid, a sharp convulsion seized her, 
 and deprived her of the power of utterance. 
 
 " Ey towd yo how it wad be," remarked Jennet, who watched 
 her narrowly. " Yo 're neaw i' a church here, an if yo want to 
 warship, it mun be at yon altar. Dunna yo hear how angry the 
 cats are how they growl an spit ? An see how their een gliss'n ! 
 They'll tare yo i' pieces, loike so many tigers, if yo offend em." 
 
 " Tell me why I am brought here, Jennet?" inquired Alizon, 
 after a brief pause. 
 
 " Granny Demdike will tell yo that," replied the little girl ; 
 " boh to my belief," she added, with a mocking laugh, " hoo 
 means to may a witch o' ye, loike aw the rest on us." 
 
 " She cannot do that without my consent," cried Alizon, " and 
 I would die a thousand deaths rather than yield it." 
 
 " That remains to be seen," replied Jennet, tauntingly. " Yo 're 
 obstinate enuff, nah doubt. Boh Granny Demdike is used to 
 deal wi' sich folk." 
 
 " Oh ! why was I born ?" cried Alizon, bitterly. 
 
 " Yo may weel ask that," responded Jennet, with a loud un- 
 feeling laugh ; u fo ey see neaw great use yo're on, wi' yer protty 
 feace an bright een, onless it be to may one hate ye." 
 
 " Is it possible you can say this to me, Jennet ?" cried Alizon. 
 " What have I done to incur your hatred ? I have ever loved 
 you, and striven to please and serve you. I have always taken 
 your part against others, even when you were in the wrong. Oh ! 
 Jennet, you cannot hate me." 
 
 " Boh ey do," replied the little girl, spitefully. " Ey hate yo 
 now warser than onny wan else. Ey hate yo because yo are 
 neaw lunger my sister becose yo 're a grand ledy's dowter, an 
 a grand ledy yersel. Ey hate yo becose yung Ruchot Assheton 
 loves yo an becose yo ha better luck i' aw things than ey have, 
 or con expect to have. That's why I hate yo, Alizon. When 
 yo are a witch ey shan love yo, for then we shan be equals once 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MALKIN TOWER 311 
 
 " That will never be, Jennet," said Alizon, sadly, but firmly. 
 " Your grandmother may immure me in this dungeon, and scare 
 away my senses ; but she will never rob me of my hopes of 
 salvation." 
 
 As the words were uttered, a clang like that produced by a 
 stricken gong shook the vault ; the beasts roared fiercely ; the 
 black waters of the fountain bubbled up, and were lashed into 
 foam by the angry reptiles ; and a larger jet of flame than before 
 burst from the brow of the demon statue. 
 
 " Ey ha' warned ye, Alizon," said Jennet, alarmed by these 
 demonstrations ; " boh since ye pay no heed to owt ey say, ey'st 
 leave yo to yer fate." 
 
 " Oh ! stay with me, stay with me, Jennet !" shrieked Alizon. 
 " By our past sisterly affection I implore you to remain ! You 
 are some protection to me from these dreadful beings." 
 
 " Ey dunna want to protect yo onless yo do os yo're bidd'n," 
 replied Jennet ! u Whoy should yo be better than me ?" 
 
 "Ah! why, indeed?" cried Alizon. "Would I had the 
 power to turn your heart to open your eyes to evil to save 
 you, Jennet." 
 
 These words were followed by another clang, louder and more 
 brattling than the first. The solid walls of the dungeon were 
 shaken, and the heavy columns rocked; while, to Alizon' s 
 affrighted gaze, it seemed as if the sable statue arose upon its 
 ebon throne, and stretched out its arm menacingly towards her. 
 The poor girl was saved from further terror by insensibility. 
 
 How long she remained in this condition she could not tell, nor 
 did it appear that any efforts were made to restore her; but when 
 she recovered, she found herself stretched upon a rude pallet 
 within an arched recess, the entrance to which was screened by 
 a piece of tapestry. On lifting it aside she perceived she was no 
 longer in the vault, but in an upper chamber, as she judged, and 
 not incorrectly, of the tower. The room was lofty and circular, 
 and the walls of enormous thickness, as shown by the deep em- 
 brasures of the windows ; in one of which, the outlet having been 
 built up, the pallet was placed. A massive oak table, two or 
 three chairs of antique shape, and a wooden stool, constituted 
 the furniture of the room. The stool was set near the fireplace, 
 and beside it stood a strangely-fashioned spinning-wheel, which 
 had apparently been recently used ; but neither the old hag nor 
 her grand-daughter were visible. Alizon could not tell whether 
 it was night or day ; but a lamp was burning upon the table, its 
 feeble light only imperfectly illumining the chamber, and scarcely 
 revealing several strange objects dangling from the huge beams 
 that supported the roof. Faded arras were hung against the 
 walls, representing in one compartment the last banquet of Isole 
 \le Heton and her lover, Blackburn ; in another, the Saxon 
 
312 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES, 
 
 Ughtred hanging from the summit of Malkin Tower ; and in a 
 third, the execution of Abbot Paslevv. The subjects were as 
 large as life, admirably depicted, and evidently worked at won- 
 drous looms. As they swayed to and fro in the gusts, that found 
 entrance into the chamber through some unprotected loopholes, 
 the figures had a grim and ghostly air. 
 
 Weak, trembling, bewildered, Alizon stepped forth, and stag- 
 gering towards the table sank upon a chair beside it. A fearful 
 storm was raging without thunder, lightning, deluging rain. 
 Stunned and blinded, she covered her eyes, and remained thus till 
 the fury of the tempest had in some degree abated. She was 
 roused at length by a creaking sound not far from her, and found 
 it proceeded from a trapdoor rising slowly on its hinges. 
 
 A thrum cap first appeared above the level of the floor ; then 
 a broad, bloated face, the mouth and chin fringed with a white 
 beard like the whiskers of a cat ; then a thick, bull throat ; then 
 a pair of brawny shoulders ; then a square, thick-set frame ; and 
 Mother Demdike stood before her. A malignant smile played 
 upon her hideous countenance, and gleamed from her eyes those 
 eyes so strangely placed by nature, as if to intimate her doom, 
 and that of her fated race, to whom the horrible blemish was 
 transmitted. As the old witch leaped heavily upon the ground, 
 the trapdoor closed behind her. 
 
 et Soh, you are better, Alizon, and have quitted your couch, I 
 find," she cried, striking her staff upon the floor. " But you 
 look faint and feeble still. I will give you something to revive 
 you. I have a wondrous cordial in yon closet a rare restorative 
 ha ! ha ! It will make you well the moment it has passed your 
 lips. I will fetch it at once." 
 
 " I will have none of it," replied Alizon ; " I would rather die." 
 
 " Rather die ! " echoed Mother Demdike, sarcastically, " be- 
 cause, forsooth, you are crossed in love. But you shall have the 
 man of your heart yet, if you will only follow my counsel, and 
 do as I bid you. Richard Assheton shall be yours, and with 
 your mother's consent, provided " 
 
 " I understand the condition you annex to the promise," inter- 
 rupted Alizon, " and the terms upon which you would fulfil it : 
 but you seek in vain to tempt me, old woman. I now comprehend 
 Why I am brought hither." 
 
 "Ay, indeed!" exclaimed the old witch. "And why is it, 
 then, since you are so quick-witted?" 
 
 :< You desire to make an offering to the evil being you serve," 
 cried Alizon, with sudden energy. " You have entered into some 
 dark compact, which compels you to deliver up a victim in each 
 Year to the Fiend, or your own soul becomes forfeit. Thus you 
 nave hitherto lengthened out your wretched life, and you hope to 
 extend the term yet further through me. I have heard this tale 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MALKIN TOWER. 313 
 
 before, but I would not believe it. Now I do. This is why you 
 have stolen me from my mother have braved her anger and 
 brought me to this impious tower." 
 
 The old hag laughed hoarsely. 
 
 " The tale thou hast heard respecting me is true," she said. 
 u I hove a compact which requires me to make a proselyte to the 
 power I serve within each year, and if I fail in doing so, I must 
 pay the penalty thou hast mentioned. A like compact exists 
 between Mistress Nutter and the Fiend." 
 
 She paused for a moment, to watch the effect of her words on 
 Alizon, and then resumed. 
 
 s( Thy mother would have sacrificed thee if thou hadst been 
 left with her ; but I have carried thee off, because I conceive I 
 am best entitled to thee. Thou wert brought up as my grand- 
 daughter, and therefore I claim thee as my own." 
 
 a And you think to deal with me as if I were a puppet in your 
 hands ? " cried Alizon. 
 
 " Ay, marry, do I," rejoined Mother Demdike, with a scream 
 of laughter " Thou art nothing more than a puppet a puppet 
 ho! ho* 
 
 66 And you deem you can dispose of my soul without my con- 
 sent ? " said Alizon. 
 
 " Thy full consent will be obtained," rejoined the old hag. 
 
 " Think it not! think it not!" exclaimed Alizon. " Oh! I shall 
 yet be delivered from this infernal bondage." 
 
 At this moment the notes of a bugle were heard. 
 
 " Saved ! saved !" cried the poor girl, starting. if It is Richard 
 come to my rescue !" 
 
 "How know'st thou that?" cried Mother Demdike, with a 
 spiteful look. 
 
 " By an instinct that never deceives," replied Alizon, as the 
 blast was again heard. 
 
 " This must be stopped," said the hag, waving her staff over 
 the maiden, and transfixing her where she sat ; after which she 
 took up the lamp, and strode towards the window. 
 
 The few words that passed between her and Richard have been 
 already recounted. Having closed the casement and drawn the 
 curtain before it, Mother Demdike traced a circle on the floor, 
 muttered a spell, and then, waving her staff over Alizon, restored 
 her power of speech and motion. 
 
 " 'Twas he!" exclaimed the young girl, as soon as she could 
 find utterance. " I heard his voice." 
 
 " Why, ay, 'twas he, sure enough," rejoined the beldame. 
 tf He has come on a fool's errand, but he shall never return from 
 it. Does Mistress Nutter think I will give up my prize the 
 moment I have obtained it, for the mere asking? Does she 
 imagine she can frighten me as she frightens others ? Does she 
 know whom she has to deal with ? If not, I will tell her. I am 
 
314 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the oldest, the boldest, and the strongest of the witches. No 
 mystery of the black art but is known to me. I can do what 
 mischief I will, and my desolating hand has been felt throughout 
 this district. You may trace it like a pestilence. No one has 
 offended me but I have terribly repaid him. I rule over the 
 land like a queen. I exact tributes, and, if they are not ren- 
 dered, I smite with a sharper edge than the sword. My worship 
 is paid to the Prince of Darkness. This tower is his temple, and 
 yon subterranean chamber the place where the mystical rites, 
 which thou wouldst call impious and damnable, are performed. 
 Countless sabbaths have I attended within it ; or upon Rumbles 
 Moor, or on the summit of Pendle Hill, or within the ruins of 
 Whalley Abbey. Many proselytes have I made ; many unbap- 
 tised babes offered up in sacrifice. I am high-priestess to the 
 Demon, and thy mother would usurp mine office." 
 
 " Oh! spare me this horrible recital !" exclaimed Alizon, vainly 
 trying to shut out the hag's piercing voice. 
 
 " I will spare thee nothing," pursued Mother Demclike. te Thy 
 mother, I say, would be high-priestess in my stead. There are 
 degrees among witches, as among other sects, and mine is the 
 first. Mistress Nutter would deprive me of mine office ; but not 
 till her hair is as white as mine, her knowledge equal to mine, 
 and her hatred of mankind as intense as mine not till then shall 
 she have it." 
 
 " No more of this, in pity !" cried Alizon. 
 
 " Often have I aided thy mother in her dark schemes," pur- 
 sued the implacable hag ; " nay, no later than last night I obli- 
 terated the old boundaries of her land, and erected new marks to 
 serve her. It was a strong exercise of power ; but the command 
 came to me, and I obeyed it. No other witch could have 
 achieved so much, not even the accursed Chattox, and she is 
 next to myself. And how does thy mother purpose to requite 
 me ? By thrusting me aside, and stepping into my throne." 
 
 " You must be in error," cried Alizon, scarcely knowing what 
 to say. 
 
 " My information never fails me," replied the hag, with a dis- 
 dainful laugh. " Her plans are made known to me as soon as 
 formed. I have those about her who keep strict watch upon 
 her actions, and report them faithfully. I know why she 
 brought thee so suddenly to Eough Lee, though thou know'st 
 it not." 
 
 " She brought me there for safety," remarked the young girl, 
 hoping to allay the beldame's fury, " and because she herself de- 
 sired to know how the survey of the boundaries would end." 
 
 " She brought thee there to sacrifice thee to the Fiend I" cried 
 the hag, infernal rage and malice blazing in her eyes. "She 
 failed in propitiating him at the meeting in the ruined church of 
 "VYhalley last night, when thou thyself wert present, and deliver- 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MALKIX TOWER. 315 
 
 edst Dorothy Assheton from the snare in which she was taken. 
 And since then all has gone wrong with her. Having demanded 
 from her familiar the cause why all things ran counter, she was 
 told she had failed in the fulfilment of her promise that a prose- 
 lyte was required and that thou alone wouldst be accepted." 
 
 "I !" exclaimed Alizon, horror-stricken. 
 
 " Ay, thou!" cried the hag. "No choice was allowed her, 
 and the offering must be made to-night. After a long and pain- 
 ful struggle, thy mother consented." 
 
 " Oh ! no impossible ! you deceive me," cried the wretched 
 girl. 
 
 " I tell thee she consented," rejoined Mother Demdike, coldly; 
 " and on this she made instant arrangements to return home, and 
 in spite as thou know'st of Sir Ralph and Lady Assheton's 
 efforts to detain her, set forth with thee." 
 
 " AU this I know," objerved Alizon, sadly " and intelligence 
 of our departure from the Abbey was conveyed to you, I conclude, 
 by Jennet, to whom I bade adieu." 
 
 " Thou art right it was," returned the hag ; " but I have yet 
 more to tell thee, for I will lay the secrets of thy mother's dark 
 breast fully before thee. Her time is wellnigh run. Thou wert 
 made the price of its extension. If she fails in offering thee 
 up to-night, and thou art here in my keeping, the Fiend, her 
 master, will abandon her, and she will be delivered up to the 
 justice of man." 
 
 Alizon covered her face with horror. 
 
 After awhile she looked up, and exclaimed, with unutterable 
 anguish 
 
 " And I cannot help her !" 
 
 The unpitying hag laughed derisively. 
 
 " She cannot be utterly lost," continued the young girl. (i Were 
 I near her, I would show her that heaven is merciful to the 
 greatest sinner who repents; and teach her how to regain the 
 lost path to salvation." 
 
 " Peace ! " thundered the witch, shaking her huge hand at her, 
 and stamping her heavy foot upon the ground. " Such words 
 must not be uttered here. They are an offence to me. Thy 
 mother has renounced all hopes of heaven. She has been bap- 
 tised in the baptism of hell, and branded on the brow by the 
 red finger of its ruler, and cannot be wrested from him. It is 
 too late." 
 
 " No, no it never can be too late ! " cried Alizon. " It is not 
 even too late for you." 
 
 " Thou know'st not what thou talk'st about, foolish wench," 
 rejoined the hag. u Our master would tear us instantly in pieces 
 if but a thought of penitence, as thou callest it, crossed our minds. 
 We are both doomed to an eternity of torture. But thy mother 
 will go first ay, first. If she had yielded thee up to-night, 
 
316 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 another term would have been allowed her ; but as I hold thee 
 instead, the benefit of the sacrifice will be mine. But, hist! what 
 was that? The youth again! Alice Nutter must have given him 
 some potent counter-charm." 
 
 " He comes to deliver me," cried Alizon. (t Richard !" 
 
 And she arose, and would have flown to the window, but 
 Mother Demdike waved her staff over her, and rooted her to the 
 ground. 
 
 " Stay there till I require thee," chuckled the hag, moving, 
 with ponderous footsteps, to the door. 
 
 After parleying with Richard, as already related, Mother Dem- 
 dike suddenly returned to Alizon, and, restoring her to sensibility, 
 placed her hideous face close to her, breathing upon her, and 
 uttering these words, " Be thine eyes blinded and thy brain 
 confused, so that thou mayst not know him when thou seest him, 
 but think him another." 
 
 The spell took instant effect. Alizon staggered towards the 
 table, Richard was summoned, and on his appearance the scene 
 took place which has already been detailed, and which ended in 
 his losing the talisman, and being ejected from the tower. 
 
 Alizon had been rendered invisible by the old witch, and was 
 afterwards dragged into the arched recess by her, where, snatch- 
 ing the piece of gold from the young girl's neck, she exclaimed 
 triumphantly 
 
 " Now I defy thee, Alice Nutter. Thou canst never recover 
 thy child. The offering shall be made to-night, and another year 
 be added to my long term." 
 
 Alizon groaned deeply, but, at a gesture from the hag, she 
 became motionless and speechless. 
 
 A dusky indistinctly-seen figure hovered near the entrance of 
 the embrasure. Mother Demdike beckoned it to her. 
 
 " Convey this girl to the vault, and watch over her," she said. 
 " I will descend anon." 
 
 Upon this the shadowy arms enveloped Alizon, the trapdoor 
 flew open, and the figure disappeared with its inanimate burthen. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. THE TWO FAMILIARS. 
 
 AFTER seeing Richard depart on his perilous mission to Malkin 
 Tower, Mistress Nutter retired to her own chamber, and held 
 long and anxious self-communion. The course of her thoughts 
 may be gathered from the terrible revelations made by Mother 
 Demdike to Alizon. A prey to the most agonising emotions, it 
 may be questioned if she could have endured greater torment if 
 her heart had been consumed by living fire, as in the punishment 
 assigned to the damned in the fabled halls of Eblis. For the 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 317 
 
 first time remorse assailed her, and she felt compunction for the 
 evil she had committed. The whole of her dark career passed in 
 review before her. The long catalogue of her crimes unfolded 
 itself like a scroll of flame, and at its foot were written in blazing 
 characters the awful words, JUDGMENT AND CONDEMNATION ! 
 There was no escape none ! Hell, with its unquenchable fires 
 and unimaginable horrors, yawned to receive her ; and she felt, 
 with anguish and self-reproach not to be described, how wretched 
 a bargain she had made, and how dearly the brief gratification of 
 her evil passions had been purchased at the cost of an eternity of 
 woe and torture. 
 
 This change of feeling had been produced by her newly-awak- 
 ened affection for her daughter, long supposed dead, and now 
 restored to her, only to be snatched away again in a manner 
 which added to the sharpness of the loss. She saw herself the 
 sport of a juggling fiend, whose aim was to win over her daugh- 
 ter's soul through her instrumentality, and she resolved, if possible, 
 to defeat his purposes. This, she was aware, could only be 
 accomplished by her own destruction, but even this dread alter- 
 native she was prepared to embrace. Alizon's sinless nature and 
 devotion to herself had so wrought upon her, that, though she 
 had at first resisted the better impulses kindled within her bosom, 
 in the end they completely overmastered her. 
 
 Was it, she asked herself, too late to repent ? Was there no 
 way of breaking her compact ? She remembered to have read of 
 a young man who had signed away his own soul, being restored 
 to heaven by the intercession of the great reformer of the church, 
 Martin Luther. But, on the other hand, she had heard of many 
 others, who, on the slightest manifestation of penitence, had been 
 rent in pieces by the Fiend. Still the idea recurred to her. 
 Might not her daughter, armed with perfect purity and holiness, 
 with a soul free from stain as an unspotted mirror ; might not 
 she, who had avouched herself ready to risk all for her for she 
 had overheard her declaration to Richard; might not she be able 
 to work out her salvation ? Would confession of her sins and 
 voluntary submission to earthly justice save her 1 Alas ! no. 
 She was without hope. She had an inexorable master to deal 
 with, who would grant her no grace, except upon conditions she 
 would not assent to. 
 
 She would have thrown herself on her knees, but they refused 
 to bend. She would have prayed, but the words turned to blas- 
 phemies. She would have wept, but the fountains of tears were 
 dry. The witch could never weep. 
 
 Then came despair and frenzy, and, like furies, lashed her with 
 whips of scorpions, goading her with the memory of her abomi- 
 nations and idolatries, and her infinite and varied iniquities. 
 They showed her, as in a swiftly-fleeting vision, all who had suf- 
 fered wrong by her, or whom her malice had afflicted in body or 
 
318 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 estate. They mocked her with a glimpse of the paradise she had 
 forfeited. She saw her daughter in a beatified state about to 
 enter its golden portals, and would have clung to her robes in the 
 hope of being carried in with her, but she was driven away by an 
 angel with a flaming sword, who cried out, " Thou hast abjured 
 heaven, and heaven rejects thee. Satan's brand is upon thy brow, 
 and, unless it be effaced, thou canst never enter here. Down to 
 Tophet, thou witch !" Then she implored her daughter to touch 
 her brow with the tip of her finger ; and, as the latter was about 
 to comply, a dark demoniacal shape suddenly rose, and, seizing 
 her by the hair, plunged with her down down millions of miles 
 till she beheld a world of fire appear beneath her, consisting of 
 a multitude of volcanoes, roaring and raging like furnaces, boiling 
 over with redhot lava, and casting forth huge burning stones. 
 In each of these beds of fire thousands upon thousands of sufferers 
 were writhing, and their groans and lamentations arose in one 
 frightful, incessant wail, too terrible for human hearing. 
 
 Over this place of torment the demon held her suspended. 
 She shrieked aloud in her agony, and, shaking off the oppression, 
 rejoiced to find the vision had been caused by her own distem- 
 pered imagination. 
 
 Meanwhile, the storm, which had obstructed Richard as he 
 climbed the hill, had come on, though Mistress Nutter had not 
 noticed it ; but now a loud peal of thunder shook the room, and 
 rousing herself she walked to the window. The sight she beheld 
 increased her alarm. Heavy thunder-clouds rested upon the hill- 
 side, and seemed ready to discharge their artillery upon the course 
 which she knew must be taken by the young man. 
 
 The chamber in which she stood, it has been said, was large 
 and gloomy, with a wainscoting of dark oak. On one of the 
 panels was painted a picture of herself in her days of youth, inno- 
 cence, and beauty ; and on another, a portrait of her unfortunate 
 husband, who appeared a handsome young man, with a stern 
 countenance, attired in a black velvet doublet and cloak, of the 
 fashion of Elizabeth's day. Between these paintings stood a 
 carved oak bedstead, with a high tester and dark heavy drapery, 
 opposite which was a wide window, occupying almost the whole 
 length of the room, but darkened by thick bars and glass, crowded 
 with armorial bearings, or otherwise deeply dyed. The high 
 mantelpiece and its carvings have been previously described, as 
 well as the bloody hearthstone, where the tragical incident 
 occurred connected with Alizon's early history. 
 
 As Mistress Nutter returned to the fireplace, a plaintive cry 
 arose from it, and starting for the sound revived terrible memo- 
 ries within her breast she beheld the ineffaceable stains upon the 
 flag traced out by blue phosphoric fire, while above them hovered 
 the shape of a bleeding infant. Horror-stricken, she averted her 
 gaze, but it encountered another object, equall" Appalling her 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 319 
 
 husband's portrait ; or rather, it would seem, a phantom in its 
 place ; for the eyes, lighted up by infernal fire, glared at her from 
 beneath the frowning and contracted brows, while the hand sig- 
 nificantly pointed to the hearthstone, on which the sanguinary 
 stains had now formed themselves into the fatal word " VEN- 
 
 GEAXCE !" 
 
 In a few minutes the fiery characters died away, and the por- 
 trait resumed its wonted expression; but ereJMistress Nutter had 
 recovered from her terror the back of the fireplace opened, and a 
 tall swarthy man stepped out from it. As he appeared, a flash 
 of lightning illumined the chamber, and revealed his fiendish 
 countenance. On seeing him, the lady immediately regained her 
 courage, and addressed him in a haughty and commanding tone 
 
 " Why this intrusion ? I did not summon thee, and do not 
 require thee." 
 
 u You are mistaken, madam," he replied ; " you had never 
 more occasion for me than at this moment ; and, so far from in- 
 truding upon you, I have avoided coming near you, even though 
 enjoined to do so by my lord. He is perfectly aware of the 
 change which has just taken place in your opinions, and the 
 anxiety you now feel to break the contract you have entered into 
 with him, and which he has scrupulously fulfilled on his part ; 
 but he wishes you distinctly to understand, that he has no inten- 
 tion of abandoning his claims upon you, but will most assuredly 
 enforce them at the proper time. I need not remind you that 
 your term draws to a close, and ere many months must expire ; 
 but means of extending it have been offered you, if you choose to 
 avail yourself of them." 
 
 " I have no such intention," replied Mistress Nutter, in a de- 
 cided tone. 
 
 " So be it, madam," replied the other ; " but you will not 
 preserve your daughter, who is in the hands of a tried and faithful 
 servant of my lord, and what you hesitate to do that servant will 
 perform, and so reap the benefit of the sacrifice." 
 
 " Not so," rejoined Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " I say yea," retorted the familiar. 
 
 " Thou art my slave, I command thee to bring Alizon hither at 
 once." 
 
 The familiar shook his head. 
 
 " Thou refusest!" cried Mistress Nutter, menacingly. 
 
 " Knows't thou not I have the means of chastising thee ? " 
 
 " You had, madam," replied the other ; " but the moment a 
 thought of penitence crossed your breast, the power you were 
 invested with departed. My lord, however, is willing to 
 give you an hour of grace, when, if you voluntarily renew your 
 oaths to him, he will accept them, and place me at your disposal 
 once more ; but if you still continue obstinate " 
 
 " He will abandon me," interrupted Mistress Nutter ; " I knew 
 
320 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 it. Fool that I was to trust one who, from the beginning, has 
 been a deceiver." 
 
 " You have a short memory, and but little gratitude, madam, 
 and seem entirely to forget the important favour conferred upon 
 you last night. At your solicitation, the boundaries of your pro- 
 perty were changed, and large slips of land niched from another, 
 to be given to you. But if you fail in your duty, you cannot 
 expect this to continue. The boundary marks will be set up in 
 their old places, and the land restored to its rightful owner." 
 " I expected as much," observed Mistress Nutter, disdainfully. 
 (t Thus all our pains will be thrown away," pursued the 
 familiar; " and though you may make light of the labour, it is no easy 
 task to change the face of a whole country to turn streams from 
 their course, move bogs, transplant trees, and shift houses, all of 
 which has been done, and will now have to be undone, because of 
 your inconstancy. I, myself, have been obliged to act as many 
 parts as a poor player to please you, and now you dismiss me at 
 a moment's notice, as if I had played them indifferently, whereas 
 the most fastidious audience would have been ravished with my 
 performance. This morning I was the reeve of the forest, and 
 as such obliged to assume the shape of a rascally attorney. I felt 
 it a degradation, I assure you. Nor was I better pleased when 
 you compelled me to put on the likeness of old Roger Nowell; for, 
 whatever you may think, I am not so entirely destitute of 
 personal vanity as to prefer either of their figures to my own. 
 However, I showed no disinclination to oblige you. You are 
 strangely unreasonable to-day. Is it my lord's fault if your desire 
 of vengeance expires in its fruition if, when you have accomplished 
 an object, you no longer care for it I You ask for revenge for 
 power. You have them, and cast them aside like childish 
 baubles!" 
 
 "Thy lord is an arch deceiver," rejoined Mistress Nutter; 
 " and cannot perform his promises. They are empty delusions 
 profitless, unsubstantial as shadows. His power prevails not 
 against any thing holy, as I myself have just now experienced. 
 His money turns to withered leaves ; his treasures are dust and 
 ashes. Strong only is he in power of mischief, and even his 
 mischief, like curses, recoils on those who use it. His vengeance 
 is no true vengeance, for it troubles the conscience, and engenders 
 remorse ; whereas the servant of heaven heaps coals of fire on the 
 head of his adversary by kindness, and satisfies his own heart." 
 " You should have thought of all this before you vowed your- 
 self to him," said the familiar ; " it is too late to reflect now." 
 " Perchance not," rejoined Mistress Nutter. 
 " Beware !" thundered the demon, with a terrible gesture; 
 " any overt act of disobedience, and your limbs shall be scattered 
 over this chamber." 
 
 61 If I do not dare thee to it, it is not because I fear thee/' 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 321 
 
 replied Mistress Nutter, in no way dismayed by the threat. 
 " Thou canst not control my tongue. Thou speakest of the 
 services rendered by thy lord, and I repeat they are like his 
 promises, naught. Show me the witch he has enriched. Of 
 what profit is her worship of the false deity of what avail the 
 sacrifices she makes at his foul altars? It is ever the same 
 spilling of blood, ever the same working of mischief. The wheels 
 of crime roll on like the car of the Indian idol, crushing all before 
 them. Doth thy master ever help his servants in their need? 
 Doth he not ever abandon them when they are no longer useful, 
 and can win him no more proselytes? Miserable servants 
 miserable master ! Look at the murtherous Demdike and the 
 malignant Chattox, and examine the means whereby they have 
 prolonged their baleful career. Enormities of all kinds committed, 
 and all their families devoted to the Fiend all wizards or witches ! 
 Look at them, I say. What profit to them is their long service? 
 Are they rich ? Are they in possession of unfading youth and 
 beauty? Are they splendidly lodged? Have they all they 
 desire ? No ! the one dwells in a solitary turret, and the other 
 in a wretched hovel ; and both are miserable creatures, living only 
 on the dole wrung by threats from terrified peasants, and capable 
 of no gratification but such as results from practices of malice." 
 
 " Is that nothing?" asked the familiar. " To them it is every 
 thing. They care neither for splendid mansions, nor wealth, nor 
 youth, nor beauty. If they did, they could have them all. They 
 care only for the dread and mysterious power they possess, to be 
 able to fascinate with a glance, to transfix by a gesture, to inflict 
 strange ailments by a word, and to kill by a curse. This is the 
 privilege they seek, and this privilege they enjoy." 
 
 " And what is the end of it all ?" demanded Mistress Nutter, 
 sternly. " Erelong, they will be unable to furnish victims to 
 their insatiate master, who will then abandon them. Their 
 bodies will go to the hangman, and their souls to endless bale !" 
 
 The familiar laughed as if a good joke had been repeated to 
 him, and rubbed his hands gleefully. 
 
 " Very true," he said ; " very true. You have stated the case 
 exactly, madam. Such will certainly be the course of events. 
 But what of that ? The old hags will have enjoyed a long term 
 much longer than might have been anticipated. Mother 
 Demdike, however, as I have intimated, will extend hers, and it 
 is fortunate for her she is enabled to do so, as it would otherwise 
 expire an hour after midnight, and could not be renewed." 
 
 "Thou liest !" cried Mistress Nutter " liest like thy lord, who 
 is the father of lies. My innocent child can never be offered up 
 at his impious shrine. I have no fear for her. Neither he, nor 
 Mother Demdike, nor any of the accursed sisterhood, can harm 
 her. Her goodness will cover her like armour, which no evil can 
 penetrate. Let him wreak his vengeance, if he will, on me. Let 
 
322 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 him treat me as a slave who has cast off his yoke. Let him 
 abridge the scanty time allotted me, and bear me hence to his 
 burning kingdom ; but injure my child, he cannot shall not !" 
 
 " Go to Malkin Tower at midnight, and thou wilt see/' replied 
 the familiar, with a mocking laugh. 
 
 " 1 will go there, but it shall be to deliver her," rejoined 
 Mistress Nutter. "And now get thee gone ! I need thee no more." 
 
 " Be not deceived, proud woman," said the familiar. " Once 
 dismissed, I may not be recalled, while thou wilt be wholly 
 unable to defend thyself against thy enemies." 
 
 6e I care not," she rejoined; " begone !" 
 
 The familiar stepped back, and, stamping upon the hearthstone, 
 it sank like a trapdoor, and he disappeared beneath it, a flash of 
 lightning playing round his dusky figure. 
 
 Notwithstanding her vaunted resolution, and the boldness with 
 which she had comported herself before the familiar, Mistress 
 Nutter now completely gave way, and for awhile abandoned her- 
 self to despair. Aroused at length by the absolute necessity of 
 action, she again walked to the window and looked forth. The 
 storm still raged furiously without so furiously, indeed, 
 that it would be madness to brave it, now that she was deprived 
 of her power, and reduced to the ordinary level of humanity. Its 
 very violence, however, assured her it must soon cease, and she 
 would then set out for Malkin Tower. But what chance had she 
 now in a struggle with the old hag, with all the energies of hell 
 at her command ? what hope was there of her being able to 
 effect her daughter's liberation ? No matter, however desperate, 
 the attempt should be made. Meanwhile, it would be necessary 
 so see what was going on below ,and ascertain whether Blackadder 
 had returned with Parson Holden. With this view, she descended 
 to the hall, where she found Nicholas Assheton fast asleep in a 
 great arm-chair, and rocked rather than disturbed by the loud 
 concussions of thunder. The squire was, no doubt, overcome by 
 the fatigues of the day, or it might be by the potency of the wine 
 he had swallowed, for an empty flask stood on the table beside 
 him. Mistress Nutter did not awaken him, but proceeded to the 
 chamber where she had left Nowell and Potts prisoners, both of 
 whom rose on her entrance. 
 
 " Be seated, gentlemen, I pray you," she said, courteously. " I 
 am come to see if you need any thing ; for when this fearful storm 
 abates, I am going forth for a short time." 
 
 " Indeed, madam," replied Potts. " For myself I require nothing 
 further; but perhaps another bottle of wine might be agreeable to 
 my honoured and singular good client." 
 
 " Speak for yourself, sir," cried Roger Nowell, sharply. 
 
 " You shall have it," interposed Mistress Nutter. " I shall be 
 glad of a word with you before I go, Master Nowell. I am sorry 
 this dispute has arisen between us." 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 323 
 
 " Humph !" exclaimed the magistrate. 
 
 "Very sorry," pursued Mistress Nutter; " and I wish to make 
 every reparation in my power." 
 
 " Reparation, madam!" cried No well. " Give back the land you 
 have stolen from me restore the boundary lines sign the deed 
 in Sir Ralph's possession that is the only reparation you can 
 make." 
 
 " I will," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 
 "You will!" exclaimed Nowell. "Then the fellow did not 
 deceive us, Master Potts." 
 
 "Has any one been with you?" asked the lady, uneasily. 
 
 "Ay, the reeve of the forest," replied Nowell. " He told us 
 you would be with us presently, and would make fair offers to us." 
 
 " And he told us also why you would make them, madam," 
 added Potts, in an insolent and menacing tone ; " he told us you 
 would make a merit of doing what you could not help that your 
 power had gone from you that your works of darkness would be 
 destroyed and that, in a word, you were abandoned by the devil, 
 your master." 
 
 " He deceived you," replied Mistress Nutter. " I have made 
 you the offer out of pure good- will, and you can reject it or not, 
 as you please. All I stipulate, if you do accept it, is, that you 
 pledge me your word not to bring any charge of witchcraft against 
 me." 
 
 " Do not give the pledge," whispered a voice in the ear of the 
 magistrate. 
 
 " Did you speak ? " he said, turning to Potts. 
 
 " No, sir," replied the attorney, in a low tone; " but I thought 
 you cautioned me against." 
 
 " Hush !" interrupted Nowell; st it must be the reeve. We can- 
 not comply with your request, madam," he added, aloud. 
 
 " Certainly not," said Potts. We can make no bargain with 
 an avowed witch. We should gain nothing by it ; on the contrary, 
 we should be losers, for we have the positive assurance of a gen- 
 tleman whom we believe to be upon terms of intimacy with a 
 certain black gentleman of your acquaintance, madam, that the 
 latter has given you up entirely, and that law and justice may, 
 therefore, take their course. We protest against our unlawful 
 detention ; but we give ourselves small concern about it, as Sir 
 Ralph Assheton, who will be advised of our situation by Parson 
 Holden, will speedily come to our liberation." 
 
 " Yes, we are now quite easy on that score, madam," added 
 Nowell ; " and to-morrow we shall have the pleasure of escorting 
 you to Lancaster Castle." 
 
 " And your trial will come on at the next assizes, about the 
 middle of August," said Potts. " You have only four months to 
 
324 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " That is indeed my term," muttered the lady. " I shall not 
 tarry to listen to your taunts," she added, aloud. " You may 
 possibly regret rejecting my proposal." 
 
 So saying, she quitted the room. 
 
 As she returned to the hall, Nicholas awoke. 
 
 " What a devil of a storm !" he exclaimed, stretching himself, 
 and rubbing his eyes. " Zounds ! that flash of lightning was enough 
 to blind me, and the thunder wellnigh splits one's ears. 
 
 (i Yet you have slept through louder peals, Nicholas," said Mis- 
 tress Nutter, coming up to him. " Richard has not returned from 
 his mission, and I must go myself to Malkin Tower. In my ab- 
 sence, I must entrust you with the defence of my house." 
 
 " I am willing to undertake it," replied Nicholas, " provided no 
 witchcraft be used." 
 
 " Nay, you need not fear that," said the lady, with a forced 
 smile. 
 
 u Well, then, leave it to me," said the squire; " but you will not 
 set out till the storm is over?" 
 
 " I must," replied Mistress Nutter ; "there seems no likelihood 
 of its cessation, and each moment is fraught with peril to Alizon. 
 If aught happens to me, Nicholas if I should whatever mis- 
 chance may befall me promise me you will stand by her." 
 
 The squire gave the required promise. 
 
 (( Enough, I hold you to your word," said Mistress Nutter. 
 " Take this parchment. It is a deed of gift, assigning this mansion 
 and all my estates to her. Under certain circumstances you will 
 produce it." 
 
 " What circumstances ? I am at a loss to understand you, 
 madam," said the squire. 
 
 " Do not question me further, but take especial care of the deed, 
 and produce it, as I have said, at the fitting moment. You will 
 know when that arrives. Ha ! I am wanted." 
 
 The latter exclamation had been occasioned by the appearance 
 of an old woman at the further end of the hall, beckoning to her. 
 On seeing her, Mistress Nutter immediately quitted the squire, 
 and followed her into a small chamber opening from this part of 
 the hall, and into which she retreated. 
 
 " What brings you here, Mother Chattox ?" exclaimed the lady, 
 closing the door. 
 
 " Can you not guess ?" replied the hag. " I am come to help 
 you, not for any love I bear you, but to avenge myself on old Dem- 
 dike. Do not interrupt me. My familiar, Fancy, has told me 
 all. I know how you are circumstanced. I know Alizon is in 
 old Demdike's clutches, and you are unable to extricate her. But 
 I can, and will ; because if the hateful old hag fails in offering up 
 her sacrifice before the first hour of day, her term will be out, and 
 I shall be rid of her, and reign in her stead. To-morrow she will 
 
V 
 
 =s=-.^ 
 
 THE RIDE .THROUGH THE MURKY AIR. 
 
 P. 325. 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 325 
 
 be on her way to Lancaster Castle. Ha ! ha ! The dungeon is 
 prepared for her the stake driven into the ground the fagots 
 heaped around it. The torch has only to be lighted. Ho ! Ho ! " 
 
 " Shall we go to Malkin Tower ?" asked Mistress Nutter, shud- 
 dering. 
 
 " No ; to the summit of Pendle Hill," rejoined Mother Chattox ; 
 " for there the girl will be taken, and there only can we secure 
 her. But first we must proceed to my hut, and make some pre- 
 parations. I have three scalps and eight teeth, taken from a grave 
 in Goldshaw churchyard this very day. We can make a charm 
 with them. 
 
 " You must prepare it alone," said Mistress Nutter ; u I can 
 have nought to do with it." 
 
 " True true I had forgotten," cried the hag, with a chuck- 
 ling laugh "you are no longer one of us. Well, then, I will do 
 it alone. But come with me. You will not object to mount upon 
 my broomstick. It is the only safe conveyance in this storm of 
 the devil's raising. Come away!" 
 
 And she threw open the window and sprang forth, followed by 
 Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Through the murky air, and borne as if on the wings of the 
 wind, two dark forms are flying swiftly. Over the tops of the 
 tempest-shaken trees they go, and as they gain the skirts of the 
 thicket an oak beneath is shivered by a thunderbolt. They hear 
 the fearful crash, and see the splinters fly far and wide ; and the 
 foremost of the two, who, with her skinny arm extended, seems 
 to direct their course, utters a wild scream of laughter, while a 
 raven, speeding on broad black wing before them, croaks hoarsely. 
 Now the torrent rages below, and they see its white waters tum- 
 bling over a ledge of rock; now they pass over the brow of a hill ; 
 now skim over a dreary waste and dangerous morass. Fearful it 
 is to behold those two flying figures, as the lightning shows them, 
 bestriding their fantastical steed ; the one an old hag with hideous 
 lineaments and distorted person, and the other a proud dame, still 
 beautiful, though no longer young, pale as death, kind her loose 
 jetty hair streaming like a meteor in the breeze. 
 
 The ride is over, and they alight near the door of a solitary 
 hovel. The raven has preceded them, and, perched on the chim- 
 ney top, flies down it as they enter, and greets them with hoarse 
 croaking. The inside of the hut corresponds with its miserable 
 exterior, consisting only of two rooms, in one of which is a 
 Avretched pallet ; in the other are a couple of large chests, a crazy 
 table, a bench, a three-legged stool, and a spinning-wheel. A 
 caldron is suspended above a peat fire, smouldering on the hearth. 
 There is only one window, and a thick curtain is drawn across it, 
 to secure the inmate of the hut from prying eyes. 
 
 Mother Chattox closes and bars the door, and, motioning 
 Mistress Nutter to seat herself upon the stool, kneels down near 
 
326 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the hearth, and blows the turf into a flame, the raven helping her, 
 by flapping his big black wings, and uttering a variety of strange 
 sounds, as the sparks fly about. Heaping on more turf, and 
 shifting the caldron, so that it may receive the full influence of 
 the flame, the hag proceeds to one of the chests, and takes out 
 sundry small matters, which she places one by one with great care 
 on the table. The raven has now fixed his great talons on her 
 shoulder, and chuckles and croaks in her ear as she pursues her 
 occupation. Suddenly a piece of bone attracts his attention, and 
 darting out his beak, he seizes it, and hops away. 
 
 " Give me that scalp, thou mischievous imp !" cries the hag, 
 " I need it for the charm I am about to prepare. Give it me, 
 I say!" 
 
 But the raven still held it fast, and hopped here and there so 
 nimbly that she was unable to catch him. At length, when he 
 had exhausted her patience, he alighted on Mistress Nutter's 
 shoulder, and dropped it into her lap. Engrossed by her own 
 painful thoughts, the lady had paid no attention to what was 
 passing, and she shuddered as she took up the fragment of mor- 
 tality, and placed it upon the table. A few tufts of hair, the 
 texture of which showed they had belonged to a female, still 
 adhered to the scalp. Mistress Nutter regarded it fixedly, and 
 with an interest for which she could not account. 
 
 After sharply chiding the raven, Mother Chattox put forth her 
 hand to grasp the prize she had been robbed of, when Mistress 
 Nutter checked her by observing, u You said you got this scalp 
 from Goldshaw churchyard. Know you ought concerning it?" 
 
 " Ay, a good deal," replied the old woman, chuckling. " It 
 comes from a grave near the yew-tree, and not far from Abbot 
 Cliderhow's cross. Old Zachariah Worms, the sexton, digged it 
 up for me. That yellow skull had once a fair face attached to it, 
 and those few dull tufts were once bright flowing tresses. She 
 who owned them died young ; but, young as she was, she survived 
 all her beauty. Hollow cheeks and hollow eyes, wasted flesh, 
 and cruel cough, were hers and she pined and pined away. 
 Folks said she was forespoken, and that I had done it. I, for- 
 sooth ! She had never done me harm. You know whether I 
 was rightly accused, madam." 
 
 " Take it away," cried Mistress Nutter, hurriedly, and as if 
 struggling against some overmastering feeling. " I cannot bear 
 to look at it. I wanted not this horrible reminder of my crimes." 
 
 " This was the reason, then, why Ralph stole the scalp from 
 me," muttered the hag, as she threw it, together with some other 
 matters, into the caldron. " He wanted to show you his saga- 
 city. I might have guessed as much." 
 
 "I will go into the other room while you make your pre- 
 parations," said Mistress Nutter, rising; "the sight of them 
 disturbs me. You can summon me when you are ready." 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 327 
 
 (( I will, madam," replied the old hag, " and you must control 
 your impatience, for the spell requires time for its confection." 
 
 Mistress Nutter made no reply, but, walking into the inner 
 room, closed the door, and threw herself upon the pallet. Here, 
 despite her anxiety, sleep stole upon her, and though her dreams 
 were troubled, she did not awake till Mother Chattox stood 
 beside her. 
 
 " Have I slept long ? " she inquired. 
 
 " More than three hours," replied the hag. 
 
 "Three hours !" exclaimed Mistress Nutter. " Why did you 
 not wake me before ? You would have saved me from terrible 
 dreams. We are not too late?" 
 
 " No, no," replied Mother Chattox ; " there is plenty of time. 
 Come into the other room. All is ready." 
 
 As Mistress Nutter followed the old hag into the adjoining 
 room, a strong odour, arising from a chafing-dish, in which herbs, 
 roots, and other ingredients were burning, assailed her, and, 
 versed in all weird ceremonials, she knew that a powerful suffu- 
 migation had been made, though with what intent she had yet to 
 learn. The scanty furniture had been cleared away, and a circle 
 was described on the clay floor by skulls and bones, alternated 
 by dried toads, adders, and other reptiles. In the midst of this 
 magical circle, the caldron, which had been brought from the 
 chimney, was placed, and, the lid being removed, a thick vapour 
 arose from it. Mistress Nutter looked around for the raven, but 
 the bird was nowhere to be seen, nor did any other living thing 
 appear to be present beside themselves. 
 
 Taking the lady's hand, Mother Chattox drew her into the 
 circle, and began to mutter a spell ; after which, still maintaining 
 her hold of her companion, she bade her look into the caldron, 
 and declare what she saw. 
 
 " I see nothing," replied the lady, after she had gazed upon the 
 bubbling waters for a few moments. " Ah ! yes I discern 
 certain rigures, but they are confused by the steam, and broken 
 by the agitation of the water." 
 
 "Caldron cease boiling! and smoke disperse!" cried Mother 
 Chattox, stamping her foot. fi Now, can you see more plainly I " 
 
 " I can," replied Mistress Nutter ; " I behold the subterranean 
 chamber beneath Malkin Tower, with its nine ponderous columns, 
 its altar in the midst of them, its demon image, and the well 
 with waters black as Lethe beside it." 
 
 "The water within the caldron came from that well," said 
 Mother Chattox, with a chuckling laugh ; " my familiar risked 
 his liberty to bring it, but he succeeded. Ha ! ha ! My precious 
 Fancy, thou art the best of servants, and shalt have my best 
 blood to reward thee to-morrow thou shalt. my sweetheart, my 
 chuck, my dandyprat. But hie thee back to Malkin Tower, and 
 
328 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 contrive that this lady may hear, as well as see, all that passes. 
 Away!" 
 
 Mistress Nutter concluded that the injunction would be obeyed ; 
 but, as the familiar was invisible to her, she could not detect his 
 departure. 
 
 " Do you see no one within the dungeon?" inquired Mother 
 Chattox. 
 
 " Ah ! yes," exclaimed the- lady ; " I have at last discovered 
 Alizon. She was behind one of the pillars. A little girl is with 
 her. It is Jennet Device, and, from the spiteful looks of the 
 latter, I judge she is mocking her. Oh ! what malice lurks in 
 the breast of that hateful child ! She is a true descendant of 
 Mother Demdike. But Alizon sweet, patient Alizon she 
 seems to bear all her taunts with a meekness and resignation 
 enough to move the hardest heart. I would weep for her if I 
 could. And now Jennet shakes her hand at her, and leaves her. 
 She is alone. What will she do now ? Has she no thoughts of 
 escape ? Oh, yes ! She looks about her distractedly runs 
 round the vault tries the door of every cell : they are all bolted 
 and barred there is no outlet none !" 
 
 " What next ?" inquired the hag. 
 
 " She shrieks aloud," rejoined Mistress Nutter, " and the cry 
 thrills through every fibre in my frame. She calls upon me for 
 aid upon me, her mother, and little thinks I hear her, and am 
 unable to help her. Oh ! it is horrible. Take me to her, good 
 Chattox take me to her, I implore you ! " 
 
 "Impossible !" replied the hag: "you must await the fitting 
 time. If you cannot control yourself, 1 shall remove the 
 caldron." 
 
 " Oh ! no, no," cried the distracted lady. " I will be calm. 
 Ah ! what is this I see ? " she added, belying her former words 
 by sudden vehemence, while rage and astonishment were depicted 
 upon her countenance. " What infernal delusion is practised 
 upon my child ! This is monstrous intolerable. Oh ! that I 
 could undeceive her could warn her of the snare !" 
 
 " What is the nature of the delusion ? " asked Mother Chattox, 
 with some curiosity. " I am so blind I cannot see the figures on 
 the water." 
 
 " It is an evil spirit in my likeness," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 
 "In your likeness !" exclaimed the hag. "A cunning device 
 and worthy of old Demdike ho ! ho !" 
 
 "I can scarce bear to look on," cried Mistress Nutter; "but I 
 must, though it tears my heart in pieces to witness such cruelty. 
 The poor girl has rushed to her false parent has thrown her arm& 
 around her, and is weeping on her shoulder. Oh ! it is a mad- 
 dening sight. But it is nothing to what follows. The temptress,, 
 with the subtlety of the old serpent, is pouring lies into her ear, 
 
THE TWO FAMILIARS. 329 
 
 telling her they both are captives, and both will perish unless she 
 consents to purchase their deliverance at the price of her soul, 
 and she offers her a bond to sign such a bond as, alas ! thou and 
 I, Chattox, have signed. But Alizon rejects it with horror, and 
 gazes at her false mother as if she suspected the delusion. But 
 the temptress is not to be beaten thus. She renews her entreaties, 
 casts herself on the ground, and clasps my child's knees in hum- 
 blest supplication. Oh ! that Alizon would place her foot upon 
 her neck and crush her. But it is not so the good act. She raises 
 her, and tells her she will willingly die for her; but her soul was 
 given to her by her Creator, and must be returned to him. Oh ! 
 that I had thought of this." 
 
 " And what answer makes the spirit ?" asked the witch. 
 
 " It laughs derisively," replied Mistress Nutter ; " and pro- 
 ceeds to use all those sophistical arguments, which we have so 
 often heard, to pervert her mind, and overthrow her principles. 
 But Alizon is proof against them all. Religion and virtue sup- 
 port her, and make her more than a match for her opponent. 
 Equally vain are the spirit's attempts to seduce her by the offer 
 of a life of sinful enjoyment. She rejects it with angry scorn. 
 Failing in argument and entreaty, the spirit now endeavours to 
 work upon her fears, and paints, in appalling colours, the tortures 
 she will have to endure, contrasting them with the delight she is 
 voluntarily abandoning, with the lover she might espouse, with 
 the high worldly position she might fill. ' What are worldly joys 
 and honours compared with those of heaven ! ' exclaims Alizon ; 
 ( I would not exchange them.' The spirit then, in a vision, shows 
 her her lover, Richard, and asks her if she can resist his entrea- 
 ties. The ti ial is very sore, as she gazes on that beloved form, 
 seeming, by its passionate gestures, to implore her to assent, but 
 she is firm, and the vision disappears. The ordeal is now over. 
 Alizon has triumphed over all their arts. The spirit in my like- 
 ness resumes its fiendish shape, and, with a dreadful menace 
 against the poor girl, vanishes from her sight. " 
 
 "Mother Demdike has not done with her yet," observed 
 Chattox. 
 
 "You are right," replied Mistress Nutter. "The old hag 
 descends the staircase leading to the vault, and approaches the 
 miserable captive. With her there are no supplications no 
 arguments ; but commands and terrible threats. She is as unsuc- 
 cessful as her envoy. Alizon has gained courage and defies her." 
 
 " Ha ! does she so ?" exclaimed Mother Chattox. " I am glad 
 of it." 
 
 " The solid floor resounds with the stamping of the enraged 
 witch," pursued Mistress Nutter. " She tells Alizon she will 
 take her to Pendle Hill at midnight, and there offer her up as a 
 sacrifice to the Fiend. My child replies that she trusts for her 
 deliverance to Heaven that her body may be destroyed that 
 
330 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 her soul cannot be harmed. Scarcely are the words uttered than 
 a terrible clangour is heard. The walls of the dungeon seem 
 breaking down, and the ponderous columns reel. The demon 
 statue rises on its throne, and a stream of flame issues from its 
 brow. The doors of the cells burst open, and with the clanking 
 of chains, and other dismal noises, skeleton shapes stalk forth 
 from them, each with a pale blue light above its head. Monstrous 
 beasts, like tiger-cats, with rough black skins and flaming eyes, 
 are moving about, and looking as if they would spring upon the 
 captive. Two gravestones are now pushed aside, and from the 
 cold earth arise the forms of Blackburn, the robber, and his para- 
 mour, the dissolute Isole de Heton. She joins the grisly throng 
 now approaching the distracted girl, who falls insensible to the 
 ground." 
 
 " Can you see aught more ? " asked the hag, as Mistress Nutter 
 still bent eagerly over the caldron. 
 
 6( No ; the whole chamber is buried in darkness," replied the 
 lady ; " I can see nothing of my poor child. What will become 
 of her?" 
 
 " I will question Fancy," replied the hag, throwing some fresh 
 ingredients into the chafing-dish ; and, as the smoke arose, she 
 vociferated, " Come hither, Fancy ; I want thee, my fondling, my 
 sweet. Come quickly ! ha ! thou art here." 
 
 The familiar was still invisible to Mistress Nutter, but a slight 
 sound made her aware of his presence. 
 
 " And now, my sweet Fancy," pursued the hag, " tell us, if 
 thou canst, what will be done with Alizon, and what course we 
 must pursue to free her from old Demdike ?" 
 
 " At present she is in a state of insensibility," replied a harsh 
 voice, " and she will be kept in that condition till she. is conveyed 
 to the summit of Pendle Hill. I have already told you it is use- 
 less to attempt to take her from Malkin Tower. It is too well 
 guarded. Your only chance will be to interrupt the sacrifice." 
 
 " But how, my sweet Fancy ? how, my little darling ? " in- 
 quired the hag. 
 
 " It is a perplexing question," replied the voice; " for, by show- 
 ing you how to obtain possession of the girl, I disobey my lord." 
 
 " Ay, but you serve me you please me, my pretty Fancy," 
 cried the ha^. " You shall quaff your fill of blood on the morrow, 
 if you do this for me. I want to get rid of my old enemy to 
 catch her in her own toils to send her to a dungeon to burn 
 her ^ha ! ha ! You must help me, my little sweetheart." 
 
 "I will do all I can," replied the voice; " but Mother Demdike 
 is cunning and powerful, and high in favour with my lord. You 
 must have mortal aid as well as mine. The officers of justice 
 must be there to seize her at the moment when the victim is 
 snatched from her, or she will baffle all your schemes." 
 
 "And how shall we accomplish this?" asked Mother Chattox. 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN BESIEGED. 331 
 
 " I will tell you," said Mistress Nutter to the hag. f( Let him 
 put on the form of Richard Assheton, and in that guise hasten to 
 Rough Lee, where he will find the young man's cousin. Nicholas, 
 to whom he must make known the dreadful deed about to be 
 enacted on Pendle Hill. Nicholas will at once engage to inter- 
 rupt it. He can arm himself with the weapons of justice by- 
 taking with him Roger No well, the magistrate, and his myrmi- 
 don, Potts, the attorney, both of whom are detained prisoners in 
 the house by my orders.'* 
 
 " The scheme promises well, and shall be adopted," replied the 
 hag ; " but suppose Richard himself should appear first on the 
 scene. Dost know where he is, my sweet Fancy ?" 
 
 " When I last saw him," replied the voice, " he was lying 
 senseless on the ground, at the foot of Malkin Tower, having 
 been precipitated from the doorway by Mother Demdike. You 
 need apprehend no interference from him." 
 
 61 It is well," replied Mother Chattox. " Then take his form, 
 my pet, though it is not half as handsome as thy own." 
 
 " A black skin and goat-like limbs are to thy taste, I know" 
 replied the familiar, with a laugh. 
 
 " Let me look upon him before he goes, that I may be sure the 
 likeness is exact," said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Thou nearest, Fancy ! Become visible to her," cried the hag. 
 
 And as she spoke, a figure in all respects resembling Richard 
 stood before them. 
 
 " What think you of him ? Will he do ?" said Mother Chattox, 
 
 " Ay," replied the lady; " and now send him off at once. There 
 is no time to lose." 
 
 " I shall be there in the twinkling of an eye," said the familiar^ 
 " but I own I like not the task." 
 
 " There is no help for it, my sweet Fancy," cried the hag. 
 " I cannot forego my triumph over old Demdike. Now, away 
 with thee, and when thou hast executed thy mission, return and 
 tell us how thou hast sped in the matter." 
 
 The familiar promised obedience to her commands, and disap- 
 peared. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. HOW ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN 
 BESIEGED. 
 
 PARSON HOLDEN, it will be remembered, left Rough Lee, 
 charged by Potts with a message to Sir Ralph Assheton, inform- 
 ing him of his detention and that of Roger No well, by Mistress 
 Nutter, and imploring him to come to their assistance without 
 delay. Congratulating himself on his escape, but apprehensive 
 
332 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 of pursuit, the worthy rector, who, as a keen huntsman, was 
 extremely well mounted, made the best of his way, and had 
 already passed the gloomy gorge through which Pendle Water 
 swept, had climbed the hill beyond it, and was crossing the moor, 
 now alone lying between him and Goldshaw, when he heard a 
 shout behind him, and, turning at the sound, beheld Blackadder 
 and another mounted serving-man issuing from a thicket, and 
 spurring furiously after him. Relying upon the speed of his 
 horse, he disregarded their cries, and accelerated his pace ; but, 
 in spite of this, his pursuers gained upon him rapidly. 
 
 While debating the question of resistance or surrender, the 
 rector descried Bess Whitaker coming towards him from the 
 opposite direction a circumstance that greatly rejoiced him; 
 for, aware of her strength and courage, he felt sure he could 
 place as much dependence upon her in this emergency as on any 
 man in the county. Bess was riding a stout, rough-looking nag, 
 apparently well able to sustain her weight, and carried the re- 
 doubtable horsewhip with her. 
 
 On the other hand, Holden had been recognised by Bess, who 
 came up just as he was overtaken and seized by his assailants, 
 one of whom caught hold of his cassock, and tore it from his 
 back, while the other, seizing hold of his bridle, endeavoured, in 
 spite of his efforts to the contrary, to turn his horse round. 
 Many oaths, threats, and blows were exchanged during the 
 scuffle, which no doubt would have terminated in the rector's 
 defeat, and his compulsory return to Rough Lee, had it not been 
 for the opportune arrival of Bess, who, swearing as lustily as the 
 serving-men, and brandishing the horsewhip, dashed into the 
 scene of action, and, with a few well-applied cuts, liberated the 
 divine. Enraged at her interference, and smarting from the 
 application of the whip, Blackadder drew a petronel from his 
 girdle, and levelled it at her head ; but, ere he could discharge it, 
 the weapon was stricken from his grasp, and a second blow on 
 the head from the but-end of the whip felled him from his horse 
 Seeing the fate of his companion, the other serving-man fled, 
 leaving Bess mistress of the field. 
 
 The rector thanked her heartily for the service she had ren- 
 dered him, and complimented her on her prowess. 
 
 "Ey'n neaw dun mitch to boast on i' leatherin' them two 
 seawr-feaced rapscallions," said Bess, with becoming modesty 
 " Simon Blackadder an ey ha' had mony a tussle together efore 
 this, fo he's a feaw tempert felly, an canna drink abowt fightin', 
 boh he has awlus found me more nor his match. Boh save us, 
 your reverence, what were the ill-favort gullions ridin' after ye 
 tor ? Firrups tak 'em ! they didna mean to rob ye, surely ? " 
 
 " Their object was to make me prisoner, and carry me back to 
 Rough Lee, Bess," replied Holden. They wished to prevent my 
 going to Whalley, whither I ain bound, to procure help from feir 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN BESIEGED. 333 
 
 Ralph Assheton to liberate Master Roger Nowell and his attor- 
 ney, who are forcibly detained by Mistress Nutter." 
 
 " Yo may spare yer horse an yersel the jorney, then, reverend 
 sir," replied Bess ; " for yo'n foind Sir Tummus Metcawfe, wi' 
 some twanty or throtty followers, armed wi' bills, hawberts, pe- 
 tronels, and calivers, at Goldshaw, an they win go wi' ye at wanst, 
 ey'm sartin. Ey heerd sum o' t' chaps say os ow Sir Tummus 
 is goin' to tak' possession o' Mistress Robinson's house, Ray dale 
 Ha', i' Wensley Dale, boh nah doubt he'n go furst wi' yer rev'rence, 
 'specially as he bears Mistress Nutter a grudge." 
 
 " At all events, I will ask him," said Holden. " Are he and 
 his followers lodged at your house, Bess ? " 
 
 " Yeigh," replied the hostess, " some on 'en are i' th' house, 
 some i' th' barn, an some i' th' stables. The place is awtogether 
 owerrun wi' 'em. Ey wur so moydert an wurrotit wi' their ca'in 
 an bawlin fo' ele an drink, that ey swore they shouldna ha' another 
 drawp wi' my consent; an, to be os good os my word, ey clapt key 
 o' t' cellar i' my pocket, an leavin' our Margit to answer 'em, ey 
 set out os yo see, intendin' to go os far as t' mill, an comfort poor 
 deeavely Ruchot Baldwyn in his trouble." 
 
 " A most praiseworthy resolution, Bess," said the rector; " but 
 what is to be done with this fellow?" he added, pointing to Black- 
 adder, who, though badly hurt, was trying to creep towards the 
 petronel, which was lying at a little distance from him on the 
 ground. 
 
 Perceiving his intention, Bess quickly dismounted, and pos- 
 sessing herself of the weapon, stepped aside, and slipping off one 
 of the bands that confined the hose on her well-shaped leg, grasped 
 the wounded man by the shoulders, and with great expedition 
 tied his hands behind his back. She then lifted him up with as 
 much ease as if he had been an infant, and set him upon his horse, 
 with his face towards the tail. This done, she gave the bridle to 
 the rector, and handing him the petronel at the same time, told 
 him to take care of his prisoner, for she must pursue her journey. 
 And with this, in spite of his renewed entreaties that she would 
 go back with him, she sprang on her horse and rode oif. 
 
 On arriving at Goldshaw with his prisoner, the rector at once 
 proceeded to the hostel, in front of which he found several of the 
 villagers assembled, attracted by the numerous company within 
 doors, whose shouts and laughter could be heard at a considerable 
 distance. Holden's appearance with Blackadder occasioned con- 
 siderable surprise, and all eagerly gathered round him to learn 
 what had occurred; but, without satisfying their curiosity, beyond 
 telling them he had been attacked by the prisoner, he left him 
 in their custody, and entered the house, where he found all the 
 benches in the principal room occupied by a crew of half-drunken 
 roysterers, with flagons of ale before them ; for, after Bess's de- 
 parture with the key, they had broken into the cellar, and, 
 
334 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 broaching a cask, helped themselves to its contents. Various 
 weapons were scattered about the tables or reared against the 
 walls, and the whole scene looked like a carouse by a band of 
 marauders. Little respect was shown the rector, and he was 
 saluted by many a ribald jest as he pushed his way towards the 
 inner room. 
 
 Sir Thomas was drinking with a couple of desperadoes, whose 
 long rapiers and tarnished military equipments seemed to an- 
 nounce that they had, at some time or other, belonged to the 
 army, though their ruffianly looks and braggadocio air and dis- 
 course, strongly seasoned with oaths and slang, made it evident 
 that they were now little better than Alsatian bullies. They had, 
 in fact, been hired by Sir Thomas for the expedition on which he 
 was bent, as he could find no one in the country upon whom he 
 could so well count as on them. Eyeing the rector fiercely, as 
 he intruded upon their privacy, they glanced at their leader to 
 ask whether they should turn him out; but, receiving no encou- 
 ragement for such rudeness, they contented themselves with 
 scowling at him from beneath their bent brows, twisting up their 
 shaggy mustaches, and trifling with the hilts of their rapiers. 
 Holden opened his business at once ; and as soon as Sir Thomas 
 heard it, he sprang to his feet, and, swearing a great oath, de- 
 clared he would storm Rough Lee, and burn it to the ground, if 
 Mistress Nutter did not set the two captives free. 
 
 "As to the audacious witch herself ', I will carry her off, in 
 spite of the devil, her master!" he cried. " How say you, Cap- 
 tain Gauntlet and you too, Captain Storks, is not this an expe- 
 dition to your tastes ha 1 " 
 
 The two worthies appealed to responded joyously, that it was 
 so ; and it was then agreed that Blackadder should be brought 
 in and interrogated, as some important information might be 
 obtained from him. Upon this, Captain Gauntlet left the room 
 to fetch him, and presently afterwards returned dragging in the 
 prisoner, who looked dogged and angry, by the shoulders. 
 
 " Harkye, fellow," said Sir Thomas, sternly, " if you do not 
 answer the questions I shall put to you, truly and satisfactorily, I 
 will have you taken out into the yard, and shot like a dog. Thus 
 much premised, I shall proceed with my examination. Master 
 Roger Nowell and Master Thomas Potts, you are aware, are 
 unlawfully detained prisoners by Mistress Alice Nutter. Now I 
 have been called upon by the reverend gentleman here to 
 undertake their liberation, but, before doing so, I desire to know 
 from you what defensive and offensive preparations your 
 mistress has made, and whether you judge it likely she will 
 attempt to hold out her house against us 1 " 
 
 " Most assuredly she will," replied Blackadder, " and against 
 twice your force. Rough Lee is as strong as a castle ; and as 
 those within it are well-armed, vigilant, and of good courage, 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN BESIEGED. 335 
 
 there is little fear of its capture. If your worship should propose 
 terms to my mistress for the release of her prisoners, she may 
 possibly assent to them ; but if you approach her in hostile 
 fashion, and demand their liberation, I am well assured she will, 
 resist you, and well assured, also, she will resist you effectually." 
 
 " I shall approach her in no other sort than that of an enemy," 
 rejoined Sir Thomas; "but thou art over confident, knave. 
 Unless thy mistress have a legion of devils at her back, and they 
 hold us in check, we will force a way into her dwelling. Fire and 
 fury ! dost presume to laugh at me, fellow ? Take him hence, and 
 let him be soundly cudgeled for his insolence, Gauntlet." 
 
 " Pardon me, your worship," cried Blackadder, " I only smiled 
 at the strange notions you entertain of my mistress." 
 
 " Why, dost mean to deny that she is a witch 1 " demanded 
 Metcalfe. 
 
 (t Nay, if your worship will have it so, it is not for me to 
 contradict you," replied Blackadder. 
 
 " But I ask thee is she not a servant of Satan ? dost thou 
 not know it? canst thou not prove it?" cried the knight. 
 " Shall we put him to the torture to make him confess?" 
 
 " Ay, tie his thumbs together till the blood burst forth, Sir 
 Thomas," said Gauntlet. 
 
 " Or hang him up to yon beam by the heels," suggested 
 Captain Storks. 
 
 " On no account," interposed Holden. " I did not bring him 
 hither to be dealt with in this way, and I will not permit it. If 
 torture is to be administered it must be by the hands of justice, 
 into which I require him to be delivered ; and then, if he can 
 testify aught against his mistress, he will be made to do it." 
 
 " Torture shall never wring a word from me, whether wrong- 
 fully or rightfully applied," said Blackadder, doggedly; " though I 
 could tell much if I chose. Now give heed to me, Sir Thomas. 
 You will never take Rough Lee, still less its mistress, without my 
 help." 
 
 "What are thy terms, knave?" exclaimed the knight, 
 pondering upon the offer. " And take heed thou triflest not 
 with me, or I will have thee flogged within an inch of thy life, in 
 spite of parson or justice. What are thy terms, I repeat ?" 
 
 " They are for your worship's ear alone," replied Blackadder. 
 
 " Beware what you do, Sir Thomas," interposed Holden. " I 
 hold it my duty to tell you, you are compromising justice in 
 listening to the base proposals of this man, who, while offering to 
 betray his mistress, will assuredly deceive you. You will equally 
 deceive him in feigning to agree to terms which you cannot fulfil." 
 
 " Cannot fulfil!" ejaculated the knight, highly offended; " I 
 would have you to know, sir, that Sir Thomas Metcalfe's word is 
 his bond, and that whatsoever he promises he will fulfil in spite of 
 the devil ! Body o' me ! but for the respect I owo your cloth, I 
 
336 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 would give you a very different answer, reverend sir. But since 
 you have chosen to thrust yourself unasked into the affair, I take 
 leave to say that I will hear this knave's proposals, and judge for 
 myself of the expediency of acceding to them. I must pray you, 
 therefore, to withdraw. Nay, if you will not go hence peaceably, 
 you shall perforce. Take him away, gentlemen." 
 
 Thus enjoined, the Alsatian captains took each an arm of the 
 rector, and forced him out of the room, leaving Sir Thomas alone 
 with the prisoner. Greatly incensed at the treatment he had 
 experienced, Holden instantly quitted the house, hastened to the 
 rectory, which adjoined the church, and having given some 
 messages to his household, rode off to Whalley, with the intention 
 of acquainting Sir Ralph Assheton with all that had occurred. 
 
 Sir Thomas Metcalfe remained closeted with the prisoner for a 
 few minutes, and then coming forth, issued orders that all should 
 get ready to start for Rough Lee without delay ; whereupon each 
 man emptied his flagon, pocketed the dice he had been cogging, 
 pushed aside the shuffle-board, left the loggats on the clay floor of 
 the barn, and, grasping his weapon halbert or caliver, aa it 
 might be prepared to attend his leader. Sir Thomas 
 did not relate, even to the Alsatian captains, what had passed 
 between him and Blackadder ; but it did not appear that he 
 placed entire confidence in the latter ; for though he caused his 
 hands to be unbound, and allowed him in consideration of his 
 wounded state to ride, he secretly directed Gauntlet and Storks 
 to keep near him, and shoot him through the head if he attempted 
 to escape. Both these personages were provided with horses as 
 well as their leader, but all the rest of the party were on foot. 
 Metcalfe made some inquiries after the rector, but finding he was 
 gone, he did not concern himself further about him. Before 
 starting, the knight, who, with all his recklessness, had a certain 
 sense of honesty, called the girl who had been left in charge of 
 the hostel by Bess, and gave her a sum amply sufficient to cover 
 all the excesses of his men, adding a handsome gratuity to herself. 
 
 The first part of the journey was accomplished without mis- 
 chance, and the party bade fair to arrive at the end of it in safety ; 
 but as they entered the gorge, at the extremity of which Rough 
 Lee was situated, a terrific storm burst upon them, compelling 
 them to seek shelter in the mill, from which they were luckily not 
 far distant at the time. The house was completely deserted, but 
 they were well able to shift for themselves, and not over 
 scrupulous in the manner of doing so; and as the remains of the 
 funeral feast were not removed from the table, some of the com- 
 pany sat down to them, while others found their way to the 
 cellar. 
 
 The storm was of long continuance, much longer than was 
 agreeable to Sir Thomas, and he paced the room to and fro 
 impatiently, ever and anon walking to the window or door, to see 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN BESIEGED. 337 
 
 whether it had in any degree abated, and was constantly doomed 
 to disappointment. Instead of diminishing, it increased in 
 violence, and it was now impossible to quit the house with safety. 
 The lightning blazed, the thunder rattled among the overhanging 
 rocks, and the swollen stream of Pendle Water roared at their 
 feet. Blackadder was left under the care of the two Alsatians, 
 but while they had shielded their eyes from the glare of the 
 lightning, he threw open the window, and, springing through it, 
 made good his retreat. In such a storm it was in vain to follow 
 him, even if they had dared to attempt it. 
 
 In vain Sir Thomas Metcalfe fumed and fretted in vain he 
 heaped curses upon the bullies for their negligence in vain 
 he hurled menaces after the fugitive : the former paid little heed 
 to his imprecations, and the latter was beyond his reach. The 
 notion began to gain ground amongst the rest of the troop that 
 the storm was the work of witchcraft, and occasioned general 
 consternation. Even the knight's anger yielded to superstitious 
 fear, and as a terrific explosion shook the rafters overhead, and 
 threatened to bring them down upon him, he fell on his knees, 
 and essayed, with unaccustomed lips, to murmur a prayer. But 
 he was interrupted ; for amid the deep silence succeeding the 
 awful crash, a mocking laugh was heard, and the villainous coun- 
 tenance of Blackadder, rendered doubly hideous by the white 
 lightning, was seen at the casement. The sight restored Sir 
 Thomas at once. Drawing his sword he flew to the window, but 
 before he could reach it Blackadder was gone. The next flash 
 showed what had befallen him. In stepping backwards, he 
 tumbled into the mill-race ; and the current, increased in depth 
 and force by the deluging rain, instantly swept him away. 
 
 Half an hour after this, the violence of the storm had per- 
 ceptibly diminished, and Sir Thomas and his companions began 
 to hope that their speedy release was at hand. Latterly the 
 knight had abandoned all idea of attacking Rough Lee, but with 
 the prospect of fair weather his courage returned, and he once 
 more resolved to attempt it. He was moving about among his 
 followers, striving to dispel their fears, and persuade them that 
 the tempest was only the result of natural causes, when the door 
 was suddenly thrown open, giving entrance to Bess Whitaker, 
 who bore the miller in her arms. She stared on seeing the party 
 assembled, and knit her brows, but said nothing till she had 
 deposited Baldwyn in a seat, when she observed to Sir Thomas, 
 that he seemed to have little scruple in taking possession of 
 house in its owner's absence. The knight excused himself for the 
 intrusion by saying, he had been compelled by the storm to take 
 refuge there with his followers a plea readily admitted by 
 Baldwyn, who was now able to speak for himself ; and the miller 
 next explained that he had been to Rough Lee, and after many 
 perilous adventures, into the particulars of which he did not enter, 
 
 z 
 
338 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 had been brought away by Bess, who had carried him home. 
 That home he now felt would be a lonely and insecure one unless 
 she would consent to occupy it with him ; and Bess, on being thus 
 appealed to, affirmed that the only motive that would induce her 
 to consent to such an arrangement would be her desire to protect 
 him from his mischievous neighbours. While they were thus 
 discoursing, Old Mitton, who it appeared had followed them, 
 irrived wellnigh exhausted, and Baldwyn went in search of some 
 refreshment for him. 
 
 By this time the storm had sufficiently cleared off to allow the 
 others to take their departure ; and though the miller and Bess 
 would fain have dissuaded the knight from the enterprise, he was 
 not to be turned aside, but, bidding his men attend him, set forth. 
 The rain had ceased, but it was still very dark. Under cover of 
 the gloom, however, they thought they could approach the house 
 unobserved, and obtain an entrance before Mistress Nutter could 
 be aware of their arrival. In this expectation they pursued their 
 way in silence, and soon stood before the gates. These were 
 fastened, but as no one appeared to be on the watch, Sir Thomas, 
 in a low tone, ordered some of his men to scale the walls, with 
 the intention of following himself; but scarcely had a head risen 
 above the level of the brickwork than the flash of an arquebuss 
 was seen, and the man jumped backwards, luckily just in time to 
 avoid the bullet that whistled over him. An alarm was then 
 instantly given, voices were heard in the garden, mingled with 
 the furious barking of hounds. A bell was rung from the upper 
 part of the house, and lights appeared at the windows. 
 
 Meanwhile, some of the men, less alarmed than their comrade, 
 contrived to scramble over the wall, and were soon engaged hand 
 to hand with those on the opposite side. But not alone had they 
 to contend with adversaries like themselves. The stag-hounds, 
 which had done so much execution during the first attack upon 
 the house by Koger No well, raged amongst them like so many 
 lions, rending their limbs, and seizing their throats. To free 
 themselves from these formidable antagonists was their first 
 business, and by dint of thrust from pike, cut from sword, and 
 ball from caliver, they succeeded in slaughtering two of them, and 
 driving the others, badly wounded, and savagely howling, away. 
 In doing this, however, they themselves had sustained consider- 
 able injury. Three of their number were lying on the ground, in 
 no condition, from their broken heads, or shattered limbs, for 
 renewing the combat. 
 
 Thus, so far as the siege had gone, success seemed to declare 
 itself rather for the defenders than the assailants, when a new 
 impulse was given to the latter, by the bursting open of the gates, 
 and the sudden influx of Sir Thomas Metcalfe and the rest of his 
 troop. The knight was closely followed by the Alsatian captains, 
 who, with tremendous oaths in their mouths, and slashing blades 
 
HOW ROUGH LEE WAS AGAIN BESIEGED. 339 
 
 in their hands, declared they would make minced meat of any one 
 opposing their progress. Sir Thomas was equally truculent in 
 expression and ferocious in tone, and as the whole party laid 
 about them right and left, they speedily routed the defenders of 
 the garden, and drove them towards the house. Flushed by their 
 success, the besiegers shouted loudly, and Sir Thomas roared out, 
 that ere many minutes Nowell and Potts should be set free, and 
 Alice Nutter captured. But before he could reach the main door, 
 Nicholas Assheton, well armed, and attended by some dozen men, 
 presented himself at it. These were instantly joined by the 
 retreating party, and the whole offered a formidable array of 
 opponents, quite sufficient to check the progress of the besiegers. 
 Two or three of the men near Nicholas carried torches, and their 
 light revealed the numbers on both sides. 
 
 " What ! is it you, Sir Thomas Metcalfe ? " cried the squire. 
 " Do you commit such outrages as this do you break into 
 habitations like a robber, rifle them, and murder their inmates I 
 Explain yourself, sir, or I will treat you as I would a common 
 plunderer ; shoot you through the head, or hang you to the first 
 tree if I take you." 
 
 " Zounda and fury ! " rejoined Metcalfe. " Do you dare to 
 liken me to a common robber and murderer ? Take care you do 
 not experience the same fate as that with which you threaten me, 
 with this difference only, that the hangman the common hang- 
 man of Lancaster shall serve your turn. I am come hither to 
 arrest a notorious witch, and to release two gentlemen who are 
 unlawfully detained prisoners by her ; and if you do not instantly 
 deliver her up to me, and produce the two individuals in question, 
 Master Roger Nowell and Master Potts, I will force my way into 
 the house, and all injury done to those who oppose me will rest on 
 your head." 
 
 " The two gentlemen you have named are perfectly safe and 
 contented in their quarters," replied Nicholas ; " and as to the 
 foul and false aspersions you have thrown out against Mistress 
 Nutter, I cast them back in your teeth. Your purpose in coming 
 hither is to redress some private wrong. How is it you have 
 such a rout with you ? How is it I behold two notorious bravos by 
 your side men who have stood in the pillory, and undergone 
 other ignominious punishment for their offences? You cannot 
 answer, and their oaths and threats go for nothing. I now tell 
 you, Sir Thomas, if you do not instantly withdraw your men, and 
 quit these premises, grievous consequences will ensue to you and 
 
 " I will hear no more," cried Sir Thomas, infuriated to the last 
 degree. " Follow me into the house, and spare none who oppose 
 you." 
 
 " You are not in yet, ' cried Nicholas. 
 
 And as he spoke a row of pikes bristled around him, holding 
 
310 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the knight at bay, while a hook was fixed in the doublet of each 
 of the Alsatian captains, and they were plucked forward and 
 dragged into the house. This done, Nicholas and his men 
 quickly retreated, and the door was closed and barred upon the 
 enraged and discomfited knight. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. THE PHANTOM MONK. 
 
 MANY hours had passed by, and night had come on a 
 night profoundly dark. Richard was still lying where he had 
 fallen at the foot of Malkin Tower ; for though he had regained 
 his sensibility, he was so bruised and shaken as to be wholly 
 unable to move. His limbs, stiffened and powerless, refused their 
 office, and, after each unsuccessful effort, he sank back with a 
 groan. 
 
 His sole hope was that Mistress Nutter, alarmed by his pro- 
 longed absence, might come to her daughter's assistance, and so 
 discover his forlorn situation ; but as time flew by, and nothing 
 occurred, he gave himself up for lost. 
 
 On a sudden the gloom was dispersed, and a silvery light shed 
 over the scene. The moon had broken through a rack of clouds, 
 and illumined the tall mysterious tower, and the dreary waste 
 around it. With the light a ghostly figure near him became 
 visible to Richard, which under other circumstances would have 
 excited terror in his breast, but which now only filled him with 
 wonder. It was that of a Cistertian monk ; the vestments were 
 old and faded, the visage white and corpse-like. Richard at once 
 recognised the phantom he had seen in the banquet-hall at the 
 Abbey, and had afterwards so rashly followed to the conventual 
 church. It touched him with its icy fingers, and a chillness like 
 death shot through his heart. 
 
 "Why dost thou trouble me thus, unhappy spirit?" said the 
 young man. " Leave me, I adjure thee, and let me die in peace ! " 
 
 u Thou wilt not die yet, Richard Assheton," returned the phan- 
 tom ; " and my intention is not to trouble thee, but to serve thee. 
 Without my aid thou wouldst perish where thou liest, but I will 
 raise thee up, and set thee on thy way." 
 
 " Wilt thou help me to liberate Alizon?" demanded Richard. 
 
 " Do not concern thyself further about her," replied the phantom; 
 " she must pass through an ordeal with which nothing human 
 may interfere. If she escape it you will meet again. If not, it 
 were better thou shouldst be in thy grave than see her. Take this 
 phial. Drink thou the liquid it contains, and thy strength will 
 return to thee." 
 
 " How do I know thou art not sent hither by Mother Demdike 
 
THE PHANTOM MONK. 
 
 P. 340. 
 
THE PHANTOM MONK. 
 
 341 
 
 to tempt me ?" demanded Richard, doubtfully. " I have already 
 fallen into her snares/' he added, with a groan. 
 
 "I am Mother Demdike's enemy, and the appointed instrument 
 of her punishment," replied the monk, in a tone that did not ad- 
 mit of question. " Drink, and fear nothing." 
 
 Richard obeyed, and the next moment sprang to his feet. 
 
 " Thou hast indeed restored me !" he cried. " I would fain reach 
 the secret entrance to the tower." 
 
 "Attempt it not, I charge thee !" cried the phantom ; "but 
 depart instantly for Pendle Hill." 
 
 " Wherefore should I go thither ? " demanded Richard. 
 
 " Thou wilt learn anon," returned the monk. " I cannot tell 
 thee more now. Dismount at the foot of the hill, and proceed to 
 the beacon. Thou know'st it?" 
 
 " I do," replied Richard. " There a fire was lighted which was 
 meant to set all England in a blaze." 
 
 " And which led many good men to destruction," said the monk, 
 in a tone of indescribable sadness. " Alas ! for him who kindled 
 it. The offence is not yet worked out. But depart without more 
 delay ; and look not back." 
 
 As Richard hastened towards the spot where he had left Merlin, 
 he fancied he was followed by the phantom ; but, obedient to the 
 injunction he received, he did not turn his head. As he mounted 
 the horse, who neighed cheerily as he drew near, he found he was 
 right in supposing the monk to be behind him, for he heard his 
 voice calling out, " Linger not by the way. To the beacon ! to 
 the beacon ! " 
 
 Thus exhorted, the young man dashed off, and, to his great 
 surprise, found Merlin as fresh as if he had undergone no fatigue 
 during the day. It would almost seem, from his spirit, that he 
 had partaken of the same wondrous elixir which had revived his 
 master. Down the hill he plunged, regardless of the steep descent, 
 and soon entered the thicket where the storm had fallen upon 
 them, and where so many acts of witchcraft were performed. Now, 
 neither accident nor obstacle occurred to check the headlong pace 
 of the animal, though the stones rattled after him as he struck 
 them with his flying hoof. The moonlight quivered on the branches 
 of the trees, and on the tender spray, and ah 1 looked as tranquil 
 and beautiful as it had so lately been gloomy and disturbed. The 
 wood was passed, and the last and steepest descent cleared. The 
 little bridge was at hand, and beneath was Pendle Water, rushing 
 over its rocky bed, and glittering like silver in the moon's rays. 
 But here Richard had wellnigh received a check. A party of 
 armed men, it proved, occupied the road leading to Rough Lee, 
 about a bow-shot from the bridge, and as soon as they perceived 
 he was taking the opposite course, with the apparent intention of 
 avoiding them, they shouted to him to stay. This shout made 
 Richard aware of their presence, for he had not before observed 
 
342 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 them, as they were concealed by the intervention of some small 
 trees ; but though surprised at the circumstance, and not without 
 apprehension that they might be there with a hostile design to 
 Mistress Nutter, he did not slacken his pace. A horseman, who 
 appeared to be their leader, rode after him for a short distance, 
 but finding pursuit futile, he desisted, pouring forth a volley of 
 oaths and threats, in a voice that proclaimed him as Sir Thomas 
 Metcalfe. This discovery confirmed Richard in his supposition 
 that mischief was intended Mistress Nutter ; but even this convic- 
 tion, strengthened by his antipathy to Metcalfe, was not sufficiently 
 strong to induce him to stop. Promising himself to return on the 
 morrow, and settle accounts with the insolent knight, he speeded 
 on, and, passing the mill, tracked the rocky gorge above it, and 
 began to mount another hill. Despite the ascent, Merlin never 
 slackened his pace, but, though his master would have restrained 
 him, held on as before. But the brow of the hill attained, Rich- 
 ard compelled him to a brief halt. 
 
 By this time the sky was comparatively clear, but small clouds 
 were sailing across the heavens, and at one moment the moon 
 would be obscured by them, and the next, burst forth with sudden 
 effulgence. These alternations produced corresponding effects 
 on the broad, brown, heathy plain extending below, and fantastic 
 shadows were cast upon it, which it needed not Richard's heated 
 imagination to liken to evil beings flying past. The wind, too, 
 lay in the direction of the north end of Pendle Hill, whither Rich- 
 ard was about to shape his course, and the shadows consequently 
 trooped off towards that quarter. The vast mass of Pendle rose 
 in gloomy majesty before him, being thrown into shade, except 
 at its crown, where a flood of radiance rested. 
 
 Like an eagle swooping up m his prey, Richard descended into 
 the valley, and like a stag pursued by the huntsman he speeded 
 across it. Neither dyke, morass, nor stone wall checked him, or 
 made him turn aside ; and almost as fast as the clouds hurrying 
 above him, and their shadows travelling at his feet, did he reach 
 the base of Pendle Hill. 
 
 Making up to a shed, which, though empty, luckily contained a 
 wisp or two of hay, he turned Merlin into it, and commenced the 
 ascent of the hill on foot. After attaining a considerable eleva- 
 tion, he looked down from the giddy heights upon the valley he had 
 just traversed. A few huts, forming the little village of Barley, 
 lay sleeping in the moonlight beneath him, while further off could 
 be just discerned Goldshaw, with its embowered church. A line 
 of thin vapour marked the course of Pendle Water, and thicker 
 mists hovered over the mosses. The shadows were still passing 
 over the plain. 
 
 Pressing on, Richard soon came among the rocks protruding 
 from the higher part of the hill, and as the path was here not more 
 than a foot wide, rarely taken except by the sheep and their guar- 
 
THE PHANTOM MONK. 343 
 
 dians, it was necessary to proceed with the utmost caution, as a 
 single false step would have been fatal. After some toil, and not 
 without considerable risk, he reached the summit of the hill. 
 
 As he bounded over the springy turf, and inhaled the pure air 
 of that exalted region, his spirits revived, and new elasticity was 
 communicated to his limbs. He shaped his course near the edge 
 of the hill, so that the extensive view it commanded was fully dis- 
 played. But his eye rested on the mountainous range on the op- 
 posite side of the valley, where Malkin Tower was situated. Even 
 in broad day the accursed structure would have been invisible, as 
 it stood on the further side of the hill, overlooking Barrowford 
 and Colne ; but Richard knew its position well, and while his 
 gaze was fixed upon the point, he saw a star shoot down from the 
 heavens and apparently alight near the spot. The circumstance 
 alarmed him, for he could not help thinking it ominous of ill to 
 Alizon. 
 
 Nothing, however, followed to increase his misgivings, and ere- 
 long he came in sight of the beacon. The ground had been gradu- 
 ally rising, and if he had proceeded a few hundred yards further, 
 a vast panorama would have opened upon him, comprising a large 
 part of Lancashire on the one hand, and on the other an equally 
 extensive portion of Yorkshire. Forest and fell, black moor and 
 bright stream, old castle and stately hall, would have then been 
 laid before him as in a map. But other thoughts engrossed him, 
 and he went straight on. As far as he could discern he was alone 
 on the hill top ; and the silence and solitude, coupled with the ill 
 report of the place, which at this hour was said to be often visited 
 by foul hags, for the performance of their unhallowed rites, awak- 
 ened superstitious fears in his breast. 
 
 He was soon by the side of the beacon. The stones were still 
 standing as they had been reared by Paslew, and on looking at 
 them he was astonished to find the hollow within them filled with 
 dry furze, brushwood, and fagots, as if in readiness for another 
 signal. In passing round the circle, his surprise was still further 
 increased by discovering a torch, and not far from it, in one of 
 the interstices of the stones, a dark lantern, in which, on remov- 
 ing the shade, he found a candle burning. It was now clear the 
 beacon was to be kindled that night, though for what end he 
 could not conjecture, and equally clear that he was brought 
 thither to fire it. He put back the lantern into its place, took up 
 the torch, and held himself in readiness. 
 
 Half an hour elapsed, and nothing occurred. During this in- 
 terval it had become dark. A curtain of clouds was drawn over 
 the moon and stars. 
 
 Suddenly, a hurtling noise was heard in the air, and it seemed 
 to the watcher as \ f a troop of witches were alighting at a distance 
 from him. 
 
 A loud hubbub oi voices ensued then there was a trampling 
 
344 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 of feet, accompanied by discordant strains of music after which 
 a momentary silence ensued, and a harsh voice asked 
 
 " Why are we brought hither?" 
 
 " It is not for a sabbath," shouted another voice, " for there is 
 neither fire nor caldron." 
 
 (( Mother Demdike would not summon us without good reason," 
 cried a third. " We shall learn presently what we have to do." 
 
 " The more mischief the better," rejoined another voice. 
 
 "Ay, mischief! mischief! mischief!" echoed the rest of the 
 crew. 
 
 " You shall have enough of it to content you," rejoined 
 Mother Demdike. " I have called you hither to be present at a 
 sacrifice." 
 
 Hideous screams of laughter followed this announcement, and 
 the voice that had spoken first asked 
 
 f( A sacrifice of whom ? " 
 
 (e An unbaptised babe, stolen from its sleeping mother's breast," 
 rejoined another. " Mother Demdike has often played that trick 
 before ho ! ho ! " 
 
 "Peace!" thundered the hag "It is no babe I am about to 
 kill, but a full-grown maid ay, and one of rarest beauty, too. 
 What think ye of Alizon Device ?" 
 
 " Thy grand-daughter !" cried several voices, in surprise. 
 
 " Alice Nutter's daughter for such she is," rejoined the hag. 
 " I have held her captive in Malkin Tower, and have subjected 
 her to every trial and temptation I could devise, but I have failed 
 in shaking her courage, or in winning her over to our master. 
 All the horrors of the vault have been tried upon her in vain. 
 Even the last terrible ordeal, which no one has hitherto sustained, 
 proved ineffectual. She went through it unmoved." 
 
 " Heaven be praised ! " murmured Richard. 
 
 (e It seems I have no power over her soul " pursued the hag ; 
 " but I have over her body, and she shall die here, and by my 
 hand. But mind me, not a drop of blood must fall to the 
 ground." 
 
 '* Have no fear," cried several voices, " we will catch it in our 
 palms and quaff it." 
 
 "Hast thou thy knife, Mould-heels?" asked Mother Demdike. 
 
 " Ay," replied the other, " it is long and sharp, and will do 
 thy business well. Thy grandson, Jem Device, notched it by 
 killing swine, and my goodman ground it only yesterday. 
 Take it." 
 
 " I will plunge it to her heart !" cried Mother Demdike, with 
 an infernal laugh. "And now I will tell you why we have 
 neither fire nor caldron. On questioning the ebon image in the 
 vault as to the place where the sacrifice should be made, I 
 received for answer that it must be here, and in darkness. No 
 human eye but our own must behold it. We are safe on this 
 
ONE O'CLOCK ! 345 
 
 score, for no one is likely to come hither at this hour. No fire 
 must be kindled, or the sacrifice will result in destruction to us 
 all. Ye have heard, and understand ?" 
 
 *' We do," replied several husky voices. 
 
 " And so do I," said Richard, taking hold of the dark lantern. 
 
 " And now for the girl," cried Mother Demdike. 
 
 CHAPTER XYL ONE O'CLOCK I 
 
 MISTRESS NUTTER and Mother Chattox were still at the hut, 
 impatiently awaiting the return of Fancy. But nearly an hour 
 elapsed before he appeared. 
 
 "What has detained thee so long?" demanded the hag, 
 sharply, as he stood before them. 
 
 " You shall hear, mistress," replied Fancy : " I have had a 
 busy time of it, I assure you, and thought I should never accom- 
 plish my errand. On arriving at Rough Lee, I found the place 
 invested by Sir Thomas Metcalfe and a host of armed men, who 
 had been sent thither by Parson Holden, for the joint purpose of 
 arresting you, madam," addressing Mistress Nutter, " and liber- 
 ating Nowell and Potts. The knight was in a great fume ; for, 
 in spite of the force brought against it, the house had been 
 stoutly defended by Nicholas Assheton, who had worsted the 
 besieging party, and captured two Alsatian captains, hangers on 
 of Sir Thomas. Appearing in the character of an enemy, I was 
 immediately surrounded by Metcalfe and his men, who swore 
 they would cut my throat unless I undertook to procure the 
 liberation of the two bravos in question, as well as that of Nowell 
 and Potts. I told them I was come for the express purpose of 
 setting free the two last-named gentlemen ; but, with respect to 
 the former, I had no instructions, and they must arrange the 
 matter with Master Nicholas himself. Upon this Sir Thomas 
 became exceedingly wroth and insolent, and proceeded to such 
 lengths that I resolved to chastise him, and in so doing per- 
 formed a feat which will tend greatly to exalt Richard's character 
 for courage and strength." 
 
 " Let us hear it, my doughty champion," cried Mother Chattox. 
 
 6i While Metcalfe was pouring forth his rage, and menacing me 
 with uplifted hand," pursued the familiar, " I seized him by the 
 throat, dragged him from his horse, and in spite of the efforts of 
 his men, whose blows fell upon me thick as hail, and quite as 
 harmlessly, I bore him through the garden to the back of the 
 house, where my shouts soon brought Nicholas and others to my 
 assistance, and after delivering my captive to them, I dismounted. 
 The squire, you will imagine, was astonished to see me, and 
 
346 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 greatly applauded my prowess. I replied, with the modesty "be- 
 coming my assumed character, that I had done nothing, and, in 
 reality, the feat was nothing to me ; but I told him I had some- 
 thing of the utmost importance to communicate, and which could 
 not be delayed a moment ; whereupon he led me to a small room 
 adjoining the hall, while the crestfallen knight was left to veufc 
 his rage and mortification on the grooms to whose custody he 
 was committed." 
 
 " You acted your part to perfection," said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 rt Ay, trust my sweet Fancy for that," said the hag " there is 
 no familiar like him none whatever." 
 
 " Your praises make me blush," rejoined Fancy. " But to pro- 
 ceed. I fulfilled your instructions to the letter, and excited 
 Nicholas's horror and indignation by the tale I told him. I 
 laughed in my sleeve ah 1 the while, but I maintained a very dif- 
 ferent countenance with him. He thought me full of anguish 
 and despair. He questioned me as to my proceedings at Malkin 
 Tower, and I amazed him with the description of a fearful storm 
 I had encountered of my interview with old Demdike, and her 
 atrocious treatment of Alizon to all of which he listened with 
 profound interest. Richard himself could not have moved him 
 more perhaps not so much. As soon as I had finished, he 
 vowed he would rescue Alizon from the murtherous hag, and 
 prevent the latter from committing further mischief; and bidding 
 me come with him, we repaired to the room in which No well and 
 Potts were confined. We found them both fast asleep in their 
 chairs ; but Nicholas quickly awakened them, and some explana- 
 tions ensued, which did not at first appear very clear and satis- 
 factory to either magistrate or attorney, but in the end they 
 agreed to accompany us on the expedition, Master Potts declaring 
 it would compensate him for all his mischances if he could arrest 
 Mother Demdike." 
 
 " I hope he may have his wish," said Mother Chattox. 
 
 "Ay, but he declared that his next step should be to arrest 
 you, mistress," observed Fancy, with a laugh. 
 
 " Arrest me ! " cried the hag. " Marry, let him touch me, if 
 he dares. My term is not out yet, and, with thee to defend me, 
 my brave Fancy, I have no fear." 
 
 " Right !" replied the familiar; " but to go on with my story. 
 Sir Thomas Metcalfe was next brought forward ; and after some 
 warm altercation, peace was at length established between him 
 and the squire, and hands were shaken all round. Wine was 
 then called for by Nicholas, who, at the same time, directed that 
 the two Alsatian captains should be brought up from the cellar, 
 where they had been placed for safety. The first part of the 
 order was obeyed, but the second was found impracticable, inas- 
 much as the two heroes had found their way to the inner cellar, 
 and had emptied so many flasks that they were utterly incapable 
 
ONE O'CLOCK! 347 
 
 of moving. While the wine was being discussed, an unexpected 
 arrival took place." 
 
 "An arrival! of whom?" inquired Mistress Nutter, eagerly. 
 
 " Sir Ralph Assheton and a large party," replied Fancy. 
 " Parson Holden, it seems, not content with sending Sir Thomas 
 and his rout to the aid of his friends, had proceeded for the same 
 purpose to Whalley, and the result was the appearance of the 
 new party. A brief explanation from Nicholas and myself served 
 to put Sir Ralph in possession of all that had occurred, and he 
 declared his readiness to accompany the expedition to Pendle 
 Hill, and to take all his followers with him. Sir Thomas Metcalfe 
 expressed an equally strong desire to go with him, and of course 
 it was acceded to. I am bound to tell you, madam," added 
 Fancy to Mistress Nutter, " that your conduct is viewed in a 
 most suspicious light by every one of these persons, except 
 Nicholas, who made an effort to defend you." 
 
 "I care not what happens to me, if I succeed in rescuing 
 my child," said the lady. " But have they set out on the 
 expedition *? " 
 
 " By this time, no doubt they have," replied Fancy. " I got 
 off by saying I would ride on to Pendle Hill, and, stationing 
 myself on its summit, give them a signal when they should ad- 
 vance upon their prey. And now, good mistress, 1 pray you 
 dismiss me. I want to cast off this shape, which I find an in- 
 cumbrance, and resume my o\vn. I will return when it is time 
 for you to set out." 
 
 The hag waved her hand, and the familiar was gone. 
 
 Half an hour elapsed, and he returned not. Mistress Nutter 
 became fearfully impatient. Three-quarters, and even the old 
 hag was uneasy. An hour, and he stood before them dwarfish, 
 fiendish, monstrous. 
 
 66 It is time," he said, in a harsh voice ; but the tones were 
 music in the wretched mother's ears. 
 
 " Come, then," she cried, rushing wildly forth. 
 
 " Ay, ay, I come," replied the hag, following her. " Not so fast. 
 You cannot go without me." 
 
 " Nor either of you without me," added Fancy. tf Here, good 
 mistress, is your broomstick." 
 
 " Away for Pendle Hill !" screamed the hag. 
 
 "Ay, for Pendle Hill!" echoed Fancy. 
 
 And there was a whirling of dark figures through the air as 
 before. 
 
 Presently they alighted on the summit of Pendle Hill, which 
 seemed to be wrapped in a dense cloud, for Mistress Nutter could 
 scarcely see a yard before her. Fancy's eyes, however, were 
 powerful enough to penetrate the gloom, for stepping back a few 
 yards, he said 
 
 " The expedition is at the foot of the hill, where they have 
 
348 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 made a halt. We must wait a few moments, till I can ascertain 
 what they mean to do. Ah ! I see. They are dividing into three 
 parties. One detachment, headed by Nicholas Assheton, with 
 whom are Potts and Nowell, is about to make the ascent from 
 the spot where they now stand ; another, commanded by Sir Ralph 
 Assheton, is moving towards the but-end of the hill; and the 
 third, headed by Sir Thomas Metcalfe, is proceeding to the right. 
 These are goodly preparations ha! ha! But, what do I behold? 
 The first detachment have a prisoner with them. It is Jem De- 
 vice, whom they have captured on the way, I suppose. I can tell 
 from the rascal's looks that he is planning an escape. Patience, 
 madam, I must see how he executes his design. There is no 
 hurry. They are all scrambling up the hill-sides. Some one 
 slips, and rolls down, and bruises himself severely against the 
 loose stones. Ho ! ho ! it is Master Potts. He is picked up by 
 James Device, who takes him on his shoulders. What means 
 the knave by such attention ? We shall see anon. They con- 
 tinue to fight their way upward, and have now reached the 
 narrow path among the rocks. Take heed, or your necks will 
 be broken. Ho! ho! Well done, Jem, bravo! lad. Thy scheme 
 is out now ho! ho!" 
 
 " What has he done?" asked Mother Chattox. 
 
 "Run off with the attorney with Master Potts," replied 
 Fancy; u disappeared in the gloom, so that it is impossible 
 Nicholas can follow him ho ! ho !" 
 
 " But my child ! where is my child?" cried Mistress Nutter, 
 in agitated impatience. 
 
 " Come with me, and I will lead you to her," replied Fancy, 
 taking her hand ; u and do you keep close to us, mistress," 
 he added to Mother Chattox. 
 
 Moving quickly along the heathy plain, they soon reached a 
 small dry hoUow, about a hundred paces from the beacon, in the 
 midst of which, as in a grave, was deposited the inanimate form 
 of Alizon. When the spot was indicated to her by Fancy, the 
 miserable mother flew to it, and, with indescribable delight, 
 clasped her child to her breast. But the next moment, a new 
 fear seized her, for the limbs were stiff and cold, and the heart 
 had apparently ceased to beat. 
 
 " She is dead ! " exclaimed Mistress Nutter, frantically. 
 
 " No; she is only in a magical trance," said Fancy; u my mis- 
 tress can instantly revive her." 
 
 " Prithee do so, then, good Chattox," implored the lady. 
 
 " Better defer it till we have taken her hence," rejoined the hag. 
 
 "Oh! no, now now! Let me be assured she lives!" cried 
 Mistress Nutter. 
 
 Mother Chattox reluctantly assented, and, touching Alizon 
 with her skinny finger, first upon the heart and then upon the 
 brow, the poor girl began to show symptoms of life. 
 
ONE O'CLOCK ! 349 
 
 a My child my child ! " cried Mistress Nutter, straining her 
 to her breast ; " I am come to save thee !" 
 
 " You will scarce succeed, if you tarry here longer," said Fancy. 
 "Away!" 
 
 " Ay, come away!" shrieked the hag, seizing Alizon's arm. 
 " Where are you about to take her ? " asked Mistress Nutter. 
 " To my hut," replied Mother Chattox. 
 " No, no she shall not go there," returned the lady. 
 " And wherefore not ? " screamed the hag. " She is mine now, 
 and I say she shall go." 
 
 " Right, mistress," said Fancy; " and leave the lady here if she 
 objects to accompany her. But be quick." 
 
 " You shall not take her from me !" shrieked Mistress Nutter, 
 holding her daughter fast. " I see through your diabolical 
 purpose. You have the same dark design as Mother Demdike, 
 and would sacrifice her ; but she shall not go with you, neither 
 will I." 
 
 "Tut!" exclaimed the hag, ''you have lost your senses on a 
 sudden. I do not want your daughter. But come away, or 
 Mother Demdike will surprise us." 
 
 " Do not trifle with her longer," whispered Fancy to the hag ; 
 li drag the girl away, or you will lose her. A few moments, and 
 it will be too late." 
 
 Mother Chattox made an attempt to obey him, but Mistress 
 Nutter resisted her. 
 
 " Curses on her !" she muttered, "she is too strong for me. 
 Do thou help me," she added, appealing to Fancy. 
 
 " I cannot," he replied ; rt I have done all I dare to help you. 
 You must accomplish the rest yourself." 
 " But, my sweet imp, recollect * 
 " I recollect I have a master," interrupted the familiar. 
 " And a mistress, too," cried the hag ; t( and she will chastise 
 thee if thou art disobedient. I command thee to carry off this 
 girl." 
 
 " I have already told you 1 dare not, and I now say I will not," 
 replied Fancy, 
 
 "Will not!" shrieked the hag. " Thou shalt smart for this. I 
 will bury thee in the heart of this mountain, and make thee laboui 
 within it like a gnome. I will set thee to count the sands on the 
 river's bed, and the leaves on the forest trees. Thou shalt know 
 neither rest nor respite." 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! ho !" laughed Fancy, mockingly. 
 " Dost deride me ? " cried the hag. " I will do it, thou saucy 
 jackanapes. For the last time, wilt obey me ? " 
 
 " No," replied Fancy, " and for this reason your term is out. 
 It expired at midnight. 
 
 " It is false !" shrieked the hag, in accents of mixed terror and 
 rage. " I have months to run, and will renew it." 
 
350 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 (t Before midnight, you might have done so ; but it is now too 
 late your reign is over," rejoined Fancy. " Farewell, sweet 
 mistress. We shall meet once again, though scarcely under such 
 pleasant circumstances as heretofore." 
 
 " It cannot be, my darling Fancy ; thou art jesting with me," 
 whimpered the hag ; " thou wouldst not delude thy doating mis- 
 tress thus." 
 
 " I have done with thee, foul hag," rejoined the familiar, rt and 
 am right glad my service is ended. I could have saved thee, but 
 would not, and delayed my return for that very purpose. Thy 
 soul was forfeited when I came back to thy hut." 
 
 " Then curses on thee for thy treachery," cried the hag, <e and 
 on thy master, who deceived me in the bond he placed before me." 
 
 The familiar laughed hoarsely. 
 
 "But what of Mother Demdike?" pursued the hag. "Hast 
 thou no comfort for me ? Tell me her hour is likewise come, and 
 I will forgive thee. But do not let her triumph over me." 
 
 The familiar made no answer, but, laughing derisively, stamped 
 upon the ground, and it opened to receive him. 
 
 " Alizon ! " cried Mistress Nutter, who in the mean time had 
 vainly endeavoured to rouse her daughter to full consciousness, 
 " fly with me, my child. The enemy is at hand." 
 
 " What enemy ?" asked Alizon, faintly. " I have so many, that 
 I know not whom you mean." 
 
 " But this is the worst of all this is Mother Demdike," cried 
 Mistress Nutter. " She would take your life. If we can but con- 
 ceal ourselves for a short while, we are safe." 
 
 " I am too weak to move," said Alizon ; " besides, I dare not 
 trust you. I have been deceived already. You may be an evil 
 spirit in the likeness of my mother." 
 
 u Oh ! no, I am indeed your own own mother," rejoined Mis- 
 tress Nutter. " Ask this old woman if it is not so." 
 
 " She is a witch herself," replied Alizon. " I will not trust 
 either of you. You are both in league with Mother Demdike." 
 
 " We are in league to save thee from her, foolish wench !" cried 
 Mother Chattox, " but thy perverseness will defeat all our schemes." 
 
 " Since you will not fly, my child," cried Mistress Nutter, "kneel 
 down, and pray earnestly for deliverance. Pray, while there is 
 yet time." 
 
 As she spoke, a growl like thunder was heard in the air, and 
 the earth trembled beneath their feet. 
 
 "Nay, now I am sure you are my mother!" cried Alizon, 
 flinging herself into Mistress Nutter's arms ; " and I will go with 
 you." 
 
 But before they could move, several dusky figures were seen 
 rushing towards them. 
 
 " Be on your guard !" cried Mother Chattox ; " here comes old 
 Demdike with her troop. I will aid you all I can." 
 
ONE O'CLOCK! 351 
 
 " Down on your knees!" exclaimed Mistress Nutter. 
 Alizon obeyed, but ere a word could pass her lips, the infuriated 
 hag, attended by her beldame band, stood beside them. 
 
 " Ha ! who is here ? " she cried. " Let me see who dares inter- 
 rupt my mystic rites." 
 
 And raising her hand, the black cloud hanging over the hill was 
 rent asunder, and the moon shone down upon them, revealing the 
 old witch, armed with the sacrificial knife, her limbs shaking with 
 fury, and her eyes flashing with preternatural light. It revealed, 
 also, her weird attendants, as well as the group before her, consist- 
 ing of the kneeling figure of Alizon, protected by the outstretched 
 arms of her mother, and further defended by Mother Chattox, who 
 planted herself in front of them. 
 
 Mother Demdike eyed the group for a moment as if she would 
 annihilate them. 
 
 " Out of my way, Chattox !" she vociferated " out of my way, 
 or I will drive my knife to thy heart." And as her old antagonist 
 maintained her ground, she unhesitatingly advanced upon her, 
 smote her with the weapon, and, as she fell to the ground, stepped 
 over her bleeding body. 
 
 " Now what dost thou here, Alice Nutter ?" she cried, menacing 
 her with the reeking blade. 
 
 " I am come for my child, whom thou hast stolen from me," 
 replied the lady. 
 
 " Thou art come to witness her slaughter," replied the witch, 
 fiercely. " Begone, or I will serve thee as I have just served old 
 Chattox." 
 
 " I am not sped yet," cried the wounded hag ; st I shall live to 
 see thee bound hand and foot by the officers of justice, and, certain 
 thou wilt perish miserably, I shall die content." 
 
 " Spit out thy last drops of venom, black viper," rejoined Mother 
 Demdike ; " when I have done with the others, I will return and 
 finish thee. Alice Nutter, thou knowest it is vain to struggle with 
 me. Give me up the girl." 
 
 " Wilt thou accept my life for hers?" said Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Of what account would thy life be to me?" rejoined Mother 
 Demdike, disdainfully. " If it would profit me to take it, I would 
 do so without thy consent, but I am about to make an oblation to 
 our master, and thou art his already. Snatch her child from her 
 we waste time," she added, to her attendants. 
 
 And immediately the weird crew rushed forward, and in spite 
 of the miserable mother's efforts tore Alizon from her. 
 
 " I told you it was in vain to contend with me," said Mother 
 Demdike. 
 
 " Oh, that I could call down heaven's vengeance upon thy ac- 
 cursed head !" cried Mistress Nutter; but I am forsaken alike of 
 God and man, and shall die despairing." 
 
 (i Rave on, thou wilt have ample leisure," replied the hag. " And 
 
352 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 now bring the girl this way," she added to the beldames ; " the 
 sacrifice must be made near the beacon.' 
 
 And as Alizon was borne away, Mistress Nutter uttered a cry 
 of anguish. 
 
 " Do not stay here," said Mother Chattox, raising herself with 
 difficulty. ft Go after her ; you may yet save your daughter." 
 
 " But how ? " cried Mistress Nutter, distractedly. " I have no 
 power now." 
 
 As she spoke a dusky form rose up beside her. It was her 
 familiar. 
 
 " Will you return to your duty if I help you in this extremity? " 
 he said. 
 
 "Ay, do, do !" cried Mother Chattox. " Anything to avenge 
 yourself upon that murtherous hag." 
 
 " Peace ! " cried the familiar, spurning her with his cloven foot. 
 
 " I do not want vengeance," said Mistress Nutter ; " I only want 
 to save my child." 
 
 6e Then you consent on that condition? " said the familiar. 
 
 (t No !" replied Mistress Nutter, firmly. " I now perceive I am 
 not utterly lost, since you try to regain me. 1 have renounced 
 thy master, and will make no new bargain with him. Get hence, 
 tempter!"' 
 
 " Think not to escape us," cried the familiar ; <l no penitence 
 no absolution can save thee. Thy name is written on the judg- 
 ment scroll, and cannot be effaced. I would have aided thee, but, 
 since my offer is rejected, I leave thee." 
 
 " You will not let him g O !" screamed Mother Chattox. " Oh 
 that the chance were mine ! " 
 
 " Be silent, or I will beat thy brains out !" said the familiar. 
 " Once more, am I dismissed ? " 
 
 "Ay, for ever!" replied Mistress Nutter. 
 
 And as the familiar disappeared, she flew to the spot where her 
 child had been taken. 
 
 About twenty paces from the beacon, a circle had again been 
 formed by the unhallowed crew, in the midst of which stood Mother 
 Demdike, with the gory knife in her hand, muttering spells and 
 incantations, and performing mystical ceremonials. 
 
 Every now and then her companions joined in these rites, and 
 chanted a song couched in a wild, unintelligible jargon. Beside 
 the witch knelt Alizon, with her hands tied behind her back, so 
 that she could not raise them in supplication ; her hair unbound, 
 and cast loosely over her person, and a thick bandage fastened over 
 her eyes and mouth. 
 
 The initiatory ceremonies over, the old hag approached her 
 victim, when Mistress Nutter forced herself through the circle, and 
 cast herself at her feet. 
 
 " Spare her ! " she cried, clinging to her knees ; " it shall be well 
 for thee if thou dost so." 
 
ONE O'CLOCK! 353 
 
 " Again interrupted !" cried the witch, furiously. *' This time 
 I will show thee no mercy. Take thy fate, meddlesome woman !" 
 
 And she raised the knife, but ere the weapon could descend, it 
 was seized by Mistress Nutter, and wrested from her grasp. In 
 another instant, Alizon's arms were liberated, and the bandage re- 
 moved from her eyes. 
 
 " Now it is my turn to threaten. I have thee in my power, 
 infernal hag !" cried Mistress Nutter, holding the knife to the 
 witch's throat, and clasping her daughter with the other arm. 
 Wilt let us go?" 
 
 " No ! " replied Mother Demdike, springing nimbly backwards. 
 " You shall both die. I will soon disarm thee." 
 
 And making one or two passes with her hands, Mistress Nutter 
 dropped the weapon, and instantly became fixed and motionless, 
 with her daughter, equally rigid, in her arms. They looked as if 
 suddenly turned to marble. 
 
 "Now to complete the ceremonial," cried Mother Demdike, 
 picking up the knife. 
 
 And then she began to mutter an impious address preparatory 
 to the sacrifice, when a loud clangour was heard like the stroke 
 of a hammer upon a bell. 
 
 " What was that ?" exclaimed the witch, in alarm. 
 
 " Were there a clock here, I should say it had struck one," 
 replied Mould-heels. 
 
 " It must be our master's timepiece," said another witch. 
 
 " One o'clock!" exclaimed Mother Demdike, who appeared 
 stupefied with fear, " and the sacrifice not made then I am lost ! " 
 
 A derisive laugh reached her ears. It proceeded from Mother 
 Chattox, who had contrived to raise herself to her feet, and, 
 tottering forward, now passed through the appalled circle. 
 
 " Ay, thy term is out thy soul is forfeited like mine ha ! 
 ha !" And she fell to the ground. 
 
 "Perhaps it may not be too late," cried Mother Demdike, 
 grasping the knife, and rushing towards Alizon. 
 
 But at this moment a bright flame shot up from the beacon. 
 
 Astonishment and terror seized the hag, and she uttered a loud 
 cry, which was echoed by the rest of the crew. 
 
 The flame mounted higher and higher, and burnt each moment 
 more brightly, illumining the whole summit of the hill. By its 
 light could be seen a band of men, some of whom were on horse- 
 back, speeding towards, the place of meeting. 
 
 Scared by the sight, the witches fled, but were turned by 
 another band advancing from the opposite quarter. They then 
 made towards the spot where their broomsticks were deposited, 
 but ere they could reach it, a third party gained the summit of 
 the hill at this precise point, and immediately started in pursuit 
 of them. 
 
 Meanwhile, a young man issuing from behind the beacon, flew 
 
 2A 
 
354 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 towards Mistress Nutter and her daughter. The moment the 
 flame burst forth, the spell cast over them by Mother Demdike 
 was broken, and motion and speech restored. 
 
 " Alizon!" exclaimed the young man, as he came up, " your 
 trials are over. You are safe." 
 
 " Oh, Richard ! " she replied, falling into his arms, " have we 
 been preserved by you ? " 
 
 " I am a mere instrument in the hands of Heaven," he replied. 
 
 Mother Demdike made no attempt at flight with the rest of 
 the witches, but remained for a few moments absorbed in contem- 
 plation of the flaming beacon. Her hand still grasped the 
 murderous weapon she had raised against Alizon, but it had 
 dropped to her side when the fire burst forth. At length she 
 turned fiercely to Richard, and demanded 
 
 " Was it thou who kindled the beacon ? " 
 
 (i It was !" replied the young man. 
 
 " And who bade thee do it who brought thee hither ? " pur- 
 sued the witch. 
 
 " An enemy of thine, old woman!" replied Richard, " His 
 vengeance has been slow in coming, but it has arrived at last." 
 
 66 But who is he ? I see him not ! " rejoined Mother Demdike. 
 
 " You will see him before yon flame expires," said Richard. 
 " I should have come to your assistance sooner, Alizon," he con- 
 tinued, turning to her, " but I was forbidden. And I knew I 
 should best ensure your safety by compliance with the injunctions 
 I had received." 
 
 " Some guardian spirit must have interposed to preserve us," 
 replied Alizon; "for such only could have successfully combated 
 with the evil beings from whom we have been delivered." 
 
 rt Thy spirit is unable to preserve thee now!" cried Mother 
 Demdike, aiming a deadly blow at her with the knife. But, for- 
 tunately, the attempt was foreseen by Richard, who caught her 
 arm, and wrested the weapon from her. 
 
 " Curses on thee, Richard Assheton ! " cried the infuriated hag, 
 ft and on thee too, Alizon Device, I cannot work ye the imme- 
 diate ill I wish. I cannot make ye loathsome in one another's 
 eyes. I cannot maim your limbs, or blight your beauty. I 
 cannot deliver you over to devilish possession. But I can 
 bequeath you a legacy of hate. What I say will come to pass. 
 Thou, Alizon, wilt never wed Richard Assheton never ! Vainly 
 shall ye struggle with your destiny vainly indulge hopes of 
 happiness. Misery and despair, and an early grave, are in store 
 for both of you. He shall be to you your worst enemy, and you 
 shall be to him destruction. Think of the witch's prediction 
 and tremble, and may her deadliest curse rest upon your heads." 
 
 " Oh, Richard !" exclaimed Alizon, who would have sunk to 
 the ground if he had not sustained her. " Why did you not pre- 
 vent this terrible malediction?" 
 
HOW THE BEACON FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. 355 
 
 te He could not," replied Mother Demdike, with a laugh of 
 exultation ; " it shall work, and thy doom shall be accomplished, 
 ^nd now to make an end of old Chattox, and then they may 
 take me where they please." 
 
 And she was approaching her old enemy with the intention of 
 putting her threat into execution, when James Device, who ap- 
 peared to start from the ground, rushed swiftly towards her. 
 
 " What art thou doing here, Jem ?" cried the hag, regarding 
 him with angry surprise. " Dost thou not see we are surrounded 
 by enemies. I cannot escape them but thou art young and 
 active. Away with thee ! " 
 
 " Not without yo, granny," replied Jem. rt Ey ha' run os fast 
 os ey could to help yo. Stick fast howld on me," he added, 
 snatching her up in his arms, " an ey'n bring yo clear off yet." 
 
 And he set off at a rapid pace with his burthen, Richard being 
 too much occupied with Alizon to oppose him. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. HOW THE BEACON FIRE WAS 
 EXTINGUISHED. 
 
 SOON after this, Nicholas Assheton, attended by two or three 
 men, came up, and asked whither the old witch had flown. 
 
 Mistress Nutter pointed out the course taken by the fugitive, 
 who had run towards the northern extremity of the hill, down 
 the sides of which he had already plunged. 
 
 " She has been carried off by her grandson, Jem Device," said 
 Mistress Nutter ; " be quick, or you will lose her." 
 
 u Ay, be quick be quick !" added Mother Chattox. " Yonder 
 they went, to the back of the beacon." 
 
 Casting a look at the wretched speaker, and finding she was 
 too grievously wounded to be able to move, Nicholas bestowed 
 no further thought upon her, but set off with his companions in 
 the direction pointed out. He speedily arrived at the edge of the 
 hill, and, looking down it, sought in vain for any appearance of 
 the fugitives. The sides were here steep and shelving, and some 
 hundred yards lower down were broken into ridges, behind one 
 of which it was possible the old witch and her grandson might 
 be concealed ; so, without a moment's hesitation, the squire 
 descended, and began to search about in the hollows, scrambling 
 over the loose stones, or sliding down for some paces with the 
 uncertain boggy soil, when he fancied he heard a plaintive cry. 
 He looked around, but could see no one. The whole side of the 
 mountain was lighted up by the fire from the beacon, which, 
 instead of diminishing, burnt with increased ardour, so that every 
 object was as easily to be discerned as in the day-time ; but, not- 
 
356 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 withstanding this, he could not detect whence the sound pro- 
 ceeded. It was repeated, but more faintly than before, and 
 Nicholas almost persuaded himself it was the voice of Potts call- 
 ing for help. Motioning to his followers, who were engaged in 
 the search like himself, to keep still, the squire listened intently, 
 and again caught the sound, being this time convinced it arose 
 from the ground. Was it possible the unfortunate attorney had 
 been buried alive ? Or had he been thrust into some hole, and 
 a stone placed over it, which he found it impossible to remove ? 
 The latter idea seemed the more probable, and Nicholas was 
 guided by a feeble repetition of the noise towards a large frag- 
 ment of rock, which, on examination, had evidently been rolled 
 from a point immediately over the mouth of a hollow. The 
 squire instantly set himself to work to dislodge the ponderous 
 stone, and, aided by two of his men, who lent their broad 
 shoulders to the task, quickly accomplished his object, disclosing 
 what appeared to be the mouth of a cavernous recess. Fvom out 
 of this, as soon as the stone was removed, popped the head of 
 Master Potts, and Nicholas, bidding him be of good cheer, laid 
 hold of him to draw him forth, as he seemed to have some diffi- 
 culty in extricating himself, when the attorney cried out 
 
 " Do not pull so hard, squire ! That accursed Jem Device has 
 got hold of my legs. Not so hard, sir, I entreat." 
 
 " Bid him let go," said Nicholas, unable to refrain from laugh- 
 ing, " or we will unearth him from his badger's hole." 
 
 " He pays no heed to what I say to him," cried Potts. " Oh, 
 dear ! oh, dear ! ho is dragging me down again !" 
 
 And, as he spoke, the attorney, notwithstanding all Nicholas's 
 efforts to restrain him, was pulled down into the hole. The squire 
 was at a loss what to do, and was considering whether he should 
 resort to the tedious process of digging him out, when a scram- 
 bling noise was heard, and the captive's head once more appeared 
 above ground. 
 
 (t Are you coming out now ?" asked Nicholas. 
 
 " Alas, no !" replied the attorney, " unless you will make terms 
 with the rascal. He declares he will strangle me, if you do not 
 promise to set him and his grandmother free." 
 
 " Is Mother Demdike with him ? " asked Nicholas. 
 
 " To be sure," replied Potts ; " and we are as badly off for 
 room as three foxes in a hole." 
 
 " And there is no other outlet said the squire I " 
 
 " I conclude not," replied the attorney. " I groped about IJke 
 a mole when I was first thrust into the cavern by Jem Device, 
 but I could find no means of exit. The entrance was blocked up 
 by the great stone which you had some difficulty in moving, but 
 which J em could shift at will ; for he pushed it aside in a moment, 
 and brought it back to its place, when he returned just now with 
 the old hag ; but probably that was effected by witchcraft." 
 
HOW THE BEACON FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. 357 
 
 ct Most likely," said Nicholas, u But for your being in it, we 
 would stop up this hole, and bury the two wretches alive." 
 
 " Get me out first, good Master Nicholas, I implore of you, 
 and then do what you please," cried Potts. " Jem is tugging at 
 my legs as if he would pull them off." 
 
 " We will try who is strongest," said Nicholas, again seizing 
 hold of Potts by the shoulders. 
 
 " Oh, dear! oh, dear! I can't bear it let go!" shrieked the 
 attorney. " I shall be stretched to twice my natural length. My 
 joints are starting from their sockets, my legs are coming off oh ! 
 oh !" 
 
 " Lend a hand here, one of you," cried Nicholas to the men ; 
 " we'll have him out, whatever be the consequence." 
 
 u But I won't come !" roared Potts. " You have no right to 
 use me thus. Torture ! oh ! oh ! my loins are ruptured my 
 back is breaking I am a dead man. The hag has got hold of 
 my right leg, while Jem is tugging with all his force at the left." 
 
 "Pull away!" cried Nicholas ; " he is coming." 
 
 " My legs are off," yelled Potts, as he was plucked suddenly 
 forth, with a jerk that threw the squire and his assistants on their 
 backs. " I shall never be able to walk more. No, Heaven be 
 praised!" he added, looking down on his lower limbs, " I have 
 only lost my boots." 
 
 " Never mind it, then," cried Nicholas ; ts but thank your 
 stars you are above ground once more. Hark'ee, Jem I" he con- 
 tinued, shouting down the hole ; " If you don't come forth at once, 
 and bring Mother Demdike with you, we'll close up the mouth of 
 this hole in such a way that you sha'ii't require another grave. 
 D'ye hear?" 
 
 " Yeigh," replied Jem, his voice coming hoarsely and hollowly 
 up like the accents of a ghost. " Am ey to go free if ey com- 
 ply?" 
 
 " Certainly not," replied the squire. " You have a choice 
 between this hole and the hangman's cord at Lancaster, that is 
 all. In either case you will die by suffocation. But be quick 
 we have wasted time enough already with you." 
 
 u Then if that's aw yo'll do fo' me, squire, eyn e'en stay wheere 
 ey am," rejoined Jem. 
 
 " Very well," replied Nicholas. " Here, my man, stop up this 
 hole with earth and stones. Master Potts, you will lend a hand 
 to the task." 
 
 " Readily, sir," replied the attorney, " though I shall lose the 
 pleasure I had anticipated of seeino- that old carrion crow roasted 
 alive." 
 
 " Stay a bit, squoire," roared Jem, as preparations were 
 actively made for carrying Nicholas's orders into execution. 
 " Stay a bit, an ey'n cum owt, an bring t' owd woman wi' me." 
 
 (f I thought you'd change your mind," replied Nicholas, 
 
358 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 laughing. " Be upon your guard, he added, in a low tone to the 
 others, " and seize him the moment he appears." 
 
 But Jem evidently found it no easy matter to perform his 
 promise, for stifled shrieks and other noises proclaimed that a 
 desperate struggle was going on between him and his grandmother. 
 
 "Aha!" exclaimed Nicholas, placing his ear to the hole. 
 " The old hag is unwilling to come forth, and spits and scratches 
 like a cat-a-mountain, while Jem gripes her like a terrier. It is 
 a hard tussle between them, but he is getting the better of it, and 
 is pushing her forth. Now look out." 
 
 And as he spoke, Mother Demdike's terrible head protruded 
 from the ground, and, despite of the execrations she poured forth 
 upon her enemies, she was instantly seized by them, drawn out of 
 the cavern, and secured. While the men were thus engaged, and 
 while Nicholas's attention was for an instant diverted, Jem 
 bounded forth as suddenly as a wolf from his lair, and, dashing 
 aside all opposition, plunged down the hill. 
 
 " It is useless to pursue him," said Nicholas. " He will not 
 escape. The whole country will be roused by the beacon fire, 
 and hue and cry shall be made after him." 
 
 "Right!" exclaimed Potts; "and now let some one creep 
 into that cavern, and bring out my boots, and then I shall be in a 
 better condition to attend you." 
 
 The request being complied with, and the attorney being once 
 more equipped for walking, the party climbed the hill-side, and, 
 bringing Mother Demdike with them, shaped their course towards 
 the beacon. 
 
 And now to see what had taken place in the interim. 
 
 Scarcely had the squire quitted Mistress Nutter than Sir Ralph 
 Assheton rode up to her. 
 
 " Why do you loiter here, madam?" he said, in a stern tone, 
 somewhat tempered by sorrow. " I have held back to give you 
 an opportunity of escape. The hill is invested by your enemies. 
 On that side Roger Nowell is advancing, and on this Sir Thomas 
 Metcalfe and his followers. You may possibly effect a retreat in 
 the opposite direction, but not a moment must be lost." 
 
 " 1 will go with you," said Alizon. 
 
 " No, no," interposed Richard. " You have not strength for 
 the effort, and will only retard her." 
 
 " I thank you for your devotion, my child," said Mistress Nutter, 
 with a look of grateful tenderness ; " but it is unneeded. I have 
 no intention of flying. I shall surrender myself into the hands of 
 justice." 
 
 " Do not mistake the matter, madam," said Sir Ralph, " and 
 delude yourself with the notion that either your rank or wealth 
 will screen you from punishment. Your guilt is too clearly 
 established to allow you a chance of escape, and, though I myself 
 am acting wrongfully in counselling flight to you, 1 am led to do 
 
HOW THE BEACON FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. 359 
 
 so from the friendship once subsisting between us, and the 
 relationship which, unfortunately, I cannot destroy." 
 
 " It is you who are mistaken, not I, Sir Ralph," replied 
 Mistress Nutter. " I have no thought of turning aside the sword 
 of justice, but shall court its sharpest edge, hoping by a full 
 avowal of my offences, in some degree to atone for them. My 
 only regret is, that I shall leave my child unprotected, and that 
 my fate will bring dishonour upon her." 
 
 " Oh, think not of me, dear mother!" cried Alizon, " but 
 persist unhesitatingly in the course you have laid down. Far 
 rather would I see you act thus far rather hear the sentiments 
 you have uttered, even though they may be attended by the 
 saddest, consequences, than behold you in your former proud 
 position, and impenitent. Think not of me, then. Or, rather, 
 think only how I rejoice that your eyes are at length opened, and 
 that you have cast off the bonds of iniquity. I can now pray for 
 you with the full hope that my intercessions will prevail, and in 
 parting with you in this world shall be sustained by the conviction 
 that we shall meet in eternal happiness hereafter." 
 
 Mistress Nutter threw her arms about her daughter's neck, and 
 they mingled their tears together. Sir Ralph Assheton was much 
 moved. 
 
 " It is a pity she should fall into their hands," he observed to 
 Richard. 
 
 " I know not how to advise," replied the latter, greatly troubled. 
 
 " Ah ! it is too late," exclaimed the knight ; "here come Nowell 
 and Metcalfe. The poor lady's firmness will be severely tested." 
 
 The next moment the magistrate and the knight came up, with 
 such of their attendants as were not engaged in pursuing the 
 witches, several of whom had already been captured. On seeing 
 Mistress Nutter, Sir Thomas Metcalfe sprang from his horse, and 
 would have seized her, but Sir Ralph interposed, saying " She 
 has surrendered herself to me. I will be answerable for her 
 safe custody." 
 
 " Your pardon, Sir *Ralph," observed Nowell ; " the arrest 
 must be formally made, and by a constable. Sparshot, execute 
 your warrant." 
 
 Upon this, the official, leaping from his horse, displayed his 
 staff and a piece of parchment to Mistress Nutter, telling 
 her she was his prisoner. 
 
 The lady bowed her head. 
 
 " Shan ey tee her hands, yer warship ? " demanded the consta- 
 ble of the magistrate. 
 
 " On no account, fellow," interposed Sir Ralph. " I will have 
 no indignity offered her. I have already said I will be responsible 
 for her." 
 
 " You will recollect she is arrested for witchcraft, Sir Ralph," 
 observed Nowell. 
 
360 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " She shall answer to the charges brought against her. I 
 pledge myself to that," replied Sir Ralph. 
 
 " And by a full confession," said Mistress Nutter. ef You may 
 pledge yourself to that also, Sir Ralph." 
 
 ** She avows her guilt," cried No well. " I take you all to 
 witness it." 
 
 u I shall not forget it," said Sir Thomas Metcalfe. 
 
 " Nor I nor I !" cried Sparshot, and two or three others of the 
 attendants. 
 
 " This girl is my prisoner," said Sir Thomas Metcalfe, dis- 
 mounting, and advancing towards Alizon, " She is a witch, as 
 well as the rest." 
 
 " It is false," cried Richard ! " and if you attempt to lay hands 
 upon her I will strike you to the earth." 
 
 "'Sdeath!" exclaimed Metcalfe, drawing his sword, " I will 
 not let this insolence pass unpunished. I have other affronts to 
 chastise. Stand aside, or I will cut your throat." 
 
 " Hold, Sir Thomas," cried Sir Ralph Assheton, authoritatively. 
 " Settle your quarrels hereafter, if you have any to adjust ; but I 
 will have no fighting now. Alizon is no witch. You are well 
 aware that she was about to be impiously and cruelly sacrificed 
 by Mother Demdike, and her rescue was the main object of our 
 coming hither." 
 
 " Still suspicion attaches to her," said Metcalfe ; (i whether she 
 be the daughter of Elizabeth Device or Alice Nutter, she comes 
 of a bad stock, and I protest against her being allowed to go free. 
 However, if you are resolved upon it, I have nothing more to say. 
 I shall find other time and place to adjust my ditferences with 
 Master Richard Assheton." 
 
 " When you please, sir," replied the young man, sternly. 
 
 " And I will answer for the propriety of the course I have 
 pursued," said Sir Ralph ; u but here comes Nicholas with Mother 
 Demdike." 
 
 " Demdike taken ! I am glad of it," cried Mother Chattox, 
 slightly raising herself as she spoke. " Kill her, or she will 'scape 
 you." ' 
 
 When Nicholas came up with the old hag, both Sir Ralph 
 Assheton and Roger No well put several questions to her, but she 
 refused to answer their interrogations; and, horrified by her 
 blasphemies and imprecations, they caused her to be removed to 
 a short distance, while a consultation was held as to the course 
 to be pursued. 
 
 " We have made half a dozen of these miscreants prisoners," 
 said Roger Nowell, " and the whole of them had better be taken 
 to Whalley, where they can be safely confined in the old dungeons 
 of the Abbey, and after their examination on the morrow can be 
 removed to Lancaster Castle." 
 
 "Be it so," replied Sir Ralph; "but must yon unfortunate 
 
HOW THE BEACON FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. 361 
 
 lady," he added, pointing to Mistress Nutter, " be taken with 
 them?" 
 
 " Assuredly," replied Nowell. " We can make no distinction 
 among such offenders ; or, if there are any degrees in guilt, hers 
 is of the highest class." 
 
 " You had better take leave of your daughter," said Sir Ralph 
 to Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " I thank you for the hint," replied the lady. " Farewell, 
 dear Alizon," she added, straining her to her bosom. " We must 
 part for some time. Once more before I quit this world, in which 
 I have played so wicked a part, I would fain look upon you fain 
 bless you, if I have the power but this must be at the last, when 
 my trials are wellnigh over, and when all is about to close upon 
 me!" 
 
 " Oh ! must it be thus?" exclaimed Alizon, in a voice half 
 suffocated by emotion. 
 
 " It must," replied her mother. " Do not attempt to shake my 
 resolution, my sweet child do not weep for me. Amidst all the 
 terrors that surround me, I am happier now than I have been for 
 years. I shall strive to work out my redemption by prayers." 
 
 " And you will succeed !" cried Alizon. 
 
 " Not so !" shrieked Mother Dem dike ; " the Fiend will have 
 his own. She is bound to him by a compact which nought can 
 annul." 
 
 " I should like to see the instrument," said Potts. " I might 
 give a legal opinion upon it. Perhaps it might be avoided ; and 
 in any case its production in court would have an admirable 
 effect. I think I see the counsel examining it, and hear the judges 
 calling for it to be placed before them. His infernal Majesty's 
 signature must be a curiosity in its way. Our gracious and 
 sagacious monarch would delight in it." 
 
 "Peace!" exclaimed Nicholas; "and take care," he cried, 
 " that no further interruptions are offered by that infernal hag. 
 Have you done, madam ?" he added to Mistress Nutter, who still 
 remained with her daughter folded in her arms. 
 
 " Not yet," replied the lady. " Oh ! what happiness I have 
 thrown away ! What anguish what remorse brought upon my- 
 self by the evil life I have led I As I gaze on this fair face, and 
 think it might long, long have brightened my dark and desolate 
 life with its sunshine as I think upon all this, my fortitude well- 
 nigh deserts me, and I have need of support from on high to 
 carry me through my trial. But I fear it will be denied me. 
 Nicholas Assheton, you have the deed of the gift of Eough Lee 
 in your possession. Henceforth Alizon is mistress of the mansion 
 and domains." 
 
 " Provided always they are not forfeited to the crown, which 
 I apprehend will be the case," suggested Potts. 
 
 " I will take care she is put in possession of them," said Nicholas. 
 
362 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 st As to you, Richard," continued Mistress Nutter, " the time 
 may come when your devotion to my daughter may be rewarded, 
 and I could not bestow a greater boon upon you than by giving 
 you her hand. It may be well I should give my consent now, 
 and, if no other obstacle should arise to the union, may she be 
 yours, and happiness I am sure will attend you ! " 
 
 Overpowered by conflicting emotions, Alizon hid her face in 
 her mother's bosom, and Richard, who was almost equally over- 
 come, was about to reply, when Mother Demdike broke upon 
 them. 
 
 u They will never be united !" she screamed. " Never ! I have 
 said it, and my words will come true. Think' st thou a witch like 
 thee can bless an union, Alice Nutter ? Thy blessings are curses, 
 thy wishes disappointments and despair. Thriftless love shall be 
 Alizon' s, and the grave shall be her bridal bed. The witch's 
 daughter shall share the witch's fate." 
 
 These boding words produced a terrible effect upon the hearers. 
 
 " Heed her not, my sweet child she speaks falsely," said 
 Mistress Nutter, endeavouring to re-assure her daughter ; but the 
 tone in which the words were uttered showed that she herself was 
 greatly alarmed. 
 
 66 1 have cursed them both, and I will curse them again," 
 yelled Mother Demdike. 
 
 " Away with the old screech-owl," cried Nicholas. e( Take her 
 to the beacon, and, if she continues troublesome, hurl her into the 
 flame." 
 
 And, notwithstanding the hag's struggles and imprecations, she 
 was removed. 
 
 " Whatever may betide, Alizon," cried Richard, " my life shall 
 be devoted to you ; and, if you should not be mine, I will have no 
 other bride. With your permission, madam," he added, to 
 Mistress Nutter, " I will take your daughter to Middleton, where 
 she will find companionship and solace, I trust, in the attentions 
 of my sister, who has the strongest affection for her." 
 
 " I could wish nothing better," replied the lady, " and now to 
 ut an end to this harrowing scene. Farewell, my child. Take 
 er, Richard, take her!" she cried, as she disengaged herself from 
 the relaxing embrace of her daughter. " Now, Master Nowell, 
 I am ready." 
 
 " It is well, madam," he replied. " You will join the other 
 prisoners, and we will set forth." 
 
 But at this juncture a terrific shriek was heard, which drew all 
 eyes towards the beacon. 
 
 When Mother Demdike had been removed, in accordance with 
 the squire's directions, her conduct became more violent and 
 outrageous than ever, and those who had charge of her threatened, 
 if she did not desist, to carry out the full instructions they had 
 received, and cast her into the flames. The old hag defied them, 
 
 i: 
 
HOW THE BEACON FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. 3G3 
 
 and incensed them to such a degree by her violence and blas- 
 phemies, that they carried her to the very edge of the fire. 
 
 At this moment the figure of a monk, in mouldering white 
 habiliments, came from behind the beacon, and stood beside the 
 old hag. He slowly raised his hood, and disclosed features that 
 looked like those of the dead. 
 
 "Thy hour is come, accursed woman !" cried the phantom, in 
 thrilling accents. " Thy term on earth is ended, and thou shalt 
 be delivered to unquenchable fire. The curse of Paslew is ful- 
 filled upon thee, and will be fulfilled upon all thy viperous brood." 
 
 " Art thou the abbot' s shade 1 " demanded the hag. 
 
 " I am thy implacable enemy," replied the phantom. ts Thy 
 judgment and thy punishment are committed to me. To the 
 flames with her !" 
 
 Such was the awe inspired by the monk, and such the authority 
 of his tones and gesture, that the command .was unhesitatingly 
 obeyed, and the witch was cast, shrieking, into the fire. 
 
 bhe was instantly swallowed up as in a gulf of flame, which 
 raged, and roared, and shot up in a hundred lambent points, as if 
 exulting in its prey. 
 
 The wretched creature was seen for a moment to rise up in it 
 in extremity of anguish, with arms extended, and uttering a 
 dreadful yell, but the flames wreathed round her, and she sank 
 for ever. 
 
 When those who had assisted at this fearful execution looked 
 around for the mysterious being who had commanded it, they 
 could nowhere behold him. 
 
 Then was heard a laugh of gratified hate such a laugh as only 
 a demon, or one bound to a demon, can utter and the appalled 
 listeners looked around, and beheld Mother Chattox standing 
 behind them. 
 
 "My rival is gone!" cried the hag. "I have seen the last of 
 her. She is burnt ah ! ah ! " 
 
 Further triumph was not allowed her. With one accord, and 
 as if prompted by an irresistible impulse, the men rushed upon 
 her, seized her, and cast her into the fire. 
 
 Her wild laughter was heard for a moment above the roaring 
 of the flames, and then ceased altogether. 
 
 Again the flame shot high in air, again roared and raged, again 
 broke into a multitude of lambent points, after which it suddenly 
 expired. 
 
 All was darkness on the summit of Pendle Hill. 
 
 And in silence and in gloom scarcely more profound than that 
 weighing in every breast, the melancholy troop pursued its way to 
 Whalley. 
 
 END OF THE SECOND BOOK. 
 
THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 BOOS THE TH1ED. 
 
 JBngljhra mn. 
 
 CHAPTER I DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 
 
 ON a lovely morning, about the middle of July, in the same 
 year as the events previously narrated, Nicholas Assheton, always 
 astir with the lark, issued from his own dwelling, and sauntered 
 across the smooth lawn in front of it. The green eminence on 
 which he stood was sheltered on the right by a grove of syca- 
 mores, forming the boundary of the park, and sloped down into a 
 valley threaded by a small clear stream, whose murmuring, as it 
 danced over its pebbly bed, distinctly reached his ear in the still- 
 ness of early day.. On the left, partly in the valley, and partly on 
 the side of the acclivity on which the hah 1 was situated, nestled 
 the little village whose inhabitants owned Nicholas as lord ; and, 
 to judge from their habitations, they had reason to rejoice in 
 their master ; for certainly there was a cheerful air about Down- 
 ham which the neighbouring hamlets, especially those in Pendle 
 Forest, sadly wanted. 
 
 On the left of the mansion, and only separated from it by the 
 garden walls, stood the church, a venerable structure, dating back 
 to a period more remote even than Whalley Abbey. From the 
 churchyard a view, almost similar to that enjoyed by the squire, 
 was obtained, though partially interrupted by the thick rounded 
 foliage of a large tree growing beneath it ; and many a traveller 
 who came that way lingered within the hallowed precincts to con- 
 template the prospect. At the foot of the hill was a small stone 
 bridge crossing the stream. 
 
 Across the road, and scarce thirty paces from the church-gate, 
 stood a little alehouse, whose comfortable fireside nook and good 
 liquors were not disdained by the squire. In fact, to his shame 
 be it spoken, he was quite as often to be found there of an even- 
 ing as at the hall. This had more particularly been the case 
 since the house was tenanted by Richard Baldwyn, who having 
 given up the mill at Rough Lee, and taken to wife Bess Whitaker 
 of Goldshaw Booth, had removed with her to Downham, where 
 he now flourished under the special protection of the squire. 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 365 
 
 Bess had lost none of her old habits of command, and it must be 
 confessed that poor Kichard played a very secondary part in the 
 establishment. Nicholas, as may be supposed, was permitted 
 considerable licence by her, but even he had limits, which she 
 took good care he should not exceed. 
 
 The Downham domains were well cultivated ; the line of de- 
 marcation between them and the heathy wastes adjoining, being 
 clearly traced out, and you had only to follow the course of the 
 brook to see at a glance where the purlieus of the forest ended, 
 and where Nicholas Assheton's property commenced : the one 
 being a dreary moor, with here and there a thicket upon it, but 
 more frequently a dangerous morass, covered with sulphur-co- 
 loured moss ; and the other consisting of green meadows, bordered 
 in most instances by magnificent timber. The contrast, however, 
 was not without its charm ; and while the sterile wastes set off 
 the fair and fertile fields around them, and enhanced their beauty, 
 they offered a wide, uninterrupted expanse, over which the eye 
 could range at will. 
 
 On the further side of the valley, and immediately opposite the 
 lawn whereon Nicholas stood, the ground gradually arose, until 
 it reached the foot of Pendle Hill, which here assuming its most 
 majestic aspect, constituted the grand and peculiar feature of the 
 scene. Nowhere could the lordly eminence be seen to the same 
 advantage as from this point, and Nicholas contemplated it with 
 feelings of rapture, which no familiarity could diminish. The sun 
 shone brightly upon its rounded summit, and upon its seamy 
 sides, revealing all its rifts and ridges ; adding depth of tint to 
 its dusky soil, laid bare in places by the winter torrents; lending 
 new beauty to its purple heath, and making its grey sod glow as 
 with fire. So exhilarating was the prospect, that Nicholas felt 
 half tempted to cross the valley and scale the hill before breaking 
 his fast ; but other feelings checked him, and he turned towards 
 the right. Here, beyond a paddock and some outbuildings, lay 
 the park, small in extent, but beautifully diversified, well stocked 
 Avith deer, and boasting much noble timber. In the midst was 
 an exquisite knoll, which, besides commanding a fine view of 
 Pendle Hill, Downham, and all the adjacent country, brought 
 within its scope, on the one hand, the ancient castle of Clithero 
 and the heights overlooking Whalley ; and, on the other, the 
 lovely and extensive vale through which the Kibble wandered. 
 This, also, was a favourite point of view with the squire, and he 
 had some idea of walking towards it, when he was arrested 
 by a person who came from the house, and who shouted to him, 
 hoarsely but blithely, to stay. 
 
 The new-comer was a man of middle age, with a skin almost 
 as tawny as a gipsy's, a hooked nose, black beetling brows, and 
 eyes so strangely set in his head, that they communicated a sinis- 
 ter expression to his countenance. He possessed a burly frame, 
 
366 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 square, and somewhat heavy, though not so much so as to impede 
 his activity. In deportment and stature, though not in feature, 
 he resembled the squire himself; and the likeness was heightened 
 by his habiliments being part of Nicholas's old wardrobe, the 
 doublet and hose, and even the green hat and boots, being those 
 in which Nicholas made his first appearance in this history. The 
 personage who thus condescended to be fed and clothed at the 
 squire's expense, and who filled a situation something between 
 guest and menial, without receiving the precise attention of the 
 one or the wages of the other, but who made himself so useful to 
 Nicholas that he could not dispense with him neither, perhaps, 
 would he have been shaken off, even if it had been desired was 
 named Lawrence Fogg, an entire stranger to the country, whom 
 Nicholas had picked up at Colne, aud whom he had invited to 
 Downham for a few weeks' hunting, and had never been able to get 
 rid of him since. 
 
 Lawrence Fogg liked his quarters immensely, and determined 
 to remain in them ; and as a means to so desirable an end, he studied 
 all the squire's weak points and peculiarities, and these not being 
 very difficult to be understood, he soon mastered them, and mas- 
 tered the squire into the bargain, but without allowing his success 
 to become manifest. Nicholas was delighted to find one with 
 tastes so congenial to his own, who was so willing to hunt or fish 
 with him who could train a hawk as well as Phil Royle, the fal- 
 coner diet a fighting-cock as well as Tom Shaw, the cock-master 
 enter a hound better than Charlie Crouch, the old huntsman- 
 shoot with the long-bow further than any one except himself, and 
 was willing to toss off a pot with him, or sing a merry stave whenever 
 he felt inclined. Such a companion was invaluable, and Nicholas 
 congratulated himself upon the discovery, especially when he found 
 Lawrence Fogg not unwilling to undertake some delicate commis- 
 sions for him, which he could not well execute himself, and which 
 he was unwilling should reach Mistress Assheton's ears. These 
 were managed with equal adroitness and caution. About the same 
 time, too, Nicholas finding money scarce, and, not liking to bor- 
 row it in person, delegated Fogg, and sent him round to his friends 
 to ask for a loan ; but, in this instance, the mission was attended 
 with very indifferent success, for not one of them would lend him 
 so small a sum as thirty pounds, all averring they stood in need 
 of it quite as much as himself. Though somewhat inconvenienced 
 by their refusal, Nicholas bore the disappointment with his cus- 
 tomary equanimity, and made merry with his friend as if nothing 
 had happened. Fogg showed an equal accommodating spirit in all 
 religious observances, and, though much against his inclination, 
 attended morning discourses and lectures with his patron, and even 
 made an attempt at psalm-singing; but on one occasion, missing 
 the tune and coming in with a bacchanalian chorus, he was severely 
 rebuked by the minister, and enjoined to keep silence in future. 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 367 
 
 Such was the friendly relation subsisting between the parties when 
 they met together on the lawn on the morning in question. 
 
 ft "Well, Fogg," cried .Nicholas, after exchanging salutations with 
 his friend, " what say you to hunting the otter in the Ribble after 
 breakfast ? 'Tis a rare day for the sport, and the hounds are in 
 excellent order. There is an old dam and her litter whom we 
 must kill, for she has been playing the very devil with the fish for 
 a space of more than two miles; and if we let her off for another 
 week, we shall have neither salmon, trout, nor umber, as all will 
 have passed down the maws of her voracious brood." 
 
 " And that would be a pity, in good sooth, squire," replied Fogg ; 
 " for there are no fish like those of the Ribble. Nothing I should 
 prefer to the sport you promise ; but I thought you had other 
 business for me to-day ? Another attempt to borrow money eh ?" 
 
 "Ay, from my cousin, Dick Assheton," rejoined Nicholas ; "he 
 will lend me the thirty pounds, I am quite sure. But you had 
 better defer the visit till to-morrow, when his father, Sir Richard, 
 will be at Whalley, and when you can have him to yourself. Dick 
 will not say you nay, depend on't ; he is too good a fellow for that. 
 A murrain on those close-fisted curmudgeons, Roger Nowell, 
 Nicholas Townley, and Tom Whitaker. They ought to be de- 
 lighted to oblige me." 
 
 " But they declare they have no money," said Fogg. 
 
 rt No money ! pshaw !" exclaimed Nicholas ; " an idle excuse. 
 They have chests full. Would I had all Roger Nowell's gold, I 
 should not require another supply for years. But, 'sdeath ! I will 
 not trouble myself for a paltry thirty pounds." 
 
 " If I might venture to suggest, squire, while you are about it, 
 I would ask for a hundred pounds, or even two or three hundred," 
 said Fogg. " Your friends will think all the better of you, and 
 feel more satisfied you intend to repay them." 
 
 "Do you think so?" cried Nicholas. "Then, by Plutus, it 
 shall be three hundred pounds three hundred at interest. Dick 
 will have to borrow the amount to lend it to me; but, no matter, 
 he will easily obtain it. Harkye, Fogg, while you are at Middle- 
 ton, endeavour to ascertain whether any thing has been arranged 
 about the marriage of a certain young lady to a certain young gen- 
 tleman. I am curious to know the precise state of affairs in that 
 quarter." 
 
 " I will arrive at the truth, if possible, squire," replied Fogg; 
 " but I should scarcely think Sir Richard would assent to his son's 
 union with the daughter of a notorious witch." 
 
 " Sir Richard's son is scarcely likely to ask Sir Richard's con- 
 sent," said Nicholas ; " and as to Mistress Nutter, though heavy 
 charges have been brought against her, nothing has been proved, 
 for you know she escaped, or rather was rescued, on her way to 
 Lancaster Castle." 
 
 " I am fully aware of it, squire," replied Fogg ; " and I more 
 
3G8 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 than suspect a worthy friend of mine had a hand in her deliverance, 
 and could tell where to find her if needful. But that is neither 
 here nor there. The lady is quite innocent, I dare say. Indeed, 
 I am quite sure of it, since you espouse her cause so warmly. But 
 the world is malicious, and strange things are reported of her." 
 
 te Heed not the world, Fogg," rejoined Nicholas. e( The world 
 speaks well of no man, be his deserts what they may. The world 
 says that I waste my estate in wine, women, and horseflesh that 
 I spend time in pleasures which might be profitably employed 
 that I neglect my wife, forget my religious observances, am on 
 horseback when I should be afoot, at the alehouse when I should 
 be at home, at a marriage when I should be at a funeral, shooting 
 when I should be keeping my books in short, it has not a good 
 word to say for me. And as for thee, Fogg, it says thou art an 
 idle, good-for-nothing fellow ; or, if thou art good for aught, it is 
 only for something that leads to evil. It says thou drinkest pro- 
 digiously, liest confoundedly, and swearest most profanely ; that 
 thou art ever more ready to go to the alehouse than to church, and 
 that none of the girls can 'scape thee. Nay, the slanderers even go 
 so far as to assert thou wouldst not hesitate to say, ' Stand and 
 deliver ! ' to a true man on the highway. That is what the world 
 says of thee. But, hang it ! never look chapfallen, man. Let us 
 go to the stables, and then we will into breakfast ; after which we 
 will proceed to the Kibble, and spear the old otter." 
 
 A fine old manorial residence was Downham, and beautifully 
 situated, as has been shown, on a woody eminence to the north of 
 Pen die Hill. It was of great antiquity, and first came into the 
 possession of the Assheton family in 1558. Considerable additions 
 had been made to it by its present owner, Nicholas, and the outlay 
 necessarily required, combined with his lavish expenditure, had 
 contributed to embarrass him. The stables were large, and full 
 of horses ; the kennels on the same scale, and equally well supplied 
 with hounds , and there was a princely retinue of servants in the 
 yard grooms, keepers, falconers, huntsmen, and their assistants 
 to say nothing of their fellows within doors. In short, if it had 
 been your fortune to accompany the squire and his friend round 
 the premises if you had walked through the stables and counted 
 the horses if you had viewed the kennels and examined the 
 various hounds the great Lancashire dogs, tall, shaggy, and 
 heavy, a race now extinct ; the Worcestershire hounds, then also 
 in much repute ; the greyhounds, the harriers, the beagles, the 
 lurchers, and, lastly, the verminers, or, as we should call them, the 
 terriers, if you had seen all these, you would not have wondered 
 that money was scarce with him. Still further would your 
 surprise at such a consequence have diminished if you had gone 
 on to the falconry, and seen on the perches the goshawk and her 
 tercel, the sparrowhawk and her musket, under the care of the 
 ostringer; and further on the falcon-gentle, the gerfalcon, the 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 369 
 
 lanner, the merlin, and the hobby, all of which were attended to 
 by the head falconer. It wonld have done you good to hear 
 Nicholas inquiring from his men if they had " set out their birds 
 that morning, and weathered them ;" if they had mummy powder 
 in readiness, then esteemed a sovereign remedy; if the lures, 
 hoods, jesses, buets, and all other needful furniture, were in good 
 order ; and if the meat were sweet and wholesome. You might 
 next have followed him to the pens where the fighting cocks were 
 kept, and where you would have found another source of expense in 
 the cock-master, Tom Shaw a knave who not only got high wages 
 from his master, but understood so well the dieting of his birds 
 that he could make them win or lose a battle as he thought proper. 
 Here, again, Nicholas had much to say, and was in raptures with 
 one cock, which he told Fogg he would back to any amount, utterly 
 unconscious of a significant look that passed between his friend 
 and the cock-master. 
 
 " Look at him," cried the squire ; " how proud and erect he 
 stands ! His head is as small as that of a sparrowhawk, his eye 
 large and quick, his body thick, his leg strong in the beam, and 
 his spurs long, rough, and sharp. That is the bird for me. I will 
 take him over to the cockpit at Prescot next week, and match him 
 against any bird Sir John Talbot, or my cousin Braddyll, can 
 bring." 
 
 " And yo'n win, squoire," replied the cock-master ; " ey ha' 
 been feedin' him these five weeks, so he'll be i' rare condition then, 
 and winna fail yo. Yo may lay what yo loike upon him," he 
 added, with a sly wink at Fogg. 
 
 " You may win the thirty pounds you want," observed the 
 latter, in a low tone to the squire. 
 
 " Or, mayhap, lose it," replied Nicholas. " I shall not risk so 
 much, unless I get the three hundred from Dick Assheton. I 
 have been unlucky of late. You beat me constantly at tables now, 
 Fogg, and when I first knew you this was not wont to be the case. 
 Nay, never make any excuses, man ; you cannot help it. Let us 
 in to breakfast." 
 
 With this, he proceeded towards the house, followed by Fogg 
 and a couple of large Lancashire hounds, and, entering at the back 
 of the premises, made his way through the scullery into the kitchen. 
 Here there were plentiful evidences of the hospitality, not to say 
 profusion, reigning throughout the mansion. An open door 
 showed a larder stocked with all kinds of provisions, and before 
 the fire joints of meat and poultry were roasting. Pies were 
 baking in the oven ; and over the flames, in the chimney, was 
 suspended a black pot large enough for a witch's caldron. The 
 cook was busied in preparing for the gridiron some freshly-caught 
 trout, intended for the squire's own breakfast ; and a kitchen-maid 
 was toasting oatcakes, of which there was a large supply in the 
 bread-flake depending from the ceiling. 
 
370 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Casting a look around, and exchanging a few words with the 
 cook, Nicholas moved on, still followed by Fogg and the hounds, 
 and, tracking a long stone passage, entered the great hall. Here 
 the same disorder and irregularity prevailed as in his own 
 character and conduct. All was litter and confusion. Around 
 the walls were hung breastplates and buff-coats, morions, shields, 
 and two-handed swords ; but they were half hidden by fishing- 
 nets, fowling-nets, dogs' collars, saddles and bridles, housings, 
 cross-bows, long-bows, quivers, baldricks, horns, spears, guns, 
 and every other implement then used in the sports of the river or 
 the field. The floor was in an equal state of disorder. The rushes 
 were filled with half-gnawed bones, brought thither by the hounds ; 
 and in one corner, on a mat, was a favourite spaniel and her 
 whelps. The squire however was, happily, insensible to the 
 condition of the chamber, and looked around it with an air of 
 satisfaction, as if he thought it the perfection of comfort. 
 
 A table was spread for breakfast, near a window looking out 
 upon the lawn, and two covers only were laid, for Mistress 
 Nicholas Assheton did not make her appearance at this early 
 hour. And now was exhibited one of those strange contradictions 
 of which the squire's character was composed. Kneeling down 
 by the side of the table, and without noticing the mocking 
 expression of Fogg's countenance as he followed his example, 
 Nicholas prayed loudly and fervently for upwards of ten minutes, 
 after which he arose and gave a shout which proved that his lungs 
 were unimpaired, and not only roused the whole house, but set 
 all the dogs barking. 
 
 Presently a couple of serving-rnen answered this lusty summons, 
 and the table was covered with good and substantial dishes, which 
 he and his companion attacked with a vigour such as only the 
 most valiant trencherman can display. Already has it been 
 remarked that a breakfast at the period in question resembled a 
 modern dinner ; and better proof could not have been afforded of 
 the correctness of the description than the meal under discussion, 
 which comprised fish, flesh, and fowl, boiled, broiled, and roast, 
 together with strong ale and sack. After an hour thus agreeably 
 employed, and while they were still seated, though breakfast had 
 pretty nearly come to an end, a serving-man entered, announcing 
 Master Richard Sherborne of Dunnow. The squire instantly 
 sprang to his feet, and hastened to welcome his brother-in-law. 
 
 " Ah ! good-day to you, Dick," he cried, shaking him heartily 
 by the hand ; " what happy chance brings you here so early f 
 But first sit down and eat eat, and talk afterwards. Here, 
 Roger, Harry, bring another platter and napkin, and let us have 
 more broiled trout and a cold capon, a pasty, or whatever you 
 can find in the larder. Try some of this gammon meanwhile, 
 Dick. It will help down a can of ale. And now what brings 
 thee hither, lad? Pressing business, no doubt. Thou rnayest 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 371 
 
 speak before Fogg. I have no secrets from him. He is my 
 second self." 
 
 " I have no secrets to divulge, Nicholas," replied Sherborne, 
 " and I will tell you at once what I arn come about. Have you 
 heard that the King is about to visit Hoghton Tower in August ?" 
 
 " No ; this is news to me," replied Nicholas ; " does your 
 business relate to his visit 1 " 
 
 " It does," replied Sherborne. " Last night a messenger came 
 to me from Sir Richard Hoghton, entreating me to move you to 
 do him the favour and courtesy to attend him at the King's 
 coming, and wear his livery." 
 
 " I wear his livery !" exclaimed Nicholas, indignantly. "'Sdeath ! 
 what do you take me for, cousin Dick ?" 
 
 " For a right good fellow, who I am sure will comply with his 
 friend's request, especially when he finds there is no sort of 
 degradation in it," replied Sherborne. te Why, I shall wear Sir 
 Richard's cloth, and so will several others of our friends. There 
 will be rare doings at Hoghton masquings, mummings, and all 
 sorts of revels, besides hunting, shooting, racing, wrestling, and 
 the devil knows what. You may feast and carouse to your heart's 
 content. The Dukes of Buckingham and Richmond will be 
 there, and the Earls of Nottingham and Pembroke, and Sir Gil- 
 bert Hoghton, the King's great favourite, who married the 
 Duchess of Buckingham's sister. Besides these, you will have 
 all the beauty of Lancashire. I would not miss the sight for 
 thirty pounds." 
 
 " Thirty pounds !" echoed Nicholas, as if struck with a sudden 
 thought. u Do you think Sir Thomas Hoghton would lend me 
 that sum if I consent to wear his cloth, and attend him ? " 
 
 i( I have no doubt of it," replied Sherborne ; " and if he won't, 
 I will." 
 
 "Then I will put my pride in my pocket, and go," said 
 Nicholas. " And now, Dick, dispatch your breakfast as quickly 
 as you can, and then I will take you to the Ribble, and show 
 you some sport with an otter." 
 
 Sherborne was not long in concluding his repast, and having 
 received an otter spear from the squire, who had already provided 
 himself and Fogg with like weapons, all three adjourned to the 
 kennels, where they found the old huntsman, Charlie Crouch, 
 awaiting them, attended by four stout varlets, armed with forked 
 staves, meant for the double purpose of beating the river's banks, 
 and striking the poor beast they were about to hunt, and each 
 man having a couple of hounds, well entered for the chase, in 
 leash. Old Crouch was a thin, grey-bearded fellow, but possess- 
 ed of a tough, muscular frame, which served him quite as well in 
 the long run as the younger, and apparently more vigorous, 
 limbs of his assistants. His cheek was hale, and his eye still 
 bright and quick, and a certain fierceness was imparted to hia 
 
372 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 countenance by a large aquiline nose. He was attired in a greasy 
 leathern jerkin, tight hose of the same material, and had a bugle 
 suspended from his neck, and a sharp hunting-knife thrust into 
 his girdle. In his hand he bore a spear like his master, and was 
 followed by a grey old lurcher, who, though wanting an ear and 
 an eye, and disfigured by sundry scars on throat and back, was 
 hardy, untiring, and sagacious. This ancient dog was called 
 Grip, from his tenacity in holding any thing he set his teeth upon, 
 and he and Crouch were inseparable. 
 
 Great was the clamour occasioned by the squire's appearance 
 in the yard. The coupled hounds gave tongue at once, and sang 
 out most melodiously, and all the other dogs within the kennels, 
 or roaming at will about the yard, joined the concert. After 
 much swearing, cracking of whips, and yelping consequent upon 
 the cracking, silence was in some degree restored, and a consul- 
 tation was then held between Nicholas and Crouch as to where 
 their steps should first be bent. The old huntsman was for 
 drawing the river near a place called Bean Hill Wood, as the 
 trees thereabouts, growing close to the water's edge, it was 
 pretty certain the otter would have her couch amid the roots of 
 some of them. This was objected to by one of the varlets, who 
 declared that the beast lodged in a hollow tree, standing on a 
 bank nearly a mile higher up the stream, and close by the point 
 of junction between Swanside Beck and the Kibble. He was 
 certain of the fact, he avouched, because he had noticed her 
 marks on the moist grass near the tree. 
 
 " Hoo goes theere to fish, mon ? " cried Crouch, " for it is the 
 natur o' the wary varmint to feed at a distance fro' her lodgin ; 
 boh ey'm sure we shan leet on her among the roots o' them big 
 trees o'erhanging th' river near Bean Hill Wood, an if the squire '11 
 tay my advice, he'n go theere first." 
 
 "I put myself entirely under your guidance, Crouch," said 
 Nicholas. 
 
 " An yo'n be aw reet, sir," replied the huntsman ; " we'n beat 
 the bonks weel, an two o' these chaps shan go up the stream, an 
 two down, one o' one side, and one o' t'other ; an i' that manner 
 hoo canna escape us, fo' Grip can swim an dive os weel as onny 
 otter i' aw Englondshiar, an he'n be efter her an her litter the 
 moment they tak to t' wotur. Some folk, os maybe yo ha' seen, 
 squoire, tak howd on a cord by both eends, an droppin it into t' 
 river, draw it slowly along, so that they can tell by th' jerk when 
 th' otter touches it ; boh this is an onsartin method, an is nowt 
 like Grip's plan, for wherever yo see him swimrmn, t'other beast 
 yo may be sure is nah far ahead." 
 
 " A brave dog, but confoundedly ugly !" exclaimed the squire, 
 regarding the old one-eared, one-eyed lurcher with mingled 
 admiration and disgust; " and now, that all is arranged, let 
 us be oft'." 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 373 
 
 Accordingly they quitted the court-yard, and, shaping their 
 course in the direction indicated by the huntsman, entered the 
 park, and proceeded along a glade, checkered by the early sun- 
 beams. Here the noise they made in their progress speedily dis- 
 turbed a herd of deer browsing beneath the trees, and, as the 
 dappled foresters darted off to a thicker covert, great difficulty 
 was experienced by the varlets in restraining the hounds, who 
 struggled eagerly to follow them, and made the welkin resound 
 with their baying. 
 
 " Yonder is a tall fellow," cried Nicholas, pointing out a noble 
 buck to Crouch ; " I must kill him next week, for I want to 
 send a haunch of venison to Middleton, and another to Whalley 
 Abbey for Sir Ralph." 
 
 " Better hunt him, squoire," said Crouch ; ft he will gi' ye 
 good sport." 
 
 Soon after this they attained an eminence, where a charming 
 sweep of country opened upon them, including the finest part of* 
 Ribblesdale, with its richly-wooded plains, and the swift and 
 beautiful river from which it derived its name. The view was 
 enchanting, and the squire and his companions paused for a mo- 
 ment to contemplate it, and then, stepping gleefully forward, made 
 their way over the elastic turf towards a small thicket skirting 
 the park. All were in high spirits, for the freshness and beauty 
 of the morning had not been without effect, and the squire's 
 tongue kept pace with his legs as he strode briskly along ; but 
 as they entered the thicket in question, and caught sight of the 
 river through the trees, the old huntsman enjoined silence, and 
 he was obliged to put a check upon his loquacity. 
 
 When within a bowshot from the water, the party came to a 
 halt, and two of the men were directed by Crouch to cross the 
 stream at different points, and then commence beating the banks, 
 while the other two were ordered to pursue a like course, but to 
 keep on the near side of the river. The hounds were next un- 
 coupled, and the men set off to execute the orders they had 
 received, and soon afterwards the crashing of branches, and the 
 splashing of water, accompanied by the deep baying of the 
 hounds, told they were at work. 
 
 Meanwhile, Nicholas and the others had not remained idle. 
 As the varlets struck off in different directions, they went straight 
 on, and forcing their way through the brushwood, came to a high 
 bank overlooking the Ribble, on the top of which grew three or 
 four large trees, whose roots, laid bare on the further side by the 
 swollen currents of winter, formed a convenient resting-place for 
 the fish-loving creature they hoped to surprise. Receiving a hint 
 from Crouch to make for the central tree, Nicholas grasped his 
 spear, and sprang forward ; but, quick as he was, he was too late, 
 though he saw enough to convince him that the crafty old hunts- 
 man nad been correct in his judgment; for a dark, slimy object 
 
374 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 dropped from out the roots of the tree beneath him, and glided 
 into the water as swiftly and as noiselessly as if its skin had been 
 oiled. A few bubbles rose to the surface of the water, but these 
 were all the indications marking the course of the wondrous diver. 
 But other eyes, sharper than those of Nicholas, were on the 
 watch, and the old huntsman shouted out, " There hoo goes, 
 Grip efter her, lad, efter her!" The words were scarcely 
 uttered when the dog sprang from the top of the bank and sank 
 under the water. For some seconds no trace could be observed 
 of either animal, and then the shaggy nose of the lurcher was 
 seen nearly fifty yards higher up the river, and after sniffing 
 around for a moment, and fixing his single eye on his master, who 
 was standing on the bank, and encouraging him with his voice 
 and gesture, he dived again. 
 
 "Station yourselves on the bank, fifty paces apart," cried 
 Crouch ; " run, run, or yo'n be too late, an' strike os quick os leet 
 if yo've a chance. Stay wheere you are, squoire," he added, to 
 Nicholas. " Yo canna be better placed." 
 
 All was now animation and excitement. Perceiving from the 
 noise that the otter had been found, the four varlets hastened 
 towards the scene of action, and, by their shouts and the clatter 
 of their staves, contributed greatly to its spirit. Two were on one 
 side of the stream, and two on the other, and up to this moment 
 the hounds were similarly separated ; but now most of them had 
 taken to the water, some swimming about, others standing up to 
 the middle in the shallower part of the current, watching with 
 keen gaze for the appearance of their anticipated victim. 
 
 Having descended the bank, Nicholas had so placed himself 
 among the huge twisted roots of the tree, that if the otter, alarmed 
 by the presence of so many foes, and unable to escape either up 
 or down the river, should return to her couch, he made certain of 
 striking her. At first there seemed little chance of such an 
 occurrence, for Fogg, who had gone a hundred yards higher up, 
 suddenly dashed into the stream, and, plunging his spear into the 
 mud, cried out that he had hit the beast ; but the next moment, 
 when he drew the weapon forth, and exhibited a large rat which he 
 had transfixed, his mistake excited much merriment. 
 
 Old Crouch, meantime, did not suffer his attention to be drawn 
 from his dog. Every now and then he saw him come to the 
 surface to breathe, but as he kept within a short distance, though 
 rising at different points, the old huntsman felt certain the otter 
 had not got away, and, having the utmost reliance upon Grip's 
 perseverance and sagacity, he felt confident he would bring the 
 quarry to him if the thing were possible. The varlets kept up an 
 incessant clatter, beating the water with their staves, and casting 
 large stones into it, while the hounds bayed furiously, so that the 
 poor fugitive was turned on whichever side she attempted a 
 retreat. 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 375 
 
 While this was going on, Nicholas was cautioned by the 
 huntsman to look out, and scarcely had the admonition reached 
 him than the sleek shining body of the otter emerged from the 
 water, and wreathed itself among the roots. The squire instantly 
 dealt a blow which he expected to prove fatal, but his mortifica- 
 tion was excessive when he found he had driven the spear-head 
 so deeply into the tree that he could scarcely disengage it, while 
 an almost noiseless plunge told that his prey had escaped. 
 Almost at the same moment that the poor hunted beast had 
 sought its old lodging, the untiring lurcher had appeared at the 
 edge of the bank, and, as the former again went down, he dived 
 likewise. 
 
 Secretly laughing at the squire's failure, the old huntsman pre- 
 pared to take advantage of a similar opportunity if it should 
 present itself, and with this view ensconced himself behind a 
 pollard willow, which stood close beside the stream, and whence 
 he could watch closely all that passed, without being exposed to 
 view. The prudence of the step was soon manifest. After the 
 lapse of a few seconds, during which neither dog nor otter had 
 risen to breathe, a slight, very slight, undulation was perceptible 
 on the surface of the water. Crouch's grasp tightened upon his 
 staff he waited another moment then dashed forward, struck 
 down his spear, and raised it aloft, with the poor otter transfixed 
 and writhing upon its point. 
 
 Loudly and exultingly did the old man shout at his triumph, 
 and loudly were his vociferations answered by the others. All 
 flew to the spot where he was standing, and the hounds, gathering 
 round him, yelled furiously at the otter, and showed every 
 disposition to tear her in pieces, if they could get at her. 
 Kicking the noisiest and fiercest of them out of the way, Crouch 
 approached the river's brink, and lowered the spear-head till it 
 came within reach of his favourite Grip, who had not yet come 
 out of the water, but stood within his depth, with his one red eye 
 fixed on the enemy he had so hotly pursued, and fully expecting 
 his reward. It now came ; his sharp teeth instantly met in the 
 otter's throat, and when Crouch swung them both in the air, he 
 still maintained his hold, showing how well he deserved his name, 
 nor could he be disengaged until long after the sufferings of the 
 tortured animal had ceased. 
 
 To say that Nicholas was neither chagrined at his ill success, 
 nor jealous of the old huntsman's superior skill, would be to 
 affirm an untruth ; but he put the best face he could upon the 
 matter, and praised Grip very highly, alleging that the whole 
 merit of the hunt rested with him. Old Crouch let him go on, 
 and when he had done, quietly observed that the otter they had 
 destroyed was not the one they came in search of, as they had 
 seen nothing of her litter \ and that, most likely, the beast that 
 had done so much mischief had her lodging in the hollow tree 
 
376 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 near the Swanside Beck, as described by the varlet, and he 
 wished to know whether the squire would like to go and hunt 
 her. Nicholas replied that he was quite willing to do so, and 
 hoped he should have better luck on the second occasion ; and 
 with this they set forward again, taking their way along the side of 
 the stream, beating the banks as they went, but without rousing 
 any thing beyond an occasional water-rat, which was killed 
 almost as soon as found by Grip. 
 
 Somehow or other, without any one being aware what led to it, 
 the conversation fell upon the two old witches, Mothers 
 Demdike and Chattox, and the strange manner in which their 
 career had terminated on the summit of Pendle Hill if, indeed, 
 it could be said to have terminated, when their spirits were 
 reported to haunt the spot, and might be seen, it was asserted, at 
 midnight, flitting round the beacon, and shrieking dismally. The 
 restless shades were pursued, it was added, by the figure of a 
 monk in white mouldering robes, supposed to be the ghost of 
 Paslew, It was difficult to understand how these apparitions 
 could be witnessed, since no one, even for a reward, could be 
 prevailed upon to ascend Pendle Hill after nightfall ; but the 
 shepherds affirmed they had seen them from below, and that was 
 testimony sufficient to shake the most sceptical. One singular 
 circumstance was mentioned, which must not be passed by 
 without notice ; and this was, that when the cinders of the 
 extinct beacon-fire came to be examined, no remains whatever of 
 the two hags could be discovered, though the ashes were carefully 
 sifted, and it was quite certain that the flames had expired long 
 before their bodies could be consumed. The explanation 
 attempted for this marvel was, that Satan had carried them off 
 while yet living, to finish their combustion in a still more fiery 
 region. 
 
 Mention of Mother Demdike naturally led to her grandson, 
 Jem Device, who, having escaped in a remarkable manner on the 
 night in question, notwithstanding the hue and cry made after 
 him, had not, as yet, been captured, though he had been 
 occasionally seen at night, and under peculiar circumstances, by 
 various individuals, and amongst others by old Crouch, who, 
 however, declared he had been unable to lay hands upon him. 
 
 Allusion was then made to Mistress Nutter, whereupon it was 
 observed that the squire changed the conversation quickly; while 
 sundry sly winks and shrugs were exchanged among the varlets of 
 the kennel, seeming to intimate that they knew more about the 
 matter than they cared to admit. Nothing more, however, was 
 elicited than that the escort conducting her to Lancaster Castle, 
 together with the other witches, after their examination before 
 the magistrates at Whalley, and committal, had been attacked, 
 while it was passing through a woody defile in Bowland Forest, 
 by a party of men in the garb of foresters, and the lady set free 
 
DOWXIIAM MANGE-HOUSE. 377 
 
 Nor had she been heard of since. What made this rescue the 
 more extraordinary was, that none of the other witches were 
 liberated at the same time, but some of them who seemed 
 disposed to take advantage of the favourable interposition, and 
 endeavoured to get away, were brought back by the foresters to 
 the officers of justice ; thus clearly proving that the attempt was 
 solely made on Mistress Nutter's account, and must have been 
 undertaken by her friends. Nothing, it was asserted, could equal the 
 rage and mortification of Roger Nowell and Potts, on learning 
 that their chief prey had thus escaped them; and by their 
 directions, for more than a week, the strictest search was made 
 for the fugitive throughout the neighbourhood, but without 
 effect no clue could be discovered to her retreat. Suspicion 
 naturally fell upon the two Asshetons, Nicholas and Richard, and 
 Roger Nowell roundly taxed them with contriving and executing 
 the enterprise in person ; while Potts told them they were guilty 
 of misprision of felony, and threatened them with imprisonment 
 for life, forfeiture of goods and of rents, for the offence ; but as 
 the charge could not be proved against them, notwithstanding all 
 the efforts of the magistrate and attorney, it fell to the ground ; 
 and Master Potts, full of chagrin at this unexpected and vexatious 
 termination of the affair, returned to London, and settled himself 
 in his chambers in Chancery Lane. His duties, however, as clerk 
 of the court, would necessarily call him to Lancaster in August, 
 when the assizes commenced, and when he would assist at the 
 trials of such of the witches as were still in durance. 
 
 From Mother Demdike it was natural that the conversation 
 should turn to her weird retreat, Malkin Tower; and Richard 
 Sherborne expressed his surprise that the unhallowed structure 
 should be suffered to remain standing after her removal. Nicholas 
 said he was equally anxious with his brother-in-law for its demo- 
 lition, but it was not so easily to be accomplished as it might 
 appear ; for the deserted structure was in such ill repute with the 
 common folk, as well as every one else, that no one dared approach 
 it, even in the daytime. A boggart, it was said, had taken pos- 
 session of its vaults, and scared away all who ventured near it ; 
 sometimes showing himself in one frightful shape, and sometimes 
 in another ; now as a monstrous goat, now as an equally mon- 
 strous cat, uttering fearful cries, glaring with fiery eyes from out 
 of the windows, or appearing in all his terror on the summit of 
 the tower. Moreover, the haunted structure was frequently 
 lighted up at dead of night, strains of unearthly music were 
 heard resounding from it, and wild figures were seen flitting past 
 the windows, as if engaged in dancing and revelry ; so that it ap- 
 peared that no alteration for the better had taken place there, 
 and that things were still quite as improperly conducted now, as 
 they had been in the time of Mother Demdike, or in those of her 
 predecessors, Isole de Heton and Blackburn, the robber. The 
 
378 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 common opinion was, that Satan and all his imps had taken up 
 their abode in the tower, and, as they liked their quarters, led a 
 jolly life there, dancing and drinking all night long, it would be 
 useless at present to give them notice to quit, still less to attempt 
 to pull down the house about their ears. Richard Sherborne 
 heard this wondrous relation in silence, but with a look of incre- 
 dulity ; and when it was done he winked slily at his brother-in- 
 law. A strange expression, half comical, half suspicious, might 
 also have been observed on Fogg's countenance ; and he narrowly 
 watched the squire as the latter spoke. 
 
 " But with the disappearance of the malignant old hags who 
 had so long infested the neighbourhood, had all mischief and cala- 
 mity ceased, or were people as much afflicted as heretofore 1 
 Were there, in short, so many cases of witchcraft, real or sup- 
 posed ?" This was the question next addressed by Sherborne to 
 Nicholas. The squire answered decidedly there were not. Since 
 the burning of the two old beldames, and the imprisonment of the 
 others, the whole district of Pendle had improved. All those 
 who had been smitten with strange illnesses had recovered; and 
 the inhabitants of the little village of Sabden, who had experienced 
 the fullest effects of their malignity, were entirely free from sick- 
 ness. And not only had they and their families suddenly regained 
 health and strength, but all belonging to them had undergone a 
 similar beneficial change. The kine that had lost their milk now 
 yielded it abundantly ; the lame horse halted no longer ; the 
 murrain ceased among the sheep ; the pigs that had grown lean 
 amidst abundance fattened rapidly ; and though the farrows that 
 had perished during the evil ascendency of the witches could not 
 be brought back again, their place promised speedily to be sup- 
 plied by others. The corn blighted early in the year had sprung 
 forth anew, and the trees nipped in the bud were laden with fruit. 
 In short, all was as fair and as nourishing as it had recently been 
 the reverse. Amongst others, John Law, the pedlar, who had 
 been deprived of the use of his limbs by the damnable arts of 
 Mother Demdike, had marvellously recovered on the very night 
 of her destruction, and was now as strong and as active as ever. 
 
 " Such happy results having followed the removal of the witches, 
 it was to be hoped," Sherborne said, " that the riddance would be 
 complete, and that none of the obnoxious brood would be left to 
 inflict future miseries on their fellows. This could not be the 
 case so long as James Device was allowed to go at large; nor 
 while his mother, Elizabeth Device, a notorious witch, was suf- 
 fered to escape with impunity. There was also Jennet, Elizabeth's 
 daughter, a mischievous and ill-favoured little creature, who inhe- 
 rited all the ill qualities of her parents. These were the spawn 
 of the old snake, and, until they were entirely exterminated, there 
 could be no security against a recurrence of the evil. Again, 
 there was Nance Redfernc, old Chattox's grand-daughter, a comely 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 379 
 
 oman enough, but a reputed witch, and an undoubted fabricator 
 of clay images. She was still at liberty, though she ought to be 
 with the rest in the dungeons of Lancaster Castle. It was use- 
 less to allege that with the destruction of the old hags all danger 
 had ceased. Common prudence would keep the others quiet now; 
 but the moment the storm passed over, they would resume their 
 atrocious practices, and all would be as bad as ever. No, no ! 
 the tree must be utterly uprooted, or it would inevitably burst 
 forth anew." 
 
 With these opinions Nicholas generally concurred ; but he ex- 
 pressed some sympathy for Nance Redferne, whom he thought 
 far too good-looking to be as wicked and malicious as represented. 
 But however that might be, and however much he might desire 
 to get rid of the family of the Devices, he feared such a step 
 might be attended with danger to Alizon, and that she might in 
 some way or other be implicated with them. This last remark 
 he addressed in an under-tone to his brother-in-law. Sherborne 
 did not at first feel any apprehension on that score, but, on reflec- 
 tion, he admitted that Nicholas was perhaps right ; and though 
 Alizon was now the recognised daughter of Mistress Nutter, yet 
 her long and intimate connection with the Device family might 
 operate to her prejudice, while her near relationship to an avowed 
 witch would not tend to remove the unfavourable impression. 
 Sherborne then went on to speak in the most rapturous terms of 
 the beauty and goodness of the young girl who formed the sub- 
 ject of their conversation, and declared he was not in the least 
 surprised that Richard Assheton was so much in love with her. 
 And yet, he added, a most extraordinary change had taken place 
 in her since the dreadful night on Pendle Hill, when her mother's 
 guilt had been proclaimed, and when her arrest had taken place 
 as an offender of the darkest dye. Alizon, he said, had lost none 
 of her beauty, but her light and joyous expression of countenance 
 had been supplanted by a look of profound sadness, which nothing 
 could remove. Gentle and meek in her deportment, she seemed 
 to look upon herself as under a ban, and as if she were unfit to 
 associate with the rest of the world. In vain Richard Assheton 
 and his sister endeavoured to remove this impression by the ten- 
 derest assiduities ; in vain they sought to induce her to enter into 
 amusements consistent with her years ; she declined all society 
 but their own, and passed the greater part of her time in prayer. 
 Sherborne had seen her so engaged, and the expression of her 
 countenance, he declared, was seraphic. 
 
 On the extreme verge of a high bank situated at the point of 
 junction between Swanside Beck and the Ribble, stood an old, 
 decayed oak. Little of the once mighty tree beyond the gnarled 
 trunk was left, and this was completely hollow ; while there was 
 a great rift near the bottom through which a man might easib 
 creep, and, when once in, stand erect without inconvenience. 
 
380 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 neath the bank the river was deep and still, forming a pool, where 
 the largest and fattest fish were to be met with. In addition to 
 this, the spot was extremely secluded, beina; rarely visited by the 
 angler on account of the thick copse by which it was surrounded, 
 and which extended along the back, from the point of confluence 
 between the lesser and the larger stream, to Downham mill, nearly 
 half a mile distant. 
 
 The sides of the Ribble were here, as elsewhere, beautifully 
 wooded, and as the clear stream winded along through banks of 
 every diversity of shape and character, and covered by forest trees 
 of every description, and of the most luxuriant growth, the effect 
 was enchanting ; the more so, that the sun, having now risen high 
 in the heavens, poured down a flood of summer heat and radiance, 
 that rendered these cool shades inexpressibly delightful. Pleasant 
 was it, as the huntsmen leaped from stone to stone, to listen to 
 the sound of the waters rushing past them. Pleasant as they 
 sprang upon some green holm or fairy islet, standing in the midst 
 of the stream, and dividing its lucid waters, to suffer the eye to 
 follow the course of the rapid current, and to see it here sparkling 
 in the bright sunshine, there plunged in shade by the overhanging 
 trees now fringed with osiers and rushes, now embanked with 
 smoothest sward of emerald green ; anon defended by steep rocks, 
 sometimes bold and bare, but more frequently clothed with timber ; 
 then sinking down by one of those sudden but exquisite transitions, 
 which nature alone dares display, from this savage and sombre 
 character into the softest and gentlest expression ; every where 
 varied, yet every where beautiful. 
 
 Through such scenes of silvan loveliness had the huntsmen 
 passed on their way to the hollow oak, and they had ample leisure 
 to enjoy them, because the squire and his brother-in-law being en- 
 gaged in conversation, as before related, made frequent pauses, and, 
 during these, the others halted likewise ; and even the hounds, glad 
 of a respite, stood still, or amused themselves by splashing about 
 amid the shallows without any definite object unless of cooling 
 themselves. Then, as the leaders once more moved forward, arose 
 the cheering shout, the loud deep bay, the clattering of staves, 
 the crashing of branches, and all the other inspiriting noises ac- 
 companying the progress of the hunt. But for some minutes 
 these had again ceased, and as Nicholas and Sherborne lingered 
 beneath the shade of a wide-spread beech-tree growing on a sandy 
 hillock near the stream, and seemed deeply interested in their 
 talk as well they might, for it related to Alizon the whole troop, 
 including Fogg, held respectfully aloof, and awaited their pleasure 
 to go on. 
 
 The signal to move was, at length, given by the squire, who 
 saw they were now not more than a hundred yards from the bank 
 on which stood the hollow tree they were anxious to reach. As the 
 river here made a turn, and swept round the point in question, 
 
DOWNHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 381 
 
 forming, owing to this detention, the deep pool previously men- 
 tioned, the bank almost faced them, and, as nothing intervened, 
 they could almost look into the rift near the base of the tree, form- 
 ing, they supposed, the entrance to the otter's couch. But, though 
 this was easily distinguished, no traces of the predatory animal 
 could be seen; and though many sharp eyes were fixed upon the 
 spot during the prolonged discourse of the two gentlemen, nothing 
 had occurred to attract their attention, and to prove that the ob- 
 ject of their quest was really there. 
 
 After some little consultation between the squire and Crouch, 
 it was agreed that the former should alone force his way to the 
 tree, while the others were to station themselves with the hounds 
 at various points of the stream, above and below the bank, so that, 
 if the otter and her litter escaped their first assailant, they should 
 infallibly perish by the hands of some of the others. This being 
 agreed upon, the plan was instantly put into execution two of 
 the varlets remaining where they were two going higher up ; 
 while Sherborne and Fogg stationed themselves on great stones 
 in the middle of the stream, whence they could command all 
 around them, and Crouch, wading on with Grip, planted himself 
 at the entrance of Swanside Beck into the Ribble. 
 
 Meanwhile, the squire having scaled the bank, entered the thick 
 covert encircling it, and, not without some damage to his face and 
 hands from the numerous thorns and brambles growing amongst 
 it, forced his way upwards until he reached the bare space sur- 
 rounding the hollow tree ; and this attained, his first business was 
 to ascertain that all was in readiness below before commencing the 
 attack. A glance showed him on one side old Crouch standing 
 up to his middle in the beck, grasping his long otter spear, and 
 with Grip beating the water in front of him in anxious expectation 
 of employment ; and in front Fogg, Sherborne, and two of the 
 varlets, with their hounds so disposed that they could immediately 
 advance upon the otter if it plunged into the river, while its pas- 
 sage up or down would be stopped by their comrades. All this 
 he discerned at a glance; and comprehending from a sign made him 
 by the old huntsman that he should not delay, he advanced to- 
 wards the tree, and was about to plunge his spear into the hole, 
 hoping to transfix one at least of its occupants, when he was startled 
 by hearing a deep voice apparently issue from the hollows of the 
 timber, bidding him " Beware ! " 
 
 Nicholas recoiled aghast, for he thought it might be Hobthurst, 
 or the demon of the wood, who thus bespoke him. 
 
 " What accursed thing addresses me?" he said, standing on his 
 guard. " What is it 1 Speak ! " 
 
 <; Get hence, Nicholas Assheton," replied the voice; " an' med- 
 dle not wi' them os meddles not wi' thee." 
 
 " Aha !" exclaimed the squire, recovering courage, for he thought 
 
382 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 this did not sound like the language of a demon. " I am known, 
 am I ? Why should I go hence, and at whose bidding ?" 
 
 " Ask neaw questions, mon, boh ge," replied the voice, "or it shan 
 be warse fo' thee. Ey am the boggart o' th' clough, an' if theaw 
 bringst me out, ey'n tear thee i' pieces wi' my claws, an' cast thee 
 into t' Kibble, so that thine own hounts shan eat thee up." 
 
 " Ha ! say'st thou so, master boggart," cried Nicholas. " For 
 a spirit, thou usest the vernacular of the county fairly enough. But 
 before trying whether thy hide be proof against mortal weapons, 
 I command thee to come forth and declare thyself, that I may 
 judge what manner of thing thou art." 
 
 " Thoud'st best lem me be, ey tell thee," replied the boggart, 
 gruffly. 
 
 u Ah ! methinks I should know those accents," exclaimed the 
 squire ; " they marvellously resemble the voice of an offender who 
 has too long evaded justice, and whom I have now fairly entrap- 
 ped. Jem Device, thou art known, lad, and if thou dost not sur- 
 render at discretion, I will strike my spear through this rotten 
 tree, and spit thee as I would the beast I came in quest of." 
 
 " An' which yo wad more easily than me," retorted Jem. And 
 suddenly springing from the hole at the foot of the tree, he passed 
 between the squire's legs with great promptitude, and flinging him 
 face foremost upon the ground, crawled to the edge of the bank, 
 and thence dropped into the deep pool below. 
 
 The plunge roused all the spectators, who, though they had 
 heard what had passed, and had seen the squire upset in the man- 
 ner described, had been so much astounded that they could render 
 no assistance ; but they now, one and all, bestirred themselves 
 actively to seize the diver when he should rise to the surface. But 
 though every eye was on the look-out, and every arm raised ; 
 though the hounds were as eager as their masters, and yelling 
 fiercety, swam round the pool, ready to pounce upon the swimmer 
 as upon a duck, all were disappointed ; for, even after a longer in- 
 terval than their patience could brook, he did not appear. 
 
 By this time, Nicholas had regained his legs, and, infuriated by 
 his discomfiture, approached the edge of the bank, and peering 
 down below, hoped to detect the fugitive immediately beneath 
 him, resolved to show him no mercy when he caught him. But 
 he was equally at fault with the others, and after more than five 
 minutes spent in ineffectual search, he ordered Crouch to send 
 Grip into the pool. 
 
 The old keeper replied that the dog was not used to this kind 
 of chase, and might not display his usual skill in it ; but as the 
 squire would take no nay, he was obliged to consent, and the 
 other hounds were called off lest they should puzzle him. Twice 
 did the shrewd lurcher swim round the pool, sniffing the air, after 
 which he approached the shore, and scented close to the bank ; 
 
DOWXHAM MANOR-HOUSE. 383 
 
 but still it was evident he could detect nothing, and Nicholas 
 began to despair, when the dog suddenly dived. Expectation 
 was then raised to the utmost, and all were on the watch again, 
 Nicholas leaning over the edge of the bank with his spear in 
 hand, prepared to strike ; but the dog was so long in reappearing, 
 that all had given him up for lost, and his master was giving 
 utterance to ejaculations of grief and rage, and vowing vengeance 
 against the warlock, when Grip's grisly head was once more seen 
 above the surface of the water, and this time he had a piece of 
 blue serge in his jaws, proving that he had had hold of the 
 raiments of the fugitive, and that therefore the latter could not 
 be far off, but had most probably got into some hole beneath the 
 bank. 
 
 No sooner was this notion suggested than it was acted on by 
 the old huntsman and Fogg, and, wading forward, they pricked the 
 bank with their spears at various points below the level of the 
 water. All at once Fogg fell forward. His spear had entered a 
 hole, and had penetrated so deeply that he had lost his balance. 
 But though soused over head and ears, he had made a successful 
 hit, for the next moment Jem Device appeared above the water, 
 and ere he could dive again his throat was seized by Grip, and 
 while struggling to free himself from the fangs of the tenacious 
 animal, he was laid hold of by Crouch, and the varlets rushing 
 forward to the latter's assistance, the ruffian was captured. 
 
 Some difficulty was experienced in rescuing the captive from 
 the jaws of the hounds, who, infuriated by his struggles, and 
 perhaps mistaking him for some strange beast of chase, made 
 their sharp teeth meet in various parts of his person, rending his 
 garments from his limbs, and would no doubt have rent the flesh 
 also, if they had been permitted. At length, after much fighting 
 and struggling, mingled with yells and vociferations, Jem was 
 borne ashore, and flung on the ground, where he presented a 
 wretched spectacle; bleeding, half-drowned, and covered with 
 slime acquired during his occupation of the hole in the bank. 
 But though unable to offer further resistance, his spirit was not 
 quelled, and his eye glared terribly at his captors. Fearing they 
 might have further trouble with him when he recovered from his 
 present exhausted condition, Crouch had his hands bound tightly 
 together with one of the dog leashes, and then would fain have 
 questioned him as to how he managed to breathe in a hole below 
 the level of the water ; but Jem refused to satisfy his curiosity, 
 and returned only a sullen rejoinder to any questions addressed 
 to him, until the squire, who had crossed the river at some 
 stepping-stones lower down, came up, and the ruffian then inquired, 
 in a half-menacing tone, what he meant to do with him 1 
 
 " What do I mean to do with you ?" cried Nicholas. Ce I will 
 tell you, lad. I shall send you at once to Whalley to be ex- 
 amined before the magistrates; and, as the proofs are pretty clear 
 
384 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 against you, you will be forwarded without any material delay to 
 Lancaster Castle." 
 
 " An yo winna rescue me by the way, os yo ha dun a sartin 
 notorious witch an murtheress ! " replied Jem, fiercely. " Tak 
 heed whot yo dun, squoire. If ey speak at aw, ey shan speak 
 out, and to some purpose, ey'n warrant ye. If ey ge to Lonkester 
 Castle, ey winna ge alone. Wan o' yer friends shan ge 
 wi' me." 
 
 " Cursed villain ! I guess thy meaning," replied Nicholas; e( but 
 thy vindictive purposes will be frustrated. No credence will be 
 attached to thy false charges ; while, as to the lady thou aimest 
 at, she is luckily beyond reach of thy malice." 
 
 " Dunna be too sure o' that, squoire," replied Jem. " Ey con 
 put t* officers o' jestis os surely on her track os owd Crouch could 
 set these hounds on an otter. Lay yer account on it, ey winna 
 dee unavenged." 
 
 " Heed him not," interposed Sherborne, seeing that the squire 
 was shaken by his threat, and taking him apart ; " it will not do 
 to let such a villain escape. He can do you no injury, and as to 
 Mistress Nutter, if you know where she is, it will be easy to give 
 her a hint to get out of the way." 
 
 " I don't know that," replied Nicholas, thoughtfully. 
 
 "If ey might be so bowd os offer my advice, squoire," said old 
 Crouch, advancing towards his master, u ey'd tee a heavy stoan 
 round the felly's throttle, an chuck him into t' poo', an' he'n tell 
 no teles fo' all his bragging." 
 
 u That would silence him effectually, no doubt, Crouch," replied 
 Nicholas, laughing; "but a dog's death is too good for him, and 
 besides I am pretty sure his destiny is not drowning. No, no 
 at all risks he shall go to Whalley. Harkee, Fogg," he added, 
 beckoning that worthy to him, rt l commit the conduct and 
 custody of the prisoner to you. Clap him on a horse, get on 
 another yourself, take these four varlets with you, and deliver 
 him into the hands of Sir Ralph Assheton, who will relieve you 
 of all further trouble and responsibility. But you may add this 
 to the baronet from me," he continued, in an under-tone. " I 
 recommend him to place under immediate arrest Elizabeth De- 
 vice, the prisoner's mother, and her daughter Jennet. You 
 understand, Fogg eh ? " 
 
 "Perfectly," returned the other, with a somewhat singular 
 look ; " and your instructions shall be fulfilled to the letter. Have 
 you any thing more to commit to me ? " 
 
 " Only this, 1 ' said Nicholas ; " you may tell Sir Ralph that I 
 propose to sleep at the Abbey to-night. I shall ride over to 
 Middleton in the course of the day, to confer with Dick Asshe- 
 ton upon what has just occurred, and get the money from him 
 the three hundred pounds, you understand and when my errand 
 is done, I will turn bridle towards Whalley. I shall return by 
 
THE PENITENT'S RETREAT. 385 
 
 Todmorden, and through the gorge of Cliviger. You may as 
 well tarry for me at the Abbey, for Sir Ralph will be glad 
 of thy company, and we can return together to Downhain to- 
 morrow." 
 
 As the squire thus spoke, he noticed a singular sparkle in 
 Fogg's ill-set eyes ; but he thought nothing of it at the time, 
 though it subsequently occurred to his recollection. 
 
 Meanwhile, the prisoner, finding no grace likely to be shown 
 him, shouted out to the squire, that if he were set free, he would 
 make certain important disclosures to him respecting Fogg, who 
 was not what he represented himself; but Nicholas treated the 
 offer with disdain ; and the individual mainly interested in the 
 matter, who appeared highly incensed by Jem's malignity, cut a 
 short peg by way of gag, and, thrusting it into the ruffian's 
 mouth, effectually checked any more revelations on his part. 
 
 Fogg then ordered the varlets to bring on the prisoner ; but 
 as Jem obstinately refused to move, they were under the neces- 
 sity of taking him on their shoulders, and transporting him in 
 this manner to the stables, where he was pkced on a horse, as 
 directed by the squire. 
 
 CHAPTER II. THE PENITENT'S RETREAT. 
 
 NICHOLAS and Sherborne returned by a different road from 
 that taken by the others, and loitered so much by the way that they 
 did not arrive at the manor-house until the prisoner and his escort 
 had set out. Probably this was designed, as Nicholas seemed 
 relieved when he learnt they were gone. Having entered the 
 house with his brother-in-law, and conducted him to an apart- 
 ment opening out of the hall, usually occupied by Mistress 
 Assheton, and where, in fact, they found that amiable lady 
 employed at her embroidery, he left Sherborne with her, and, 
 making some excuse for his own hasty retreat, betook himself to 
 another part of the house. 
 
 Mounting the principal staircase, which was of dark oak, with 
 richly-carved railing, he turned into a gallery communicating 
 with the sleeping apartments, and, after proceeding more than 
 half-way down it, halted before a door, which he unlocked, and 
 entered a spacious but evidently disused chamber, hung round 
 with faded tapestry, and containing a large gloomy-looking bed- 
 stead. Securing the door carefully after him, Nicholas raised 
 the hangings in one corner of the room, and pressing against a 
 spring, a sliding panel flew open. A screen was placed within, 
 so as to hide from view the inmate of the secret chamber, and 
 Nicholas, having coughed slightly, to announce his presence, and 
 
 2c 
 
386 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 received an answer in a low, melancholy female voice, stepped 
 through the aperture, and stood within a small closet. 
 
 It was tenanted by a lady, whose features and figure bore the 
 strongest marks of affliction. Her person was so attenuated that 
 she looked little more than a skeleton her fingers were long 
 and thin her cheeks hollow and deathly pale her eyes lustreless 
 and deep sunken in their sockets and her hair, once jetty as the 
 raven's wing, prematurely blanched. Such was the profound 
 gloom stamped upon her countenance, that it was impossible to 
 look upon her without compassion ; while, in spite of her wo- 
 begone looks, there was a noble character about her that elevated 
 the feeling into deep interest, blended with respect. She was 
 kneeling beside a small desk, with an open Bible laid upon it, 
 which she was intently studying when the squire appeared. 
 
 " Here is a terrible text for you, Nicholas," she said, regarding 
 him, mournfully. " Listen to it, and judge of its effect on me. 
 Thus it is written in Deuteronomy : l There shall not be found 
 among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass 
 through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, 
 or an enchanter, or a witch.' A witch, Nicholas do you mark 
 the word 1 And yet more particular is the next verse, wherein it 
 is said ; ( Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or 
 a wizard, or a necromancer/ And then cometh the denunciation 
 of divine anger against such offenders in these awful words : 
 * For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord : 
 and because of these abominations, the Lord thy God doth drive 
 them out from before thee.' Again, it is said in Leviticus, that 
 1 the Lord setteth his face against such, to cut them off.' And in 
 Exodus, the law is expressly laid down thus ' THOU SHALT NOT 
 SUFFER A WJTCH TO LIVE.' There is no escape for her, you see. 
 By the divine command she must perish, and human justice must 
 carry out the decree. Nicholas, 1 am one of the offenders thus 
 denounced, thus condemned. I have practised witchcraft, con- 
 sulted with familiar spirits, and done other abominations in the 
 sight of Heaven; and I ought to pay the full penalty of my 
 offences." 
 
 " Do not, I beseech you, madam," replied the squire, " continue 
 to take this view of your case. However you have sinned, you 
 have made amends by the depth and sincerity of your repentance. 
 Your days and nights for you allow yourself only such rest as 
 nature forces on you, and take even that most unwillingly are 
 passed in constant prayer. Your abstinence is severer than any 
 anchoress ever practised, for I am sure for the last month you 
 have not taken as much food altogether as I consume in a day ; 
 while, not content with this, you perform acts of penance that 
 afflict me beyond measure to think upon, and which I have 
 striven in vain to induce you to forego. There will be no 
 occasion to deliver yourself UD to justice, madam ; lor, if you go 
 
887 
 
 on thus, and do not deal with yourself a little more mildly, your 
 accounts with this world will be speedily settled." 
 
 (( And I should rejoice to think so, Nicholas," replied Mistress 
 Nutter, " if I had any hope in the world to come. But, alas ! I 
 have none. I cannot, by any act of penitence and contrition, 
 expiate my offences. My soul is darkened by despair. I know 
 I ought to give myself up that Heaven and man alike require 
 my life, and I cannot reconcile myself to avoiding my just 
 doom." 
 
 " It is the Evil One who puts these thoughts into your head," 
 replied Nicholas, " and who fills your heart with promptings of 
 despair, that he may again obtain the mastery over it. But take 
 a calmer and more consolatory view of your condition. Human 
 justice may require a public sacrifice as an example, but Heaven 
 will be satisfied with contrition in secret." 
 
 " I trust so," replied the lady, vainly striving to draw comfort 
 from his words. " Oh, Nicholas ! you do not know the tempta- 
 tions I am exposed to in this chamber -the difficulty I experience 
 in keeping my thoughts fixed on one object the distractions I 
 undergo the mental obscurations the faintings of spirit the 
 bodily prostration the terrors, the inconceivable terrors, that 
 assail me. Sometimes I wish my spirit would flee away, and be 
 at rest. Rest ! there is none for me none in the grave none 
 beyond the grave and therefore I am afraid of death, and still 
 more of the judgment after death ! Man might inflict all the 
 tortures he could devise upon this poor frame. I would bear them 
 all with patience, with delight, if I thought they would purchase 
 me immunity hereafter ! But with the dread conviction, the 
 almost certainty, that it will be otherwise, I can only look to the 
 final consummation with despair!" 
 
 " Again I tell you these suggestions are evil," said Nicholas. 
 te The Son of God, who sacrificed himself for man, and by whose 
 atonement all mankind hope for salvation, has assured us that the 
 greatest sinner who repents shall be forgiven, and, indeed, is more 
 acceptable in the eyes of Heaven than him who has never erred. 
 Far be it from me to attempt to exculpate you in your own eyes, 
 or extenuate your former criminality. You have sinned deeply, 
 so deeply that you may well shrink aghast from the contemplation 
 of your past life may well recoil in abhorrence from yourself 
 and may fitly devote yourself to constant prayer and acts of 
 penitence. But having cast off your iniquity, and sincerely 
 repented, I bid you hope I bid you place a confident reliance in 
 the clemency of an all-merciful power." 
 
 " You give me much comfort, Nicholas," said the lady, " and 
 if tears of blood can wash away my sin they shall be shed ; but 
 much as you know of my wickedness, even you cannot conceive 
 its extent. In my madness, for it was nothing else, I cast off all 
 hopes of heaven, renounced my Redeemer, was baptised by the 
 
388 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 demon, and entered into a compact by which I shudder to 
 speak it my soul was surrendered to him." 
 
 " You placed yourself in fearful jeopardy, no doubt," rejoined 
 Nicholas ; " but you have broken the contract in time, and an all- 
 righteous judge will not permit the penalty of the bond to be 
 exacted. Seeing your penitence, Satan has relinquished all claim 
 to your soul." 
 
 " I do not think it," replied the lady. (t He will contest the 
 point to the last, and it is only at the last that it will be decided." 
 
 As she spoke, a sound like mocking laughter reached the ears 
 of Nicholas. 
 
 " Did you hear that ? " demanded Mistress Nutter, in accents 
 of wildest terror. " He is ever on the watch. I knew it I 
 knew it." 
 
 Clasping her hands together, and fixing her looks on high, she 
 then addressed the most fervent supplications to Heaven for 
 deliverance from evil, and erelong her troubled countenance 
 began to resume its former serenity, proving that the surest balm 
 for a " mind diseased" is prayer. Her example had been followed 
 by Nicholas, who, greatly alarmed, had dropped upon his knees 
 likewise, and now arose with somewhat more composure in his 
 demeanour and aspect. 
 
 " I am sorry I do not bring you good news, madam," he said; 
 " but Jem Device has been arrested this morning, and as the 
 fellow is greatly exasperated against me, he threatens to betray 
 your retreat to the officers ; and though he is, probably, un- 
 acquainted with it notwithstanding his boasting, still he may 
 cause search to be made, and, therefore, I think you had better 
 be removed to some other hiding-place." 
 
 u Deliver me up without more ado, I pray you, Nicholas," said 
 the lady. 
 
 " You know my resolution on that point, madam," he replied, 
 "and, therefore, it is idle to attempt to shake it. For your 
 daughter's sake, if not for your own, I will save you, in spite of 
 yourself. You would not fix a brand for ever on Alizon's name ; 
 you would not destroy her?" 
 
 " I would not," replied the wretched lady. " But have you 
 heard from her have you seen her ? Tell me, is she well and 
 happy f " 
 
 " She is well, and would be happy, were it not for her anxiety 
 about you," replied Nicholas, evasively. st But for her sake 
 mine your own I must urge you to seek some other place of 
 refuge to night, for if you are discovered here you will bring ruin 
 on us all." 
 
 " I will no longer debate the point," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 "Where shall I go?" 
 
 " There is one place of absolute security, but I do not like to 
 mention it," replied Nicholas. " Yet still, as it will only be 
 
MIDDLETON HALL. 389 
 
 necessary to remain for a day or two, till the search is over, 
 when you can return here, it cannot much matter." 
 
 " Where is it?" asked Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Malkin Tower," answered the squire, with some hesitation. 
 
 rt I will never go to that accursed place," cried the lady. 
 " Send me hence when you will now, or at midnight and let 
 me seek shelter on the bleak fells or on the desolate moors, but 
 bid me not go there!" 
 
 " And yet it is the best and safest place for you," returned 
 Nicholas, somewhat testily; "and for this reason, that, being 
 reputed to be haunted, no one will venture to molest you. As 
 to Mother Demdike, I suppose you are not afraid of her ghost; 
 and if the evil beings you apprehend were able or inclined to do 
 you mischief, they would not wait till you got there to execute 
 their purpose." 
 
 " True," said Mistress Nutter, " I was wrong to hesitate. I 
 will go." 
 
 " You will be as safe there as here ay, and safer," rejoined 
 Nicholas, " or I would not urge the retreat upon you. I am 
 about to ride over to Middleton this morning to see your 
 daughter and Richard Assheton, and shall sleep at Whalley, so 
 that I shall not be able to accompany you to the tower to night ; 
 but old Crouch the huntsman shall be in waiting for you, as soon 
 as it grows dusk, in the summer-house, with which, as you know, 
 the secret staircase connected with this room communicates, and 
 he shall have a horse in readiness to take you, together with such 
 matters as you may require, to the place of refuge. Heaven 
 guard you, madam 1" 
 
 "Amen!" responded the lady. 
 
 " And now farewell!" said Nicholas. " I shall hope to see you 
 back again ere many days be gone, when your quietude will not 
 again be disturbed." 
 
 So saying, he stepped back, and, passing through the panel, 
 closed it after him. 
 
 CHAPTER III. MIDDLETON HALL, 
 
 MIDDLETON HALL, the residence of Sir Richard Assheton, 
 was a large quadrangular structure, built entirely of timber, and 
 painted externally in black and white checker-work, fanciful and 
 varied in design, in the style peculiar to the better class of Tudor 
 houses in South Lancashire and Cheshire. Surrounded by a deep 
 moat, supplied by a neighbouring stream, and crossed by four 
 drawbridges, each faced by a gateway, this vast pile of building 
 was divided into two spacious courts, one of which contained the 
 stables, barns, and offices, while the other was reserved for the 
 
390 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 family and the guests by whom the hospitable mansion was 
 almost constantly crowded. In the last-mentioned part of the 
 house was a great gallery, with deeply embayed windows filled 
 with painted glass, a floor of polished oak, walls of the same dark 
 lustrous material, hung with portraits of stiff beauties, some in 
 ruff and farthingale, and some in a costume of an earlier period, 
 among whom was Margaret Barton, who brought the manor of 
 Middleton into the family ; frowning warriors, beginning with 
 Sir Ralph Assheton, knight-marshal of England in the reign of 
 Edward IV., and surnamed " the black of Assheton-under-line," 
 the founder of the house, and husband of Margaret Barton before 
 mentioned, and ending with Sir Richard Assheton, grandfather 
 of the present owner of the mansion, and one of the heroes of 
 Flodden ; grave lawyers, or graver divines a likeness running 
 through all, and showing they belonged to one line a huge 
 carved mantelpiece, massive tables of walnut or oak, and black 
 and shining as ebony, set round with high-backed chairs. Here, 
 also, above stairs, there were long corridors looking out through 
 lattices upon the court, and communicating with the almost 
 countless dormitories ; while, on the floor beneath, corresponding 
 passages led to all the principal chambers, and terminated in the 
 grand entrance hall, the roof of which being open and intersected 
 by enormous rafters, and crooks of oak, like the ribs of some rt tall 
 ammiral," was thought from this circumstance, as well as from 
 its form, to resemble e( a ship turned upside down." The lower 
 beams were elaborately carved and ornamented with gilded bosses 
 and sculptured images, sustaining shields emblazoned with the 
 armorial bearings of the Asshetons. As many as three hundred 
 matchlocks, in good and serviceable condition, were ranged 
 round the entrance-hall, besides corselets, Almayne rivets, steel 
 caps, and other accoutrements ; this stand of arms having been 
 collected by Sir Richard's predecessor, during the military 
 muster made in the country in 1574, when he had raised and 
 equipped a troop of horse for Queen Elizabeth. Outside the 
 mansion was a garden, charmingly laid out in parterres and walks, 
 and not only carried to the edge of the moat, but continued 
 beyond it till it reached a high knoll crowned with beech-trees. 
 A crest of tall twisted chimneys, a high roof with quaintly carved 
 gables, surmounted by many gilt vanes, may serve to complete 
 the picture of Middleton Hall. 
 
 On a lovely summer evening, two young persons of opposite 
 sexes were seated on a bench placed at the foot of one of the 
 largest and most umbrageous of the beech-trees crowning the 
 pleasant eminence before mentioned ; and though differing in 
 aspect and character, the one being excessively fair, with tresses 
 as light and fleecy as the clouds above them, and eyes as blue 
 and tender as the skies and the other distinguished by great 
 manly beauty, though in a totally different style ; still there was 
 
MIDDLETON HALL. 391 
 
 it sufficiently strong likeness between them, to proclaim them 
 brother and sister. Profound melancholy pervaded the counte- 
 nance of the young man, whose handsome brow was clouded by 
 care while the girl, though sad, seemed so only from sympathy. 
 
 They were conversing together in deep and earnest tones, 
 showing how greatly they were interested; and, as they proceeded, 
 many an involuntary sigh was heaved by Richard Assheton, 
 while a tear, more than once, dimmed the brightness of his sister's 
 eyes, and her hand sought by its gentle pressure to re-assure 
 him. 
 
 They were talking of Alizon, of her peculiar and distressing 
 situation, and of the young man's hopeless love for her. She was 
 the general theme of their discourse, for Richard's sole comfort 
 was in pouring forth his griefs into his sister's willing ear ; but 
 new causes of anxiety had been given them by Nicholas, who had 
 arrived that afternoon, bringing intelligence of James Device's 
 capture, and of his threats against Mistress Nutter. The squire 
 had only just departed, having succeeded in the twofold object of 
 his visit which was, firstly, to borrow three hundred pounds 
 from his cousin and, secondly, to induce him to attend the meet- 
 ing at Hoghton Tower. With the first request Richard willingly 
 complied, and he assented, though with some reluctance, to the 
 second, provided nothing of serious moment should occur in the 
 interim. Nicholas tried to rally him on his despondency, en- 
 deavouring to convince him all would come right in time, and 
 that his misgivings were causeless ; but his arguments were in- 
 effectual, and he was soon compelled to desist. The squire would 
 fain also have seen Alizon, but, understanding she always re- 
 mained secluded in her chamber till eventide, he did not press 
 the point. Richard urged him to stay over the night, alleging 
 the length of the ride, and the speedy approach of evening, as 
 inducements to him to remain ; but on this score the squire was 
 resolute and having carefully secured the large sum of money 
 he had obtained beneath his doublet, he mounted his favourite 
 steed, Robin, who seemed as fresh as if he had not achieved 
 upwards of thirty miles that morning, and rode off. 
 
 Richard watched him cross the drawbridge, and take the road 
 towards Rochdale, and, after exchanging a farewell wave of the 
 hand w4th him, returned to the hall and sought out his sister. 
 
 Dorothy was easily persuaded to take a turn in the garden 
 with her brother, and during their walk he confided to her all he 
 had heard from Nicholas. Her alarm at Jem Device's threat was 
 much greater than his own ; and, though she entertained a strong 
 and unconquerable aversion to Mistress Nutter, and could not be 
 brought to believe in the sincerity of her penitence, still, for 
 Alizon's sake, she dreaded lest any harm should befall her, and 
 more particularly desired to avoid the disgrace which would be 
 inflicted by a public execution. Alizon she was sure would not 
 
3$ 2 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 survive such a catastrophe, and therefore, at all risks, it must be 
 averted. 
 
 Richard did not share, to the same extent, in her apprehensions, 
 because he had been assured by Nicholas that Mistress Nutter 
 would be removed to a place of perfect security, and because he 
 was disposed, with the squire, to regard the prisoner's threats as 
 mere ravings of impotent malice. Still he could not help feeling 
 great uneasiness. Vague fears, too, beset him, which he found it 
 in vain to shake off, but he did not communicate them to his 
 sister, as he knew the terrifying effect they would have upon her 
 timid nature ; and he, therefore, kept the mental anguish he 
 endured to himself, hoping erelong it would diminish in intensity. 
 But in this he was deceived, for, instead of abating, his gloom and 
 depression momently increased. 
 
 Almost unconsciously, Richard and his sister had quitted the 
 garden, proceeding with slow and melancholy steps to the beech- 
 crowned knoll. The seat they had chosen was a favourite one 
 with Alizon, and she came thither on most evenings, either 
 accompanied by Dorothy or alone. Here it was that Richard 
 had more than once passionately besought her to become his 
 bride, receiving on both occasions a same meek yet firm refusal. 
 To Dorothy also, who pleaded her brother's cause with all the 
 eloquence and fervour of which she was mistress, Alizon replied 
 that her affections were fixed upon Richard; but that, while her 
 mother lived, and needed her constant prayers, they must not be 
 withheld; and that, looking upon any earthly passion as a 
 criminal interference with this paramount duty, she did not dare 
 to indulge it. Dorothy represented to her that the sacrifice was 
 greater than she was called upon to make, that her health was 
 visibly declining, and that she might fall a victim to her over-zeal ; 
 but Alizon was deaf to her remonstrances, as she had been to the 
 entreaties of Richard. 
 
 With hearts less burthened, the contemplation of the scene 
 before them could not have failed to give delight to Richard and 
 his sister, and, even amid the adverse circumstances under which 
 it was viewed, its beauty and tranquillity produced a soothing 
 influence. 
 
 Evening was gradually stealing on, and all the exquisite 
 tints marking that delightful hour, were spreading over the 
 landscape. The sun was setting gorgeously, and a flood of 
 radiance fell upon the old mansion beneath them, and upon the 
 grey and venerable church, situated on a hill adjoining it. The 
 sounds were all in unison with the hour, and the lowing of cattle, 
 the voices of the husbandmen returning from their work, mingled 
 with the cawing of the rooks newly alighted on the high trees 
 near the church, told them that bird, man, and beast were seeking 
 their home for the night. But though Richard's eye dwelt upon 
 the fair garden beneath him, embracing all its terraces, green 
 
MIDDLETON HALL. 393 
 
 slopes, and trim pastures ; though it fell upon the moat belting 
 the hall like a glittering zone ; though it rested upon the church 
 tower ; and, roaming over the park beyond it, finally settled upon 
 the range of hills bounding the horizon, which have not inaptly 
 been termed the English Apennines; though he saw all these 
 things, he thought not of them, neither was he conscious of the 
 sounds that met his ear, and which all spoke of rest from labour, 
 and peace. Darker and deeper grew his melancholy. He began 
 to persuade himself he was not long for this world; and, while 
 gazing upon the beautiful prospect before him, was perhaps 
 looking upon it for the last time. 
 
 For some minutes Dorothy watched him anxiously, and at last 
 receiving no answer to her questions, and alarmed by the expres- 
 sion of his countenance, she flung her arms round his neck, and 
 burst into tears. It was now Richard's turn to console her, and 
 he inquired with much anxiety as to the cause of this sudden 
 outburst of grief. 
 
 " You yourself are the cause of it, dear Richard," replied 
 Dorothy, regarding him with brimming eyes; "I cannot bear to 
 see you so unhappy. If you suffer this melancholy to grow upon 
 you, it will affect both mind and body. Just now your counte- 
 nance wore an expression most distressing to look upon. Try to 
 smile, dear Richard, if only to cheer me, or else I shall grow as 
 sad as you. Ah, me ! I have known the day, and not long since 
 either, when on a pleasant summer evening like this you would 
 propose a stroll into the park with me ; and, when there, would trip 
 along the glades as fleetly as a deer, and defy me to catch you. 
 But you always took care I should, though ha ! ha ! Come, 
 there is a little attempt at a smile. That's something. You look 
 more like yourself now. How happy we used to be in those 
 days, to be sure ! and how merry ! You would make the 
 courts ring with your blithe laughter, and wellnigh kill me with 
 your jests. If love is to make one mope like an owl, and sigh 
 like the wind through a half-shut casement ; if it is to cause one 
 to lose one's rosy complexion and gay spirit, and forget how to 
 dance and sing take no pleasure in hawking and hunting, or any 
 kind of sport walk about with eyes fixed upon the ground, 
 muttering, and with disordered attire if it is to make one silent 
 when one should be talkative, grave when one should be gay, 
 heedless when one should listen if it is to do all this, defend me 
 from the tender passion ! I hope I shall never fall in love." 
 
 "I hope you never will, dear Dorothy," replied Richard, 
 pressing her hand affectionately, " if your love is to be attended 
 with such unhappy results as mine. I know not how it is, but I 
 feel unusually despondent this evening, and am haunted by a 
 thousand dismal fancies. But I will do my best to dismiss them, 
 and with your help no doubt I shall succeed." 
 
 " There ! there was a smile in earnest !" cried Dorothy, 
 
394 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 brightening up. " Oh, Richard ! I am quite happy now. ^ And 
 after all I do not see why you should take such a gloomy view of 
 things. I have no doubt there is a great deal, a very great deal, 
 of happiness in store for you and Alizon I must couple her name 
 with yours, or you will not allow it to be happiness if you can 
 only be brought to think so. I am quite sure of it ; and you 
 shall see how nicely I can make the matter out. As thus. 
 Mistress Nutter is certain to die soon such a wicked woman 
 cannot live long. Don't be angry with me for calling her wicked, 
 Richard; but you know I never can forget her unhallowed 
 proceedings in the convent church at Whalley, where I was so 
 nearly becoming a witch myself. Well, as I was saying, she 
 cannot live long, and when she goes and Heaven grant it may 
 be soon ! Alizon, no doubt, will mourn for her though I shall 
 not, and after a decent interval then, Richard, then she will no 
 longer say you nay, but will make you happy as your wife. Nay, 
 do not look so sad again, dear brother. I thought I should make 
 you quite cheerful by the picture I was drawing." 
 
 " It is because I fear it will never be realized that I am sad, 
 Dorothy," replied Richard. " My own anticipations are the 
 opposite of yours, and paint Alizon sinking into an early grave 
 before her mother ; while as to myself, if such be the case, I shall 
 not long survive her." 
 
 " Nay, now you will make me weep again," cried Dorothy, her 
 tears flowing afresh. " But I will not allow you to indulge such 
 gloomy ideas, Richard. If I seriously thought Mistress Nutter 
 likely to occasion all this fresh mischief, I would cause her to be 
 delivered up to justice, and hanged out of the way. You may 
 look cross at me, but I would. What, is an old witch like her, 
 compared with two young handsome persons, dying for love of 
 each other, and yet not able to marry on her account I" 
 
 " Dorothy, Dorothy, you must put some restraint on your 
 tongue," said Richard ; " you give it sadly too much licence. 
 You forget it is the wish of the unhappy lady you refer to, to 
 expiate her offences at the stake, and that it is only out of consi- 
 deration to her daughter that she has been induced to remain in 
 concealment. What will be the issue of it all, I dare scarcely 
 conjecture. Wo to her, I fear ! Wo to Alizon ! Wo to me !" 
 
 " Alas ! Richard, that you should link yourself to her fate ! " 
 exclaimed Dorothy, half mournfully, half reproachfully. 
 
 " I cannot help it," he replied. " It is my destiny a deplor- 
 able destiny, if you will but not to be avoided. That Mistress 
 Nutter will escape the consequences of her crimes, I can scarcely 
 believe. Her penitence is profound and sincere, and that is a great 
 consolation ; for I trust she will not perish, body and soul. I should 
 wish her to have some spiritual assistance, but this Nicholas will 
 not for the present permit, alleging that no churchman would con- 
 sent to screen her from justice when he became aware, as he must 
 
MIDDLETOX HALL. 395 
 
 by her confession, of the nature and magnitude of her offences. 
 This may be true; but when the wretches who have been leagued 
 with her in iniquity are disposed of, the reason will no longer exist, 
 and I will see that she is cared for. But, apart from her mother, 
 I have another source of anxiety respecting Alizon. It is this : 
 orders have been this day given for the arrest of Elizabeth Device 
 and her daughter, Jennet, and Alizon will be the chief witness 
 against them. This will be a great trouble to her." 
 
 " Undoubtedly," rejoined Dorothy, with much concern. " But 
 can it not be avoided ? " 
 
 " I fear not," said Richard, t( and I blamed Nicholas much for 
 his precipitancy in giving the order ; but he replied he had been 
 held up latterly as a favourer of witches, and must endeavour to 
 redeem his character by a display of severity. Were it not for 
 Alizon, I should rejoice that the noxious brood should at last be 
 utterly exterminated." 
 
 " And so should I, in good sooth," responded Dorothy. " As 
 to Elizabeth Device, she is bad enough for any thing, and capable 
 of almost any mischief: but she is nothing to Jennet, who, I am 
 persuaded, would become a second Mother Demdike if her career 
 were not cut short. You have seen the child, and know what an ill- 
 favoured, deformed little creature she is, with round high shoulders, 
 eyes set strangely in her face, and such a malicious expression 
 oh ! I shudder to think of it." 
 
 And she covered her face with her hands, as if to shut out some 
 unpleasant object. 
 
 " Poor, predestined child of sin, branded by nature from her 
 birth, and charged with wicked passions, as the snake with venom, 
 I cannot but pity her ! " exclaimed Richard. " Compassion is en- 
 tirely thrown away," he added, with a sudden change of manner, 
 and as if trying to shake off a weakness. " The poisonous fruit 
 must, however, be nipped in the bud. Better she should perish 
 now, even though comparatively guiltless, than hereafter with a 
 soul stained with crime, like her mother." 
 
 As he concluded, he put his hand quickly to his side, for a sharp 
 and sudden pang shot through his heart ; and so acute was the 
 pain, that, after struggling against it for a moment, he groaned 
 deeply, and would have fallen, if his sister, greatly alarmed, and 
 with difficulty repressing a scream, had not lent him support. 
 
 Neither of them were aware of the presence of a little girl, who 
 had approached the place where they were sitting, with footsteps 
 so light that the grass scarcely seemed to bend beneath them, and 
 who, ensconcing herself behind the tree, drank in their discourse 
 with eager ears. She was attended by a large black cat, who, 
 climbing the tree, placed himself on a bough above her. 
 
 During the latter part of the conversation, and when it turned 
 upon the arrest of Jennet and her mother, the expression of the 
 child's countenance, malicious enough to begin with, became des- 
 
396 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 perately malignant, and she was only restrained by certain signs 
 from the cat, which appeared to be intelligible to her, from some 
 act of mischief. At last even this failed, and before the animal 
 could descend and check her, she crept round the bole of the tree, 
 so as to bring herself close to Richard, and muttering a spell, made 
 one or two passes behind his back, touched him with the point of 
 her finger, but so lightly that he was unconscious of the pressure, 
 and then hastily retreated with the cat, who glared furiously at 
 her from his flaming orbs. 
 
 It was at the moment she touched him that Richard felt as if 
 an arrow were quivering in his heart. 
 
 Poor Dorothy's alarm was so great that she could not even 
 scream for assistance, and she feared, if she quitted her brother, he 
 would expire before her return ; but the agony, though great, was 
 speedily over, and as the spasm ceased, he looked up, and, with a 
 faint smile, strove to re-assure her. 
 
 " Do not be alarmed," he said ; " it is nothing a momentary 
 faintness that is all." 
 
 But the damp upon his brow, and the deathly hue of his cheek, 
 contradicted the assertion, and showed how much he had endured. 
 
 " It was more than momentary faintness, dear Richard," replied 
 Dorothy. " It was a frightful seizure so frightful that I almost 
 feared ; but no matter you know I am easily alarmed. Thank 
 God ! here is some colour coming into your cheeks. You are 
 better now, I see. Lean upon me, and let us return to the house." 
 
 " I can walk unassisted," said Richard, rising with an effort. 
 
 " Do not despise my feeble aid," replied Dorothy, taking his 
 arm under her own. " You will be quite well soon." 
 
 " I am quite well now," said Richard, halting after he had ad- 
 vanced a few paces. " The attack is altogether passed. Do you 
 not see Alizon coming towards us 1 Not a word of this sudden 
 seizure to her. Do you mind, Dorothy?" 
 
 Alizon was soon close behind them, and though, in obedience 
 to Richard's injunctions, no allusion was made to his recent illness, 
 she at once perceived he was suffering greatly, and with much 
 solicitude inquired into the cause. Richard avoided giving a direct 
 answer, and, immediately entering upon Nicholas's visit, tried to 
 divert her attention from himself. 
 
 So great a change had been wrought in Alizon's appearance 
 and manner during the last few weeks, that she could scarcely be 
 recognised. Still beautiful as ever, her beauty had lost its earthly 
 character, and had become in the highest degree spiritualised and 
 refined. Humility of deportment and resignation of look, blended 
 with an expression of religious fervour, gave her the appearance 
 of one of the early martyrs. Unremitting ardour in the pursuance 
 of her devotional exercises by day, and long vigils at night, had 
 worn down her frame, and robbed it of some of its grace and ful- 
 ness of outline ; but this attenuation had a charm of its own, and 
 
MIDDLETON HALL. 397 
 
 gave a touching interest to her figure, which was wanting before. 
 If her cheek was thinner and paler, her eyes looked larger and 
 brighter, and more akin to the stars in splendour ; and if she ap- 
 peared less childlike, less joyous, less free from care, the want of 
 these qualities was more than counterbalanced by increased gen- 
 tleness, resignation, and serenity. 
 
 Deeply interested in all Richard told her of her mother, she 
 was greatly concerned to hear of the intended arrest of Elizabeth 
 and J ennet Device, especially the latter. For this unhappy and 
 misguided child she had once entertained the affection of a sister, 
 and it could not but be a source of grief to her to reflect upon 
 her probable fate. 
 
 Little more passed between them, for Richard, feeling his 
 strength again fail him, was anxious to reach the house, and Do- 
 rothy was quite unequal to conversation. They parted at the door, 
 and as Alizon, after taking leave of her friends, turned to continue 
 her walk in the garden, Richard staggered into the entrance-hall, 
 and sank upon a chair. 
 
 Alizon desired to be alone, for she did not wish to have a wit- 
 ness to the grief that overpowered her, and which, when she had 
 gained a retired part of the garden, where she supposed herself 
 free from all observation, found relief in a flood of tears. 
 
 For some minutes she was a prey to violent and irrepressible 
 emotion, and had scarcely regained a show of composure, when 
 she heard herself addressed, as she thought, in the voice of the very 
 child whose unlucky fate she was deploring. Looking round in 
 surprise, and seeing no one, she began to think fancy must have 
 cheated her, when a low malicious laugh, arising from a shrubbery 
 near her, convinced her that Jennet was hidden there. And the 
 next moment the little girl stepped from out the trees. 
 
 Alizon's first impulse was to catch the child in her arms, and 
 press her to her bosom: but there was something in Jennet's look 
 that deterred her, and so embarrassed her, that she was unable to 
 bestow upon her the ordinary greeting of affection, or even ap- 
 proach her. 
 
 Jennet seemed to enjoy her confusion, and laughed spitefully. 
 
 " Yo dunna seem ower glad to see me, sister Alizon," said Jen- 
 net, at length. 
 
 " Sister Alizon !" There was something in the term that now 
 jarred upon the young girl's ears, but she strove to conquer the 
 feeling, as unworthy of her. 
 
 " She was once my sister," she thought, " and shall be so still. 
 I will save her, if it be possible. Jennet," she added aloud, " I 
 know not what chance brings you here, and though I may not give 
 you the welcome you expect, I am rejoiced to see you, because I 
 may be the means of serving you. Do not be alarmed at what I am 
 going to tell you. The danger I hope is passed, or at all events 
 niay be avoided. Your liberty is threatened, and at the very 
 
398 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 moment I see you here I was lamenting your supposed condition 
 as a prisoner. 
 
 Jennet laughed louder and more spitefully than before, and 
 looked so like a little fury that Alizon's blood ran cold at the sight 
 of it. 
 
 " Ey knoa it aw, sister Alizon," she cried, " an that is why ey 
 ha cum'd here. Brother Jem is a pris'ner i' Whalley Abbey. 
 Mother is a pris'ner theere, too. An ey should ha kept em com- 
 pany, if Tib hadna brought me off. Now, listen to me, Alizon, 
 fb* this is my bus' ness wi' yo. Yo mun get mother an Jem out 
 to-neet eigh, to-neet. Yo con do it, if yo win. An onless yo 
 do boh ey winna threaten till ey get yer answer." 
 
 " How am I to set them free ? " asked Alizon, greatly alarmed. 
 " Yo need only say the word to young Ruchot Assheton, an 
 the job's done," replied Jennet. 
 
 " I refuse positively refuse to do so!" rejoined Alizon, indig- 
 nantly. 
 
 " Varry weel," cried Jennet, with a look of concentrated 
 malice and fury ; " then tak the consequences. They win be 
 ta'en to Lonkester Castle, an lose their lives theere. Bo ye shan 
 go, too ay, an be brunt os a witch a witch d'ye mark, wench ? 
 eh!" 
 
 " I defy your malice !" cried Alizon. 
 Defy me !" screamed Jennet. " What, ho ! Tib !" 
 And at the call the huge black cat sprang from out the 
 shrubbery. 
 
 " Tear her flesh from her bones !" cried the little girl, pointing 
 to Alizon, and stamping furiously on the ground. 
 
 Tib erected his back, and glared like a tiger, but he seemed 
 unwilling or unable to obey the order. 
 
 Alizon, who had completely recovered her courage, regarded 
 him fixedly, and apparently without terror. 
 
 " Whoy dusna seize her, an tear her i' pieces 1 " cried the in- 
 furiated child. 
 
 (e He dares not he has no power over me," said Alizon. " Oh, 
 Jennet ! cast him off. Your wicked agent appears to befriend 
 you now, but he will lead you to certain destruction. Come 
 with me, and I will save you." 
 
 " Off ! " cried Jennet, repelling her with furious gestures. 
 " Off ! ey winna ge wi' ye. Ey winna be saved, os yo term it. 
 Ey hate yo more than ever, an wad strike yo dead at my feet, if 
 ey could. Boh as ey conna do it, ey win find some other means 
 o' injurin' ye. Soh look to yersel, proud leuy look to yersel? 
 Ey ha already smitten you in a place where ye win feel it sore, 
 an ey win repeat the blow. Ey now leave yo, boh we shan meet 
 again. Come along, Tib !" 
 
 So saying, she sprang into the shrubbery, followed by the cat, 
 eaving Alizon appalled by her frightful malignity. 
 
ALIZOX DEFIES JENNET. 
 
 P. 39S. 
 
THE GORGE OF CLIVIGER, 399 
 
 CHAPTER IV. THE GORGE OF CLIVIGER. 
 
 THE sun had already set as Nicholas Assheton reached Tod- 
 morden, then a very small village indeed, and alighting at a 
 little inn near the church, found the ale so good, and so many 
 boon companions assembled to discuss it, that he would fain have 
 tarried with them for an hour or so ; but prudence, for once, 
 getting the better of inclination, and suggesting that he had 
 fifteen or sixteen miles still to ride, over a rough and lonely road, 
 part of which lay through the gorge of Cliviger, a long and 
 solitary pass among the English Apennines, and, moreover, had 
 a large sum of money about him, he tore himself away by a 
 great effort. 
 
 On quitting the smiling valley of Todmorden, and drawing 
 near the dangerous defile before mentioned, some misgivings 
 crossed him, and he almost reproached himself with foolhardiness 
 in venturing within it at such an hour, and wholly unattended. 
 Several recent cases of robbery, some of them attended by 
 murder, had occurred within the pass ; and these now occurred 
 so forcibly to the squire, that he was half inclined to ride back to 
 Todmorden, and engage two or three of the topers he had left at 
 the inn to serve him as an escort as far as Burnley, but he dis- 
 missed the idea almost as soon as formed, and, casting one look 
 at the green and woody slopes around him, struck spurs into 
 Robin, and dashed into the gorge. 
 
 On the right towered a precipice, on the bare crest of which 
 stood a heap of stones piled like a column the remains, probably, 
 of a cairn. On this commanding point Nicholas perceived a 
 female figure, dilated to gigantic proportions against the sky, who, 
 as far as he could distinguish, seemed watching him, and making 
 signs to him, apparently to go back; but he paid little regard to 
 them, and soon afterwards lost sight of her. 
 
 Precipitous and almost inaccessible rocks, of every variety of 
 form and hue ; some springing perpendicularly up like the spire 
 of a church, others running along in broken ridges, or presenting 
 the appearance of high embattled walls ; here riven into deep 
 gullies, there opening into wild savage glens, fit spots for robber 
 ambuscade ; now presenting a fair smooth surface, now jagged, 
 shattered, shelving, roughened with brushwood; sometimes 
 bleached and hoary, as in the case of the pinnacled crag called 
 the White Kirk ; sometimes green with moss or grey with lichen ; 
 sometimes, though but rarely, shaded with timber, as in the 
 approach to the cavern named the Earl's Bower ; but generally 
 bold and naked, and sombre in tint as the colours employed by 
 the savage Rosa. Such were the distinguishing features of the 
 gorge of Cliviger when Nicholas traversed it. Now the high 
 embankments and mighty arches of a railway fill up its recesse3 f 
 
400 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and span its gullies ; the roar of the engine is heard where the 
 cry of the bird of prey alone resounded ; and clouds of steam 
 usurp the place of the mist-wreaths on its crags. 
 
 Formerly, the high cliffs abounded with hawks ; the rocks 
 echoed with their yells and screeches, and the spots adjoining 
 their nests resembled, in the words of the historian of the district, 
 Whitaker, u little charnel-houses for the bones of game." For- 
 merly, also, on some inaccessible point built the rock-eagle, and 
 reared its brood from year to year. The gaunt wolf had once 
 ravaged the glens, and the sly fox and fierce cat-a-mountain still 
 harboured within them. Nor were those the only objects of 
 dread. The superstitious declared the gorge was haunted by a 
 frightful, hirsute demon, yclept Hobthurst. 
 
 The general savage character of the ravine was relieved by 
 some spots of exquisite beauty, where the traveller might have 
 lingered with delight, if apprehension of assault from robber, or 
 visit from Hobthurst, had not urged him on. Numberless water- 
 falls, gushing from fissures in the hills, coursed down their seamy 
 sides, looking like threads of silver as they sprang from point to 
 point. One of the most beautiful of these cascades, issuing from 
 a gully in the rocks near the cavern called the Earl's Bower, fell, 
 in rainy seasons, in one unbroken sheet of a hundred and fifty 
 feet. Through the midst of the gorge ran a swift and brawling 
 stream, known by the appellation of the Calder ; but it must not 
 be confounded with the river flowing past Whalley Abbey. The 
 course of this impetuous current was not always restrained within 
 its rocky channel, and when swollen by heavy rains, it would 
 frequently invade the narrow causeway running beside it, and, 
 spreading over the whole width of the gorge, render the road 
 almost impassable. 
 
 Through this rocky and sombre defile, and by the side of the 
 brawling Calder, which dashed swiftly past him, Nicholas took 
 his way. The hawks were yelling overhead ; the rooks were 
 cawing on the topmost branches of some tall timber, on which 
 they built ; a raven was croaking lustily in the wood ; and a pair 
 of eagles were soaring in the still glowing sky. 
 
 By-and-by, the glen contracted, and a wall of steep rocks on 
 either side hemmed the shuddering traveller in. Instinctively, 
 he struck spurs into his horse, and accelerated his pace. 
 
 The narrow glen expands, the precipices fall further back, and 
 the traveller breathes more freely. Still, he does not relax his 
 speed, for his imagination has been at work in the gloom, peopling 
 his path with lurking robbers or grinning boggarts. He begins 
 to fear he shall lose his gold, and execrates his folly for incurring 
 euch heedless risk. But it is too late now to turn back. 
 
 It grows rapidly dusk, and objects became less and less distinct, 
 assuming fantastical and fearful forms. A blasted tree, clinging 
 to a rock, and thrusting a bare branch across the road, looks to 
 
THE GORGE OF CLIVIGEK. 401 
 
 the squire like a bandit ; and a white owl bursting from a bush, 
 scares him as if it had been Hobthurst himself. However, in 
 spite of these and other alarms, for which he is indebted to 
 excited fancy, he hurries on, and is proceeding at a thundering 
 pace, when ah 1 at once his horse comes to a stop, arrested by a 
 tall female figure, resembling that seen near the mountain cairn 
 at the entrance of the gorge. 
 
 Nicholas's blood ran cold, for though in this case he could 
 not apprehend plunder, he was fearful of personal injury, for he 
 believed the woman to be a witch. Mustering up courage, 
 however, he forced Robin to proceed. 
 
 If his progress was meant to be barred, a better spot for the 
 purpose could not have been selected. A narrow road, scarcely 
 two feet in width, ran round the ledge of a tremendous crag, 
 jutting so far into the glen that it almost met the steep barrier of 
 rocks opposite it. Between these precipitous crags dashed the 
 river in a foaming cascade, nearly twelve feet in height, and the 
 steep narrow causeway winding beside it, as above described, 
 was rendered excessively slippery and dangerous from the con- 
 stant cloud of spray arising from the fall. 
 
 At the highest and narrowest point of the ledge, and occupying 
 nearly the whole of its space, with an overhanging rock on one 
 side of her, and a roaring torrent on the other, stood the tall 
 woman, determined apparently, from her attitude and deport- 
 ment, to oppose the squire's further progress. As Nicholas 
 advanced, he became convinced that it was the same person he 
 had seen near the cairn ; but, when her features grew distinguish- 
 able, he found to his surprise that it was Nance Eedferne. 
 
 " Halloa! Nance," he cried. "What are you doing here, lass, 
 eh?" 
 
 " Cum to warn ye, squoire," she replied ; " yo once did me a 
 sarvice, an ey hanna forgetten it. That's why I watched ye fro' 
 the cairn cliffs, an motioned ye to ge back. Boh ye didna onder- 
 stand my signs, or wouldna heed 'em, so ey be cum'd here to 
 stay ye. Yo're i' dawnger, ey tell ye." 
 
 " In danger of what, my good woman? " demanded the squire 
 uneasily. 
 
 " O' bein' robbed, and plundered o' your gowd," replied Nance ; 
 " there are five men waitin' to set upon ye a mile further on, at 
 the Bowder Stoans." 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed Nicholas ; " they will get little for their 
 pains. I have no money about me." 
 
 " Dunna think to deceive me, squoire," rejoined Nance ; (( ey 
 knoa yo ha borrowed three hundert punds i' gowd fro' yung 
 Buchot Assheton ; an os surely os ye ha it aw under your jerkin, 
 so surely win yo lose it, if yo dunna turn back, or ge on without 
 me keepin' ye company." 
 
 " I have no objection on earth to your company, Nance/ re- 
 
 2 D 
 
402 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 plied the squire ; " quite the contrary. But how the devil should 
 these rascals expect me? And, above all, how should they con- 
 jecture I should come so well provided? For, sooth to say, such 
 is not ordinarily the case with me." 
 
 "Ey knoa it weel, squoire," replied Nance, with a laugh; 
 (C boh they ha received sartin information o' your movements." 
 
 " There is only one person who could give them such informa- 
 tion," cried Nicholas ; u but I cannot, will not suspect him." 
 
 Cf If yor're thinkin' o' Lawrence Fogg, yo're na far wide o' th' 
 mark, squoire," replied Nance. 
 
 " What ! Fogg leagued with robbers impossible ! " exclaimed 
 Nicholas. 
 
 " Neaw, it's nah so unpossible os aw that," returned Nance ; 
 ce yo 'n stare when ey tell yo he has robbed yo mony a time 
 without your being aware on it. Yo were onwise enough to send 
 him round to your friends to borrow money for yo." 
 
 " True, so I was. But, luckily, no one would lend me any," 
 said Nicholas. 
 
 " There yo're wrong, squoire fo' unluckily they aw did," re- 
 plied Nance, with a scarcely-suppressed laugh. " Roger Nowell 
 gied him one hundred ; Tummus Whitaker of Holme, another ; 
 Ruchot Parker o' Browsholme, another. An more i' th' same way." 
 (e And the rascal pocketed it all, and never brought me back 
 one farthing," cried Nicholas, in a transport of rage. " I'll have 
 him hanged pshaw! hanging's too good for him. To deceive 
 me, his friend, his benefactor, his patron, in such a manner ; to 
 dwell in my house, eat at my table, drink my wine, wear my 
 habiliments, ride my horses, hunt with my hounds ! Has the dog 
 no conscience? " 
 
 " Varry little, ey'm afear'd," replied Nance. 
 "And the worst of it is," continued the squire new lights 
 breaking upon him, " I shall be liable for all the sums he has re- 
 ceived. He was my confidential agent, and the lenders will 
 come upon me. It must be six or seven hundred pounds that he 
 has obtained in this nefarious way. Zounds ! I shall go mad." 
 
 " Yo wur to blame fo' trustin him, squoire," rejoined Nance. 
 " Yo ought to ha' made proper inquiries about him at first, an 
 then yo'd ha' found out what sort o' chap he wur. Boh now ey'n 
 tell ye. Lawrence Fogg is chief o' a band o' robbers, an aw the 
 black an villanous deeds done of late i' this place, ha' been parpe- 
 trated by his men. A poor gentleman wur murdert by 'em i' this 
 varry spot th' week efore last, an his body cast into t' river. Fogg, 
 of course, had no hont in the fow deed, boh he would na ha inter- 
 fered to prevent it if he had bin here, fo' he never scrupled 
 shedding blood. An if he had bin content wi' robbin' yo, squoire, 
 ey wadna ha betrayed him ; boh when he proposed to cut your 
 throttle, bekose, os he said, dead men tell neaw teles, ey could 
 howd out nah longer, an resolved to gi' yo warnin." 
 
THE GORGE OF CLIVIGEB. 403 
 
 t What a monstrous and unheard-of villain ! " cried the squire. 
 if But is he one of the ambuscade ? " 
 
 Nance replied in the affirmative. 
 
 u Then, by heaven ! I will confront him I will hew him down/' 
 pursued Nicholas, griping the hilt of his sword. 
 
 " Neaw use, ey tell ye yo'n be overpowert an kilt," said 
 Nance. " Tak me wi' yo, an ey'n carry yo safely through era 
 aw ; boh ge alone, or yo'n ne'er see Downham again. An now 
 it's reet ey should tell ye who Lawrence Fogg really is." 
 
 " What new wonder is in store for me? " cried Nicholas. " Who 
 is he?" 
 
 " Maybe yo ha heerd tell that Mother Demdike had a son and 
 a dowter," replied Nance ; " the dowter bein', of course, Elizabeth 
 Device; and the son, Christopher Demdike, bein^ supposed to be 
 dead. Howsomever, this is not the case, for Lawrence Fogg 
 is he." 
 
 " I guessed as much when you began," cried Nicholas. cc He 
 has a cursedly bad look about the eyes a damned Demdike 
 physiognomy. What an infernal villain the fellow must be ! 
 without a jot of natural feeling. W r hy, he has this very day 
 assisted at his nephew's capture, and caused his own sister to be 
 arrested. Oh, I have been properly duped ! To lodge a son of 
 that infernal hag in my house feed him, clothe him, make him 
 my friend take him, the viper ! to my bosom ! I have been 
 rightly served. But he shall hang ! he shall hang! That is some 
 consolation, though slight. But how do you know all this, 
 Nance?" 
 
 "Dunna ax me," she replied. "Whatever ey ha' been to 
 Christopher Demdike, ey bear him neaw love now; fo', as ey ha 
 towd yo, he is a black-hearted murtherin' villain. Boh lemme 
 get up behind yo, an ey'n bring yo through scatheless. An to- 
 morrow yo may arrest the whole band at Malkin Tower." 
 
 "Malkin Tower!" exclaimed the squire, in fresh surprise. 
 te What, have these robbers taken up their quarters there ? This 
 accounts for all the strange sights said to have been seen there 
 of late, and which I treated as mere fables. But, ah ! a terrible 
 thought crosses me. What have I done ? Mistress Nutter will 
 be there to-night. And I have sent her. Death and destruc- 
 tion ! she will fall into their hands. I must go there at once. I 
 cannot take any assistance with me. That would betray the 
 poor lady." 
 
 " If yo'n trust me, ey'n help yo through the difficulty," replied 
 Nance. 
 
 "Get up then quickly, lass, since it must be so," rejoined 
 Nicholas. 
 
 With this he moved forward, and giving her his hand, she was 
 instantly seated behind him upon Robin, who seemed no way 
 incommoded by his double burthen, but dashed down the further 
 
404 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 side of the causeway, in answer to a sharp application of the 
 spur. Passing her arms round the squire's waist, Nance main- 
 , tained her seat well ; and in this way they rattled along, heedless 
 of the increasing difficulties of the road, or the fast-gathering 
 gloom. 
 
 The mile was quickly passed, and Nance whispered in the 
 squire's ear that they were approaching the Boulder Stones. 
 Presently they came to a narrow glen, half-filled with huge 
 rocky fragments, detached from the toppling precipices on either 
 side, and forming an admirable place of ambuscade. One rock, 
 larger than the rest, completely commanded the pass, and, as the 
 squire advanced, a thundering voice from it called to him to stay; 
 and the injunction being disregarded, the barrel of a gun was 
 protruded from the bushes covering its brow, and a shot fired at 
 him. Though well aimed, the ball struck the ground beneath 
 his horse's feet, and Nicholas continued his way unmoved, while 
 the faulty marksman jumped down the crag. At the same time 
 four other men started from their places of concealment behind 
 the stones, and, levelling their calivers at the fugitives, fired. 
 The sharp discharges echoed along the gorge, and the shots 
 rattled against the rocks, but none of them took effect, and 
 Nicholas might have gone on without further hindrance; but, 
 despite Nance's remonstrances, who urged him to go on, he 
 pulled up to await the corning of the person who had first chal- 
 lenged him. Scarcely an instant elapsed before he was beside 
 the squire, and presented a petronel at his head. Notwithstand- 
 ing the gloom, Nicholas recognised him. 
 
 "Ah ! is it thou, accursed traitor?" cried Nicholas. if I could 
 scarcely believe in thy villainy, but now I am convinced." 
 
 u The jade you have got behind you has told you who I am, I 
 see," replied Fo^g. " I will settle with her anon. But this will 
 save further explanations with you ! " 
 
 And he discharged the petronel full at the squire. But the 
 ball rebounded, as if his doublet had been quilted. It was in 
 fact lined with gold. On seeing the squire unhurt, the robber 
 captain uttered an exclamation of rage and astonishment. 
 
 " You are mistaken, you see, perfidious villain," cried Nicholas. 
 " You have yet to render an account of all the wrongs you have 
 done me, but meantime you shall not pass unpunished." 
 
 And as he spoke, he snatched the petronel from Fogg, and 
 with the but-end dealt him a tremendous blow on the head, 
 felling him to the ground. 
 
 By this time the other robbers had descended from the rocks, 
 and, seeing the fall of their leader, rushed forward to avenge him, 
 but Nicholas did not tarry for any further encounter ; but, fully 
 satisfied with what he had done, struck spurs into Robin, and 
 galloped off. For a few minutes he could hear the shouts of the 
 men. but they soon afterwards died away. 
 
THE GORGE OF CLIVIGER. 405 
 
 Little more than half the ravine had been traversed when the 
 rencounter above described took place ; but, though the road was 
 still difficult and dangerous, and rendered doubly so by the ob- 
 scurity, no further hindrance occurred till just as Nicholas was 
 quitting the gloomy intricacies of the gorge, and approaching the 
 more open country beyond it. At this point Robin fell, throw- 
 ing both him and Nance, and when the animal rose again he 
 was found to be so much injured that it was impossible to mount 
 him. There was no resource but to proceed to Burnley, which 
 was still three or four miles distant, on foot. 
 
 In this dilemma, Nance volunteered to provide the squire with 
 another steed, but he resolutely refused the offer. 
 
 " No, no none of your broomsticks for me," he cried ; " no 
 devil's horses I don't know where they may carry me. My own 
 legs must serve me now. I'll just take poor Robin out of the 
 road, and then trudge off for Burnley as fast as I can." 
 
 With this, he led the horse to a small green mead skirting 
 the stream, and taking off his saddle and bridle, and depositing 
 them carefully under a tree, he patted the animal on the neck, 
 promising to return for him on the morrow, and then set off at a 
 brisk pace, with Nance walking beside him. They had not gone 
 far, however, when the clattering of hoofs was heard behind 
 them, and it was evident that several horsemen were rapidly 
 approaching. Nance stopped, listened for a moment, and then 
 declaring that it was Demdike and his band in pursuit, seized 
 the squire's arm and drew him out of the road, and under the 
 shelter of some bushes of hazel. The robber captain could only 
 have been stunned, it appeared ; and, as soon as he had recovered 
 from the effects of the blow, had mounted his horse, which was 
 concealed, with those of his men, behind the rocks, and started 
 after the fugitives. Such was the construction put upon the 
 matter by Nance, and the event proved it correct. A loud shout 
 from the horsemen, and a sudden halt, proclaimed that poor 
 Robin had been discovered; and this circumstance seemed to 
 give great satisfaction to Demdike, who loudly declared that they 
 were now sure of overtaking the runaways. 
 
 " They cannot be far off," he cried ; " but they will most 
 likely attempt to hide themselves, so look well about yOu." 
 
 So saying, he rode on, and it was evident from the noise, that 
 the men implicitly obeyed his injunctions. Nothing, however, 
 was found, and ere many minutes Demdike came up, and 
 glancing at the hazels, behind which the fugitives were hidden, 
 he discharged a petronel into the largest tree, but as no movement 
 followed the report, he said 
 
 " I thought I saw something move here, but I suppose I was 
 mistaken. No doubt they have got on further than we expected, 
 or have retired into some of the cloughs, in which case it will be 
 useless to search for them. However, we will make sure of them 
 
406 tHE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 in this way. Two of you shall form an ambuscade near Holme, 
 and two further on within half a mile of Burnley, and shall 
 remain on the watch till dawn, so that you will be sure to capture 
 them, and when taken, make away with them without hesitation. 
 Unless my skull had been of the strongest, that butcherly squire 
 would have cracked it, so he shall have no grace from me ; and as 
 to that treacherous witch, Nance Redferne, she deserves death at 
 our hands, and she shall have her deserts. I have long suspected 
 her, and, indeed, was a fool to trust one of the v3e Cnattox 
 brood, who are all my natural enemies but no matter, 1 shall 
 have my revenge." 
 
 The men having promised compliance with their captain's 
 command, he went on 
 
 " As to myself," he said, " I shall go forthwith, and as fast as 
 my horse can carry me, to Malkin Tower, and I will tell you why. 
 It is not that I dislike the game we are upon, but I have better 
 to play just now. Tom Shaw, the cock-master at Downham, who 
 is in my pay, rode over to Whalley this afternoon, to bring me 
 word that a certain lady, who has long been concealed in the 
 Manor-house, will be taken to Malkin Tower to-night. The 
 intelligence is certain, for he had obtained it from Old Crouch, 
 the huntsman, who is to escort her. Thus, Mistress Nutter, for 
 you all know whom I mean, will fall naturally into our hands, and 
 we can wring any sums of money we like out of her ; for though 
 she has abandoned her property to her daughter, Alizon, she can 
 no doubt have as much as she wants, and I will take care she asks 
 for plenty, or I will try the effect of some of those instruments of 
 torture which I was lucky enough to find in the dungeons of 
 Malkin Tower, and which were used for a like purpose by my 
 predecessor, Blackburn, the freebooter. Are you content, my lads 1 " 
 
 " Ay, ay, Captain Demdike," they replied. 
 
 Upon this the whole party set forward, and were speedily out 
 of hearing. As soon as they thought it prudent to come forth, 
 the squire and Nance emerged from their place of shelter. 
 
 " What is to be done?" exclaimed the former, who was almost 
 in a state of distraction. " The villain has announced his inten- 
 tion of going to Malkin Tower, and Mistress Nutter will assuredly 
 fall into his hands. Oh! that I could stop him, or get there 
 before him!" 
 
 " Yo shan, if yo like to ride wi' me," said Nance. 
 
 " But how in what way?" asked Nicholas. 
 
 " Leave that to me," replied Nance, breaking off a long 
 branch of hazel. Tak howld o' this," she cried. 
 
 The squire obeyed, and was instantly carried off his legs, and 
 whisked through the air at a prodigious rate. 
 
 He felt giddy and confused, but did not dare to leave go, lest 
 he should be dashed in pieces, while Nance's wild laughter rang 
 in his ears. 
 
THE END OP MALKIN TOWER. 407 
 
 Over the bleached and perpendicular crag startling the eagle 
 from his eyry over the yawning gully with the torrent roaring 
 beneath him over the sharp ridges of the hill over Townley 
 park over Burnley steeple over the wide valley beyond, he 
 went until at last, bewildered, out of breath, and like one in a 
 dream, he alighted on a brown, bare, heathy expanse, and within 
 a hundred yards of a tall, circular stone structure, which he knew 
 to be Malkin Tower. 
 
 CHAPTER V. THE END OF MALKIN TOWER. 
 
 THE shades of night had fallen on Downham manor-house, and 
 with an aching heart, and a strong presentiment of ill, Mistress 
 Nutter prepared to quit the little chamber which had sheltered 
 her for more than two months, and where she would willingly 
 have breathed her latest sigh, if it had been so permitted her. 
 Closing the Bible she had been reading, she placed the sacred 
 volume under her arm, and taking up a small bundle, containing 
 her slender preparations for travel, extinguished the taper, and 
 then descending by a secret staircase, passed through a door, 
 fashioned externally like a cupboard, and entered a summer-house, 
 where she found old Crouch awaiting her. 
 
 A few whispered words only passed between her and the 
 huntsman, and informing her that the horses were in waiting at 
 the back of the garden, he took the bundle from her, and would 
 fain have relieved her also of the Bible, but she would not part 
 with it, and pressing it more closely to her bosom, said she was 
 quite ready to attend him. 
 
 It was a beautiful, starlight night ; the air soft and balmy, and 
 laden with the perfume of the flowers. A nightingale was singing 
 plaintively in an adjoining tree, and presently came a response 
 equally tender from another part of the grove. Mistress Nutter 
 could not choose but listen, and the melody so touched her that 
 she was half suffocated by repressed emotion, for, alas ! the relief 
 of tears was denied her. 
 
 Motioning her somewhat impatiently to come on, Crouch 
 struck into a sombre alley, edged by clipped yew-trees, and 
 terminating in a plantation, through which a winding path led 
 to the foot of the hill whereon the mansion was situated. By 
 daylight this was a beautiful walk, affording exquisite glimpses 
 through the trees of the surrounding scenery, and commanding a 
 noble view of Pendle Hill, the dominant point in the prospect. 
 But even now to the poor lady, so long immured in her cell-like 
 chamber, and deprived of many of nature's choicest blessings, it 
 appeared delightful. The fresh air, redolent of new-mown hay, 
 fanned her pale cheek and feverish brow, and allayed her agitation 
 
408 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and excitement. The perfect stillness, broken only by the lowing 
 of the cattle in the adjoining pastures, by the drowsy hum of the 
 dor-fly, or the rippling of the beck in the valley, further calmed 
 her; and the soothing influence was completed by a contemplation 
 of the serene heavens, wherein were seen the starry host, with the 
 thin bright crescent of the new moon in the midst of them, 
 diffusing a pearly light around her. One blot alone appeared in 
 the otherwise smiling sky, and this was a great, ugly, black cloud, 
 lowering over the summit of Pendle Hill. 
 
 Mistress Nutter noticed the portentous cloud, and noticed also 
 its shadow on the hill, which might have been cast by the Fiend 
 himself, so like was it to a demoniacal shape with outstretched 
 wings ; but, though shuddering at the idea it suggested, she 
 would not suffer it to obtain possession of her mind, but resolutely 
 fixed her attention on other and more pleasing objects. 
 
 By this time they had reached the foot of the hill, and a gate 
 admitted them to a road running by the side of Downham beck. 
 Here they found the horses in charge of a man in the dark red 
 livery of Nicholas Assheton, and who was no other than Tom 
 Shaw, the rascally cock-master. Delivering the bridles to Crouch, 
 the knave hastily strode away, but he lingered at a little distance 
 to see the lady mount ; and then leaping the hedge, struck through 
 the plantation towards the hall, chinking the money in his pockets 
 as he went, and thinking how cleverly he had earned it. But he 
 did not go unpunished ; for it is a satisfaction to record that, 
 in walking through the woods, he was caught in a gin placed 
 there by Crouch, which held him fast in its iron teeth till 
 morning, when he was discovered by one of the under-keepers 
 while going his rounds, in a deplorable condition, and lamed for 
 life. 
 
 Meanwhile, unconscious either of the manner in which she had 
 been betrayed, or of the punishment awaiting her betrayer, 
 Mistress Nutter followed her conductor in silence. For a while 
 the road continued by the side of the brook, and then quitting it, 
 commenced a long and tedious ascent, running between high 
 banks fringed with trees. The overhanging boughs rendered it 
 so dark that Mistress Nutter could scarcely distinguish the old 
 huntsman, though he was not many yards in advance of her, but 
 she heard the tramp of his horse, and that was enough. 
 
 All at once, where the boughs were thickest, and the road 
 darkest, she perceived a small fiery object on the bank, and in 
 her alarm called out to the huntsman, who, looking back for a 
 moment, laughed, and told her not to be uneasy, for it was only 
 a glow-worm. Ashamed of her idle fears she rode on, but had not 
 proceeded far, when, looking again at the bank, she saw it studded 
 with the same lights. This time she did not call out or scream, 
 but gazed steadily at the twinkling fires, hoping to get the better 
 of her fears. Her alarm, however, rose to absolute terror, as she 
 
THE END OF MALKIX TOWER. 409 
 
 beheld the glow-worms if glow-worms they were twist together 
 and form themselves into a flaming brand, such as she had seen in 
 her vision, grasped by the angel who had driven her from the 
 gates of Paradise. 
 
 Averting her gaze, she would have hastened on, but a hand 
 suddenly laid upon her bridle, held back her horse ; and she then 
 perceived a tall dark man, mounted on a sable steed, riding beside 
 her. The supernatural character of the horseman was manifest, 
 inasmuch as no sound was caused by the tread of his steed, nor 
 did he appear to be visible to Crouch when the latter looked back. 
 Mistress Nutter maintained her seat with difficulty. She well 
 knew who was her companion. 
 
 " Soh, Alice Nutter," said the horseman at length, in a low 
 deep tone, " you have chosen to shut yourself up in a narrow 
 cell, like a recluse, for more than two months, denying yourself 
 all sort of enjoyment, practising severest abstinence, and passing 
 your whole time in useless prayer ay, useless, for if you were to 
 pray from now till doomsday come when it will, a thousand 
 years hence, or to-morrow it will not save you. When you 
 signed that bond to my master, sentence was recorded against 
 you, and no power can recall it. Why, then, these unavailing 
 lamentations? Why utter prayers which are rejected, and 
 supplications which are scorned? Shake off this weakness, 
 Alice, and be yourself again. Once you had pride enough, and a 
 little of it would now be of service to you. You would then see 
 the folly of this abject conduct humbling yourself to the dust 
 only to be spurned, and suing for mercy only to be derided. 
 Pray as loud and as long as you will, the ears of Heaven will 
 remain ever deaf to you." 
 
 " I hope otherwise," rejoined the lady, meekly. 
 
 te Do not deceive yourself," replied the horseman. " The 
 term granted you by your compact will not be abridged, but it is 
 your own fault if it be not extended. Your daughter is destroying 
 herself in the vain hope of saving you. Her prayers are 
 unavailing as your own, and recoil from the Judgment Throne 
 unheard. The youth upon whom her affections are fixed is 
 stricken with a deadly ailment. It is in your power to save them 
 both." 
 
 Mistress Nutter groaned deeply. 
 
 " It is in your power, I say, to save them," continued the 
 horseman, " by returning to your allegiance to your master. 
 He will forgive your disobedience if you prove yourself zealous in 
 his service ; will restore you to your former worldly position ; 
 avenge you of your enemies ; and accomplish all you may desire 
 with respect to your daughter." 
 
 "He cannot do it," replied Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Cannot ! " echoed the horseman. " Try him ! For many 
 years I have served you as familiar ; and you have never set me 
 
410 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the task I have failed to execute. I am ready to become your 
 servant again, and to offer you a yet larger range of control. Put 
 no limits to your desires or ambition. If you are tired of this 
 narrow sphere, take a wider. Look abroad. But do not shut 
 yourself up in a narrow cell, and persuade yourself you are accom- 
 plishing your ultimate deliverance, when you are only wasting 
 precious time, which might be more advantageously and far more 
 agreeably employed. While laughing at your folly, my master 
 deplores it ; and he has, therefore, sent me as to one for whom, 
 notwithstanding all derelictions from duty, he has still a regard, 
 with an offer of full forgiveness, provided you return to him at 
 once, and renew your covenant, proving your sincerity by casting 
 from you the book you hold under your arm." 
 
 " Your snares are not laid subtle enough to catch me," replied 
 Mistress Nutter. u I will never part with this holy volume, which 
 is my present safeguard, and on which I build my hopes of salva- 
 tion hopes which your very proposals have revived in my breast ; 
 for I am well assured your master would not make them if he felt 
 confident of his power over me. No ; I defy him and you, and I 
 command you in Heaven's name to get hence, and to tempt me 
 no longer." 
 
 As the words were uttered, with a howl of rage and mortifica- 
 tion, like the roar of a wild beast, the dark horseman and his 
 steed vanished. Alarmed by the sound, Crouch stopped, and 
 questioned the lady as to its cause; but receiving no satisfactory- 
 explanation from her, he bade her ride quickly on, affirming it 
 must be the boggart of the clough. 
 
 Soon after this they again came upon Downham beck, and 
 were about to cross it, when their purpose was arrested by a 
 joyous barking, and the next moment Grip came up. The dog, it 
 appeared, had been shut up in the stable, his company not being 
 desired on the expedition ; but contriving in some way or other to 
 get out, he had scented his master's course, and in the end over- 
 taken him. Crouch did not know whether to be angry or 
 pleased, and at first gave utterance to an oath, and raised his 
 whip to chastise him, but almost instantly the latter feeling 
 predominated, and he welcomed the faithful animal with a few 
 kind words. 
 
 st Ey suppose theaw thowt ey couldna do without thee, Grip," 
 he said, " and mayhap theaw'rt reet." 
 
 They are now across the beck, and speeding over the wide 
 brown waste. The huntsman warily shapes his course so as to 
 avoid any limestone-quarries or turf-pits. He points out a jack- 
 o'-lantern dancing merrily on the surface of a dangerous morass, 
 and tells a dismal tale of a traveller lured into it by the delusive 
 light, and swallowed up. 
 
 Mistress Nutter pays little heed to him, but ever and anon 
 looks back, as if in dread of some one behind her. But no one is 
 
THE END OF MALKIN TOWER. 411 
 
 visible, and she only sees the great black cloud still hovering over 
 Pendle Hill. 
 
 On on they go ; their horses' hoofs now splashing through 
 the wet sod, now beating upon the firm but elastic turf. A merry 
 ride it would be if their errand were different, and their hearts 
 free from care. The air is fresh and reviving, and the rapid 
 motion exhilarating. The stars shine out, and the crescent moon 
 is still glittering in the heavens, but the black cloud hangs 
 motionless on Pendle Hill. 
 
 Now and then some bird of night flies past them, and they 
 hear the whooping of the owl, and see him skimming like a ghost 
 over the waste. Then more fen fires arise, showing that other 
 treacherous quagmires are at hand ; but Crouch skirts them 
 safely. Now the bull-frog croaks in the marsh, and a deep boom- 
 ing tells of a bittern passing by. They see the mighty bird above 
 them, with his wide heavy wings and long neck. Grip howls at 
 him, but is instantly checked by his master, and they gallop on. 
 
 They are now by the side of Pendle Water, and within sight 
 of Rough Lee. What tumultuous thoughts agitate the lady's 
 breast ! The ground she tramples on was once her own ; the 
 woods by the river side were planted by her ; the mansion before 
 her once owned her as mistress, and now she dares not approach 
 it. Nor does she desire to do so, for the sight of it brings back 
 terrible recollections, and fills her again with despair. 
 
 They are now close upon it, and it appears dark, silent, and 
 deserted. How different from what it was of yore in her 
 husband's days the husband she had foully slain! Speed on, old 
 huntsman ! lash your panting horse, or the remorseful lady will 
 far outstrip you, for she rides as if the avenging furies were at 
 her heels. 
 
 She is rattling over the bridge, and Crouch, toiling after her, 
 and with Grip toiling after him, shouts to her to moderate her 
 pace. She looks back, and beholds the grim old house frowning 
 full upon her, and hurries on. Huntsman and dog are left behind 
 for awhile, but the steep ascent soon compels her to slacken speed, 
 and they come up, Crouch swearing lustily, and Grip, with his 
 tongue out of his mouth, limping as if foot-sore. 
 
 The road now leads through a thicket. The horses stumble 
 frequently, for the stones are loose, and the footing consequently 
 uncertain. Crouch has a fall, and ere he can remount the lady 
 is gone. It is useless to hurry after her, and he is proceeding 
 slowly, when Grip, who is a little in advance, growls fiercely, and 
 looks back at his master, as if to intimate that danger is at hand. 
 The huntsman presses on, but he is too late, if, indeed, he could 
 at any time have rendered effectual assistance. A clearing in the 
 thicket shows him the lady dismounted, and surrounded by 
 several wild-looking men armed with calivers. Part of the band 
 bear her slirieking oft, and the rest fire at him, but without effect, 
 
412 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and then chase him as far as the steepest part of the hill, down 
 which he dashes, followed by Grip. Arrived at the bottom, he 
 pauses to listen if he is pursued, and hearing nothing further to 
 alarm him, debates with himself what is best to be done ; and, 
 not liking to alarm the village, for that would be to betray Mis- 
 tress Nutter, he gets off his horse, ties him to a tree, and with 
 Grip close at his heels, commences the ascent of the hill by a 
 different road from that he had previously taken. 
 
 Meanwhile, Mistress Nutter's captors dragged her forcibly 
 towards the tower. Their arms and appearance left her no doubt 
 they were depredators, and she sought to convince them she had 
 neither money nor valuables in her possession. They laughed at 
 her assertions, but made no other reply. Her sole consolation 
 was, that they did not seek to deprive her of her Bible. 
 
 On reaching the tower, a signal was given by one of the fore- 
 most of the band, and the steps being lowered from the high 
 doorway, she was compelled to ascend them, and being pushed 
 along a short passage, obscured by a piece of thick tapestry, but 
 which was drawn aside as she advanced, she found herself in a 
 circular chamber, in the midst of which was a massive table 
 covered with flasks and drinking-cups, and stained with wine. 
 From the roof, which was crossed by great black beams of oak, 
 was suspended a lamp with three burners, whose light showed 
 that the waUs were garnished with petronels, rapiers, poniards, 
 and other murderous weapons ; besides these there were hung 
 from pegs long riding-cloaks, sombreros, vizards, and other robber 
 accoutrements, including a variety of disguises, from the clown's 
 frieze jerkin to the gentleman's velvet doublet, ready to be 
 assumed on an emergency. Here and there was an open valise, 
 or a pair of saddle-bags with their contents strewn about the 
 floor, and on a bench were a dice-box and shuffle-board, showing, 
 with the flasks and goblets on the table, how the occupants of the 
 tower passed their time. 
 
 A steep ladder-like flight of steps led to the upper chamber, 
 and down these, at the very moment of Mistress Nutter's entrance, 
 descended a stalwart personage, who eyed her fiercely as he leapt 
 upon the floor. There was something in the man's truculent 
 physiognomy, and strange and oblique vision, that reminded her 
 of Mother Demdike. 
 
 " Welcome to Malkin Tower, madam," said the robber with 
 a grin, and doffing his cap with affected courtesy. " We have 
 met before, but it is many years ago, and I dare say you have 
 forgotten me. You will guess who I am when I tell you my 
 mother occupied this tower before me." 
 Finding Mistress Nutter made no remark, he went on. 
 "I. am Christopher Demdike, madam Captain Demdike, I 
 should say. The brave fellows who have brought you hither are 
 part of my band, and till lately Northumberland and the borders 
 
THE END OF MALKIN TOWER. 413 
 
 of Scotland used to be our scene of action; but chancing to hear 
 of my worthy old mother's death, I thought we could not do 
 better than take possession of her stronghold, which devolved 
 upon me by right of inheritance. Since our arrival here we have 
 kept ourselves very quiet, and the country folk, taking us for 
 spirits or demons, never approach our hiding-place ; while, as all 
 our depredations are confined to distant parts, our retreat has 
 never been suspected." 
 
 " This concerns me little," observed Mistress Nutter, coldly. 
 " Pardon me, madam, it concerns you much, as you will learn 
 anon. But be seated, I pray you," he said, with mock civility. 
 " I am keeping you standing all this while." 
 
 But as the lady declined the attention, he went on. 
 " I was fortunate enough, on first coming back to this part of 
 the country, to pick up an acquaintance with your relative, 
 Nicholas Assheton, who invited me to stay with him at Downham, 
 and was so well pleased with my society that he could not endure 
 to part with me." 
 
 6e Indeed ! " exclaimed Mistress Nutter, " are you the person 
 he called Lawrence Fogg?" 
 
 " The same," replied Demdike ; " and no doubt you would 
 hear a good report of me, madam. Well, it suited my purpose 
 to stay ; for I was very hospitably entertained by the squire, 
 who, except being rather too much addicted to lectures and 
 psalm-singing, is as pleasant a host as one could desire ; besides 
 which, he was obliging enough to employ me to borrow money for 
 him, and what I got, I kept, you may be sure." 
 
 " I would willingly be spared the details of your knavery," 
 said Mistress Nutter, somewhat impatiently. 
 
 " I am coming to an end," rejoined Demdike, f6 and then, per- 
 haps, you may wish I had prolonged them. All the squire's 
 secrets were committed to me, and I was fully aware of your 
 concealment in the hall, but I could never ascertain precisely 
 where you were lodged. I meant to carry you off, and only 
 awaited the opportunity which has presented itself to-night." 
 
 u If you think to obtain money from me, you will find your- 
 self mistaken," said Mistress Nutter. " I have parted with all 
 my possessions." 
 
 " But to whom, madam ?" cried Demdike, with a sinister smile 
 u to your daughter. And I am sure she is too gentle, too 
 tender-hearted, to allow you to suffer when she can relieve you. 
 You must get us a good round sum from her, or you will be de- 
 tained here long. The dungeons are dark and unwholesome, and 
 my band are apt to be harsh in their treatment of captives. 
 They have found in the vaults some instruments of torture be- 
 longing to old Blackburn, the freebooter, the efficacy of which in 
 an obstinate case I fear they might be inclined to try. You now 
 begin to see the drift of my discourse, madam, and understand 
 
414 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the sort of men you have to deal with barbarous fellows, madam 
 inhuman dogs ! " 
 
 And he laughed coarsely at his own jocularity. 
 
 " It may put an end to this discussion," said Mistress Nutter, 
 firmly, " if I declare that no torture shall induce me to make any 
 such demand from my daughter." 
 
 "You think, perhaps, I am jesting with you, madam," rejoined 
 Demdike. 
 
 " Oh ! no, I believe you capable of any atrocity," replied the 
 lady. " You do not, either in feature or deeds, belie your 
 parentage." 
 
 66 Ah ! say you so, madam ? " cried Demdike. " You have a 
 sharp tongue, I find. Courtesy is thrown away upon you. What, 
 ho! .lads Kenyon and Lowton, take the lady down to the vaults, 
 and there let her have an hour for solitary reflection. She may 
 change her mind in that time." 
 
 " Do not think it," cried Mistress Nutter, resolutely. 
 
 et If you continue obstinate, we will find means to move you," 
 rejoined Demdike, in a taunting tone. " But what has she got 
 beneath her arm ? Give me the book. What's this ? a Bible I 
 A witch with a Bible ! It should be a grimoire. Ha ! ha ! " 
 
 " Give it me back, I implore of you," shrieked the lady " I 
 shall be destroyed, soul and body, if I have it not with me," 
 
 " What ! you are afraid the devil may carry you off withe at it 
 ho ! ho ! " roared Demdike. " Well, that would not suit my 
 purpose at present. Here, take it and now off with her, lads, 
 without more ado !" 
 
 And as he spoke, a trapdoor was opened by one of the robbers, 
 disclosing a flight of steps leading to the subterranean chambers, 
 down which the miserable lady was dragged. 
 
 Presently the two men re-appeared with a grim smile on their 
 ruffianly countenances, and, as they closed the trapdoor, one of 
 them observed to the captain that they had chained her to a pil- 
 lar, by removing the band from the great skeleton, and passing 
 it round her body. 
 
 " You have done well, lads," replied Demdike, approvingly ; 
 " and now go all of you and scour the hill-top, and return in an 
 hour, and we will decide upon what is to be done with this 
 woman." 
 
 The two men then joined the rest of their comrades outside, and 
 the whole troop descended the steps, which were afterwards drawn 
 up by Demdike. This done, the robber captain returned to the 
 circular chamber, and for some time paced to and fro, revolving 
 his dark schemes. He then paused, and placing his ear near the 
 trapdoor, listened, but as no sound reached him, he sat down at 
 the table, and soon grew so much absorbed as to be unconscious 
 that a dark figure was creeping stealthily down the narrow stair- 
 case behind him. 
 
THE END OF MALKIN TOWER. 415 
 
 " I cannot get rid of Nicholas Assheton," he exclaimed at length. 
 " I somehow fancy we shall meet again ; and yet all should be over 
 with him by this time." 
 
 u Look round ! " thundered a voice behind him. te Nicholas 
 Assheton is not to be got rid of so easily." 
 
 At this unexpected summons, Demdike started to his feet, and 
 recoiled aghast, as he saw what he took to be the ghost of the 
 murdered squire standing before him. A second look, however, 
 convinced him that it was no phantom he beheld, but a living man, 
 armed for vengeance, and determined upon it. 
 
 "Get a weapon, villain," cried Nicholas, in tones of concen- 
 trated fury. " I do not wish to take unfair advantage, even of 
 thee." 
 
 Without a word of reply, Demdike snatched a sword from the wall, 
 and the next moment was engaged in deadly strife with the squire. 
 They were well matched, for both were powerful men, both expert 
 in the use of their weapons, and the combat might have been pro- 
 tracted and of doubtful issue but for the irresistible fury of Nicho- 
 las, who assaulted his adversary with such vigour and determination 
 that he speedily drove him against the wall, where the latter made 
 an attempt to seize a petronel hanging beside him, but his pur- 
 pose being divined, he received a thrust through the arm, and, 
 dropping his blade, lay at the squire's mercy. 
 
 Nicholas shortened his sword, but forbore to strike. Seizing 
 his enemy by the throat, he hurled him to the ground, and, planting 
 his knee on his chest, called out, " What, ho, Nance ! " 
 
 " Nance!" exclaimed Demdike, t( then it was that mischievous 
 jade who brought you here." 
 
 "Ay," replied the squire, as the young woman came quickly 
 down the steps, " and I refused her aid in the conflict because I 
 felt certain of mastering thee, and because I would not take odds 
 even against such a treacherous villain as thou art." 
 
 " Better dispatch him, squire," said Nance ; " he may do yo a 
 mischief yet." 
 
 " No no," replied Nicholas, t( he is unworthy of a gentleman's 
 sword. Besides, I have sworn to hang him, and I will keep my 
 word. Go down into the vaults and liberate Mistress Nutter, 
 while I bind him, for we must take him with us. To-morrow, he 
 shall lie in Lancaster Castle with his kinsfolk." 
 
 " That remains to be seen," muttered Demdike. 
 
 " Be on your guard, squire," cried Nance, as she lifted a small 
 lamp, and raised the trapdoor. 
 
 With this caution, she descended to the vaults, while Nicholas 
 looked about for a thong, and perceiving a rope dangling down the 
 wall near him, he seized it, drawing it with some force towards 
 him. 
 
 A sudden sound reached his ears clang ! clang ! He had rung 
 the alarm-bell violently. 
 
416 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Clang ! clang ! clang ! Would it never stop ? 
 
 Taking advantage of his surprise and consternation, Demdike 
 got from under him, sprang to his feet, and rushing to the door- 
 way, instantly let fall the steps, roaring out, 
 
 " Treason! to the rescue, my men ! to the rescue!" 
 
 His cries were immediately answered from without, and it was 
 evident from the tumult that the whole of the band were hurry- 
 ing to his assistance. 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost by the squire. Plunging through 
 the trapdoor, he closed it after him, and bolted it underneath at 
 the very moment the robbers entered the chamber. Demdike's 
 rage at finding him gone was increased, when all the combined 
 efforts of his men failed in forcing open the trapdoor. 
 
 " Take hatchets and hew it open ! " he cried ; " we must have 
 them. I have heard there is a secret outlet below, and though 
 I have never been able to discover it, it may be known to Nance. 
 I will go outside, and watch. If you hear me whistle, come forth 
 instantly." 
 
 And, rushing forth, he was making the circuit of the tower, 
 and examining some bushes at its base, when his throat was sud- 
 denly seized by a dog, and before he could even utter an exclama- 
 tion, much less sound his whistle, or use his arms, he was grappled 
 by the old huntsman, and dragged off to a considerable distance, 
 the dog still clinging to his throat. 
 
 Meanwhile, Nicholas had hurried down into the vaults, where 
 he found Nance sustaining Mistress Nutter, who was half fainting, 
 and hastily explaining what had occurred, she consigned the lady 
 to him, and then led the way through the central range of pillars, 
 and past the ebon image, until she approached the wall, when, 
 holding up the lamp, she revealed a black marble slab between 
 the statues of Blackburn and Isole. Pressing against it, the slab 
 moved on one side, and disclosed a flight of steps. 
 
 " Go up there," cried Nance to the squire, " and when ye get 
 to th' top, yo'n find another stoan, wi' a nob in it. Yo canna 
 miss it. Go on." 
 
 " But you !" cried the squire. " Will you not come with us ?" 
 
 " Ey'n come presently," replied Nance, with a strange smile. 
 " Ey ha summat to do first. That cunning fox Demdike has set 
 a trap fo' himsel an aw his followers, and it's fo' me to ketch 
 'em. Wait fo' me about a hundert yorts fro' th' tower. Nah 
 nearer^-yo onderstand?" 
 
 Nicholas did not very clearly understand, but concluding Nance 
 had some hidden meaning in what she said, he resolved unhesita- 
 tingly to obey her. Having got clear of the tower, as directed, 
 with Mistress Nutter, he ran on with her to some distance, when 
 what was his surprise to find Crouch and Grip keeping watch over 
 the prostrate robber chief. A few words from the huntsman suf- 
 ficed to exDlain how this had come about, but they were scarcely 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 417 
 
 uttered when Nance rushed up in breathless haste, crying out 
 (i Oft'! further off! as yo value your lives ! ' 
 
 Seeing from her manner that delay would be dangerous, Nicho- 
 las and Crouch laid hold of the prisoner and bore him away between 
 them, while Nance assisted Mistress Nutter along. 
 
 They had not gone far when a rumbling sound like that preced- 
 ing an earthquake was heard. 
 
 All looked back towards Malkin Tower. The structure was 
 seen to rock flames burst from the earth and with a tremendous 
 explosion heard for miles around, and which shook the ground 
 even where Nicholas and the others stood, the whole of the un- 
 hallowed fabric, from base to summit, was blown into the air, some 
 of the stones being projected to an extraordinary distance. 
 
 A mine charged with gunpowder, it appeared, had been laid 
 beneath its vaults by Demdike, with a view to its destruction at 
 some future period, and this circumstance being known to Nance, 
 she had fired the train. 
 
 Not one of the robbers within the tower escaped. The bodies 
 of all were found next day, crushed, burned, or frightfully mu- 
 tilated. 
 
 CHAPTER VI HOGHTON TOWER. 
 
 ABOUT a month after the occurrence last described, and early 
 on a fine morning in August, Nicholas Assheton and Richard 
 Sherborne rode forth together from the proud town of Preston. 
 Both were gaily attired in doublets and hose of yellow velvet, 
 slashed with white silk, with mantles to match, the latter 
 being somewhat conspicuously embroidered on the shoulder with 
 a wild bull worked in gold, and underneath it the motto, " Malgre 
 le Tort" Followed at a respectful distance by four mounted 
 attendants, the two gentlemen had crossed the bridge over the 
 Ribble, and were wending their way along the banks of a tributary 
 stream, the Darwen, within a short distance of the charming 
 village of Walton-le-Dale, when they perceived a horseman ad- 
 vancing slowly towards them, whom they instantly hailed as 
 Richard Assheton, and pushing forward, were soon beside him. 
 Both were much shocked by the young man's haggard looks, and 
 inquired anxiously as to his health, but Richard bade them, with 
 a melancholy smile, not be uneasy, for all would be well with him 
 erelong. 
 
 " All will be over with you, lad, if you don't mind ; and that's, 
 perhaps, what you mean," replied Nicholas; " but as soon as the 
 royal festivities at Hoghton are over, I'll set about your cure ; 
 and, what's more, I'll accomplish it for I know where the seat of 
 the disease lies better than Dr. Morphew, your family physician 
 
 2 E 
 
418 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 at Middleton. 'Tis near the heart, Dick near the heart. Ha ! 
 I see I have touched you, lad. But, beshrew me, you are very 
 strangely attired in a suit of sable velvet, with a black Spanish 
 hat and feather, for a festival ! You look as if going to a funeral. 
 I am fearful his Majesty may take it amiss. Why not wear the 
 livery of our house 1 " 
 
 " Nay, if it comes to that," rejoined Richard, tf why do not 
 you and Sherborne wear it, instead of flaunting like daws in 
 borrowed plumage ? I scarce know you in your strange garb, 
 and certainly should not take you for an Assheton, or aught per- 
 taining to our family, from your gaudy colours and the strange 
 badge on your shoulder." 
 
 " I don't wonder at it, Dick," said Nicholas ; (( I scarce know 
 myself; and though the clothes I wear are well made enough, 
 they seem to sit awkwardly on me, and trouble me as much as 
 the shirt of Nessus did Hercules of old. For the nonce I am Sir 
 Richard Hoghton's retainer. I must own I was angry with 
 myself when I saw Sir Ralph Assheton with his long train of 
 gentlemen, all in murrey-coloured cloaks and doublets, at Myers- 
 cough Lodge, while I, his cousin, was habited like one of another 
 house. And when I would have excused my apparent defection 
 to Sir Ralph, he answered coldly, ' It was better as it was, for he 
 could scarcely have found room for me among his friends.' " 
 
 " Do not fret yourself, Nicholas," rejoined Sherborne ; Sir 
 Ralph cannot reasonably take offence at a mere piece of good- 
 nature on your part. But this does not explain why Richard 
 affects a colour so sombre." 
 
 u I am the retainer of one whose livery is sombre," replied the 
 young man, with a ghastly smile. "But enough of this," he 
 added, endeavouring to assume a livelier air ; " I suppose you are 
 on the way to Hoghton Tower. I thought to reach Preston 
 before you were up, but I might have recollected you are no lag- 
 a-bed, Nicholas, not even after hard drinking overnight, as wit- 
 ness your feats at Whalley. To be frank with you, I feared 
 being led into like excesses, and so preferred passing the night 
 at the quiet little inn at Walton-le-Dale, to coming on to you at 
 the Castle at Preston, which I knew would be full of noisy roy- 
 sterers." 
 
 "Full it was, even to overflowing," replied the squire; "but 
 you should have come, Dick, for, by my troth ! we had a right 
 merry night of it. Stephen Hamerton, of Hellyfield Peel, with 
 his wife, and her sister, sweet Mistress Doll Lister, supped with 
 us ; and we had music, dancing, and singing, and abundance of 
 good cheer. Nouns ! Dick, Doll Lister is a delightful lass, and 
 if you can only get Alizon out of your head, would be just the 
 wife for you. She sings like an angel, has the most captivating 
 sigh-and-die-away manner, and the prettiest rounded figure ever 
 bodice kept in. Were I in your place I should know where to 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 419 
 
 choose. But you will see her at Hoghton to-day, for she is to be 
 at the banquet and masque." 
 
 " Your description does not tempt me," said Richard ; " I have 
 no taste for sigh-and-die-away damsels. Dorothy Lister, how- 
 ever, is accounted fair enough ; but, were she fascinating as 
 Venus herself, in my present mood I should not regard her." 
 
 " I' faith, lad, I pity you, if such be the case," shrugging his 
 shoulders, more in contempt than compassion. 
 
 " Waste not your sympathy upon me," replied Richard ; " but, 
 tell me, how went the show at Preston yesterday *? " 
 
 " Excellently well, and much to his Majesty's satisfaction," 
 answered the squire. u Proud Preston never was so proud 
 before, and never with such good reason; for if the people be 
 poor, according to the proverb, they take good care to hide their 
 poverty. Bombards were fired from the bridge, and the church 
 bells rang loud enough to crack the steeple, and bring it down 
 about the ears of the deafened lieges. The houses were hung 
 with carpets and arras ; the streets strewn ankle deep with sand 
 and sawdust ; the cross in the market-place was bedecked with gar- 
 lands of flowers like a May-pole ; and the conduit near it ran 
 wine. At noon there was more firing ; and, amidst flourishes of 
 trumpets, rolling of drums, squeaking of fifes, and prodigious 
 shouting, bonnie King Jamie came to the cross, where a speech 
 was made him by Master Breares, the Recorder ; after which 
 the corporation presented his Majesty with a huge silver bowl, in 
 token of their love and loyalty. The King seemed highly pleased 
 with the gift, and observed to the Duke of Buckingham, loud 
 enough to be heard by the bystanders, who reported his speech 
 to me, ' God's santie ! it's a braw bicker, Steenie, and might 
 serve for a christening-cup, if we had need of siccan a vessel, 
 which, Heaven be praised, we ha'e na ! ' After this there was 
 a grand banquet in the town-hall ; and when the heat of the day 
 was over the King left with his train for Hoghton Tower, visit- 
 ing the alum mines on the way thither. We are bidden to 
 breakfast by Sir Richard, so we must push on, Dick, for his 
 Majesty is an early riser, like myself. We are to have rare sport 
 to-day. Hunting in the morning, a banquet, and, as I have 
 already intimated, a masque at night, in which Sir George Goring 
 and Sir John Finett will play, and in which I have been solicited 
 to take the drolling part of Jem Tospot nay, laugh not, Dick, 
 Sherborne says I shall play it to the life as well as to -find some 
 mirthful dame to enact the companion part of Doll Wango. I 
 have spoken with two or three on the subject, and fancy one of 
 them will oblige me. There is another matter on which I am 
 engaged. I am to present a petition to his Majesty from a great 
 number of the lower orders in this county, praying they may be 
 allowed to take their diversions, as of old accustomed, after divine 
 service on Sundays ; and, though I am the last man to desire any 
 
420 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 violation of the Sabbath, being somewhat puritanically inclined, 
 as they now phrase it, yet I cannot think any harm can ensue 
 from lawful recreation and honest exercise. Still, I would any 
 one were chosen to present the petition rather than myself." 
 
 (f Have no misgivings on the subject," said Richard, " but 
 urge the matter strongly ; and if you need support, I will give 
 you all I can, for I feel we are best observing the divine mandate 
 by making the Sabbath a day of rest, and observing it cheerfully. 
 And this, I apprehend, is the substance of your petition ? " 
 
 " The whole sum and substance," replied Nicholas ; " and I 
 have reason to believe his Majesty's wishes are in accordance 
 with it." 
 
 " They are known to be so," said Sherborne. 
 " I am glad to hear it," cried Richard. " God save King 
 James, the friend of the people !" 
 
 " Ay, God save King James !" echoed Nicholas ; " arid if he 
 grant this petition he will prove himself their friend, for he will 
 have all the clergy against him, and will be preached against from 
 half the pulpits in the kingdom." 
 
 " Little harm will ensue if it should be so," replied Richard ; 
 " for he will be cheered and protected by the prayers of a grateful 
 and happy people." 
 
 They then rode on for a few minutes in silence, after which 
 Richard inquired 
 
 " You had brave doings at Myerscough Lodge, I suppose, 
 Nicholas ? " 
 
 " Ay, marry had we," answered the squire, t( and the feasting 
 must have cost Ned Tyldesley a pretty penny. Besides the King 
 and his own particular attendants, there were some dozen 
 noblemen and their followers, including the Duke of Buckingham, 
 who moves about like a king himself, and I know not how many 
 knights and gentlemen. Sherborne and I rode over from Dunnow, 
 and reached the forest immediately after the King had entered it 
 in his coach; so we took a short cut through the woods, and came 
 up just in time to join Sir Richard Hoghton's train as he was 
 riding up to his Majesty. Fancy a wide glade, down which a 
 great gilded coach is slowly moving, drawn by eight horses, and 
 followed by a host of noblemen and gentlemen in splendid 
 apparel, their esquires and pages equally richly arrayed, and 
 equally well mounted; and, after these, numerous falconers, 
 huntsmen, prickers, foresters, and yeomen, with staghounds in 
 leash, and hawk on fist, all ready for the sport. Fancy all this, 
 if you can, Dick, and then conceive what a brave sight it must 
 have been. Well, as I said, we came up in the very nick of time, 
 for presently the royal coach stopped, and Sir Richard Hoghton, 
 calling all his gentlemen around him, and bidding us dismount, 
 and we followed him, and drew up, bareheaded, before the King, 
 while Sir Richard pointed out to his Majesty the boundaries of 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 421 
 
 the royal forest, and told him he would find it as well stocked 
 with deer as any in his kingdom. Before putting an end to the 
 conference, the King complimented the worthy Knight on the 
 gallant appearance of his train, and on learning we were all 
 gentlemen, graciously signified his pleasure that some of us should 
 be presented to him. Amongst others, I was brought forward by 
 Sir Richard, and liking my looks, I suppose, the King was 
 condescending enough to enter into conversation with me; and as 
 his discourse chiefly turned on sporting matters, 1 was at home 
 with him at once, and he presently grew so familiar with me, 
 that I almost forgot the presence in which I stood. However, his 
 Majesty seemed in no way offended by my freedom, but, on the 
 contrary, clapped me on the shoulder, and said, e Maister Asshe- 
 ton, for a country gentleman, you're weel-raannered and weel- 
 informed, and I shall be glad to see more of you while I stay in 
 these parts/ After this, the good-natured monarch mounted his 
 horse, and the hunting began, and a famous day's work we made 
 of it, his Majesty killing no fewer than five fine bucks with his 
 own hand." 
 
 "You are cleanly' on the road to preferment, Nicholas," ob- 
 served Richard, with a smile. " You will outstrip Buckingham 
 himself, if you go on in this way." 
 
 " So I tell him," observed Sherborne, laughing ; " and, by my 
 faith! young Sir Gilbert Hoghton, who, owing to his connexion by 
 marriage with Buckingham, is a greater man than his father, Sir 
 Richard, looked quite jealous ; for the King more than once called 
 out to Nicholas in the chase, and took the wood-knife from him 
 when he broke up the last deer, which is accounted a mark of 
 especial favour." 
 
 " Well, gentlemen," said the squire, " I shall not stand in my 
 own light, depend upon it ; and, if I should bask in court-sunshine, 
 you shall partake of the rays. If I do become master of the house- 
 hold, in lieu of the Duke of Richmond, or master of the horse and 
 cupbearer to his Majesty, in place of his Grace of Buckingham, I 
 will not forget you." 
 
 " We are greatly indebted to you, my Lord Marquess of 
 Downham and Duke of Pendle Hill, that is to be," rejoined 
 Sherborne, taking off his cap with mock reverence ; " and 
 perhaps, for the sake of your sweet sister and my spouse, 
 Dorothy, you will make interest to have me appointed gentleman 
 of the bedchamber?" 
 
 " Doubt it not doubt it not," replied Nicholas, in a patron- 
 ising tone. 
 
 " My ambition soars higher than yours, Sherborne," said 
 Richard ; " I must be lord-keeper of the privy seal, or nothing." 
 
 "Oh! what you will, gentlemen, what you will!" cried 
 Nicholas ; " you can ask me nothing I will not grant. always 
 provided I have the means." 
 
422 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 A turn in the road now showed them Hoghton Tower, crowning 
 the summit of an isolated and conical hill, about two miles off. 
 Rising proudly in the midst of a fair and fertile plain, watered by 
 the Kibble and the Darwen, the stately edifice seemed to com- 
 mand the whole country. And so King James thought, as, from 
 the window of his chamber, he looked down upon the magnificent 
 prospect around him, comprehending on the one hand the vast 
 forests of Myerscough and Bowland, stretching as far as the fells 
 near Lancaster ; and, on the other, an open but still undulating 
 country, beautifully diversified with wood and water, well-peopled 
 and well-cultivated, green with luxuriant pastures, yellow with 
 golden grain, or embowered with orchards, boasting many 
 villages and small towns, as well as two lovely rivers, which, 
 combining their currents at Walton-le-Dale, gradually expanded 
 till they neared the sea, which could be seen gleaming through 
 openings in the distant hills. As the King surveyed this fair 
 scene, and thought how strong was the position of the mansion, 
 situated as it was upon high cliffs springing abruptly from the 
 Darwen, and how favourably circumstanced, with its forests and 
 park, for the enjoyment of the chase, of which he was passionately 
 fond, how capable of defence, and how well adapted for a hunting- 
 seat, he sighed to think it did not belong to the crown. Nor was 
 he wrong in his estimate of its strength, for in after yearsj during 
 the civil wars, it held out stoutly against the parliamentary forces, 
 and was only reduced at last by treachery, when part of its gate- 
 tower was blown up, destroying an officer and two hundred men, 
 " in that blast most wofully." 
 
 Though the hour was so early, the road was already thronged, 
 not only with horsemen and pedestrians of every degree from 
 Preston, but with rude lumbering vehicles from the neighbouring 
 villages of Plessington, Brockholes, and Cuerden, driven by 
 farmers, who, with their buxom dames and cherry-cheeked 
 daughters, decked out in holiday finery, hoped to gain admittance 
 to Hoghton Tower, or, at all events, obtain a peep of the King 
 as he rode out to hunt. Most of these were saluted by Nicholas, 
 who scrupled not to promise them admission to the outer courfc 
 of the Tower, and even went so far as to offer some of the comelier 
 damsels a presentation to the King. Occasionally, the road was 
 enlivened by strains of music from a band of minstrels, by a song 
 or a chorus from others, or by the gamesome tricks of a party of 
 mummers. At one place, a couple of tumblers and a clown were 
 performing their feats on a cloth stretched on the grass beneath 
 a tree. Here the crowd collected for a few minutes, but presently 
 gave way to loud shouts, attended by the cracking of whips, 
 proceeding from two grooms in the yellow and white livery of 
 Sir Kichard Hoghton, who headed some half-dozen carts filled 
 with provisions, carcases of sheep and oxen, turkeys and geese, 
 pullets and capons, fish, bread, and vegetables, all bent for 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 423 
 
 Hoghton Tower ; for though Sir Richard had made vast prepara- 
 tions for his guests, he found his supplies, great as they were, 
 wholly inadequate to their wants. Cracking their whips in 
 answer to the shouts with which they were greeted, the purvey- 
 ors galloped on, many a hungry wight looking wistfully after 
 them. 
 
 Nicholas and his companions were now at the entrance to 
 Hoghton Park, through which the Darvven coursed, after washing 
 the base of the rocky heights on which the mansion was situated. 
 Here four yeomen of the guard, anned with halberts, and an 
 officer, were stationed, and no one was admitted without an order 
 from Sir Richard Hoghton. Possessing a pass, the squire and 
 his companions with their attendants were, of course, allowed to 
 enter; but the throng accompanying them were sent over the 
 bridge, and along a devious road skirting the park, which, though 
 it went more than a mile round, eventually brought them to their 
 destination. 
 
 Hoghton Park, though not very extensive, boasted a great deal 
 of magnificent timber, and in some places was so thickly wooded, 
 that, according to Dr. Kuerden, " a man passing through it could 
 scarcely have seen the sun shine at middle of day." Into one of 
 these tenebrous groves the horsemen now plunged, and for some 
 moments were buried in the gloom produced by matted and over- 
 hanging boughs. Issuing once more into the warm sunshine, they 
 traversed a long and beautiful silvan glade, skirted by ancient 
 oaks, with mighty arms and gnarled limbs the patriarchs of the 
 forest. In the open ground on the left were scattered a few ash- 
 trees, and beneath them browsed a herd of fallow deer ; while 
 crossing the lower end of the glade was a large herd of red deer, 
 for which the park was famous, the hinds tripping nimbly and 
 timidly away, but the lordly stags, with their branching antlers, 
 standing for a moment at gaze, and disdainfully regarding the 
 intruders on their domain. Little did they think how soon and 
 severely their courage would be tried, or how soon the mort 
 would be sounded for their pryse by the huntsman. But if, 
 happily for themselves, the poor leathern-coated fools could not 
 foresee their doom, it was not equally hidden from Nicholas, who 
 predicted what would ensue, and pointed out one noble hart 
 which he thought worthy to die by the King's own hand. As if 
 he understood him, the stately beast tossed his antlered head 
 aloft, and plunged into the adjoining thicket; but the squire 
 noted the spot where he had disappeared. 
 
 The glade led them into the chase, a glorious hunting-ground 
 of about two miles in circumference, surrounded by an amphi- 
 theatre of wood, and studded by noble forest trees. Variety an({ 
 beauty were lent to it by an occasional knoll crowned with 
 timber, or by numerous ferny dells and dingles. As the horsemen 
 entered upon the chase, they observed at a short distance from 
 
424 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 them a herd of the beautiful, but fierce wild cattle, originally 
 from Bowland Forest, and still preserved in the park. White 
 and spangled in colour, with short sharp horns, fine eyes, and 
 small shapely limbs, these animals were of untameable fierceness, 
 possessed of great cunning, and ever ready to assault any one 
 who approached them. They would often attack a solitary indi- 
 vidual, gore him, and trample him to death. Consequently, they 
 were far more dreaded than the wild-boars, with which, as witli 
 every other sort of game, the neighbouring woods were 
 plentifully stocked. Well aware of the danger they ran, the 
 party watched the herd narrowly and distrustfully, and would 
 have galloped on; but this would only have provoked pursuit, and 
 the wild cattle were swifter than any horses. Suddenly, a milk- 
 white bull trotted out from the rest of the herd, bellowing fiercely, 
 lashing his sides with his tail, and lowering his head to the 
 ground, as if meditating an attack. His example was speeedily 
 followed by the others, and the whole herd began to beat the 
 ground and roar loudly. Much alarmed by these hostile 
 manifestations, the party were debating whether to stand the 
 onset, or trust to the fleetness of their steeds for safety; when 
 just as the whole herd, with tails erect and dilated nostrils, were 
 galloping towards them, assistance appeared in the persons of 
 some ten or a dozen mounted prickers, who, armed with long 
 poles pointed with iron, issued with loud shouts from an avenue 
 opening upon the chase. At sight of them, the whole herd 
 wheeled round and fled, but were pursued by the prickers till they 
 were driven into the depths of the furthest thicket. Six of the 
 prickers remained watching over them during the day, in order 
 that the royal hunting-party might not be disturbed, and the 
 woods echoed with the bellowing of the angry brutes. 
 
 While this was going forward, the squire and his companions, 
 congratulating themselves on their narrow escape, galloped off, and 
 entered the long avenue of sycamores, from which the prickers 
 had emerged. 
 
 At the head of a steep ascent, partly hewn out of the rock, and 
 partly skirted by venerable and majestic trees, forming a 
 continuation of the avenue, rose the embattled gate-tower of the 
 proud edifice they were approaching, and which now held the 
 monarch of the land, and the highest and noblest of his court as 
 guests within its halls. From the top of the central tower of the 
 gateway floated the royal banner, while at the very moment the 
 party reached the foot of the hill, they were saluted by a loud 
 peal of ordnance discharged from the side-towers, proclaiming 
 that the King had arisen ; and, as the smoke from the culverins 
 wreathed round the standard, a flourish of trumpets was blown 
 from the walls, and martial music resounded from the court. 
 
 Roused by these stirring sounds, Nicholas spurred his horse up 
 the rocky ascent, and followed closely by his companions, who 
 
HOGHTOX TOWER. 425 
 
 were both nearly as much excited as himself, speedily gained the 
 great gateway a massive and majestic structure, occupying the 
 centre of the western front of the mansion, and consisting of 
 three towers of great strength and beauty, the mid-tower far 
 overtopping the other two, as in the arms of Old Castile, and 
 sustaining, as was its right, the royal standard. On the platform 
 stood the trumpeters with their silk-fringed clarions, and the iron 
 mouths of the culverins, which had been recently discharged, 
 protruded through the battlements. The arms and motto of the 
 Hoghtons, carved in stone, were placed upon the gateway, with 
 the letters ST. J!|., the initials of the founder of the tower. 
 Immediately above the arched entrance was the sculptured figure 
 of a knight slaying a dragon. 
 
 In front of the gateway a large crowd of persons were assembled, 
 consisting of the inferior gentry of the neighbourhood, with their 
 wives, daughters, and servants, clergymen, attorneys, chirurgeons, 
 farmers, and tradesmen of all kind from the adjoining towns of 
 Blackburn, Preston, Chorley, Haslingden, Garstang, and even 
 Lancaster. Representatives in some sort or other of almost every 
 town and village in the county might be found amongst the 
 motley assemblage, which, early as it was, numbered several 
 hundreds, many of those from the more distant places having 
 quitted their homes soon after midnight. Admittance was 
 naturally sought by all ; but here the same rule was observed as 
 at the park gate, and no one was allowed to enter, even the base 
 court, without authority from the lord of the mansion. The 
 great gates were closed, and two files of halberdiers were drawn 
 up under the deep archway, to keep the passage clear, and quell 
 disturbance in case any should occur; while a gigantic porter, 
 stationed in front of the wicket, rigorously scrutinised the passes. 
 These precautions naturally produced delay; and, though many of 
 the better part of the crowd were entitled to admission, it was 
 not without much pushing and squeezing, and considerable 
 detriment to their gay apparel, that they were enabled to effect 
 their object. 
 
 The comfort of those outside the walls had not, however, been 
 altogether neglected by Sir Richard Hoghton, for sheds were 
 reared under the trees, where stout March beer, together with 
 cheese and bread, or oaten cakes and butter, were freely distri- 
 buted to all applicants ; so that, if some were disappointed, few 
 were discontented, especially when told that the gates would be 
 thrown open at noon, when, during the time the King and the 
 nobles feasted in the great banquet-hall, they might partake of a 
 wild bull from the park, slaughtered expressly for the occasion, 
 which was now being roasted whole within the base court. That 
 the latter was no idle promise they had the assurance of thick 
 smoke rising above the walls, laden with the scent of roast meat, 
 and, moreover, they could see through the wicket a great fire 
 
426 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 blazing and crackling on the green, with a huge carcase on an 
 immense spit before it, and a couple of turn-broaches basting it. 
 
 As Nicholas and his companions forced their way through this 
 crowd, which was momently receiving additions as fresh arrivals 
 took place, the squire recognised many old acquaintances, and 
 was nodding familiarly right and left, when he encountered a 
 woman's eye fixed keenly upon him, and to his surprise beheld 
 Nance Redferne. Nance, who had lost none of her good looks, 
 was very gaily attired, with her fine chestnut hair knotted with 
 ribbons, her stomacher similarly adorned, and her red petticoat 
 looped up, so as to display an exceedingly trim ankle and small 
 foot ; and, under other circumstances, Nicholas might not have 
 minded staying to chat with her, but just now it was out of the 
 question, and he hastily turned his head another way. As ill luck, 
 however, would have it, a stoppage occurred at the moment, 
 during which Nance forced her way up to him, and, taking hold 
 of his arm, said in a low tone 
 
 " Yo mun tae me in wi' ye, squoire." 
 
 (f Take you in with me impossible !" cried Nicholas. 
 
 " Nah ! it's neaw impossible," rejoined Nance, pertinaciously ; 
 " yo con do it, an yo shan. Yo owe me a good turn, and mun 
 repay it now." 
 
 " But why the devil do you want to go in ? " cried Nicholas, 
 impatiently. " You know the King is the sworn enemy of all 
 witches, and, amongst this concourse, some one is sure to recog- 
 nise you and betray you. I cannot answer for your safety if 
 I do take you in. In my opinion, you were extremely unwise to 
 venture here at all." 
 
 " Ne'er heed my wisdom or my folly, boh do as ey bid yo, or 
 yo'n repent it," said Nance. 
 
 " Why, you can get in without my aid," observed the squire, 
 trying to laugh it off. ft You can easily fly over the walls." 
 
 "Ey ha' left my broomstick a-whoam," replied Nance " boh 
 no more jesting. Win yo do it?" 
 
 " Well, well, I suppose I must," replied Nicholas, " but I wash 
 my hands of the consequences. If ill comes of it, I am not to 
 blame. You must go in as Doll Wango that is, as a character 
 in the masque to be enacted to-night d'ye mark?" 
 
 Nance signified that she perfectly understood him. 
 
 The whole of this hurried discourse, conducted in an under- 
 tone, passed unheard and unnoticed by the bystanders. Just 
 then, an opening took place amid the crowd, and the squire 
 pushed through it, hoping to get rid of his companion, but he 
 hoped in vain, for, clinging to his saddle, she went on along with 
 him. 
 
 They were soon under the deep groined and ribbed arch of 
 the gate, and Nance would have been here turned back by the 
 foremost halberdier, if Nicholas had not signified somewhat hastily 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 427 
 
 that she belonged to his party. The man smiled, and offered no 
 further opposition ; and the gigantic porter next advancing, 
 Nicholas exhibited his pass to him, which appearing sufficiently 
 comprehensive to procure admission for Richard and Sherborne, 
 they instantly availed themselves of the licence, while the squire 
 fumbled in his doublet for a further order for Nance. At last he 
 produced it, and after reading it, the gigantic warder exclaimed, 
 with a smile illumining his broad features 
 
 " Ah ! I see ; this is an order from his worship, Sir Richard, 
 to admit a certain woman, who is to enact Doll Wango in the 
 masque. This is she, I suppose ?" he added, looking at Nance. 
 
 " Ay, ay ! " replied the squire. 
 
 " A comely wench, by the mass!" exclaimed the porter. " Open 
 the gate." 
 
 No not yet not yet, good porter, till my claim be adjusted," 
 cried another woman, pushing forward, quite as young and 
 comely as Nance, and equally gaily dressed. " I am the real 
 Doll Wango, though 1 be generally known as Dame ^Tetlow. 
 The squire engaged me to play the part before the King, and 
 now this saucy hussy has taken my place. But I'll have iuy 
 rights, that I will." 
 
 "Odd's heart! two Doll Wangos!" exclaimed the porter, 
 opening his eyes. 
 
 Two! Nay, beleedy ! boh there be three !" exclaimed an 
 immensely tall, stoutly proportioned woman, stepping up, to the 
 increased confusion of the squire, and the infinite merriment of the 
 bystanders, whose laughter had been already excited by the pre- 
 vious part of the scene. " Didna yo tell me at Myerscough to 
 come here, squire, an ey, Bess Baldwyn, should play Doll Wango 
 to your Jem Tospot?" 
 
 " Play the devil! for that's what you all seem bent upon doing," 
 exclaimed the squire, impatiently. " Away with you ! I can have 
 nothing to say to you !" 
 
 " You gave me the same promise at the Castle at Preston last 
 night," said Dame Tetlow. 
 
 " I had been drinking, and knew not what I said," rejoined 
 Nicholas, angrily. 
 
 " Boh yo promised me a few minutes ago, an yo're sober enough 
 now," cried Nance. 
 
 " Ey dunna knoa that," rejoined Dame Baldwyn, looking re- 
 proachfully at him. " Boh what ey dun knoa is, that nother o' 
 these squemous queans shan ge in efore me." 
 
 And she looked menacingly at them, as if determined to oppose 
 their ingress, much to the alarm of the timorous Dame Tetlow, 
 though Nance returned her angry glances unmoved. 
 
 ' For Heaven's sake, my good fellow, let them all three in ! " 
 said Nicholas, in a low tone to the porter, at the same time slip- 
 ping a gold piece into his hand, " or there's no saying what may 
 
428 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 be the consequence, for they're three infernal viragos. Til take 
 the responsibility of their admittance upon myself with Sir 
 Richard" 
 
 " Well, as your worship says, I don't like to see quarrelling 
 amongst women," returned the porter, in a bland tone, " so all 
 three shall go in ; and as to who is to play Doll Wango, the mas- 
 ter of the ceremonies will settle that, so you need give yourself 
 no more concern about it ; but if I were called on to decide," he 
 added, with an amorous leer at Dame Baldwyn, whose proportions 
 so well matched his own, " I know where my choice would light. 
 There, now!" he shouted, "Open wido the gate for Squire 
 Nicholas Assheton of Downham, and the three Doll Wangos." 
 
 And, all obstacles being thus removed, Nicholas passed on with 
 the three females amidst the renewed laughter of the bystanders. 
 But he got rid of his plagues as soon as he could; for, dismount- 
 ing and throwing his bridle to an attendant, he vouchsafed not a 
 word to any of them, but stepped quickly after Richard and 
 Sherborne, who had already reached the great fire with the bull 
 roasting before it. 
 
 Appropriated chiefly to stables and other offices, the base court 
 of Hoghton Tower consisted of buildings of various dates, the 
 greater part belonging to Elizabeth's time, though some might be 
 assigned to an earlier period, while many alterations and additions 
 had been recently made, in anticipation of the king's visit. Dating 
 back as far as Henry II., the family had originally fixed their 
 residence at the foot of the hill, on the banks of the Darwen ; but 
 in process of time, swayed by prouder notions, they mounted the 
 craggy heights above, and built a tower upon their crest. It is 
 melancholy to think that so glorious a pile, teeming with so many 
 historical recollections, and so magnificently situated, should be 
 abandoned, and suffered to go to decay ; the family having, many 
 years ago, quitted it for Walton Hall, nearWalton-le-Dale, and con- 
 signed it to the occupation of a few gamekeepers. Bereft of its 
 venerable timber, its courts grass-grown, its fine oak staircase 
 rotting and dilapidated, its domestic chapel neglected, its marble 
 chamber broken and ruinous, its wainscotings and ceilings cracked 
 and mouldering, its paintings mildewed and half effaced, Hoghton 
 Tower presents only the wreck of its former grandeur. Desolate 
 indeed are its halls, and their glory for ever departed ! However, 
 this history has to do with it in the season of its greatest splendour ; 
 when it glistened with silks and velvets, and resounded with 
 loud laughter and blithe music ; when stately nobles and lovely 
 dames were seen in the gallery, and a royal banquet was served in 
 the great hall ; when its countless chambers were filled to overflow- 
 ing, and its passages echoed with hasty feet ; when the base court 
 was full of huntsmen and falconers, and enlivened by the neighing of 
 steeds and the baying of hounds; when there was daily hunting in 
 the park, and nightly dancing and diversion in the hall, it is with 
 
NICHOLAS ASSHETON AND THE THREE DOLL WANGOS. 
 
 P. 423. 
 
HOGHTOX TOWER. 429 
 
 Hoghton Tower at this season that the present, tale has to do, 
 and not with it as it is now silent, solitary, squalid, saddening, 
 but still whispering of the glories of the past, still telling of the 
 kingly pageant that once graced it. 
 
 The base court was divided from the court of lodging by the great 
 hall and domestic chapel. A narrow vaulted passage on either 
 side led to the upper quadrangle, the facade of which was magni- 
 ficent, and far superior in uniformity of design and style to the 
 rest of the structure, the irregularity of which, however, was not 
 unpleasing. The whole frontage of the upper court was richly 
 moulded and filleted, with ranges of mullion and transom windows, 
 capitals, and carved parapets crowned with stone balls. Marble 
 pillars, in the Italian style, had been recently placed near the 
 porch, with two rows of pilasters above them, supporting a heavy 
 marble cornice, on which rested the carved escutcheon of the 
 family. A flight of stone steps led up to the porch, and within 
 was a wide oak staircase, so gentle of ascent that a man on horse- 
 back could easily mount it a feat often practised in later days by 
 one of the descendants of the house. In this part of the mansion 
 all the principal apartments were situated, and here James was 
 lodged. Here also was the green room, so called from its hang- 
 ings, which he used for private conferences, and which was hung 
 round with portraits of his unfortunate mother, Mary, Queen of 
 Scots ; of her implacable enemy, Queen Elizabeth ; of his consort, 
 Anne of Bohemia ; and of Sir Thomas Hoghton, the founder of 
 the tower. Adjoining it was the Star-Chamber, occupied by the 
 Duke of Buckingham, with its napkin panelling, and ceiling 
 u fretted with golden fires ;" and in the same angle were rooms 
 occupied by the Duke of Richmond, the Earls of Pembroke and 
 Nottingham, and Lord Howard of Effingham. Below was the 
 library, whither Doctor Thomas Moreton, Bishop of Chester, and 
 his Majesty's chaplain, with the three puisne judges of the King's 
 Bench, Sir John Doddridge, Sir John Crooke, and Sir Robert 
 Hoghton, all of whom were guests of Sir Richard, resorted ; and 
 in the adjoining wing was the great gallery, where the whole of 
 the nobles and courtiers passed such of their time and that was 
 not much as was not occupied in feasting or out-of-doors' amuse- 
 ments. 
 
 Long corridors ran round the upper stories in this part of the 
 mansion, and communicated with an endless series of rooms, which, 
 numerous as they were, were all occupied, and, accommodation being 
 found impossible for the whole of the guests, many were sent to 
 the new erections in the base court, which had been planned to 
 meet the emergency by the magnificent and provident host. The 
 nobles and gentlemen were, however, far outnumbered by their 
 servants, and the confusion occasioned by the running to and fro 
 of the various grooms of the chambers, was indescribable. Doub- 
 lets had to be brushed, ruffs plaited, hair curled, beards trimmed, 
 
430 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and all with the greatest possible expedition ; so that, as soon as 
 day dawned upon Hoghton Tower, there was a prodigious racket 
 from one end of it to the other. Many favoured servants slept in 
 truckle-beds in their masters' rooms ; but others, not so fortunate, 
 and unable to find accommodation even in the garrets for the small- 
 est rooms* and those nearest the roof, were put in requisition slept 
 upon the benches in the hall, while several sat up all night carous- 
 ing in the great kitchen, keeping company with the cooks and 
 their assistants, who were busied all the time in preparations for 
 the feasting of the morrow. 
 
 Such was the state of things inside Hoghton Tower early on 
 the eventful morning in question, and out of doors, especially in 
 the base court which Nicholas was traversing, the noise, bustle, 
 and confusion were equally great. Wide as was the area, it was 
 filled with various personages, some newly arrived, and seeking 
 information as to their quarters not very easily obtained, for it 
 seemed every body's business to ask questions, and no one's to 
 answer them some gathered in groups round the falconers and 
 huntsmen, who had suddenly risen into great importance ; others, 
 and these were for the most part smart young pages, in brilliant 
 liveries, chattering, and making love to every pretty damsel they 
 encountered, putting them out of countenance by their licence 
 and strange oaths, and rousing the anger of their parents, and the 
 jealousy of their rustic admirers ; others, of a graver sort, with 
 dress of formal cut, and puritanical expression of countenance, 
 shrugging their shoulders, and looking sourly on the whole pro- 
 ceedings luckily they were in the minority, for the generality 
 of the groups were composed of lively and light-hearted people, 
 bent apparently upon amusement, and tolerably certain of finding 
 it. Through these various groups numerous lackeys were pass- 
 ing swiftly and continuously to and fro, bearing a cap, a mantle, 
 or a sword, and pushing aside all who interfered with their pro- 
 gress, with a u by your leave, my masters your pardon, fair 
 mistress " or, " out of my way, knave !" and, as the stables oc- 
 cupied one entire angle of the court, there were grooms without 
 end dressing the horses at the doors, watering them at the troughs, 
 or leading them about amid the admiring or criticising bystanders. 
 The King's horses were, of course, objects of special attraction, 
 and such as could obtain a glimpse of them and of the royal coach 
 thought themselves especially favoured. Besides what was going 
 forward below, the windows looking into the court were all full of 
 curious observers, and much loud conversation took place between 
 those placed at them and their friends underneath. From all this 
 some idea will be formed of the tremendous din that prevailed ; 
 but though with much confusion there was no positive disorder, 
 still less brawling, for yeomen of the guard being stationed at 
 various points, perfect order was maintained. Several minstrels, 
 mummers, and merry-makers, in various fantastic habits, swelled 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 431 
 
 the throng, enlivening it with their strains or feats ; and amongst 
 other privileged characters admitted was a Tom o' Bedlam, a half- 
 crazed licensed beggar, in a singular and picturesque garb, with a 
 plate of tin engraved with his name attached to his left arm, and 
 a great ox's horn, which he was continually blowing, suspended by 
 a leathern baldric from his neck. 
 
 Scarcely had Nicholas joined his companions, than word was 
 given that the king was about to attend morning prayers in the 
 domestic chapel. Upon this, an immediate rush was made in that 
 direction by the crowd ; but the greater part were kept back by 
 the guard, who crossed their halberts to prevent their ingress, and 
 a few only were allowed to enter the antechamber leading to the 
 chapel, amongst whom were the squire and his companions. 
 
 Here they were detained within it till service was over, and, as 
 prayers were read by the Bishop of Chester, and the whole Court 
 was present, this was a great disappointment to them. At the 
 end of half an hour two very courtly personages came forth, each 
 bearing a white wand, and, announcing that the King was coming 
 forth, the assemblage immediately divided into two lines to allow 
 a passage for the monarch. Nicholas Assheton informed Richard 
 in a whisper that the foremost and stateliest of the two gentlemen 
 was Lord Stanhope of Harrington, the vice-chamberlain, and 
 the other, a handsome young man of slight figure and somewhat 
 libertine expression of countenance, was the renowned Sir John 
 Finett, master of the ceremonies. Notwithstanding his licen- 
 tiousness, however, which was the vice of the age and the stain of 
 the court, Sir John was a man of wit and address, and perfectly 
 conversant with the duties of his office, of which he has left satisfac- 
 tory evidence in an amusing tractate, " Finetti Philoxenis." 
 
 Some little time elapsed before the King made his appearance, 
 during which the curiosity of such as had not seen him, as was 
 the case with Richard, was greatly excited. The young man 
 wondered whether the pedantic monarch, whose character perplex- 
 ed the shrewdest, would answer his preconceived notions, and 
 whether it would turn out that his portraits were like him. While 
 these thoughts were passing through his mind, a shuffling noise 
 was heard without, and King James appeared at the doorway. 
 He paused there for a moment to place his plumed and jewelled 
 cap upon his head, and to speak a word with Sir John Finett, and 
 during this Richard had an opportunity of observing him. The 
 portraits were like, but the artists had flattered him, though not 
 much. There was great shrewdness of look, but there was also 
 a vacant expression, which seemed to contradict the idea of pro- 
 found wisdom generally ascribed to him. When in perfect repose, 
 which they were not for more than a minute, the features were 
 thoughtful, benevolent, and pleasing, and Richard began to think 
 him quite handsome, when another change was wrought by some 
 remark of Sir John Finett. As the Master of the Ceremonies 
 
432 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 told his tale, the King's fine dark eyes blazed with an unpleasant 
 light, and he laughed so loudly and indecorously at the close of 
 the narrative, with his great tongue hanging out of his mouth, and 
 tears running down his cheeks, that the young man was quite 
 sickened. The King's face was thin and long, the cheeks shaven, 
 but the lips clothed with mustaches, and a scanty beard covered 
 his chin. The hair was brushed away from the face, and the cap 
 placed at the back of the head, so as to exhibit a high bald fore- 
 head, of which he was prodigiously vain. James was fully equip- 
 ped for the chase, and wore a green silk doublet, quilted, as all his 
 garments were, so as to be dagger-proof, enormous trunk-hose, 
 likewise thickly stuffed, and buff boots, fitting closely to the leg, 
 and turned slightly over at the knee, with the edges fringed with 
 gold. This was almost the only appearance of finery about the 
 dress, except a row of gold buttons down the jerkin. Attached 
 to his girdle he wore a large pouch, with the mouth drawn together 
 by silken cords, and a small silver bugle was suspended from his 
 neck by a baldric of green silk. Stiffly-starched bands, edged with 
 lace, and slightly turned down on either side of the face, completed 
 his attire. There was nothing majestic, but the very reverse, in 
 the King's deportment, and he seemed only kept upright by the 
 exceeding stiffness of his cumbersome clothes. With the appear- 
 ance of being corpulent, he was not so in reality, and his weak legs 
 and bent knees were scarcely able to support his frame. He 
 always used a stick, and generally sought the additional aid of a 
 favourite's arm. 
 
 In this instance the person selected was Sir Gilbert Hoghton, 
 the eldest son of Sir Richard, and subsequent owner of Hoghton 
 Tower. Indebted for the high court favour he enjoyed partly to 
 his graceful person and accomplishments, and partly to his mar- 
 riage, having espoused a daughter of Sir John Aston of Cranford, 
 who, as sister of the Duchess of Buckingham, and a descendant 
 of the blood royal of the Stuarts, was a great help to his rapid 
 rise, the handsome young knight was skilled in all manly 
 exercises, and cited as a model of grace in the dance. Constant 
 in attendance upon the court, he frequently took part in the 
 masques performed before it. Like the King, he was fully 
 equipped for hunting ; but greater contrast could not have been 
 found than between his tall fine form and the King's ungainly 
 figure. Sir Gilbert had remained behind with the rest of the 
 courtiers in the chapel ; but, calling him, James seized his arm, 
 and set forward at his usual shambling pace. As he went on, 
 nodding his head in return to the profound salutations of the 
 assemblage, his eye rolled round them until it alighted on 
 Richard Assheton, and, nudging Sir Gilbert, he asked 
 " Wha's that ? a bonnie lad, but waesome pale." 
 Sir Gilbert, however, was unable to answer the inquiry ; but 
 Nicholas, who stood beside the young man, was determined not 
 
HOGHTON TOWER. 433 
 
 to lose the opportunity of introducing him, and accordingly 
 moved a step forward, and made a profound obeisance. 
 
 "This youth, may it please your Majesty," he said, "is my 
 cousin, Richard Assheton, son and heir of Sir Richard Assheton 
 of 'Middleton, one of your Majesty's most loyal and devoted 
 servants, and who, I trust, will have the honour of being pre- 
 sented to you in the course of the day." 
 
 " We trust so, too, Maister Nicholas Assheton for that, if we 
 dinna forget, is your ain name," replied James ; " and if the sire 
 resembles the son, whilk is not always the case, as our gude 
 freend, Sir Gilbert, is evidence, being as unlike his worthy father 
 as a man weel can be ; if, as we say, Sir Richard resemjbles this 
 callant, he must be a weel-faur'd gentleman. But, God's santie, 
 lad ! how cam you in sic sad and sombre abulyiements ? Hae ye 
 nae braw claes to put on to grace our coming? Black isna 
 the fashion at our court, as Sir Gilbert will tell ye, and, though a 
 suit o' sables may become you, it's no pleasing in our sight. 
 Let us see you in gayer apparel at dinner." 
 
 Richard, who was considerably embarrassed by the royal 
 address, merely bowed, and Nicholas again took upon himself to 
 answer for him. 
 
 " Your Majesty will be pleased to pardon him," he said; "but 
 he is unaccustomed to court fashions, having passed all his time 
 in a wild and uncivilized district, where, except on rare and 
 happy occasions like the present, the refined graces of life seldom 
 reach us." 
 
 " Weel, we wouldna be hard upon him," said the King, good- 
 naturedly ; " and mayhap the family has sustained some recent 
 loss, and he is in mourning." 
 
 " I cannot offer that excuse for him, sire," replied Nicholas, 
 who began to flatter himself he was making considerable progress 
 in the monarch's good graces. " It is simply an affair of the 
 heart." 
 
 " Puir chiel ! we pity him," cried the King. " And sae it is a 
 hopeless suit, young sir ? " he added to Richard. " Canna we 
 throw in a good word for ye 1 Do we ken the lassie, and is she 
 to be here to-day ? " 
 
 " I am quite at a loss how to answer your Majesty's questions," 
 replied Richard, " and my cousin Nicholas has very unfairly 
 betrayed my secret." 
 
 u Hoot, toot ! na, lad," exclaimed James ; " it wasna he wha 
 betrayed your secret, but our ain discernment that revealed it to 
 us, We kenned your ailment at a glance. Few things are 
 hidden from the King's eye, and we could tell ye mair aboot 
 yoursel', and the lassie you're deeing for, if we cared to speak it ; 
 but just now we have other fish to fry, and must awa' and break 
 our fast, of the which, if truth maun be spoken, we stand greatly 
 in need ; for creature comforts maun be aye looked to as weel as 
 
 2p 
 
434 THE LANCASHIKE WITCHES. 
 
 spiritual wants, though the latter should be ever cared for first, 
 as is our am rule ; and in so doing we offer an example to our 
 subjects, which they will do weel to follow. Later in the day, 
 we will talk further to you on the subject ; but, meanwhile, gie 
 us the name of your lassie loo." 
 
 " Oh ! spare me, your Majesty," cried Richard. 
 
 " Her name is Alizon Nutter," interposed Nicholas. 
 
 " What ! a daughter of Alice Nutter of Rough Lee ? " ex- 
 claimed James. 
 
 " The same, sire," replied Nicholas, much surprised at the 
 extent of information manifested by the King. 
 
 " Why, saul o' my body ! man, she's a witch a witch ! d'ye 
 ken that 1 " cried the King, with a look of abhorrence ; " a mis- 
 chievous and malignant vermin, with which this pairt of our 
 realm is sair plagued, but which, with God's help, we will 
 thoroughly extirpate. Sae the lass is a daughter of Alice Nut- 
 ter, ha ! That accounts for your grewsome looks, lad. Odd's 
 life ! I see it all now. I understand what is the matter with you. 
 Look at him, Sir Gilbert look at him, I say ! Does naething 
 strike you as strange about him ? " 
 
 " Nothing more than that he is naturally embarrassed by your 
 Majesty's mode of speech," replied the knight. 
 
 " You lack the penetration of the King, Sir Gilbert," cried 
 James. " I will tell you what ails him. He is bewitchit fore- 
 spoken." 
 
 Exclamations were uttered by all the bystanders, and every 
 eye was fixed on Richard, who felt ready to sink to the ground. 
 
 " I affirm he is bewitchit," continued the King ; " and wha sae 
 likely to do it as the glamouring hizzie that has ensnared him ? 
 She has ill bluid in her veins, and can chant deevil's cantrips as 
 weel as the inither, or ony gyre-carline o' them a'." 
 
 " You are mistaken, sire/' cried Richard, earnestly. " Alizon 
 will be here to-day with my father and sister, and, if you deign to 
 receive her, I am sure you will judge her differently." 
 
 " We shall perpend the point of receiving her," replied the 
 King, gravely. " But we are rarely mista'en, young man, and 
 seldom change our opinion except upon gude grounds, and those 
 you arena like to offer us. Belike ye hae been lang ill ? " 
 
 " Oh ! no, your Majesty, I was suddenly seized, about a month 
 ago," replied Richard. 
 
 " Suddenly seized eh ! " exclaimed James, winking cunningly 
 at those near him ; " and ye swarfit awa' wi' the pain ? I guessed 
 it. And whaur was Alizon the while ? " 
 
 " At that time she was a guest at Middleton," replied Richard; 
 " but it is impossible my illness can in any way be attributed to 
 her. I will answer with my life for her perfect innocence." 
 
 " You may have to answer wi' your life for your misplaced 
 faith in her," said the King ; " but I tell you naething naething 
 
THE ROYAL DECLARATION. 435 
 
 wicked, at all events is impossible to witches, and the haill case, 
 even by your own showing is very suspicious. I have heard some- 
 what of the story of Alice Nutter, but not the haill truth but there 
 are folk here wha can enlighten us mair fully. Thus much I do 
 ken that she is a notorious witch, and a fugitive from justice ; 
 though aiblins you, Maister Nicholas Assheton, could give an 
 inkling of her hiding-place if you were so disposed. Nay, never 
 look doited, man," he added, laughing. " I bring nae charges 
 against you. Ye arena on your trial noo. But this is a serious 
 matter, and maun be seriously considered before we dismiss it. 
 You say Alizon will be here to-day. Sae far weel. Canna you 
 contrive to produce the mother, too, Maister Nicholas ? " 
 
 " Sire ! " exclaimed Nicholas. 
 
 " Nay, then, we maun gang our ain way to wark," continued 
 James. " We are tauld ye hae a petition to offer us, and our will 
 and pleasure is that you present it afore we go forth to the chase, 
 and after we have partaken of our matutinal refection, whilk we 
 will nae langer delay ; for, sooth to say, we are weel nigh famished. 
 Look ye, sirs. Neither of you is to quit Hoghton Tower without 
 our permission had and obtained. We do not place you under arrest, 
 neither do we inhibit you from the chase, or from any other sports; 
 but you are to remain here at our sovereign pleasure. Have we 
 your word that you will not attempt to disobey the injunction ? 
 
 " You have mine, undoubtedly, sire," replied Richard. 
 
 " And mine, too," added Nicholas. ts And I hope to justify 
 myself before your Majesty." 
 
 " We shall be weel pleased to hear ye do it, man," rejoined the 
 King, laughing, and shuffling on. " But we hae our doubts we 
 hae our doubts I" 
 
 "His Majesty talks of going to breakfast, and says he ia 
 famished," observed Nicholas to Sherborne, as the King departed; 
 " but he has completely taken away my appetite." 
 
 " No wonder," replied the other. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. THE ROYAL DECLARATION CONCERN- 
 ING LAWFUL SPORTS ON THE SUNDAY. 
 
 NOT many paces after the King marched the Duke of 
 Buckingham, then in the zenith of his power, and in the full 
 perfection of his unequalled beauty, eclipsing all the rest of the 
 nobles in splendour of apparel, as he did in stateliness of deport- 
 ment. Haughtily returning the salutations made him, which 
 were scarcely less reverential than those addressed to the 
 monarch himself, the prime favourite moved on, all eyes following 
 his majestic figure to the door. Buckingham walked alone, as if 
 
436 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 he had been a prince of the blood ; but after him came a throng 
 of nobles, consisting of the Earl of Pembroke, high chamberlain ; 
 the Duke of Richmond, master of the household ; the Earl of 
 Nottingham, lord high admiral : Viscount Brackley, Lord 
 Howard of Effingham, Lord Zouche, president of Wales ; with 
 the Lords Knollys, Mordaunt, Compton, and Grey of Groby. 
 One or two of the noblemen seemed inclined to question Richard 
 as to what had passed between him and the King ; but the young 
 man's reserved and somewhat stern manner deterred them. 
 Next came the three judges, Doddridge, Crooke, and Hoghton, 
 whose countenances wore an enforced gravity ; for if any faith 
 could be placed in rubicund cheeks and portly persons, they were 
 not indisposed to self-indulgence and conviviality. After the 
 judges came the Bishop of Chester, the King's chaplain, who had 
 officiated on the present occasion, and who was in his full 
 pontifical robes. He was accompanied by the lord of the mansion, 
 Sir Richard Hoghton, a hale handsome man between fifty and 
 sixty, with silvery hair and beard, a robust but commanding 
 person, a fresh complexion, and features, by no means warranting, 
 from any marked dissimilarity to those of his son, the King's 
 scandalous jest. 
 
 A crowd of baronets and knights succeeded, including Sir 
 Arthur Capel, Sir Thomas Brudenell, Sir Edward Montague, Sir 
 Edmund Trafford, sheriff of the county, Sir Edward Mosley, and 
 Sir Ralph Assheton. The latter looked grave and anxious, and, 
 as he passed his relatives, said in a low tone to Richard 
 
 " I am told Alizon is to be here to-day. Is it so ? " 
 
 " She is," replied the young man ; " but why do you ask ? Is 
 she in danger ? If so, let her be warned against coming." 
 
 te On no account," replied Sir Ralph ; (t that would only in- 
 crease the suspicion already attaching to her. No ; she must 
 face the danger, and I hope will be able to avert it." 
 
 " But what is the danger ? " asked Richard. te In Heaven's 
 name, speak more plainly." 
 
 " I cannot do so now," replied Sir Ralph. " "We will take 
 counsel together anon. Her enemies are at work ; and, if you 
 tarry here a few minutes longer, you will understand whom I 
 mean." 
 
 And he passed on. 
 
 A large crowd now poured indiscriminately out of the chapel, 
 and amongst it Nicholas perceived many of his friends and neigh- 
 bours, Mr. Townley of Townley Park, Mr. Parker of Browsholme, 
 Mr. Shuttleworth of Gawthorpe, Sir Thomas Metcalfe, and 
 Roger Nowell. With the latter was Master Potts, and Richard 
 was then at no loss to understand against whom Sir Ralph had 
 warned him. A fierce light blazed in Roger Nowell's keen eyes 
 as he first remarked the two Asshetons, and a smile of gratified 
 vengeance played about his lips; but he quelled the fire in a 
 
THE ROYAL DECLARATION. 437 
 
 moment, and, compressing his hard mouth more closely, bowed 
 coldly and ceremoniously to them. Metcalfe did the same. Not 
 so Master Potts. Halting for a moment, he said, with a spiteful 
 look, " Look to yourself, Master Nicholas ; and you too, Master 
 Richard. A day of reckoning is coming for both of you." 
 
 And with this he sprang nimbly after his client. 
 
 " What means the fellow ?" cried Nicholas. " But that we are 
 here, as it were, in the precincts of a palace, I would after him and 
 cudgel him soundly for his insolence," 
 
 " And wha's that ye'd be after dinging, man ? " cried a sharp 
 voice behind him. " No that puir feckless body that has jist 
 skippit aff. If sae, ye'll tak the wrang soo by the lugg, and I 
 counsel you to let him bide, for he's high i' favour wi' the King." 
 
 Turning at this address, Nicholas recognised the king's jester, 
 Archie Armstrong, a merry little knave, with light blue eyes, long 
 yellow hair hanging about his ears, and a sandy beard. There 
 was a great deal of mother wit about Archie, and quite as much 
 shrewdness as folly. He wore no distinctive dress as jester 
 the bauble and coxcomb having been long discontinued but 
 was simply clad in the royal livery. 
 
 " And so Master Potts is in favour with his Majesty, eh, 
 Archie?" asked the squire, hoping to obtain some information 
 from him. 
 
 " And sae war you the day efore yesterday, Avhen you hunted 
 at Myerscough," replied the jester. 
 
 " But how have I forfeited the King's good opinion ? " asked 
 Nicholas. " Come, you are a good fellow, Archie, and will tell 
 me." 
 
 " Dinna think to fleech me, man," replied the jester, cunningly. 
 " I ken what I ken, and that's mair than you'll get frae me wi' 
 a' your speering. The King's secrets are safe wi' Archie and 
 for a good reason, that he is never tauld them. You're a 
 gude huntsman, and sae is his Majesty ; but there's ae kind o* 
 game he likes better than anither, and that's to be found maistly 
 i' these pairts I mean witches, and sic like fearfu' carlines. We 
 maun hae the country rid o' them, and that's what his Majesty 
 intends, and if you're a wise man you'll lend him a helping hand. 
 But I maun in to disjune." 
 
 And with this the jester capered off, leaving Nicholas like one 
 stupefied. He was roused, however, by a smart slap on the 
 shoulder from Sir John Finett. 
 
 " What ! pondering over the masque, Master Nicholas, or 
 thinking of the petition you have to present to his Majesty ? " 
 cried the master of the ceremonies, " Let neither trouble you. 
 The one will be well played, I doubt not, and the other well 
 received, I am sure, for I know the king's sentiments on the 
 subject. But touching the dame, Master Nicholas have you 
 found one willing and able to take part in the masque ? " 
 
438 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 ( ' I have found several willing, Sir John," replied Nicholas ; 
 (i but as to their ability that is another question. Howeyer, one 
 of them may do as a make-shift. They are all in the base court, 
 and shall wait on you when you please, and then you can make 
 your election." 
 
 " So far well," replied Finett ; " it may be that we shall have 
 Ben Jonson here to-day rare Ben, the prince of poets and 
 masque-writers. Sir Richard Hoghton expects him. Ben is 
 preparing a masque for Christmas, to be called e The Vision of 
 Delight,' in which his highness the prince is to be a principal 
 actor, and some verses which have been recited to me are 
 amongst the daintiest ever indited by the bard." 
 
 " It will be a singular pleasure to me to see him," said Nicholas ; 
 " for I hold Ben Jonson in the highest esteem as a poet ay, 
 above them all, unless it be Will Shakspeare." 
 
 " Ay, you do well to except Shakspeare," rejoined Sir John 
 Finett. " Great as Ben Jonson is, and for wit and learning no 
 man surpasses him, he is not to be compared with Shakspeare, 
 who for profound knowledge of nature, and of all the highest 
 qualities of dramatic art, is unapproachable. But ours is a 
 learned court, Master Nicholas, and therefore we have a learned 
 poet; but a right good fellow is Ben Jonson, and a boon 
 companion, though somewhat prone to sarcasm, as you will find 
 if you drink with him. Over his cups he will rail at courts and 
 courtiers in good set terms, I promise you, and I myself have 
 come in for his gibes. However, I love him none the less for his 
 quips, for I know it is his humour to utter them, and so overlook 
 what in another and less deserving person I should assuredly 
 resent. But is not that young man, who is now going forth, your 
 cousin, Richard Assheton ? I thought so. The King has had a 
 strange tale whispered in his ear, that the youth has been be- 
 witched by a maiden Alizon Nutter, I think she is named of 
 whom he is enamoured. I know not what truth may be in the 
 charge, but the youth himself seems to warrant it, for he looks 
 ghastly ill. A letter was sent to his Majesty at Myerscough, 
 communicating this and certain other particulars with which I am 
 not acquainted ; but I know they relate to some professors of the 
 black art in your country, the soil of which seems favourable to 
 the growth of such noxious weeds, and at first he was much 
 disturbed by it, but in the end decided that both parties should 
 be brought hither without being made aware of his design, that 
 he might see and judge for himself in the matter. Accordingly 
 a messenger was sent over to Middleton Hall as from Sir Richard 
 Hoghton, inviting the whole family to the Tower, and giving Sir 
 Richard Assheton to understand it was the King's pleasure he 
 should bring with him a certain young damsel, named Alizon 
 Nutter, of whom mention had been made to him. Sir Richard 
 had no choice but to obey, and promised compliance with hia 
 
THE ROYAL DECLARATION. 439 
 
 Majesty's injunctions. An officer, however, was left on the 
 watch, and this very morning reported to his Majesty that young 
 Richard Assheton had already set out with the intention of going 
 to Preston, but had passed the night at Walton-le-Dale, and that 
 Sir Richard, his daughter Dorothy, and Alizon Nutter, would be 
 here before noon." 
 
 " His Majesty has laid his plans carefully," replied Nicholas, 
 " and I can easily conjecture from whom he received the informa- 
 tion, which is as false as it is malicious. But are you aware, Sir 
 John, upon what evidence the charge is supported for mere 
 suspicion is not enough 1" 
 
 " In cases of witchcraft suspicion is enough," replied the 
 knight, gravely. " Slender proofs are required. The girl is the 
 daughter of a notorious witch that is against her. The young 
 man is ailing that is against her, too. But a witness, I believe, 
 will be produced, though who I cannot say." 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! what wickedness there must be in the 
 world when such a charge can be brought against one so good 
 and so unoffending," cried Nicholas. "A maiden more devout 
 than Alizon never existed, nor one holding the crime she is 
 charged with in greater abhorrence. She injure Richard ! she 
 would lay down her life for him and would have been his wife, 
 but for scruples the most delicate and disinterested on her part. 
 But we will establish her innocence before his Majesty, and con* 
 found her enemies." 
 
 " It is with that hope that I have given you this information^ 
 sir, of which I am sure you will make no improper use," replied 
 Sir John. " I have heard a similar character to that you have 
 given of Alizon, and am unwilling she should fall a victim to art 
 or malice. Be upon your guard, too, Master Nicholas ; for other 
 investigations will take place at the same time, and some matters 
 may come forth in which you are concerned. The King's arms 
 are long, and reach and strike far and his eyes see clearly when 
 not hoodwinked or when other people see for him. And now, 
 good sir, you must want breakfast. Here Faryngton," he 
 added to an attendant, " show Master Nicholas Assheton to his 
 lodging in the base court, and attend upon him as if he were 
 your master. I will come for you, sir, when it is time to present 
 the petition to the King." 
 
 So saying, he bowed and walked forth, turning into the upper 
 quadrangle, while Nicholas followed Faryngton into the lower 
 court, where he found his friends waiting for him. 
 
 Speedily ascertaining where their lodgings were situated, 
 Faryngton led them to a building on the left, almost opposite to 
 the great bonfire, and, ascending a flight of steps, ushered them 
 into a commodious and well-furnished room, looking into the 
 court. This done, he disappeared, but soon afterwards returned 
 \vith two yeomen of the kitchen, one carrying a tray of provisions 
 
440 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 upon his head, and the other sustaining a basket of wine under 
 his arm, and a snowy napkin being laid upon the table, trenchers, 
 viands, and flasks were soon arranged in very tempting order 
 so tempting, indeed, that the squire, notwithstanding his 
 assertion, that his appetite had been taken away, fell to work 
 with his customary vigour, and plied a flask of excellent 
 Bordeaux so incessantly, that another had to be placed before 
 him. Sherborne did equal justice to the good cheer, and Richard 
 not only forced himself to eat, but to the squire's great surprise 
 swallowed more than one deep draught of wine. Having thus 
 administered to the wants of the guests, and seeing his presence 
 was no longer either necessary or desired, Faryngton vanished, 
 first promising to go and see that all was got ready for them in 
 the sleeping apartments. Notwithstanding the man's civility, 
 there was an over-officiousness about him that made Nicholas 
 suspect he was placed over them by Sir John Finett to watch 
 their movements, and he resolved to be upon his guard. 
 
 " I am glad to see you drink, lad," he observed to Richard, as 
 soon as they were alone ; " a cup of wine will do you good." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " replied Richard, filling his goblet anew. 
 " I want to get back my spirits and strength to sustain myself 
 no matter how to look well ha ! ha ! If I can only make this 
 frail machine carry me stoutly through the King's visit, I care 
 not how soon it falls to pieces afterwards." 
 
 u I see your motive, Dick," replied Nicholas. " You hope to 
 turn away suspicion from Alizon by this device ; but you must 
 not go to excess, or you will defeat your scheme." 
 
 " I will do something to convince the King he is mistaken in 
 me that I am not bewitched," cried Richard, rising and striding 
 across the room. " Bewitched ! and by Alizon, too ! I could 
 laugh at the charge, but that it is too horrible. Had any other 
 than the King breathed it, I would have slain him." 
 
 " His Majesty has been abused by the malice of that knavish 
 attorney, Potts, who has always manifested the greatest hostility 
 towards Alizon," said Nicholas ; " but he will not prevail, for she 
 has only to show herself to dispel all prejudice." 
 
 " You are right, Nicholas," cried Richard; " and yet the 
 King seems already to have prejudged her, and his obstinacy may 
 lead to her destruction." 
 
 "Speak not so loudly, Dick, in Heaven's name!" said the 
 squire, in alarm ; u these walls may have ears, and echoes may 
 repeat every word you utter." 
 
 " Then let them tell the King that Alizon is innocent," cried 
 Richard, stopping, and replenishing his goblet, " Here's to her 
 health, and confusion to her enemies ! " 
 
 " I'll drink that toast with pleasure, Dick," replied the squire ; 
 " but I must forbid you more wine. You are not used to it, and 
 the fumes will mount to your brain." 
 
THE ROYAL DECLARATION. 441 
 
 " Come and sit down beside us, that we may talk," said 
 Sherborne. 
 
 Richard obeyed, and, leaning over the table, asked in a low 
 deep tone, " Where is Mistress Nutter, Nicholas ? " 
 
 The squire looked towards the door before he answered, and 
 then said 
 
 e( I will tell you. After the destruction of Malkin Tower 
 and the band of robbers, she was taken to a solitary hut near 
 Barley Booth, at the foot of Pendle Hill, and the next day was 
 conveyed across Bowland Forest to Poulton in the Fyld, on the 
 borders of Morecambe Bay, with the intention of getting her on 
 board some vessel bound for the Isle of Man. Arrangements 
 were made for this purpose ; but when the time came, she refused 
 to go, and was brought secretly back to the hut near Barley, 
 where she has been ever since, though her place of concealment 
 was hidden even from you and her daughter." 
 
 " The captain of the robbers, Fogg or Demdike, escaped did 
 he not?" said Richard. 
 
 " Ay, in the confusion occasioned by the blowing up of the 
 Tower he managed to get away," replied Nicholas, ." and we 
 were unable to follow him, as our attentions had to be bestowed 
 upon Mistress Nutter. This was the more unlucky, as through 
 his instrumentality Jem and his mother Elizabeth were liberated 
 from the dungeon in which they were placed in Whalley Abbey, 
 prior to their removal to Lancaster Castle, and none of them 
 have been heard of since." 
 
 a And I hope will never be heard of again," cried Richard. 
 " But is Mistress Nutter's retreat secure, think you ? May it 
 not be discovered by some of Nowell's emissaries 1 " 
 
 " I trust not," replied Nicholas; " but her voluntary surrender 
 is more to be apprehended, for when I last saw her, on the night 
 before starting for Myerscough, she told me she was determined 
 to give herself up for trial ; and her motives could scarce be com- 
 bated, for she declares that, unless she submits herself to the 
 justice of man, and expiates her offences, she cannot be saved. 
 She now seems as resolute in good as she was heretofore resolute 
 in evil." 
 
 " If she perishes thus, her self-sacrifice, for thus it becomes, 
 will be Alizon's death-blow," cried Richard. 
 
 (t So I told her," replied Nicholas " but she continued inflex- 
 ible. ' I am born to be the cause of misery to others, and most 
 to those I love most,' she said; 'but I cannot fly from justice. 
 There is no escape for me.' " 
 
 " She is right," cried Richard ; "there is no escape but the grave, 
 whither we are all three hurrying. A terrible fatality attaches 
 to us." 
 
 "Nay, say not so, Dick," rejoined Nicholas; " you are young, 
 
442 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and, though this shock may be severe, yet when it is passed, you 
 will be recompensed, I hope, by many years of happiness." 
 
 " I am not to be deceived," said Richard. " Look me in the 
 face, and say honestly if you think me long-lived. You cannot 
 do it. I have been smitten by a mortal illness, and am wasting 
 gradually away. I am dying I feel it know it ; but though it 
 may abridge my brief term of life, I will purchase present health 
 and spirits at any cost, and save Alizon. Ah ! " he exclaimed, 
 putting his hand to his heart, with a fearful expression of anguish. 
 " What is the matter ?" cried the two gentlemen, greatly alarm- 
 ed, and springing towards him. 
 
 But the young man could not reply. Another and another 
 agonising spasm shook his frame, and cold damps broke out upon 
 his pallid brow, showing the intensity of his suffering. Nicholas 
 and Sherborne regarded each other anxiously, as if doubtful how 
 to act. 
 
 et Shall I summon assistance 1 " said the latter in a low tone. 
 But, softly as the words were uttered, they reached the ears of 
 Richard. Rousing himself by a great effort, he said 
 
 " On no account -the fit is over. I am glad it has seized me 
 
 now, for I shall not be liable to a recurrence of it throughout the 
 
 day. Lead me to the window. The air will presently revive me." 
 
 His friends complied with the request, and placed him at the 
 
 open casement. 
 
 Great bustle was observable below, and the cause was soon 
 manifest, as the chief huntsman, clad in green, with buff boots 
 drawn high up on the thigh, a horn about his neck, and mounted 
 on a strong black curtal, rode forth from the stables. He was at- 
 tended by a noble bloodhound, and on gaining the middle of the 
 court, put his bugle to his lips, and blew a loud blithe call that 
 made the waUs ring again. The summons was immediately an- 
 swered by a number of grooms and pages, leading a multitude of 
 richly-caparisoned horses towards the upper end of the court, 
 where a gallant troop of dames, nobles, and gentlemen, all attired 
 for the chase, awaited them ; and where, amidst much mirth, and 
 bandying of lively jest and compliment, a general mounting took 
 place, the ladies, of course, being placed first on their steeds. While 
 this was going forward, the hounds were brought from the kennel 
 in couples relays having been sent down into the park more than 
 an hour before and the yard resounded with their joyous baying, 
 and the neighing of the impatient steeds. By this time, also, 
 the chief huntsman had collected his forces, consisting of a dozen 
 prickers, six habited like himself in green, and six in russet, and 
 all mounted on stout curtals. Those in green were intended to 
 hunt the hart, and those in russet the wild-boar, the former being 
 provided with hunting-poles, and the latter with spears. Their 
 girdles were well lined with beef and pudding, and each of them, 
 
THE ROYAL DECLARATION. 443 
 
 acting upon the advice of worthy Master George Turbervile, had 
 a stone bottle of good wine at the pummel of his saddle. Besides 
 these, there were a whole host of varlets of the chase on foot. The 
 chief falconer, with a long-winged hawk in her hood and jesses 
 upon his wrist, was stationed somewhat near the gateway, and 
 close to him were his attendants, each having on his fist a falcon 
 
 f^ntle, a Barbary falcon, a merlin, a goshawk, or a sparrowhawk. 
 hus all was in readiness, and hound, hawk, and man seemed 
 equally impatient for the sport. 
 
 At this juncture, the door was thrown open by Faryngton, who 
 announced Sir John Finett. 
 
 te It is time, Master Nicholas Assheton," said the master of the 
 ceremonies. 
 
 " I am ready to attend you, Sir John," replied Nicholas, taking 
 a parchment from his doublet, and unfolding it, " the petition is 
 well signed." 
 
 " So I see, sir," replied the knight, glancing at it. " Will not 
 your friends come with you 1 " 
 
 i Most assuredly," replied Kichard, who hadrisen on the knight's 
 appearance. And he followed the others down the staircase. 
 
 By direction of the master of the ceremonies, nearly a hundred 
 of the more important gentlemen of the county had been got 
 together, and this train was subsequently swelled to thrice the 
 amount, from the accessions it received from persons of inferior 
 rank when its object became known. At the head of this large 
 assemblage Nicholas was now placed, and, accompanied by Sir John 
 Finett, who gave the word to the procession to follow them, he 
 moved slowly up the court. Passing through the brilliant crowd 
 of equestrians, the procession halted at a short distance from the 
 doorway of the great hall, and James, who had been waiting for 
 its approach within, now came forth, amid the cheers and plaudits 
 of the spectators. 
 
 Sir John Finett then led Nicholas forward, and the latter, drop- 
 ping on one knee, said 
 
 u May it please your Majesty, I hold in my hand a petition, 
 signed as, if you will deign to cast your eyes over it, you will per- 
 ceive, by many hundreds of the lower orders of your loving subjects 
 in this your county of Lancaster, representing that they are de- 
 barred from lawful recreations upon Sunday after afternoon service, 
 and upon holidays, and praying that the restrictions imposed in 
 1579, by the Earls of Derby and Huntingdon, and by William, 
 Bishop of Chester, commissioners to her late Highness, Elizabeth, 
 of glorious memory, your Majesty's predecessor, may be with- 
 drawn." 
 
 And with this he placed in the King's hands the petition, which 
 was very graciously received. 
 
 " The complaint of our loving subjects in Lancashire shall not 
 pass unnoticed, sir," said James. u Sorry are we to say it, but 
 
444 THE LANCASHIKE WITCHES. 
 
 this county of ours is sair infested wi' folk inclining to Puritanism 
 and Papistry, baith of which sects are adverse to the cause of true 
 religion. Honest mirth is not only tolerable but praiseworthy, 
 and the prohibition of it is likely to breed discontent, and this our 
 enemies ken fu' weel ; for when," he continued, loudly and em- 
 phatically " when shall the common people have leave to exercise 
 if not upon Sundays and holidays, seeing they must labour and 
 win their living on all other days 1 " 
 
 "Your Majesty speaks like King Solomon himself," observed 
 Nicholas, amid the loud cheering. 
 
 (i Our will and pleasure then is," pursued James, "that our good 
 people be not deprived of any lawful recreation that shall not tend 
 to a breach of the laws, or a violation of the Kirk; but that, after 
 the end of divine service, they shall not be disturbed, letted, or 
 discouraged from any lawful recreation as dancing and sic like, 
 either of men or women, archery, leaping, vaulting, or ony ither 
 harmless recreation ; nor frae the having of May-games, Whitsun 
 ales, or morris dancing ; nor frae setting up of May-poles, and 
 ither sports, therewith used, provided the same be had in due and 
 convenient time, without impediment or neglect of divine service. 
 And our will further is, that women shall have leave to carry rushes 
 to the church, for the decoring of it, according to auld custom. 
 But we prohibit all unlawful games on Sundays, as bear-baiting 
 and bull-baiting, interludes, and, by the common folk mark ye 
 that, sir playing at bowls."* 
 
 The royal declaration was received with loud and reiterated 
 cheers, amidst which James mounted his steed, a large black docile- 
 looking charger, anji rode out of the court, followed by the whole 
 cavalcade. 
 
 Trumpets were sounded from the battlements as he passed 
 through the gateway, and shouting crowds attended him all the 
 way down the hill, until he entered the avenue leading to the park. 
 
 At the conclusion of the royal address, the procession headed 
 by Nicholas immediately dispersed, and such as meant to join the 
 chase set off in quest of steeds. Foremost amongst these was the 
 squire himself, and on approaching the stables, he was glad to find 
 Ilichard and Sherborne already mounted, the former holding his 
 horse by the bridle, so that he had nothing to do but vault upon 
 his back. There was an impatience about Richard, very different 
 from his ordinary manner, that surprised and startled him, and 
 
 * This speech is in substance the monarch's actual Declaration concerning Law- 
 ful Sports, promulgated in 1618, in a little Tractate, generally known as the " Book 
 of Sports ; " by which he would have conferred a great boon on the lower orders, if 
 his kindly purpose had not been misapprehended by some, and ultimately defeated 
 by bigots and fanatics. King James deserves to be remembered with gratitude, if 
 only for this manifestation of sympathy with the enjoyments of the people. He had 
 himself discovered that the restrictions imposed upon them had "set up filthy tipplings 
 and drunkenness, and bred a number of idle and discontented speeches in the ale- 
 houses." 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 445 
 
 the expression of the young man's countenance long afterwards 
 haunted him. The face was deathly pale, except that on either 
 cheek burned a red feverish spot, and the eyes blazed with un- 
 natural light. So much was the squire struck by his cousin's 
 looks, that he would have dissuaded him from going forth ; but he 
 saw from his manner that the attempt would fail, while a signifi- 
 cant gesture from his brother-in-law told him he was equally 
 uneasy. 
 
 Scarcely had the principal nobles passed through the gateway, 
 than, in spite of all efforts to detain him, Richard struck spurs 
 into his horse, and dashed amidst the cavalcade, creating 
 great disorder, and rousing the ire of the Earl of Pembroke, 
 to whom the marshalling of the train was entrusted. But 
 Richard paid little heed to his wrath, and perhaps did not hear 
 the angry expressions addressed to him ; for no sooner was he 
 outside the gate, than instead of pursuing the road down which 
 the King was proceeding, and which has been described as hewn 
 out of the rock, he struck into a thicket on the right, and, in 
 defiance of all attempts to stop him, and at the imminent risk of 
 breaking his neck, rode down the precipitous sides of the hill, 
 and reaching the bottom in safety, long before the royal cavalcade 
 had attained the same point, took the direction of the park. 
 
 His friends watched him commence this perilous descent in 
 dismay ; but, though much alarmed, they were unable to follow 
 him. 
 
 "Poor lad! I am fearful he has lost his senses," said 
 Sherborne. 
 
 " He is what the King would call ' fey,' and not long for this 
 world," replied Nicholas, shaking his head. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII HOW KING JAMES HUNTED THE HART 
 AND THE WILD-BOAR IN HOGHTON PARK 
 
 GALLOPING on fast and furiously, Richard tracked a narrow 
 path of greensward, lying between the tall trees composing the 
 right line of the avenue and the adjoining wood. Within it grew 
 many fine old thorns, diverting him now and then from his course, 
 but he still held on until he came within a short distance of the 
 chase, when his attention was caught by a very singular figure. 
 It was an old man, clad in a robe of coarse brown serge, with a 
 cowl drawn partly over his head, a rope girdle like that used by 
 a cordelier, sandal shoon, and a venerable white beard descending 
 to his waist. The features of the hermit, for such he seemed, 
 were majestic and benevolent. Seated on a bank overgrown with 
 wild thyme, beneath the shade of a broad-armed elm, he appeared 
 BO intently engaged in the perusal of a large open volume laid on 
 
416 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 his knee, that he did not notice Richard's approach. Deeply 
 interested, however, by his appearance, the young man determined 
 to address him, and, reining in his horse, said respectfully, " Save 
 you, father ! " 
 
 "Pass on, my son," replied the old man, without raising hia 
 eyes, " and hinder not my studies." 
 
 But Richard would not be thus dismissed. 
 " Perchance you are not aware, father," he said, " that the 
 King is about to hunt within the park this morning. The royal 
 cavalcade has already left Hoghton Tower, and will be here ere 
 many minutes." 
 
 " The king and his retinue will pass along the broad avenue, as 
 you should have done, and not through this retired road," replied 
 the hermit. (t They will not disturb me." 
 
 e6 1 would fain know the subject of your studies, father? " in- 
 quired Richard. 
 
 " You are inquisitive, young man," returned the hermit, looking 
 up and fixing a pair of keen grey eyes upon him. But I will 
 satisfy your curiosity, if by so doing I shall rid me of your 
 presence. I am reading the Book of Fate." 
 
 Richard uttered an exclamation of astonishment. 
 " And in it your destiny is written," pursued the old man ; 
 "and a sad one it is. Consumed by a strange and incurable 
 disease, which may at any moment prove fatal, you are scarcely 
 likely to survive the next three days, in which case she you love 
 better than existence will perish miserably, being adjudged to 
 have destroyed you by witchcraft." 
 
 " It must indeed be the Book of Fate that tells you this," cried 
 Richard, springing from his horse, and approaching close to the 
 old man. " May I cast eyes upon it ? " 
 
 " No, my son," replied the old man, closing the volume. " You 
 would not comprehend the mystic characters but no eye, except 
 my own, must look upon them. What is written will be fulfilled. 
 Again, I bid you pass on. I must speedily return to my hermit 
 cell in the forest." 
 
 " May I attend you thither, father ? " asked Richard. 
 " To what purpose ? " rejoined the old man. " You have not 
 many hours of life. Go, then, and pass them in the fierce ex- 
 citement of the chase. Pull down the lordly stag slaughter the 
 savage boar; and, as you see the poor denizens of the forest 
 perish, think that your own end is not far off. Hark ! Do you 
 hear that boding cry ? " 
 
 6t It is the croak of a raven newly alighted in the tree above 
 us," replied Richard. " The sagacious bird will ever attend the 
 huntsman in the chase, in the hope of obtaining a morsel when 
 they break up deer." 
 
 16 Such is the custom of the bird I wot well," said the old man ; 
 " but it is not in joyous expectation of the raven' s-bone that he 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 44? 
 
 croaks now, but because his fell instinct informs him that the 
 living-dead is beneath him." 
 
 And, as if in answer to the remark, the raven croaked exult- 
 ingly ; and, rising from the tree, wheeled in a circle above them. 
 
 " Is there no way of averting my terrible destiny, father? " 
 cried Richard, despairingly. 
 
 " Ay, if you choose to adopt it," replied the old man. " When I 
 said your ailment was incurable, I meant by ordinary remedies, 
 but it will yield to such as I alone can employ. The malignant 
 and fatal influence under which you labour may be removed, and 
 then your instant restoration to health and vigour will follow." 
 
 " But how, father how ? " cried Richard, eagerly. 
 
 " You have simply to sign your name in this book," rejoined 
 the hermit, 6e and what you desire shall be done. Here is a pen," 
 he added, taking one from his girdle. 
 
 " But the ink ? " cried Richard. 
 
 " Prick your arm with your dagger, and dip the pen in the 
 blood," replied the old man. "That will suffice." 
 
 " And what follows if I sign ? " demanded Richard, staring at 
 him. 
 
 " Your instant cure. I will give you to drink of a wondrous 
 elixir." 
 
 " But to what do I bind myself? " asked Richard. 
 
 " To serve me," replied the hermit, smiling ; " but it is a light 
 service, and only involves your appearance in this wood once 
 a-year. Are you agreed ? " 
 
 " I know not," replied the young man distractedly. 
 
 (i You must make up your mind speedily," said the hermit ; 
 " for I hear the approach of the royal cavalcade." 
 
 And as he spoke, the mellow notes of a bugle, followed by the 
 baying of hounds, the jingling of bridles, and the trampling of a 
 large troop of horse, were heard at a short distance down the 
 avenue. 
 
 if Tell me who you are ?" cried Richard. 
 
 " I am the hermit of the wood," replied the old man. " Some 
 people call me Hobthurst, and some by other names, but you will 
 have no difficulty in finding me out. Look yonder !" he added, 
 pointing through the trees. 
 
 And, glancing in the direction indicated, Richard beheld a 
 small party on horseback advancing across the plain, consisting 
 of his father, his sister, and Alizon, with their attendants. 
 
 'Tis she! 'tis she!" he cried. 
 
 " Can you hesitate, when it is to save/^r?" demanded the old 
 man. 
 
 " Heaven help me, or I am lost !" fervently ejaculated Richard, 
 gazing on high while making the appeal. 
 
 When he looked down again the old man was gone, and he 
 saw only a large black snake gliding off among the bushes. 
 
448 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Muttering a few words of thankfulness for his deliverance, he 
 sprang upon his horse. 
 
 " It may be the arch-tempter is right," he cried, " and that 
 but few hours of life remain to me; but if so, they shall be em- 
 ployed in endeavours to vindicate Alizon, and defeat the snares 
 by which she is beset." 
 
 With this resolve, he struck spurs into his horse, and set off in 
 the direction of the little troop. Before, however, he could come 
 up to them, their progress was arrested by a pursuivant, who, 
 riding in advance of the royal cavalcade, motioned them to stay 
 till it had passed, and the same person also perceiving Richard's 
 purpose, called to him, authoritatively, to keep back. The young 
 man might have disregarded the injunction, but at the same 
 moment the King himself appeared at the head of the avenue, 
 and remarking Richard, who was not more than fifty yards off on 
 the right, instantly recognised him, and shouted out, " Come 
 hither, young man come hither!" 
 
 Thus, baffled in his design, Richard was forced to comply, and, 
 uncovering his head, rode slowly towards the monarch. As he 
 approached, James fixed on him a glance of sharpest scrutiny. 
 
 " Odds life ! ye hae been ganging a fine gait, young sir," he 
 cried. " Ye maun be demented to ride down a hill i' that fashion, 
 and as if your craig war of nae account. It's weel ye hae come aff 
 scaithless. Are ye tired o' life or was it the muckle deil himsel' 
 that drove ye on? Canna ye find an excuse, man ? Nay, then, 
 I'll gi'e ye ane. The loadstane will draw nails out of a door, and 
 there be lassies wi' een strang as loadstanes, that drag men to 
 their perdition. Stands the magnet yonder, eh?" he added, 
 glancing towards the little group before them. " Gude faith ! the 
 lass maun be a potent witch to exercise sic influence, and we wad 
 fain see the effect she has on you when near. Sir Richard 
 Hoghton," he called out to the knight, who rode a few paces 
 behind him, " we pray you present Sir Richard Assheton and 
 his daughter to us." 
 
 Had he dared so to do, Richard would have thrown himself at 
 the King's feet, but all he could venture upon was to say in a low 
 earnest tone, " Do not prejudge Alizon, sire. On my soul she is 
 innocent!" 
 
 " The King prejudges nae man," replied James, in a tone of 
 rebuke; " and like the wise prince of Israel, whom it is his wish 
 to resemble, he sees with his ain een, and hears with his ain ears, 
 afore he forms conclusions." 
 
 " That is all I can desire, sire," replied Richard. " Far be it 
 from me to doubt your majesty's discrimination or love of 
 justice." 
 
 " Ye shall hae proofs of baith, man, afore we hae done," said 
 James. " Ah ! here comes our host, an the twa lassies wi' him. 
 She wi' the lintwhite locks is your sister, we guess, and the ither 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 449 
 
 is Alizon and, by our troth, a weel-faur'd lass. But Satan is 
 aye delusive. We maun resist his snares." 
 
 The party now came on, and were formally presented to the 
 monarch by Sir Richard Hoghton. Sir Richard Assheton, a 
 middle-aged gentleman, with handsome features, though some- 
 what haughty in expression, and stately deportment, was very 
 graciously received, and James thought fit to pay a few 
 compliments to Dorothy, covertly regarding Alizon the while, 
 yet not neglecting Richard, being ready to intercept any signal 
 that should pass between them. None, however, was attempted, 
 for the young man felt he should only alarm and embarrass 
 Alizon by any attempt to caution her, and he therefore endea- 
 voured to assume an unconcerned aspect and demeanour. 
 
 " \Ve hae heard the beauty of the Lancashire lassies highly 
 commended," said the King ; " but, faith ! it passes expectation. 
 Twa lovelier damsels than these we never beheld. Baith are 
 rare specimens o' Nature's handiwark." 
 
 " Your Majesty is pleased to be complimentary," rejoined Sir 
 Richard Assheton. 
 
 " Na, Sir Richard," returned James. " We arena gien to 
 flichtering, though aften beflummed oursel'. Baith are bonnie 
 lassies, we repeat. An sae this is Alizon Nutter it wad 
 be Ailsie in our ain Scottish tongue, to which your Lan- 
 cashire vernacular closely approximates, Sir Richard. Aweel, 
 fair Alizon," he added, eyeing her narrowly, " ye hae lost your 
 mither, we understand ? " 
 
 The young girl was not discomposed by this question, but 
 answered in a firm, melancholy tone " Your Majesty, I fear, is 
 too well acquainted with my unfortunate mother's history." 
 
 " Aweel, we winna deny having heard somewhat to her disad- 
 vantage," replied the King " but your ain looks gang far to 
 contradict the reports, fair maid." 
 
 " Place no faith in them then, sire," replied Alizon, sadly. 
 
 u Eh ! what ! then you admit your mother's guilt ? " cried the 
 King, sharply. 
 
 " i neither admit it nor deny it, sire," she replied. " It must 
 be for your Majesty to judge her." 
 
 " Weel answered," muttered James, " but I mustna forget, 
 that the deil himsel' can quote Scripture to serve his purpose. But 
 you hold in abhorrence the crime laid to your mother's charge 
 eh ? " he added aloud. 
 
 " In utter abhorrence," replied Alizon. 
 
 " Gude vera gude," rejoined the King. " But, entertaining 
 this feeling, how comes it you screen so heinous an offender frae 
 justice ? Nae natural feeling should be allowed to weigh in sic 
 a case." 
 
 " Nor should it, sire, with me," replied Alizon <f because I 
 believe my poor mother's eternal welfare would be best consulted 
 
450 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 if she underwent temporal punishment. Neither is she herself 
 anxious to avoid it." 
 
 " Then' why does she keep out of the way why does she not 
 surrender herself?" cried the King. 
 
 " Because " and Alizon stopped. 
 
 u Because what ? " demanded James. 
 
 " Pardon me, sire, I must decline answering further questions 
 on the subject," replied Alizon. " Whatever concerns myself or 
 my mother alone, I will state freely, but I cannot compromise 
 others." 
 
 " Aha ! then there are others concerned in it ? " cried James. 
 " We thought as much. We will interrogate you further here- 
 after but a word mair. We trust ye are devout, and constant 
 in your religious exercises, damsel." 
 
 " I will answer for that, sire," interposed Sir Richard Assheton. 
 " Alizon's whole time is spent in prayer for her unfortunate 
 mother. If there be a fault it is that she goes too far, and injures 
 her health by her zeal." 
 
 " A gude fault that, Sir Richard," observed the King, 
 approvingly. 
 
 " It beseems me not to speak of myself, sire," said Alizon, 
 " and I am loth to do so but I beseech your majesty to believe, 
 that if my life might be offered as an atonement for my mother, 
 I would freely yield it." 
 
 " I' gude faith she staggers me in my opinion," muttered 
 James, " and I maun look into the matter mair closely. The 
 lass is far different frae what I imagined her. But the wiles o' 
 Satan arena to be comprehended, and he will put on the 
 semblance of righteousness when seeking to beguile the righteous. 
 Aweel, damsel," he added aloud, " ye speak feelingly and 
 properly, and as a daughter should speak, and we respect your 
 feelings provided they be sic as ye represent them. And now 
 dispose yourselves for the chase." 
 
 " I must pray your Majesty to dismiss me," said Alizon. " It 
 is a sight in which at any time I take small pleasure, and now it 
 is especially distasteful to me. With your permission, I will 
 proceed to Hoghton Tower." 
 
 " I also crave your Majesty's leave to go with her," said 
 Dorothy. 
 
 " I will attend them," interposed Richard. 
 
 "Na, you maun stay wi r us, young sir," cried the King. 
 " Your gude father will gang wi' 'em. Sir John Finett," he added, 
 calling to the master of the ceremonies, and speaking in his 
 ear, " see that they be followed, and that a special watch be kept 
 over Alizon, and also over this youth, d'ye mark me ? in fact, 
 ower a' the Assheton clan. And now," he cried in a loud voice, 
 " let them blaw the strake." 
 
 The chief huntsman having placed the bugle to his lips, and 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 451 
 
 blown a strike with two winds, a short consultation was held 
 between him and James, who loved to display his knowledge as a 
 woodsman ; and while this was going forward, Nicholas and Sher- 
 borne having come up, the squire dismounted, and committing 
 Kobin to his brother-in-law, approached the monarch. 
 
 " If I may be so bold as to put in a word, my liege," he said, 
 " I can show you where a hart of ten is assuredly harboured. I 
 viewed him as I rode through the park this morning, and cannot, 
 therefore, be mistaken. His head is high and well palmed, great 
 beamed and in good proportion, well burred and well pearled. 
 He is stately in height, long, and well fed." 
 
 " Did you mark the slot, sir ? " inquired James. 
 
 u I did, my liege," replied Nicholas. u And a long slot it was ; 
 the toes great, with round short joint-bones, large shin-bones, and 
 the dew-claws close together. I will uphold him for a great old 
 hart as ever proffered, and one that shall shew your Majesty rare 
 sport." 
 
 " And we'll tak your word for the matter, sir," said James ; 
 " for ye're as gude a woodman as any we hae in our dominions. 
 Bring us to him, then." 
 
 " Will it please your Majesty to ride towards yon glade?" said 
 Nicholas, " and, before you reach it, the hart shall be roused." 
 
 James, assenting to the arrangement, Nicholas sprang upon 
 his steed, and, calling to the chief huntsman, they galloped off 
 together, accompanied by the bloodhound, the royal cavalcade 
 following somewhat more slowly in the same direction. A fair 
 sight it was to see that splendid company careering over the 
 plain, their feathered caps and gay mantles glittering in the sun, 
 which shone brightly upon them. The morning was lovely, giv- 
 ing promise that the day, when further advanced, would be in- 
 tensely hot, but at present it was fresh and delightful, and the 
 whole company, exhilarated by the exercise, and by animated 
 conversation, were in high spirits ; and perhaps amongst the huge 
 party, which numbered nearly three hundred persons, one alone 
 was a prey to despair. But though Richard Assheton suffered 
 thus internally, he bore his anguish with Spartan firmness, re- 
 solved, if possible, to let no trace of it be visible in his features or 
 deportment ; and he so far succeeded in conquering himself j that 
 the King, who kept a watchful eye upon him, remarked to Sir 
 John Finett as they rode along, that a singular improvement had 
 taken place in the young man's appearance. 
 
 "The cavalcade was rapidly approaching the glade at the 
 lower end of the chase, when the lively notes of a horn were 
 heard from the adjoining wood, followed by the deep baying of a 
 bloodhound. 
 
 " Aha ! they have roused him," cried the King, joyfully placing 
 his own bugle to his lips, and sounding an answer. Upon this 
 the whole company halted in anxious expectation, the hounds 
 
452 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 baying loudly. The next moment, a noble hart burst from the 
 wood, whence he had been driven by the shouts of Nicholas 
 and the chief huntsman, both of whom appeared immediately 
 afterwards. 
 
 " By my faith ! a great hart as ever was hunted," exclaimed 
 the King . " There boys, there ! to him ! to him ! " 
 
 Dashing after the flying hart, the hounds made the welkin ring 
 with their cries. Many lovely damsels were there, but none 
 thought of the cruelty of the sport none sympathised with the 
 noble animal they were running to death. The cries of the 
 hounds now loud and ringing now deep and doling, accom- 
 panied by the whooping of the huntsmen, formed a stirring con- 
 cert, which found a response in many a gentle bosom. The 
 whole cavalcade was spread widely about, for none were allowed 
 to ride near the King. Over the plain they scoured, fleet as the 
 wind, and the hart seemed making for a fell, forming part of the 
 hill near the mansion. But ere he reached it, the relays 
 stationed within a covert burst forth, and, turning him aside, he 
 once more dashed fleetly across the broad expanse, as if about to 
 return to his old lair. Now he was seen plunging into some 
 bosky dell ; and, after being lost to view for a moment, bounding 
 up the opposite bank, and stretching across a tract thickly covered 
 with fern. Here he gained upon the hounds, who were lost in 
 the green wilderness, and their cries were hushed for a brief 
 space but anon they burst forth anew, and the pack were soon 
 again in full cry, and speeding over the open ground. 
 
 At first the cavalcade had kept pretty well together, but on 
 the return the case was very different ; and many of the dames, 
 being unable to keep up with the hounds, fell off, and, as a natural 
 consequence, many of the gallants lingered behind, too. Thus 
 only the keenest huntsmen held on. Amongst these, and about 
 fifty yards behind the King, were Richard and Nicholas. The 
 squire was right when he predicted that the hart would show 
 them good sport. Plunging into the wood, the hard-pressed 
 beast knocked up another stag, and took possession of his lair, 
 but was speedily roused again by Nicholas and the chief hunts- 
 man. Once more he is crossing the wide plain, with hounds and 
 huntsmen after him once more he is turned by a new relay ; but 
 this time he shapes his course towards the woods skirting the 
 Darwen. It is a piteous sight to see him now ; his coat black 
 and glistening with sweat, his mouth embossed with foam, his 
 eyes dull, big tears coursing down his cheeks, and his noble head 
 carried low. His end seems nigh for the hounds, though 
 weary too, redouble their energies, and the monarch cheers them on. 
 Again the poor beast erects his head if he can only reach yon 
 coppice he is safe. Despair nerves him, and with gigantic bounds he 
 clears the intervening space, and disappears beneath the branches. 
 Quickly as the hounds come after him, they are at fault. 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 453 
 
 "He has taken to the soil, sire," cried Nicholas coming up. 
 " To the river to the river ! You may see by the broken 
 branches he has gone this way." 
 
 Forcing his way through the wood, James was soon on the 
 banks of the Darwen, which here ran deep and slow. The hart 
 was nowhere to be seen, nor was there any slot on the further 
 side to denote that he had gone forth. It was evident, therefore, 
 that he had swam down the stream. At this moment a shout 
 was heard a hundred yards lower down, proceeding from 
 Nicholas ; and, riding in the direction of the sound, the King 
 found the hart at bay on the further side of the stream, and 
 nearly up to his haunches in the water. The King regarded him 
 for a moment anxiously. The poor animal was now in his last 
 extremity, but he seemed determined to sell his life dearly. He 
 stood on a bank projecting into the stream, round which the water 
 flowed deeply, and could not be approached without difficulty and 
 danger. He had already gored several hounds, whose bleeding 
 bodies were swept down the current ; and, though the others 
 bayed round him, they did not dare to approach him, and could 
 not get behind him, as a high bank arose in his rear. 
 
 " Have I your Majesty's permission to despatch him ? " asked 
 Nicholas. 
 
 " Ay, marry, if you can, sir," replied James. " But 'ware the 
 tynes ! 'ware the tynes ! * If thou be hurt with hart it brings 
 thee to thy bier,' as the auld ballad hath it, and the adage is true, 
 as we oursel's have seen." 
 
 Nicholas, however, heeded not the caution, but, drawing his 
 wood-knife, and disencumbering himself of his cloak, he plunged 
 into the stream, and with one or two strokes reached the bank. 
 The hart watched his approach, as if divining his purpose, with a 
 look half menacing, half reproachful, and when he came near, 
 dashed his antlered head at him. Nimbly eluding the blow, 
 which, if it had taken effect, might have proved serious, Nicholas 
 plunged his weapon into the poor brute's throat, who instantly 
 fell with a heavy splash into the water. 
 
 " Weel stricken ! weel stricken ! " shouted James, who had 
 witnessed the performance from the opposite bank. u But how 
 shall we get the carcase here ? " 
 
 " That is easily done, sire," replied Nicholas. And taking hold 
 of the horns, he guided the body to a low bank, a little below 
 where the King stood. 
 
 As soon as it was dragged ashore by the prickers, James put 
 his bugle to his lips and blew a mort. A pryse was thrice 
 sounded by Nicholas, and soon afterwards the whole company 
 came nocking round the spot, whooping the death-note. 
 
 Meanwhile, the hounds had gathered round the fallen hart, and 
 were allowed to wreak their fury on him by tearing his throat, 
 happily after sensibility was gone; while Nicholas, again baring 
 
454 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 his knife, cut off the right fore-foot, and presented it to the King. 
 While this ceremony was performed, the varlets of the kennel 
 having cut down a great heap of green branches, and strewn 
 them on the ground, laid the hart upon them, on his back, and 
 then bore him to an open space in the wood, where he was 
 broken up by the King, who prided himself upon his skill in 
 all matters of woodcraft. While this office was in course of 
 execution a bowl of wine was poured out for the monarch, which 
 he took, adverting, as he did so, to the common superstition, that 
 if a huntsman should break up a deer without drinking, the 
 venison would putrefy. Having drained the cup, he caused it to 
 be filled again, and gave it to Nicholas, saying the liquor was 
 needful to him after the drenching he had undergone. James 
 then proceeded with his task, and just before he completed it, he 
 was reminded, by a loud croak above him, that a raven was at 
 hand, and accordingly taking a piece of gristle from the spoon of 
 the brisket, he cast it on the ground, and the bird immediately 
 pounced down upon it and carried it off in his huge beak. 
 
 After a brief interval, the seek was again winded, another hart 
 was roused, and after a short but swift chase, pulled down by the 
 hounds, and dispatched with his own hand by James. Sir 
 Richard Hoghton then besought the King to follow him, and led 
 the way to a verdant hollow surrounded by trees, in which shady 
 and delicious retreat preparations had been made for a slight 
 silvan repast. Upon a mossy bank beneath a tree, a cushion 
 was placed for the King, and before it on the sward was laid a 
 cloth spread with many dainties, including 
 
 " Neats' tongues powder'd well, and jambons of the hog, 
 With sausages and savoury knacks to set men's minds agog" 
 
 cold capons, and pigeon pies. Close at hand was a clear cold 
 spring, in which numerous flasks of wine were immersed. A few 
 embers, too, had been lighted, on which carbonadoes of venison 
 were prepared. 
 
 No great form or ceremony was observed at the entertainment. 
 Sir John Finett and Sir Thomas Hoghton were in close atten- 
 dance upon the monarch, and ministered to his wants ; but 
 several of the nobles and gentlemen stretched themselves on the 
 sward, and addressed themselves to the viands set before them 
 by the pages. None of the dames dismounted, and few could be 
 prevailed upon to take any refreshment. Besides the flasks of 
 wine, there were two barrels of ale in a small cart, drawn by a 
 mule, both of which were broached. The whole scene was 
 picturesque and pleasing, and well calculated to gratify one so 
 fond of silvan sports as the monarch for whom it was provided. 
 
 In the midst of all this tranquillity and enjoyment an incident 
 occurred which interrupted it as completely as if a thunder-storm 
 had suddenly come on. Just when the mirth was at the highest, 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 455 
 
 and when the flowing cup was at many a lip, a tremendous bellow- 
 ing, followed by the crashing of branches, was heard in the 
 adjoining thicket. All started to their feet at the appalling 
 sound, and the King himself turned pale. 
 
 (i What in Heaven's name can it be, Sir Richard?" he inquired. 
 " It must be a drove of wild cattle," replied the baronet, 
 trembling. 
 
 " Wild cattle !" ejaculated James, in great alarm ; " and sae 
 near us. Zounds ! we shall be trampled and gored to death by 
 these bulls of Basan. Sir Richard, ye are a fause traitor thus to 
 endanger the safety o' your sovereign, and ye shall answer for it, 
 if harm comes o' it." 
 
 " I am unable to account for it, sire," stammered the fright- 
 ened baronet. " I gave special directions to the prickers to drive 
 the beasts away." 
 
 " Ye shouldna keep sic deevils i' your park, man," cried the 
 monarch. Eh ! what's that ?" 
 
 Amidst all this consternation and confusion the bellowing was 
 redoubled, and the crashing of branches drew nearer and nearer, 
 and Nicholas Assheton rushed forward with the King's horse, 
 saying, " Mount, sire ; mount, and away ! " 
 
 But James was so much alarmed that his limbs refused to 
 perform their office, and he was unable to put foot in the stirrup. 
 Seeing his condition, Nicholas cried out, fi Pardon, my liege ; but 
 at a moment of peril like the present, one must not stand on 
 ceremony." 
 
 So saying, he took the King round the waist, and placed him 
 on his steed. 
 
 At this juncture, a loud cry was heard, and a man in extremity 
 of terror issued from the wood, and dashed towards the hollow. 
 Close on his heels came the drove of wild cattle, and, just as he 
 gained the very verge of the descent, the foremost of the herd 
 overtook him, and lowering his curled head, caught him on the 
 points of his horns, and threw him forwards to such a distance 
 that he alighted with a heavy crash almost at the King's feet. 
 Satisfied, apparently, with their vengeance, or alarmed by the 
 numerous assemblage, the drove instantly turned tail and were 
 pursued into the depths of the forest by the prickers. 
 
 Having recovered his composure, James bade some of the 
 attendants raise the poor wretch, who was lying groaning upon 
 the ground, evidently so much injured as to be unable to move 
 without assistance. His garb was that of a forester, and his bulk 
 for he was stoutly and squarely built had contributed, no 
 doubt, to the severity of the fall. When he was lifted from the 
 ground, Nicholas instantly recognised in his blackened and dis- 
 torted features those of Christopher Demdike. 
 
 u What?" he exclaimed, rushing towards him. "Is it thou, 
 villain?" 
 
456 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 The sufferer only replied by a look of intense malignity. 
 
 "Eh! what d'ye ken wha it is?'* demanded James. "By 
 my saul ! I fear the puir fellow has maist of his banes broken." 
 
 " No great matter if they be," replied Nicholas, " and it may 
 save the application of torture in case your Majesty desires to put 
 any question to him. Chance has most strangely thrown into 
 your hands one of the most heinous offenders in the kingdom, who 
 has long escaped justice, but who will at length meet the 
 punishment of his crimes. The villain is Christopher Demdike, 
 son of the foul hag who perished in the flames on the summit of 
 Pendle Hill, and captain of a band of robbers." 
 
 "What! is the knave a warlock and a riever?" demanded 
 James, regarding Demdike with abhorrence, mingled with alarm. 
 
 " Both, sire," replied Nicholas, " and an assassin to boot. He 
 is a diabolical villain." 
 
 " Let him be taken to Hoghton Tower, and kept in some strong 
 and secure place till we have leisure to examine him," said James, 
 u and see that he be visited by some skilful chirurgeon, for we 
 wadna hae him dee, and sae rob the woodie." 
 
 Demdike, who appeared to be in great agony, now forced 
 himself to speak. 
 
 " I can make important disclosures to your Majesty," he said, 
 in hoarse and broken tones, " if you will hear them. I am not 
 the only offender who has escaped from justice," he added, 
 glancing vindictively at Nicholas " there is another, a notorious 
 witch and murderess, who is still screened from justice. I can 
 reveal her hiding-place." 
 
 " Your Majesty will not give heed to such a villain's fabrica- 
 tions ? " said Nicholas. 
 
 " Are they fabrications, sir?" rejoined James, somewhat 
 sharply. " We maun hear and judge. The snake, though 
 scotched, will still bite, it seems. We hae hangit a Highland 
 cateran without trial afore this, and we may be tempted to tak 
 the law into our ain hands again. Bear the villain hence. See 
 he be disposed of as already directed, and take good care he is 
 strictly guarded. And now gie us a crossbow, Sir Richard 
 Hoghton, and bid the prickers drive the deer afore us, for we wad 
 try our skill as a marksman." 
 
 And while Demdike was placed on the litter of green boughs 
 which had recently sustained a nobler burthen in the fallen hart, 
 and in this sort was conveyed to Hoghton Tower, James rode 
 with his retinue towards a long glade, where, receiving a crossbow 
 from the huntsman, he took up a favourable position behind a 
 large oak, and several herds of deer being driven before him, he 
 selected his quarries, and deliberately took aim at them, contriving 
 in the course of an hour to bring down four fat bucks, and to maim 
 as many others, which were pulled down by the hounds. And 
 with this slaughter he was content. 
 
HOW THE KING HUNTED IN HOGHTON PARK. 457 
 
 Sir Richard Hoghton then informed his Majesty that a huge 
 boar, which, in sporting phrase, had left the sounder five years, 
 had broken into the park the night before, and had been routing 
 amongst the fern. The age and size of the animal were known 
 by the print of the feet, the toes being round and thick, the edge 
 of the hoof worn and blunt, the heel large, and the guards, or dew- 
 claws, great and open, from all which appearances it was adjudged 
 by the baronet to be " a great old boar, not to be refused." 
 
 James at once agreed to hunt him, and the hounds being taken 
 away, six couples of magnificent mastiffs, of the Lancashire breed, 
 were brought forward, and the monarch, under the guidance of 
 Sir Richard Hoghton and the chief huntsman, repaired to an ad- 
 joining thicket, in which the boar fed and couched. 
 
 On arriving near his den, a boar-spear was given to the King, 
 and the prickers advancing into the wood, presently afterwards 
 reared the enormous brute. Sallying forth, and freaming furiously, 
 he was instantly assailed by the mastiffs ; but, notwithstanding 
 the number of his assailants, he made light of them, shaking them 
 from his bristly hide, crushing them beneath his horny feet, thrust- 
 ing at them with his sharpened tusks, and committing terrible 
 devastation among them. 
 
 Repeated charges were made upon the savage animal by James, 
 but it was next to impossible to get a blow t at him for some time ; 
 and when at length the monarch made the attempt, he struck too 
 low, and hit him on the snout, upon which the infuriated boar, 
 finding himself wounded, sprang towards the horse, and ripped 
 him open with his tusks. 
 
 The noble charger instantly rolled over on his side, exposing 
 the royal huntsman to the tury of his merciless assailant, whose 
 tusks must have ploughed his flesh, if at this moment a young 
 man had not ridden forward, and at the greatest personal risk 
 approached the boar, and, striking straight downwards, cleft the 
 heart of the fierce brute with his spear. 
 
 Meanwhile, the King, having been disengaged by the prickers 
 from his wounded steed, which was instantly put out of its agony 
 by the sword of the chief huntsman, looked for his deliverer, and, 
 discovering him to be Richard Assheton, was loud in his expres- 
 sions of gratitude. 
 
 " Faith ! ye maun claim a boon at our hands," said James. " It 
 maun never be said the King is ungrateful. What can we do 
 for you, lad?" 
 
 " For myself nothing, sire," replied Richard. 
 
 " But for another meikle is that what ye wad hae us infer? " 
 cried the King, with a smile. " Aweel, the lassie shall hae strict 
 justice done her ; but for your ain sake we maun inquire into the 
 matter. Meantime, wear this," he added, taking a magnificent 
 sapphire ring from his finger, " and, if you should ever need our aid, 
 send it to us as a token." 
 
458 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 Richard took the gift, and knelt to kiss the hand so graciously 
 extended to him. 
 
 By this time another horse had been provided for the monarch, 
 and the enormous boar, with his feet upwards and tied together, 
 was suspended upon a pole, and borne on the shoulders of four 
 stout varlets as the grand trophy of the chase. 
 
 When the royal company issued from the wood a strike of nine 
 was blown by the chief huntsman, and such of the cavalcade as 
 still remained on the field being collected together, the party 
 crossed the chase, and took the direction of Hoghton Tower. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. THE BANQUET. 
 
 ON the King's return to Hoghton Tower, orders were given by 
 Sir Bichard for the immediate service of the banquet ; it being 
 the hospitable baronet's desire that festivities should succeed each 
 other so rapidly as to allow of no tedium. 
 
 The coup-d'oeil of the banquet hall on the- monarch's entrance 
 was magnificent. Panelled with black lustrous oak, and lighted 
 by mullion windows, filled with stained glass and emblazoned with 
 the armorial bearings of the family, the vast and lofty hall was 
 hung with banners, and decorated with panoplies and trophies of 
 the chase. Three long tables ran down it, each containing a hun- 
 dred covers. At the lower end were stationed the heralds, the 
 pursuivants, and a band of yeomen of the guard, with the royal 
 badge, a demi-rose crowned, impaled with a demi-thistle, woven 
 in gold on their doublets, and having fringed pole-axes over their 
 shoulders. Behind them was a richly carved oak screen, conceal- 
 ing the passages leading to the buttery and kitchens, in which 
 the clerk of the kitchen, the pantlers, and the yeomen of the cellar 
 and ewery, were hurrying to and fro. Above the screen was a 
 gallery, occupied by the trumpeters and minstrels ; and over all 
 was a noble rafter roof. The tables were profusely spread, and 
 glittered with silver dishes of extraordinary size and splendour, 
 as well as with flagons and goblets of the same material, and rare 
 design. The guests, all of whom were assembled, were out-num- 
 bered by the prodigious array of serving-men, pages, and yeomen 
 waiters in the yellow and red liveries of the Stuart. 
 
 Flourishes of trumpets announced the coming of the monarch, 
 who was preceded by Sir Richard Hoghton, bearing a white wand, 
 and ushered with much ceremony to his place. At the upper end 
 of the hall was a raised floor, and on either side of it an oriel win- 
 dow, glowing with painted glass. On this dais the King's table 
 was placed, underneath a canopy of state, embroidered with the 
 royal arms, and bearing James's kindly motto, " Beati Pacifici" 
 Seats were reserved at it for the Dukes of Buckingham and Rich- 
 
THE BANQUET. 459 
 
 mond, the Earls of Pembroke and Nottingham, the Lords Howard 
 of Effingham and Grey of Groby, Sir Gilbert Hoghton, and the 
 Bishop of Chester. These constituted the favoured guests. Grace 
 having been said by the bishop, the whole company took their 
 seats, and the general stillness hitherto prevailing throughout 
 the vast hall was broken instantaneously by the clatter of 
 trenchers. 
 
 A famous feast it was, and worthy of commemoration. Mas- 
 ters Morris and Miller, the two cooks who contrived it, as well as 
 the labourers for the ranges, for the pastries, for the boiled meats, 
 and for the pullets, performed their respective parts to admira- 
 tion. The result was all that could be desired. The fare was solid 
 and substantial, consisting of dishes which could be cut and come 
 to again. Amongst the roast meats were chines of beef, haunches 
 of venison, gigots of mutton, fatted geese, capons, turkeys, and 
 sucking pigs ; amongst the boiled, pullets, lamb, and veal ; but 
 baked meats chiefly abounded, and amongst them were to be found 
 red-deer pasty, hare-pie, gammon-of-bacon pie, and baked wild- 
 boar. With the salads, which were nothing more than what would 
 now-a-days be termed " vegetables," were mixed all kinds of soused 
 fish, arranged according to the sewer's directions " the salads 
 spread about the tables, the fricassees mixed with them, the boiled 
 meats among the fricassees, roast meats amongst the boiled, baked 
 meats amongst the roast, and carbonadoes amongst the baked." 
 This was the first course merely. In the second were all kinds 
 of game and wild-fowl, roast herons three in a dish, bitterns, cranes, 
 bustards, curlews, dotterels, and pewits. Besides these there were 
 lumbar pies, marrow pies, quince pies, artichoke pies, florentines, 
 and innumerable other good things. Some dishes were specially 
 reserved for the King's table, as a baked swan, a roast peacock, 
 and the jowl of a sturgeon soused. These and a piece of roast 
 beef formed the principal dishes. 
 
 The attendants at the royal table comprised such gentlemen 
 as wore Sir Richard Hoghton's liveries, and amongst these, of 
 course, were Nicholas Assheton and Sherborne. On seeing the 
 former, the King immediately inquired about his deliverer, and on 
 hearing he was at the lower tables, desired he might be sent for, 
 and, as Richard soon afterwards appeared, having on his return 
 from the chase changed his sombre apparel for gayer attire, 
 James smiled graciously upon him, and more than once, as a 
 mark of especial favour, took the wine-cup from his hands. 
 
 The King did ample justice to the good things before him, and 
 especially to the beef, which he found so excellent, that the 
 carver had to help him for the second time. Sir Richard Hoghton 
 ventured to express his gratification that his Majesty found the 
 meat good " Indeed, it is generally admitted," he said, " that 
 our Lancashire beef is well fed, and well flavoured." 
 
 " Weel flavoured !" exclaimed James, as he swallowed the 
 
460 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 juicy morsel ; " it is delicious I Finer beef nae man ever put 
 teeth into, an I only wish a' my loving subjects had as gude a 
 dinner as I hae this day eaten. What joint do ye ca' it, Sir 
 Richard?" he asked, with eyes evidently twinkling with a pre- 
 meditated jest. " This dish," replied the host, somewhat surprised 
 " this, sire, is a loin of beef." 
 
 " A loin !" exclaimed James, taking the carving-knife from the 
 sewer, who stood by, " by my faith that is not title honourable 
 enough for joint sae worthy. It wants a dignity, and it shall hae 
 it. Henceforth," he added, touching the meat with the flat of the 
 long blade, as if placing the sword on the back of a knight expec- 
 tant, " henceforth, it shall be SiR-LoiN, an see ye ca' it sae. Give 
 me a cup of wine, Master Richard Assheton." 
 
 All the nobles at the table laughed loudly at the monarch's 
 jest, and as it was soon past down to those at the lower table, 
 the hall resounded with laughter, in which page and attendant of 
 every degree joined, to the great satisfaction of the good-natured 
 originator of the merriment.* 
 
 " My dear dad and gossip appears in unwonted good spirits to- 
 day," observed the Duke of Buckingham. 
 
 " An wi' gude reason, Steenie," replied the King, " for we dinna 
 mind when we hae had better sport always excepting the boar- 
 hunt, when we should hae been rippit up by the cursed creature's 
 tusks but for this braw laddie," he added, pointing to Richard. 
 " Ye maun see what can be done for him, Steenie. We maun 
 hae him at court." 
 
 " Your Majesty's wishes have only to be expressed to be 
 fulfilled," replied Buckingham, somewhat drily. 
 
 " Were I the lad I wadna place ower meikle dependence on 
 the Duke's promises," remarked Archie Armstrong, in a low tone, 
 to Nicholas. 
 
 (f Has your Majesty made any further inquiries about the 
 girl suspected of witchcraft ? " inquired Buckingham, renewing 
 the conversation. 
 
 " Whist, Steenie, whist !" cried James. " Didna ye see her 
 yoursel' this morning ? " he added, in a low tone. " Ah ! I 
 recollect ye werena at the chase. Aweel, I hae conferred wi' 
 her, an am sair perplexed i* the matter. She is a well-faur'd 
 lassie as ony i' the realm, and answers decorously and doucely. 
 Sooth to say, her looks and manners are mightily in her favour." 
 
 " Then you mean to dismiss the matter without further 
 investigation ?" observed Buckingham. " I always thought 
 
 ' " There is a laughable tradition," says Nichols, " still generally current in 
 Lancashire, that our knight-making monarch knighted at the banquet in Hoghton 
 Tower a loin of beef, the part ever since called the sir-loin." And it is added by 
 the same authority, " If the King did not give the sir- loin its name, he might, not- 
 withstanding, have indulged in & pun on the already coined word, the etymology 
 of which was then, as now, as little regarded as the thing signified is well 
 approved." Nichols's Progresses of James 1., vol. hi. 
 
THE BANQUET. 461 
 
 your Majesty delighted to exercise your sagacity in detecting the 
 illusions practised by Satan and his worshippers." 
 
 " An sae we do," replied James. " But bend your bonnie 
 head this way till we whisper in your ear. We hae a device for 
 finding it a' out, which canna fail ; and when you ken it you will 
 applaud your dear dad's wisdom, and perfit maistery o' the haill 
 science o' kingcraft." 
 
 " I would your Majesty would make me acquainted with this 
 notable scheme," replied Buckingham, with ill-concealed contempt. 
 " I might make it more certain of success." 
 
 " Na na we shanna let the cat out of the bag just yet," 
 returned the King. " We mean it as a surprise to ye a'." 
 
 " Then, whatever be the result, it is certain to answer the effect 
 intended," observed the Duke. 
 
 66 Gae wa' ! ye are ever sceptical, Steenie ever misdoubting 
 your am dear dad and gossip," rejoined James ; " but ye shall 
 find we haena earned the title o' the British Solomon for naething." 
 
 Soon after this the King arose, and was ushered to his 
 apartments by Sir Richard Hoghton with the same ceremony as 
 had been observed on his entrance. He was followed by all the 
 nobles ; and Nicholas and the others, being released from their 
 duties, repaired to the lower end of the hall to dine. The revel 
 was now sufficiently boisterous ; for, as the dames had departed at 
 the same time as the monarch, all restraint was cast aside. The 
 wine-cup flowed freely, and the rafters rang with laughter. 
 Under ordinary circumstances Richard would have shrunk from 
 such a scene; but he had now a part to play, and therefore 
 essayed to laugh at each jest, and to appear as reckless as his 
 neighbours. He was glad, however, when the signal for general 
 dispersion was given; for though Sir Richard Hoghton was 
 unwilling to stint his guests, he was fearful, if they sat too long 
 over their wine, some disturbances might ensue ; and indeed, 
 when the revellers came forth and dispersed within the base 
 court, their flushed cheeks, loud voices, and unsteady gait, showed 
 that their potations had already been deep enough. 
 
 Meanwhile, quite as much mirth was taking place out of doors 
 as had occurred within the banqueting-hall. As soon as the 
 King sat down to dinner, according to promise the gates were 
 thrown open, and the crowd outside admitted. The huge roast 
 was then taken down, carved, and distributed among them ; the 
 only difficulty experienced being in regard to trenchers, and 
 various and extraordinary were the contrivances resorted to to 
 supply the deficiency. This circumstance, however, served to 
 heighten the fun, and, as several casks of stout ale were broached 
 at the same time, universal hilarity prevailed. Still, in the 
 midst of so vast a concourse, many component parts of which had 
 now began to experience the effects of the potent liquor, some 
 little manifestation of disorder might naturally be expected ; but 
 
462 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 all such was speedily quelled by the yeomen of the guard, and 
 other officials appointed for the purpose, and, amidst the uproar 
 and confusion, harmony generally prevailed. 
 
 While elbowing his way through the crowd, Nicholas felt his 
 sleeve plucked, and turning, perceived Nance Redferne, who 
 signed him to follow her, and there was something in her manner 
 that left him no alternative but compliance. Nance passed on 
 rapidly, and entered the doorway of a building, where it might 
 be supposed they would be free from interruption. 
 
 " What do you want with me, Nance?" asked the squire, 
 somewhat impatiently. " I must beg to observe that I cannot be 
 troubled further on your account, and am greatly afraid aspersions 
 may be thrown on my character, if I am seen talking with you." 
 
 " A few words wi' me winna injure your character, squire," 
 rejoined Nance, (i an it's on your account an naw on my own that 
 ey ha' brought you here. Ey ha' important information to gie ye. 
 What win yo say when ey tell yo that Jem Device, Elizabeth 
 Device, an' her dowter Jennet are here aw breedin mischief 
 agen yo, Ruchot Assheton, and Alizon ? " 
 
 " The devil !" ejaculated Nicholas. 
 
 " Eigh, yo'n find it the devil, ey con promise ye, onless their 
 plans be frustrated," said Nance. 
 
 " That can be easily done," replied Nicholas. " I'll cause 
 them to be arrested at once." 
 
 " Nah, nah that canna be," rejoined Nance " Yo mun bide 
 your tune." 
 
 " What ! and allow such miscreants to go at large, and work any 
 malice they please against me and my friends?" replied Nicholas. 
 " Show me where they are, Nance, or I must make you a prisoner." 
 
 " Nah ! yo winna do that, squire," she replied in a tone of 
 good-humoured defiance. " Ye winna do it for two good reasons : 
 first, becose yo'd be harming a freend who wants to sarve yo, and 
 win do so, if yo'n let her ; and secondly, becose if yo wur to raise 
 a finger agen me, ey'd deprive yo of speech an motion. When 
 the reet moment comes yo shaii strike boh it's nah come yet. 
 The fruit is nah ripe eneugh to gather. Ey am os anxious os you 
 con be, that the whole o' the Demdike brood should be swept 
 away an it shan be, if yo'n leave it to me." 
 
 " Well, I commit the matter entirely to you," said Nicholas. 
 C Apparently, it cannot be in better hands. But are you aware 
 that Christopher Demdike is a prisoner here in Hoghton Tower ? 
 He was taken this morning in the park." 
 
 " Ey knoa it," replied Nance ; " an ey knoa also why he went 
 there, an it wur my intention to ha* revealed his black design to 
 yo. However, it has bin ordert differently. Boh in respect to 
 t'others, wait till I gie yo the signal. They are disguised ; boh 
 even if ye see 'em, an recognise 'em, dunna let it appear till ey 
 gie the word, or yo'n spoil aw." 
 
THE BANQUET. 463 
 
 " Your injunctions shall be obeyed implicitly, Nance," rejoined 
 Nicholas. " I have now perfect reliance upon you. But when 
 shall I see you again ? " 
 
 " That depends upon circumstances," she replied. " To-neet, 
 mav be may be to-morrow neet. My plans maun be guided by 
 those of others. Boh when next yo see me you win ha' to act." 
 
 And, without waiting an answer, she rushed out of the door- 
 way, and, mingling with the crowd, was instantly lost to view ; 
 while Nicholas, full of the intelligence he had received, betook 
 himself slowly to his lodgings. 
 
 Scarcely were they gone when a door, which had been stand- 
 ing ajar, near them, was opened wide, and disclosed the keen 
 visage of Master Potts. 
 
 " Here's a pretty plot hatching here's a nice discovery I have 
 made ! " soliloquised the attorney. " The whole Demdike family, 
 with the exception of the old witch herself, whom I saw burnt on 
 Pendle Hill, are at Hoghton Tower. This shall be made known 
 to the King. I'll have Nicholas Assheton arrested at once, and 
 the woman with him, whom I recognise as Nance Redferne. It 
 will be a wonderful stroke, and will raise me highly in his 
 Majesty's estimation. Yet stay ! Will not this interfere with 
 my other plans with Jennet ? Let me reflect. I must go cau- 
 tiously to work. Besides, if I cause Nicholas to be arrested, 
 Nance will escape, and then I shall have no clue to the others. 
 No no ; I must watch Nicholas closely, and take upon myself 
 all the credit of the discovery. Perhaps through Jennet I may be 
 able to detect their disguises. At all events, I will keep a sharp 
 look-out. Affairs are now drawing to a close, and I have only, 
 like a wary and experienced fowler, to lay my nets cleverly to 
 catch the whole covey." 
 
 And with these ruminations, he likewise went forth into the 
 base court. 
 
 The rest of the day was one round of festivity and enjoyment, 
 in which all classes participated. There were trials of skill and 
 strength, running, wrestling, and cudgeling-matches, with an 
 infinite variety of country games and shows. 
 
 Towards five o'clock a rush-cart, decked with flowers and rib- 
 bons, and bestridden by men bearing garlands, was drawn up in 
 front of the central building of the tower, in an open window 
 c*f which sat James a well-pleased spectator of the differ- 
 ent pastimes going forward; and several lively dances were 
 executed by a troop of male and female morris-dancers, accom- 
 panied by a tabor and pipe. But though this show was sufficiently 
 attractive, it lacked the spirit of that performed at Whalley ; while 
 the character of Maid Marian, which then found so charming a 
 representative in Alizon, was now personated by a man and if 
 Nicholas Assheton, who was amongst the bystanders, was not 
 deceived, that man was Jem Device. Enraged by this discovery, 
 
464 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 the squire was about to seize the ruffian ; but, calling to mind 
 Nance's counsel, he refrained, and Jem (if it indeed were he) 
 retired with a largess, bestowed by the royal hand as a reward 
 for his uncouth gambols. 
 
 The rush-cart and morris-dancers having disappeared, another 
 drollery was exhibited, called the " Fool and his Five Sons," the 
 names of the hopeful offspring of the sapient sire being Pickle 
 Herring, Blue Hose, Pepper Hose, Ginger Hose, and Jack 
 Allspice. The humour of this piece, though not particularly refined, 
 seemed to be appreciated by the audience generally, as well as by 
 the monarch, who laughed heartily at its coarse buffoonery. 
 
 Next followed " The Plough and Sword Dance ; " the principal 
 actors being a number of grotesque figures armed with swords, 
 some of whom were yoked to a plough, on which sat a piper, 
 playing lustily while dragged along. The plough was guided by 
 a man clothed in a bear-skin, with a fur cap on his head, and a long 
 tail, like that of a lion, dangling behind him. In this hirsute 
 personage, who was intended to represent the wood-demon, Hob- 
 thurst, Nicholas again detected Jem Device, and again was 
 strongly tempted to disobey Nance's injunctions, and denounce 
 him the rather that he recognised in an attendant female, in a 
 fantastic dress, the ruffian's mother, Elizabeth ; but he once more 
 desisted. 
 
 As soon as the mummers arrived in front of the King, the 
 dance began. With their swords held upright, the party took 
 hands and wheeled rapidly round the plough, keeping time to a 
 merry measure played by the piper, who still maintained his seat. 
 Suddenly the ring was enlarged to double its former size, each 
 man extending his sword to his neighbour, who took hold of the 
 point ; after which an hexagonal figure was formed, all the blades 
 being brought together. The swords were then quickly with- 
 drawn, flashing like sunbeams, and a four square figure was pre- 
 sented, the dancers vaulting actively over each other's heads. 
 Other variations succeeded, not necessary to be specified and 
 the sport concluded by a general clashing of swords, intended to 
 represent a melee. 
 
 Meanwhile, Nicholas had been joined by Kichard Assheton, 
 and the latter was not long in detecting the two Devices through 
 their disguises. On making this discovery he mentioned it to the 
 squire, and was surprised to find him already aware of the circum- 
 stance, and not less astonished when he was advised to let them 
 alone ; the squire adding he was unable at that time to give his 
 reasons for such counsel, but, being good and conclusive, Kichard 
 would be satisfied of their propriety hereafter. The young man, 
 however, thought otheiwise, and, notwithstanding his relative's 
 attempts to dissuade him, announced his intention of causing the 
 parties to be arrested at once ; and with this design he went in 
 search of an officer of the guard, that the capture might be effected 
 
THE BANQUET. 465 
 
 without disturbance. But the throng was so close round the 
 dancers that he could not pierce it, and being compelled to return 
 and take another course, he got nearer to the mazy ring, and was 
 unceremoniously pushed aside by the mummers. At this moment 
 both his arms were forcibly grasped, and a deep voice on the right 
 
 ~ 11< 
 
 whispered in his ear u Meddle not with us, and we will not 
 meddle with you," while similar counsel was given him in other 
 equally menacing tones, though in a different key, on the left. 
 Richard would have shaken off his assailants, and seized them in 
 his turn, but power to do so was wanting to him. For the moment 
 he was deprived of speech and motion; but while thus situated he 
 felt that the sapphire ring given him by the King was snatched 
 from his finger by the first speaker, whom he knew to be Jem 
 Device, while a fearful spell was muttered over him by 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 As this occurred at the time when the rattling of the swords en- 
 gaged the whole attention of the spectators, no one noticed what 
 was going forward except Nicholas, and, before he could get up 
 to the young man, the two miscreants were gone, nor could any 
 one tell what had become of them. 
 
 6i Have the wretches done you a mischief? " asked the squire, in 
 a low tone, of Richard. 
 
 u They have stolen the King's ring, which I meant to use in 
 Alizon's behalf," replied the young man, who by this time had 
 recovered his speech. 
 
 " That is unlucky, indeed," said Nicholas. " But we can defeat 
 any ill design they may intend, by acquainting Sir John Finett 
 with the circumstance." 
 
 " Let them be," saida voice in his ear. " The time is not yet come." 
 The squire did not look round, for he well knew that the 
 caution proceeded from Nance Redferne. 
 
 And, accordingly, he observed to Richard " Tarry awhile, and 
 you will be amply avenged." 
 
 And with this assurance the young man was fain to be content. 
 Just then a trumpet was sounded, and a herald stationed on 
 the summit of the broad flight of steps leading to the great hall, 
 proclaimed in a loud voice that a tilting-match was about to take 
 place between Archie Armstrong, jester to his most gracious 
 Majesty, and Davy Droman, who filled the same honourable 
 office to his Grace the Duke of Buckingham, and that a pair of 
 gilt-heel' d chopines would be the reward of the successful com- 
 batant. This announcement was received with cheers, and 
 preparations were instantly made for the mock tourney. A large 
 circle being formed by the yeomen of the guard, with an alley 
 leading to it on either side, the two combatants, mounted on 
 gaudy-caparisoned hobby-horses, rode into the ring. Both were 
 armed to the teeth, each having a dish-cover braced around him 
 in lieu of a breastplate, a newly-scoured brass porringer on his 
 
466 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 head, a large pewter platter instead of a buckler, and a spit with 
 a bung at the point, to prevent mischief, in place of a lance. The 
 Duke's jester was an obese little fellow, and his appearance in 
 this warlike gear was so eminently ridiculous, that it provoked 
 roars of laughter, while Archie was scarcely less ridiculous. 
 After curveting round the arena in imitation of knights of 
 chivalry, and performing "their careers, their prankers, their 
 false trots, their smooth ambles, and Canterbury paces," the two 
 champions took up a position opposite each other, with difficulty, as 
 it seemed, reining in their pawing chargers, and awaiting the 
 signal of attack to be given by Sir John Finett, the judge of the 
 tournament. This was not long delayed, and the "laissez aller" 
 being pronounced, the preux chevaliers started forward with so 
 much fury, and so little discretion, that meeting half-way with a 
 tremendous shock, and butting against each other like two rams, 
 both were thrown violently backwards, exhibiting, amid the 
 shouts of the spectators, their heels, no longer hidden by the 
 trappings of their steeds, kicking in the air. Encumbered as they 
 were, some little time elapsed before they could regain their feet, 
 and their lances having been removed in the mean time, by order 
 of Sir John Finett, as being weapons of too dangerous a descrip- 
 tion for such truculent combatants, they attacked each other with 
 their broad lathen daggers, dealing sounding blows upon helm, 
 habergeon, and shield, but doing little personal mischief. The 
 strife raged furiously for some time, and, as the champions ap- 
 peared pretty well matched, it was not easy to say how it would 
 terminate, when chance seemed to decide in favour of Davy 
 Droman ; for, in dealing a heavier blow than usual, Archie's 
 dagger snapped in twain, leaving him at the mercy of his oppo- 
 nent. On this the doughty Davy, crowing lustily like chanticleer, 
 called upon him to yield ; but Archie was so wroth at his misad- 
 venture, that, instead of complying, he sprang forward, and with 
 the hilt of his broken weapon dealt his elated opponent a severe 
 blow on the side of the head, not only knocking off the porringer, 
 but stretching him on the ground beside it. The punishment he 
 had received was enough for poor Davy. He made no attempt 
 to rise, and Archive, crowing in his turn, trampling upon the body 
 of his prostrate foe, and then capering joyously round it, was 
 declared the victor, and received the gilt chopines from the 
 judge, amidst the laughter and acclamations of the beholders. 
 
 With this the public sports concluded ; and, as evening was 
 drawing on apace, such of the guests as were not invited to pass 
 the night within the Tower, took their departure ; while shortly 
 afterwards, supper being served in the banqueting-hall on a scale 
 of profusion and magnificence quite equal to the earlier repast, 
 the King and the whole of his train sat down to it. 
 
EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS. 467 
 
 CHAPTER X. EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS. 
 
 OTHER amusements were reserved for the evening. While 
 revelry was a^ain held in the great hall ; while the tables groaned, 
 for the third time since morning, with good cheer, and the ruby 
 wine, which seemed to gush from inexhaustible fountains, mantled 
 in the silver flagons ; while seneschal, sewer, and pantler, with the 
 yeomen of the buttery and kitchen, were again actively engaged 
 in. their vocations ; while of the three hundred guests more than 
 half, as if insatiate, again vied with each other in prowess with the 
 trencher and the goblet ; while in the words of old Taylor, the 
 water poet, but who was no water-drinker and who thus sang of 
 the hospitality of the men of Manchester, in the early part of the 
 seventeenth century they had 
 
 " Roast, boil'd, bak'd, too, too much, white, claret, sack. 
 Nothing they thought too heavy or too hot, 
 Can follow'd can, and pot succeeded pot." 
 
 during this time preparations were making for fresh entertain- 
 ments out of doors. 
 
 The gardens at Hoghton Tower, though necessarily confined 
 in space, owing to their situation on the brow of a hill, were beau- 
 tifully laid out, and commanded from their balustred terraces 
 magnificent views of the surrounding country. Below them lay the 
 well-wooded park, skirted by the silvery Dar wen, with the fair village 
 of Walton-le-Dale immediately beyond it, the proud town of Pres- 
 ton further on, and the single-coned Nese Point rising majestically 
 in the distance. The principal garden constituted a square, and 
 was divided with mathematical precision, according to the formal 
 taste of the time, into smaller squares, with a broad weU-kept 
 gravel walk at each angle. These plots were arranged in various 
 figures and devices such as the cinq-foil, the flower-de-luce, the 
 trefoil, the lozenge, the fret, the diamond, the crossbow, and the 
 oval all very elaborate and intricate in design. Besides these 
 knots, as they were termed, there were labyrinths, and clipped yew- 
 tree walks, and that indispensable requisite to a garden at the 
 period, a maze. In the centre was a grassy eminence, surmounted 
 by a pavilion, in front of which spread a grass-plot of smoothest 
 turf, ordinarily used as a bowling-green. At the lower end of this 
 a temporary stage was erected, for the masque about to be re- 
 presented before the King. Torches were kindled, and numerous 
 lamps burned in the branches of the adjoining trees ; but they 
 were scarcely needed, for the moon being at the full, the glorious 
 effulgence shed by her upon the scene rendered all other light pale 
 and ineffectual. 
 
 After supper, at which the drinking was deeper than at dinner, 
 the whole of the revellers repaired to the garden, full of frolic and 
 merriment, and well-disposed for any diversion in store for them. 
 
408 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 The King was conducted to the bowling-green by his host, pre- 
 ceded by a crowd of attendants bearing odoriferous torches; but 
 the royal gait being somewhat unsteady, the aid of Sir Gilbert 
 Hoghton's arm was required to keep the monarch from stumbling. 
 The rest of the bacchanalians followed, and, elated as they were, 
 it will not be wondered that they put very little restraint upon 
 themselves, but shouted, sang, danced, and indulged in all kinds 
 of licence. 
 
 Opposite the stage prepared for the masquers a platform had 
 been reared, in front of which was a chair for the King, with seats 
 for the nobles and principal guests behind it. The sides were 
 hung with curtains of crimson velvet fringed with gold ; the roof 
 decorated like a canopy ; so that it had a very magnificent effect. 
 James lolled back in his chair, and jested loudly and rather in- 
 decorously with the various personages as they took their places 
 around him. In less than five minutes the whole of the green was 
 filled with revellers, and great was the pushing and jostling, the 
 laughing and screaming, that ensued among them. Silence was 
 then enjoined by Sir John Finett, who had stationed himself on 
 the steps of the stage, and at this command the assemblage be- 
 came comparatively quiet, though now and then a half- suppressed 
 titter or a smothered scream would break out. Amid this silence 
 the King's voice could be distinctly heard, and his coarse jests 
 reached the ears of all the astonished audience, provoking many 
 a severe comment from the elders, and much secret laughter from 
 the juniors. 
 
 The masque began. Two tutelar deities appeared on the stage. 
 They were followed by a band of foresters clad in Lincoln green, 
 with bows at their backs. The first deity wore a white linen tunic, 
 with flesh-coloured hose and red buskins, and had a purple taffeta 
 mantle over his shoulders. In his hand he held a palm branch, 
 and a garland of the same leaves was woven round his brow. The 
 second household god was a big brawny varlet, wild and shaggy 
 in appearance, being clothed in the skins of beasts, with sandals 
 of untanned cowhide. On his head was a garland of oak leaves ; 
 and from his neck hung a horn. He was armed with a hunting- 
 spear and wood-knife, and attended by a large Lancashire mas- 
 tiff. Advancing to the front of the stage, the foremost personage 
 thus addressed the Monarch 
 
 " This day great King for government admired ! 
 Which these thy subjects have so much desired 
 Shall be kept holy in their heart's best treasure, 
 And vow'd to JAMES as is this month to Caesar. 
 And now the landlord of this ancient Tower, 
 Thrice fortunate to see this happy hour, 
 Whose trembling heart thy presence sets on fire, 
 Unto this house the heart of all our shire 
 Does bid thee cordial welcome, and would speak it 
 In higher notes, but extreme joy doth break it. 
 He makes his guests most welcome, in his eyes 
 Love tears do sit, not he that shouts and cries. 
 
EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS. 469 
 
 And we the antique guardians of this place, 
 
 I of this house he of the fruitful chase, 
 
 Since the bold Hoghtons from this bill took name, 
 
 W ho with the stiff, unbridled Saxons came, 
 
 And so have flourish'd in this fairer clime 
 
 Successively from that to this our time, 
 
 Still offering up to our immortal powers 
 
 Sweet incense, wine, and odoriferous flowers ; 
 
 While sacred Vesta, in her virgin tire, 
 
 With vows and wishes tends the hallow'd fire. 
 
 Now seeing that thy Majesty is thus 
 
 Greater than household deities like us, 
 
 We render up to thy more powerful guard, 
 
 This Tower. This knight is thine he is thy ward. 
 
 For by thy helping and auspicious hand, 
 
 He and his home shall ever, ever stand 
 
 And flourish, in despite of envious fate ; 
 
 And then live, like Augustus, fortunate. 
 
 And long, long mayst thou live ! To which both men 
 
 And guardian angels cry "Amen ! amen ! " 
 
 James, who had demeaned himself critically during the delivery 
 of the address, observed at its close to Sir Richard Hoghton, who 
 was standing immediately behind his chair, " We cannot say meikle 
 for the rhymes, which are but indifferently strung together, but 
 the sentiments are leal and gude, and that is a' we care for." 
 
 On this the second tutelar divinity advanced, and throwing 
 himself into an attitude, as if bewildered by the august presence 
 in which he stood, exclaimed- 
 
 " Thou greatest of mortals ! " 
 And then stopped, as if utterly confounded. 
 The King looked at him for a moment, and then roared out 
 tc Weel, gudeman, your commencement is pertinent and true 
 enough ; and though we be ' the greatest of mortals,' as ye style 
 us, dinna fash yoursel' about our grandeur, but go on, as if we 
 were nae better nor wiser than your ain simple sel'." 
 
 But, instead of encouraging the dumbfounded deity, this speech 
 completely upset him. He hastily retreated ; and, in trying to 
 screen himself behind the huntsman, fell back from the stage, and 
 his hound leapt after him. The incident, whether premeditated 
 or not, amused the spectators much more than any speech he 
 could have delivered, and the King joined heartily in the merri- 
 ment. 
 
 Silence being again restored, the first divinity came forward 
 once more, and spoke thus : 
 
 4 Dread lord ! thy Majesty hath stricken dumb 
 His weaker god-head ; if to himself he come, 
 Unto thy service straight he will commend 
 These foresters, and charge them to attend 
 Thy pleasure in this park, and show such sport 
 To the chief huntsman and thy princely court, 
 As the small circle of this round affords, 
 And be more ready than he was in words." * 
 
 * These speeches, given by Nichols as derived from the family records of Sir 
 Henry Philip Hoghton, Bart., were actually delivered at a masque represented on 
 occasion of King James's visit to Hoghton Tower. 
 
4 70 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Weel spoken, and to the purpose, gude fallow," cried James. 
 " And we take this opportunity of assuring our worthy host, in 
 the presence of his other guests, that we have never had better 
 sport in park or forest than we have this day enjoyed have 
 never eaten better cheer, nor quaffed better wine than at his board 
 and, altogether, have never been more hospitably welcomed." 
 
 Sir Richard was overwhelmed by his Majesty's commendation. 
 
 " I have done nothing, my gracious liege," he said, " to merit 
 such acknowledgment on your part, and the delight I experience 
 is only tempered by my utter unworthiness." 
 
 " Hoot-toot ! man," replied James, jocularly, " ye merit a vast 
 deal mair than we hae said to you. But gude folk dinna always 
 get their deserts. Ye ken that, Sir Richard. And now, hae ye 
 not some ither drolleries in store for us?" 
 
 The baronet replied in the affirmative, and soon afterwards the 
 stage was occupied by a new class of performers, and a drollery 
 commenced which kept the audience in one continual roar of 
 laughter so long as it lasted. And yet none of the parts had been 
 studied, the actors entirely trusting to their own powers of 
 comedy to carry it out. The principal character was the Cap 
 Justice, enacted by Sir John Finett, who took occasion in the 
 course of the performance to lampoon and satirise most of the 
 eminent legal characters of the day, mimicking the voices and 
 manner of the three justices Crooke, Hoghton, and Doddridge 
 so admirably, that his hearers were wellnigh convulsed; and 
 the three learned gentlemen, who sat near the King, though fully 
 conscious of the ridicule applied to them, were obliged to laugh 
 with the rest. But the unsparing satirist was not content with 
 this, but went on, with most of the other attendants upon the 
 King, and being intimately versed in court scandal, he directed 
 his lash with telling effect. As a contrast to the malicious 
 pleasantry of the Cap Justice, were the gambols and jests of 
 Robin Goodfellow a merry imp, who, if he led people into 
 mischief, was always ready to get them out of it. Then there 
 was a dance by Bill Huckler, old Crambo, and Tom o' Bedlam, 
 the half-crazed individual already mentioned as being among the 
 crowd in the base court. This was applauded to the echo, and 
 consequently repeated. But the most diverting scene of all was 
 that in which Jem Tospot and the three Doll Wangos appeared. 
 Though given in the broadest vernacular of the county, and 
 scarcely intelligible to the whole of the company, the dialogue of 
 this part of the piece was so lifelike and natural, that every one 
 recognised its truth; while the situations, arranged with the 
 slightest effort, and on the spur of the moment, were extremely 
 ludicrous. The scene was supposed to take place in a small 
 Lancashire alehouse, where a jovial pedlar was carousing, and 
 where, being visited by his three sweethearts each of whom he 
 privately declared to be the favourite he had to reconcile their 
 
EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS. 471 
 
 differences, and keep them all in good-humour. Familiar with 
 the character in all its aspects, Nicholas played it to the life ; and, 
 to do them justice, Dames Baldwyn, Tetlow, and Nance Redferne, 
 were but little if at all inferior to him. There was a reality in 
 their jealous quarrelling that gave infinite zest to the performance. 
 
 " Saul o' my body ! " exclaimed James, admiringly, " those 
 are three braw women. Ane of them maun be sax feet if she is 
 an inch, and weel made and weel favourt too. Zounds! Sir 
 Richard, there's nae standing the spells o' your Lancashire 
 Witches. High-born and low-born, they are a' alike. I wad 
 their only witchcraft lay in their een. I should then hae the less 
 fear of 'em. But have you aught mair 1 for it is growing late, 
 and ye ken we hae something to do in that pavilion." 
 
 " Only a merry dance, my liege, in which a man will appear 
 in a dendrological foliage of fronds," replied the baronet. 
 
 James laughed at the description, and soon afterwards a party 
 of mummers, male and female, clad in various grotesque garbs, 
 appeared on the stage. In the midst of them was the " dendro- 
 logical man," enclosed in a framework of green boughs, like that 
 borne by a modern Jack-in-the-green. A ring was formed by 
 the mummers, and the round commenced to lively music. 
 
 While the mazy measure was proceeding, Nance Redferne, 
 who had quitted the stage with Nicholas, and now stood close to 
 him among the spectators, said in a low tone, " Look there !" 
 
 The squire glanced in the direction indicated, and to his 
 surprise and terror, distinguished, among the crowd at a little 
 distance, the figure of a Cistertian monk. 
 
 u He is invisible to every eye except our own," whispered 
 Nance, " and is come to tell me it is time." 
 
 u Time for what?" demanded Nicholas. 
 
 " Time for you to seize those two accursed Devices, Jem and 
 his mother," replied Nance. " They are both on yon boards. 
 Jem is the man in the tree, and Elizabeth is the owd crone in 
 the red kirtle and high-crowned hat. Yo win knoa her feaw 
 feace when yo pluck off her mask." 
 
 " The monk is gone," cried Nicholas ; " I have kept my eyes 
 steadily fixed on him, and he has melted into air. What has he 
 to do with the Devices ?" 
 
 " He is their fate," returned Nance, " an ey ha' acted under 
 his orders. Boh mount, an seize them. Ey win ge wi' ye." 
 
 Forcing his way through the crowd, Nicholas ran up the steps, 
 and, followed by Nance, sprang upon the stage. His appearance 
 occasioned considerable surprise ; but as he was recognised by the 
 spectators as the jolly Jem Tospot, who had so recently diverted 
 them, and his companion as one of the three Doll Wangos, in 
 anticipation of some more fun they received him with a round of 
 applause. But without stopping to acknowledge it, or being for 
 a moment diverted from his purpose, Nicholas seized the old 
 
472 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 crone, and, consigning her to Nance, caught hold of the leafy 
 frame in which the man was encased, and pulled him from under 
 it. But he began to think he had unkennelled the wrong fox, for 
 the man, though a tall fellow, bore no resemblance to Jem 
 Device ; while, when the crone's mask was plucked off, she was 
 found to be a comely young woman. Meanwhile, all around was 
 in an uproar, and amidst a hurricane of hisses, yells, and other 
 indications of displeasure from the spectators, several of the 
 mummers demanded the meaning of such a strange and un- 
 warrantable proceeding. 
 
 " They are a couple of witches," cried Nicholas ; " this is Jem 
 Device and his mother Elizabeth." 
 
 " My name is nother Jem nor Device," cried the man. 
 
 " Nor mine Elizabeth," screamed the woman. 
 
 " We know the Devices," cried two or three voices, (C and these 
 are none of ' em." 
 
 Nicholas was perplexed. The storm increased ; threats ac- 
 companied the hisses ; when luckily he espied a ring on the man's 
 finger. He instantly seized his hand, and held it up to the 
 general gaze. 
 
 U A proof! a proof!" he cried. "This sapphire ring was 
 given by the King to my cousin, Eichard Assheton, this 
 morning, and stolen from him by Jem Device." 
 
 " Examine their features again " said Nance Redferne, waving 
 her hands over them. " Yo win aw knoa them now." 
 
 The woman's face instantly altered. Many years being added 
 to it in a breath. The man changed equally. The utmost 
 astonishment was evinced by all at the transformation, and the 
 bystanders who had spoken before, now cried out loudly " We 
 know them perfectly now. They are the two Devices." 
 
 By this time an officer, attended by a party of halberdiers, had 
 mounted the boards, and the two prisoners were delivered to their 
 custody by Nicholas. 
 
 " Howd !" cried the man ; te Ey win no longer deny my name. 
 Ey am Jem Device, an this is my mother, Elizabeth. Boh a 
 warse offender than either on us stonds afore yo. This woman is 
 Nance Redferne, grandowter of the owd hag, Mother Chattox. 
 Ey charge her wi' makin' wax images, an' stickin' pins in 'em, wi' 
 intent to kill folk. Hoo wad ha' kilt me mysel', wi' her devilry, 
 if ey hadna bin too strong for her an' that's why hoo bears me 
 malice, an' has betrayed me to Squoire Nicholas Assheton. Seize 
 her, an* ca' me as a witness agen her." 
 
 And as Nance was secured, he laughed malignantly. 
 
 " Ey care not," replied Nance. " Ey am now revenged on you 
 both."^ 
 
 While this impromptu performance took place, as much to the 
 surprise of James as of any one else, and while he was desiring 
 Sir Richard Hoghton to ascertain what it all meant at the very 
 
EVENING ENTERTAINMENTS. 473 
 
 moment that the two Devices and Nance removed from the stage, 
 an usher approached the monarch, and said that Master Potts 
 entreated a moment's audience of his majesty. 
 
 "Potts!" exclaimed James, somewhat confused. " Wha is 
 he ? ah, yes ! I recollect a witch-finder. Weel, let him 
 approach." 
 
 Accordingly, the next moment the little attorney, whose face 
 was evidently charged with some tremendous intelligence, was 
 ushered into the king^s presence. 
 
 After a profound reverence, he said, " May it please your Ma- 
 jesty, I have something for your private ear." 
 
 tf Aweel, then," replied James, u approach us mair closely. 
 What hae ye got to say, sir ? Aught mair anent these witches V 
 
 " A great deal, sire," said Potts, in an impressive tone. t( Some- 
 thing dreadful has happened something terrible." 
 
 "Eh! what?" exclaimed James, looking alarmed. "What la 
 it, man ? Speak ! " 
 
 " Murder ? sire, murder has been done," said Potts, in low 
 thrilling accents. 
 
 " Murder!" exclaimed James, horror-stricken. " Tell us a' about 
 it, and without more ado." 
 
 But Potts was still circumspect. With an air of deepest mys- 
 tery, he approached his head as near as he dared to that of the 
 monarch, and whispered in his ear. 
 
 " Can this be true ? " cried James. " If sae it's very shocking 
 very sad." 
 
 te It is too true, as your Majesty will find on investigation," 
 replied Potts. " The little girl I told you of, Jennet Device, saw 
 it done." 
 
 u Weel, weel, there is nae accounting for human frailty and 
 wickedness," said James. " Let a' necessary steps be taken at 
 once. We will consider what to do. But d'ye hear, sir? dinna 
 let the bairn Jennet go. Haud her fast. D'ye mind that ? Now 
 go, and cause the guilty party to be put under arrest." 
 
 And on receiving this command Master Potts departed. 
 
 Scarcely was he gone than Nicholas Assheton came up to the 
 railing of the platform, and, imploring his Majesty's forgiveness for 
 the disturbance he had occasioned, explained that it had been 
 owing to the seizure of the two Devices, who, for some wicked but 
 unexplained purpose, had contrived to introduce themselves, under 
 various disguises, into the Tower. 
 
 " Ye did right to arrest the miscreants, sir," said James. " But 
 hae ye heard what has happened 1 " 
 
 " No, my liege," replied Nicholas, alarmed by the King's man- 
 ner; "what is it?" 
 
 " Come nearer, and ye shall learn," replied James ; " for we 
 wadna hae it bruited abroad, though if true, as we canna doubt, 
 it will be known soon enough." 
 
474 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 And as the squire bent forward, he imparted some intelligence 
 to him, which instantly changed the expression of the latter to one 
 of mingled horror and rage. 
 
 " It is false, sire !" he cried. "I will answer for her innocence 
 with my life. She could not do it. Your Majesty's patience is 
 abused. It is Jennet who has done it not she. But I will un- 
 ravel the terrible mystery. You have the other two wretches 
 prisoners, and can enforce the truth from them." 
 
 " We will essay to do so," replied James ; " but we have also 
 another prisoner." 
 
 " Christopher Demdike ? " said Nicholas. 
 
 " Ay, Christopher Demdike," rejoined James. te But another 
 besides him Mistress Nutter. You stare, sir ; but it is true. 
 She is in yonder pavilion. We ken fu' weel wha assisted her 
 flight, and wha concealed her. Maister Potts has told us a'. It 
 is weel for you that your puir kinsman, Richard Assheton, did us 
 sic gude service at the boar-hunt to-day. We shall not now be un- 
 mindful of it, even though he cannot send us the ring we gave him." 
 
 u It is here, sire," replied Nicholas. " It was stolen from him 
 by the villain, Jem Device. The poor youth meant to use it for 
 Alizon. I now deliver it to your Majesty as coming from him in 
 her behalf." 
 
 " And we sae receive it," replied the monarch, brushing away 
 the moisture that gathered thickly in his eyes. 
 
 At this moment a tall personage, wrapped in a cloak, who ap- 
 peared to be an officer of the guard, approached the railing. 
 
 " I am come to inform your Majesty that Christopher Demdike 
 has just died of his wounds," said this personage. 
 
 " And sae he has had a strae death, after a'!" rejoined James. 
 " Weel, we are sorry for it." 
 
 " His portion will be eternal bale," observed the officer. 
 
 "How know you that, sir?" demanded the King, sharply. 
 " You are not his judge." 
 
 " I witnessed his end, sire," replied the officer ; " and no man 
 who died as he died can be saved. The Fiend was beside him at 
 the death-throes." 
 
 " Save us !" exclaimed James. " Ye dinna say so? God's santie! 
 man, but this is grewsome, and gars the flesh creep on one's banes. 
 Let his foul carcase be taen awa', and hangit on a gibbet on the 
 hill where Malkin Tower aince stood, as a warning to a' sic hein- 
 ous offenders." 
 
 As the King ceased speaking, Master Potts appeared out of 
 breath, and greatly excited. 
 
 " She has escaped, sire ! " he cried. 
 
 " Wha ! Jennet ! " exclaimed James. " If sae, we will hang 
 you in her stead." 
 
 " No, sire Alizon," replied Potts. rt I can nowhere find her ; 
 nor " and he hesitated. 
 
FATALITY. 475 
 
 " Weel weel it is nae great matter," replied James, as if 
 relieved, and with a glance of satisfaction at Nicholas. 
 
 " I know where Alizon is, sire," said the officer. 
 
 " Indeed !" exclaimed James. " This fellow is strangely offi- 
 cious," he muttered to himself. " And where may she be, sir ?" he 
 added, aloud. 
 
 " I will produce her within a quarter of an hour in yonder pavi- 
 lion," replied the officer, "and all that Master Potts has been unable 
 to find." 
 
 " Your Majesty may trust him," observed Nicholas, who had 
 attentively regarded the officer. " Depend upon it he will make 
 good his words." 
 
 " You think so?" cried the King. " Then we will put him to 
 the test. You will engage to confront Alizon with her mother ?" 
 he added, to the officer. 
 
 " I will, sire," replied the other. " But I shall require the assist- 
 ance of a dozen men." 
 
 " Tak twenty, if you will," replied the King, "I am impatient 
 to see what you can do." 
 
 "In a quarter of a minute all shall be ready within the pavilion, 
 sire," replied the officer. " You have seen one masque to-night ; 
 but you shall now behold a different one the masque of death." 
 
 And he disappeared. 
 
 Nicholas felt sure he would accomplish his task, for he had 
 recognised in him the Cistertian monk. 
 
 "Where is Sir Richard Assheton of Middleton?" inquired the 
 King. 
 
 " He left the Tower with his daughter Dorothy, immediately 
 after the banquet/'' replied Nicholas. 
 
 "I am glad of it right glad," replied the monarch; "the ter- 
 rible intelligence can be the better broken to them. If it had come 
 upon them suddenly, it might have been fatal especially to the 
 puir lassie. Let Sir Ralph Assheton of Whalley come to me 
 and Master Roger Nowell of Read." 
 
 " Your Majesty shall be obeyed," replied Sir Richard Hoghton. 
 
 The King then gave some instructions respecting the prisoners, 
 and bade Master Potts have Jennet in readiness. 
 
 And now to see what terrible thing had happened. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. FATALITY. 
 
 ALONG the eastern terrace a youth and maiden were pacing 
 elowly. They had stolen forth unperceived from the revel, and, 
 passing through a door standing invitingly open, had entered the 
 garden. Though overjoyed in each other's presence, the solemn 
 beauty of the night, so powerful in its contrast to the riotous 
 
476 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 scene they had just quitted, profoundly impressed them. Above, 
 were the deep serene heavens, lighted up by the starry host and 
 their radiant queen below, the immemorial woods, steeped in 
 silvery mists arising from the stream flowing past them. All 
 nature was hushed in holy rest. In opposition to the flood of soft 
 light emanating from the lovely planet overhead, and which turned 
 all it fell on, whether tree, or tower, or stream, to beauty, was the 
 artificial glare caused by the torches near the pavilion ; while the 
 discordant sounds occasioned by the minstrels tuning their instru- 
 ments, disturbed the repose. As they went on, however, these 
 sounds were lost in the distance, and the glare of the torches was 
 excluded by intervening trees. Then the moon looked down 
 lovingly upon them, and the only music that reached their ears arose 
 from the nightingales. After a pause, they walked on again, 
 hand-in-hand, gazing at each other, at the glorious heavens, and 
 drinking in the thrilling melody of the songsters of the grove. 
 
 At the angle of the terrace was a small arbour placed in the 
 midst of a bosquet, and they sat down within it. Then, and not 
 till then, did their thoughts find vent in words. Forgetting the 
 sorrows they had endured, and the perils by which they were en- 
 vironed, they found in their deep mutual love a shield against the 
 sharpest arrows of fate. In low gentle accents they breathed their 
 passion, solemnly plighting their faith before all-seeing Heaven. 
 
 Poor souls ! they were happy then intensely happy. Alas I 
 that their happiness should be so short ; for those few moments 
 of bliss, stolen from a waste of tears, were all that were allowed 
 them. Inexorable fate still dogged their footsteps. 
 
 Amidst the bosquet stood a listener to their converse a little 
 girl with high shoulders and sharp features, on which diabolical 
 malice was stamped. Two yellow eyes glistened through the 
 leaves beside her, marking the presence of a cat. As the lovers 
 breathed their vows, and indulged in hopes never to be realised, 
 the wicked child grinned, clenched her hands, and, grudging them 
 their short-lived happiness, seemed inclined to interrupt it. Some 
 stronger motive, however, kept her quiet. 
 
 What are the pair talking of now ? She hears her own name 
 mentioned by the maiden, who speaks of her with pity, almost 
 with affection pardons her for the mischief she has done her, 
 and hopes Heaven will pardon her likewise. But she knows not 
 the full extent of the girl's malignity, or even her gentle heart 
 must have been roused to resentment. 
 
 The little girl, however, feels no compunction. Infernal malice 
 has taken possession of her heart, and crushed every kindly feel- 
 ing within it. She hates all those that compassionate her, and 
 returns evil for good. 
 
 What are the lovers talking of now ? Of their first meeting at 
 Whalley Abbey, when one was May Queen, and by her beauty 
 and simplicity won the other's heart, losing her own at the same 
 
FATALITY. 477 
 
 time. A bright unclouded career seemed to lie before them then. 
 AVofully had it darkened since. Alas ! Alas ! 
 
 The little girl smiles. She hopes they will go on. She likes 
 to hear them talk thus. Past happiness is ever remembered 
 with a pang by the wretched, and they were happy then. Go 
 on go on ! 
 
 But they are silent for awhile, for they wish to dwell on that 
 hopeful, that blissful season. And a nightingale, alighting on a 
 bough above them, pours forth its sweet plaint, as if in response 
 to their tender emotions. They praise the bird's song, and it 
 suddenly ceases. 
 
 For the little girl, full of malevolence, stretches forth her hand, 
 and it drops to the ground, as if stricken by a dart. 
 
 " Is thy heart broken, poor bird ? " exclaimed the young man, 
 taking up the hapless songster, yet warm and palpitating. " To 
 die in the midst of thy song 'tis hard." 
 
 " Very hard ! v replied the maiden, tearfully. " Its fate seems 
 a type of our own." 
 
 The little girl laughed, but in a low tone, and to herself. 
 
 The pair then grew sad. This slight incident had touched 
 them deeply, and their conversation took a melancholy turn. 
 They spoke of the blights that had nipped their love in the bud 
 of the canker that had eaten into its heart of the destiny that 
 so relentlessly pursued them, threatening to separate them for 
 ever. 
 
 The little girl laughed merrily. 
 
 Then they spoke of the grave and of hope beyond the grave; 
 and they spoke cheerfully. 
 
 The little girl could laugh no longer, for with her all beyond 
 the grave was despair. 
 
 After that they spoke of the terrible power that Satan had 
 lately obtained in that unhappy district, of the arts he had em- 
 ployed, and of the votaries he had won. Both prayed fervently 
 that his snares might be circumvented, and his rule destroyed. 
 
 During this part of the discourse the cat swelled to the size of 
 a tiger, and his eyes glowed like fiery coals. He made a motion 
 as if he would spring forward, but the voice of prayer arrested 
 him, and he shrank back to his former size. 
 
 "Poor Jennet is ensnared by the Fiend," murmured the 
 maiden, " and will perish eternally. Would I could save her ! " 
 
 " It cannot be," replied the young man. " She is beyond 
 redemption." 
 
 The little girl gnashed her teeth with rage. 
 
 "But my mother I do not now despair of her," said Alizon. 
 fi She has broken the bondage by which she was enchained, and, 
 if she resists temptation to the last, I am assured will be saved." 
 
 " Heaven aid her ! " exclaimed Richard. 
 
 Scarcely were the words uttered, than the cat disappeared. 
 
478 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Why, Tib ! where are yo, Tib ? Ey want yo ! " cried the little 
 girl in a low tone. 
 
 But the familiar did not respond to the call. 
 
 Where con he ha' gone ? " cried Jennet ; " Tib ! Tib! " 
 
 Still the cat came not. 
 
 " Then ey mun do the wark without him," pursued the little 
 girl ; " an ey win no longer delay it." 
 
 And with this she crept stealthily round the arbour, and, 
 approaching the side where Richard sat, watched an opportunity 
 of touching him unperceived. 
 
 As her finger came in contact with his frame, a pang like death 
 shot through his heart, and he fell upon Alizon's shoulder. 
 
 " Are you ill ? " she exclaimed, gazing at his pallid features, 
 rendered ghastly white by the moonlight. 
 
 Richard could make no reply, and Alizon, becoming dreadfully 
 alarmed, was about to fly for assistance, but the young man, by 
 a great effort, detained her. 
 
 " Ey mun now run an tell Mester Potts, so that hoo may be 
 found wi' him," muttered Jennet, creeping away. 
 
 Just then Richard recovered his speech, but his words were 
 faintly uttered, and with difficulty. 
 
 u Alizon," he said, " I will not attempt to disguise my condition 
 from you. I am dying. And my death will be attributed to 
 you for evil-minded persons have persuaded the King that you 
 have bewitched me, and he will believe the charge now. Oh ! if 
 you would ease the pangs of death for me if you would console 
 my latest moments leave me, and quit this place, before it be 
 too late." 
 
 " Oh! Richard," she cried distractedly, "you ask more than I 
 can perform. If you are indeed in such imminent danger, I will 
 stay with you will die with you." 
 
 "No! live for me live save yourself, Alizon," implored the 
 young man. " Your danger is greater than mine. A dreadful 
 death awaits you at the stake ! Oh ! mercy, mercy, heaven ! 
 Spare her in pity spare her ! Have we not suffered enough I 
 I can no more. Farewell for ever, Alizon one kiss the last." 
 
 And as their lips met, his strength utterly forsook him, and he 
 fell backwards. 
 
 " One grave ! " he murmured ; " one grave, Alizon !" And so, 
 without a groan, he expired. 
 
 Alizon neither screamed nor swooned, but remained in a state of 
 stupefaction, gazing at the body. As the moon fell upon the 
 placid features, they looked as if locked in slumber. 
 There he lay the young, the brave, the beautiful, the loving, 
 the beloved. Fate had triumphed. Death had done his work ; 
 but he had only performed half his task. 
 
 " One grave one grave it was his last wish it shall be so !" 
 she cried, in frenzied tones. " I shall thus escape my enemies, 
 
FATALITY. 479 
 
 and avoid the horrible and shameful death to which they would 
 doom me." 
 
 And she snatched the dagger from the ill-fated youth's side. 
 
 " Now, fate, I defy thee !" she cried, with a fearful laugh. 
 
 One last look at that calm beautiful face one kiss of the cold 
 lips, which can no more return the endearment and the dagger is 
 pointed at her breast. 
 
 But she is withheld by an arm of iron, and the weapon falls from 
 her grasp. She looks up. A tall figure, clothed in the mouldering 
 habiliments of a Cistertian monk, stands beside her. She knows 
 the vestments at once, for she has seen them before, hanging up 
 in the closet adjoining her mother's chamber at Whalley Abbey 
 and the features of the ghostly monk seem familiar to her. 
 
 66 Raise not thy hand against thyself," said the phantom, in a 
 tone of awful reproof. " It is the Fiend prompts thee to do it. 
 He would take advantage of thy misery to destroy thee." 
 
 " I took thee for the Fiend," replied Alizon, gazing at him 
 with wonder rather than with terror. u Who art thou f " 
 
 " The enemy of thy enemies, and therefore thy friend," replied 
 the monk. " I would have saved thy lover if I could, but his 
 destiny was not to be averted. But, rest content, I will avenge 
 him." 
 
 u I do not want vengeance I want to be with him," she 
 replied, frantically embracing the body. 
 
 " Thou wilt soon be with him," said the phantom, in tones of 
 deep significance. " Arise, and come with me. Thy mother 
 needs thy assistance." 
 
 " My mother ! " exclaimed Alizon, clearing the blinding 
 tresses from her brow. " Where is she ? " 
 
 " Follow me, and I will bring thee to her," said the monk. 
 
 "And leave him? I cannot!" cried Alizon, gazing wildly at 
 the body. 
 
 " You must. A soul is at stake, and will perish if you come not," 
 said the monk. " He is at rest, and you will speedily rejoin him." 
 
 " With that assurance I will go," replied Alizon, with a last 
 look at the object of her love. u One grave lay us in one grave!" 
 
 " It shall be done according to your wish," said the monk. 
 
 And he glided on with noiseless footsteps. 
 
 Alizon followed him along the terrace. 
 
 Presently they came to a dark yew-tree walk, leading to a 
 labyrinth, and tracking it swiftly, as well as the overarched and 
 intricate path to which it conducted, they entered a grotto, 
 whence a flight of steps descended to a subterranean passage, 
 hewn out of the rock. Along this passage, which was of some 
 extent, the monk proceeded, and Alizon followed him. 
 
 At last they came to another flight of steps, and here the monk 
 stopped. 
 
 " We are now beneath the pavilion, where you will find your 
 
480 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 mother," he said. " Mount ! the way is clear before you. I 
 have other work to do." 
 
 Alizon obeyed ; and, as she advanced, was surprised to find the 
 monk gone. He had neither passed her nor ascended the steps, 
 and must, therefore, have sunk into the earth. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. THE LAST HOUR 
 
 WITHIN the pavilion sat Alice Nutter. She was clad in deep 
 mourning, but her dress seemed disordered as if by hasty travel. 
 Her looks were full of anguish and terror ; her blanched tresses, 
 once so dark and beautiful, hung dishevelled over her shoulders ; 
 and her thin hands were clasped in supplication. Her cheeks 
 were ashy pale, but on her brow was a bright red mark, as if 
 traced by a finger dipped in blood. 
 
 A lamp was burning on the table beside her. Near it was a skull, 
 and near this emblem of mortality an hourglass, running fast. 
 
 The windows and doors of the building were closed, and it 
 would seem the unhappy lady was a prisoner. 
 
 She had been brought there secretly that night, with what 
 intent she knew not ; but she felt sure it was with no friendly 
 design towards herself. Early in the day three horsemen had 
 arrived at her retreat in Pendle Forest, and without making any 
 charge against her, or explaining whither they meant to take 
 her, or indeed answering any inquiry, had brought her off with 
 them, and, proceeding across the country, had arrived at a 
 forester's hut on the outskirts of Hoghton Park. Here they 
 tarried till evening, placing her in a room by herself, and keeping 
 strict watch over her ; and when the shadows of night fell, they 
 conveyed her through the woods, and by a private entrance to 
 the gardens of the Tower, and with equal secresy to the pavilion, 
 where, setting a lamp before her, they left her to her meditations. 
 All refused to answer her inquiries, but one of them, with a 
 sinister smile, placed the hourglass and skull beside her. 
 
 Left alone, the wretched lady vainly sought some solution of 
 the enigma why she had been brought thither. She could not 
 solve it ; but she determined, if her capture had been made by any 
 lawful authorities, to confess her guilt and submit to condign 
 punishment. 
 
 Though the windows and doors were closed as before mentioned, 
 sounds from without reached her, and she heard confused and 
 tumultuous noises as if from a large assemblage. For what pur- 
 pose were they met? Could it be for her execution? No 
 there were strains of music, and bursts of laughter. And yet she 
 had heard that the burning of a witch was a spectacle in which 
 the populace delighted that they looked upon it as a show, like 
 any other ; and why should they not laugh, and have music at it f 
 
THE LAST HOUR. 481 
 
 But could she be executed without trial, without judgment? 
 She knew not. All she knew was she was guilty, and deserved 
 to die. But when this idea took possession of her, the laughter 
 sounded in her ears like the yells of demons, and the strains like 
 the fearful harmonies she had heard at weird sabbaths. 
 
 All at once she recollected with indescribable terror, that on 
 this very night the compact she had entered into with the Fiend 
 expired. That at midnight, unless by her penitence and prayers 
 she had worked out her salvation, he could claim her. She 
 recollected also, and with increased uneasiness, that the man who 
 had set the hourglass on the table, and who had regarded her 
 with a sinister smile as he did so, had said it was eleven o'clock ! 
 
 Her last hour then had arrived nay, was partly spent, and 
 the moments were passing swiftly by. 
 
 The agony she endured at this thought was intense. She felt 
 as if reason were forsaking her, and, but for her determined efforts 
 to resist it, such a crisis might have occurred. But she knew that 
 her eternal welfare depended upon the preservation of her mental 
 balance, and she strove to maintain it, and in the end succeeded. 
 
 Her gaze was fixed intently on the hourglass. She saw the 
 sand trickling silently but swiftly down, like a current of life-blood, 
 which, when it ceased, life would cease with it. She saw the 
 shining grains above insensibly diminishing in quantity, and, as if 
 she could arrest her destiny by the act, she seized the glass, and 
 would have turned it, but the folly of the proceeding arrested 
 her, and she set it down again. 
 
 Then horrible thoughts came upon her, crushing her and over- 
 whelming her, and she felt by anticipation all the torments she 
 would speedily have to endure. Oceans of fire, in which miser- 
 able souls were for ever tossing, rolled before her. Yells, such as 
 no human anguish can produce, smote her ears. Monsters of fright- 
 ful form yawned to devour her. Fiends, armed with terrible im- 
 plements of torture, such as the wildest imagination cannot paint, 
 menaced her. All hell, and its horrors, was there, its dreadful 
 gulf, its roaring furnaces, its rivers of molten metal, ever burning, 
 yet never consuming its victims. A hot sulphureous atmosphere 
 oppressed her, and a film of blood dimmed her sight. 
 
 She endeavoured to pray, but her tongue clove to the roof of 
 her mouth. She looked about for her Bible, but it had been left 
 behind when she was taken from her retreat. She had no safe- 
 guard none. 
 
 Still the sand ran on. 
 
 New agonies assailed her. Hell was before her again, but in a 
 new form, and with new torments. She closed her eyes. She 
 shut her ears. But she saw it still, and heard its terrific yells. 
 
 Again she consults the hourglass. The sand is running on 
 ever diminishing. 
 
 New torments assail her. She thinks of all she loves most on 
 
 2i 
 
482 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 earth of her daughter ! Oh ! if Alizon were near her, she might 
 pray for her might scare away these frightful visions might 
 save her. She calls to her but she answers not. No, she is 
 utterly abandoned of God and man, and must perish eternally. 
 
 Again she consults the hourglass. One quarter of an hour is- 
 all that remains to her. Oh ! that she could employ it in prayer ! 
 Oh ! that she could kneel or even weep ! 
 
 A large mirror hangs against the wall, and she is drawn towards 
 it by an irresistible impulse. She sees a figure within it but she 
 does not know herself. Can that cadaverous object, with the white 
 hair, that seems newly-arisen from the grave, be she 1 It must 
 be a phantom. No she touches her cheek, and finds it is real. 
 But, ah ! what is this red brand upon her brow ? It must be the 
 seal of the demon. She tries to efface it but it will not come 
 out. On the contrary, it becomes redder and deeper. 
 
 Again she consults the glass. The sand is still running on. How 
 many minutes remain to her ? 
 
 " Ten !" cried a voice, replying to her mental inquiry. (t Ten!" 
 
 And, turning, she perceived her familiar standing beside her. 
 
 u Thy time is wellnigh out, Alice Nutter," he said. " In tea 
 minutes my lord will claim thee." 
 
 " My compact with thy master is broken," she replied, sum- 
 moning up all her resolution. " I have long ceased to use the power 
 bestowed upon me; but, even if I had wished it, thou hast refused 
 to serve me." 
 
 " I have refused to serve yon, madam, because you have dis- 
 obeyed the express injunctions of my master," replied the familiar ; 
 " but your apostasy does not free you from bondage. You have 
 merely lost advantages which you might have enjoyed. If you 
 chose to dismiss me I could not help ft. Neither I nor my lord 
 have been to blame. We have performed our part of the contract." 
 
 " Why am I brought hither 1 " demanded Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " I will tell you," replied the familiar. " You were brought here 
 by order of the King. Your retreat was revealed to him by Master 
 Potts, who learnt it from Jennet Device. The sapient sovereign 
 intended to confront you with your daughter Alizon, who, like 
 yourself, is accused of witchcraft ; but he will be disappointed 
 for when he comes for you, you will be out of his reach ha ! ha !"" 
 
 And he rubbed his hands at the jest. 
 
 * Alizon accused of witchcraft say'st thou ? " cried Mistress 
 Nutter. 
 
 " Ay," replied the familiar. " She is suspected of bewitching 
 Richard Assheton, who has been done to death by Jennet Device. 
 For one so young, the little girl has certainly a rare turn for mis- 
 chief. But no one will know the real author of the crime, and 
 Alizon will suffer for it." 
 
 " Heaven will not suffer such iniquity," said the lady. 
 
 t( As you have nothing to do with heaven, madam, it is needless 
 
THE LAST HOUR. 483 
 
 to refer to it," said the familiar. u But it certainly is rather hard 
 that one so young as Alizon should perish." 
 
 "Can you save her?" asked Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " Oh ! yes, I could save her, but she will not let me," replied 
 the familiar, with a grin. 
 
 "No no it is impossible," cried the wretched woman. "And 
 I cannot help her." 
 
 " Perhaps you might," observed the tempter. My master, 
 whom you accuse of harshness, is ever willing to oblige you. You 
 have a few minutes left do^you wish him to aid her? Command 
 me, and I will obey you." 
 
 (i This is some snare," thought Mistress Nutter ; " I will resist 
 it." 
 
 " You cannot be worse off than you are," remarked the familiar. 
 
 " I know not that," replied the lady. rt What would'st thou do ? " 
 
 " Whatever you command me, madam. I can do nothing of my 
 own accord. Shall I bring your daughter here ? Say so, and it 
 shall be done." 
 
 " No thou would'st ensnare me," she replied. "I well know 
 thou hast no power over her. Thou would'st place some phantasm 
 before me. I would see her, but not through thy agency." 
 
 " She is here," cried Alizon, opening the door of a closet, and 
 rushing towards her mother, who instantly locked her in her arms. 
 
 " Pray for me, my child," cried Mistress Nutter, mastering her 
 emotion, " or I shall be snatched from you for ever. My moments 
 are numbered. Pray pray ! " 
 
 Alizon fell on her knees, and prayed fervently. 
 
 " You waste your breath," cried the familiar, in a mocking 
 tone. " Never till the brand shall disappear from her brow, and 
 the writing, traced in her blood, shall vanish from this parchment, 
 can she be saved. She is mine." 
 
 "Pray, Alizon, pray!" shrieked Mistress Nutter. 
 
 " I will tear her in pieces if she does not cease," cried the 
 familiar, assuming a terrible shape, and menacing her with claws 
 like those of a wild beast. 
 
 "Pray thou, mother!" cried Alizon. 
 
 " I cannot," replied the lady. 
 
 " I will kill her if she but makes the attempt," howled the 
 demon. 
 
 " But try, mother, try ! " cried Alizon. 
 
 The poor lady dropped on her knees, and raised her hands in 
 humble supplication u Heaven forgive me!" she exclaimed. 
 
 The demon seized the hourglass. 
 
 u The sand is out her term has expired she is mine!" he cried. 
 
 " Clasp thy arms tightly round me, my child. He cannot take 
 me from thee," shrieked the agonised woman. 
 
 " Release he*, Alizon, or I will slay thee likewise," roared the 
 demon. 
 
484 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 " Never," she replied ; "thou canst not overcome me. Ha!" 
 she added joyfully, " the brand has disappeared from her brow." 
 
 " And the writing from the parchment," howled the demon ; 
 " but I will have her notwithstanding." 
 
 And he plunged his claws into Alice Nutter's flesh. But her 
 daughter held her fast. 
 
 " Oh ! hold me, my child hold me, or 1 am lost ! " shrieked 
 the lady. 
 
 " Be warned, and let her go, or thy life shall pay for her's," 
 cried the demon. 
 
 " My life for her's, willingly," replied Alizon. 
 
 " Then take thy fate," rejoined the evil spirit. 
 
 And placing his hand upon her heart, it instantly ceased to beat. 
 
 " Mother, thou art saved saved ! " exclaimed Alizon, throwing 
 out her arms. 
 
 And gazing at her for an instant with a seraphic look, she fell 
 backwards, and expired. 
 
 " Thou art mine," roared the demon, seizing Mistress Nutter 
 by the hair, and dragging her from her daughter's body, to which 
 she clung desperately. 
 
 "Help! help! "she cried. 
 
 " Thou mayst call, but thy cries will be unheeded," rejoined 
 the familiar with mocking laughter. 
 
 "Thou liest, false fiend!" said Mistress Nutter. "Heaven 
 will help me now." 
 
 And, as she spoke, the Cistertian monk stood before them. 
 
 " Hence ! " he cried with an imperious gesture to the demon. 
 " She is no longer in thy power. Hence ! " 
 
 And with a howl of rage and disappointment the familiar vanished. 
 
 " Alice Nutter," continued the monk, " thy safety has been 
 purchased at the price of thy daughter's life. But it is of little 
 moment, for she could not live long. Her gentle heart was 
 broken, and, when the demon stopped it for ever, he performed 
 unintentionally a merciful act. She must rest in the same grave 
 with him she loved so well during life. This tell to those who 
 will come to thee anon. Thou art delivered from the yoke of 
 Satan. Full expiation has been made. But earthly justice must 
 be satisfied. Thou must pay the penalty for crimes committed in 
 the flesh, but what thou suflferest here shall avail thee hereafter." 
 
 " I am content," she replied. 
 
 " Pass the rest of thy life in penitence and prayer," pursued 
 the monk, "and let nothing divert thee from it ; for, though free 
 now, thou wilt be subject to evil influence and temptations to the 
 last. Remember this." 
 
 "I will I will," she rejoined. 
 
 " And now," he said, " kneel beside thy daughter's body and 
 pray. I will return to thee ere many minutes be passed. One 
 task more, and then my mission is ended." 
 
THE MASQUE OF DEATH. 485 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. THE MASQUE OF DEATH. 
 
 SHORT time as he had to await, James was unable to control 
 his impatience. At last he arose, and, completely sobered by the 
 recent strange events, descended the steps of the platform, and 
 walked on without assistance. 
 
 " Let the yeomen of the guard keep back the crowd," he said to 
 an officer, " and let none follow me but Sir Ralph Assheton, 
 Master Nicholas Assheton, and Master Roger Nowell. When I 
 call, let the prisoners be brought forward." 
 
 "Your Majesty shall be obeyed," replied the baronet, giving 
 the necessary directions. 
 
 James then moved slowly forward in the direction of the 
 pavilion ; and, as he went, called Nicholas Assheton to him. 
 
 " Wha was that officer ? " he asked. 
 
 " Your pardon, my liege, but I cannot answer the question," 
 replied Nicholas. 
 
 " And why not, sir? " demanded the monarch, sharply. 
 
 " For reasons I will hereafter render to your Majesty, and 
 which I am persuaded you will find satisfactory," rejoined the 
 squire. 
 
 " Weel, weel, I dare say you are right," said the King. " But 
 do you think he will keep his word ? " 
 
 " I am sure of it," returned Nicholas. 
 
 t( The time is come, then !" exclaimed James impatiently, and 
 looking up at the pavilion 
 
 " The time is come ! " echoed a sepulchral voice. 
 
 " Did you speak?" inquired the monarch. 
 
 " No, sire," replied Nicholas ; " but some one seemed to give 
 you intimation that all is ready. Will it please you to go on?" 
 
 " Enter !" cried the voice. 
 
 " Wha speaks ?" demanded the King. And, as no answer 
 was returned, he continued " I will not set foot in the structure. 
 It may be a snare of Satan." 
 
 At this moment the shutters of the windows flew open, showing 
 that the pavilion was lighted up by many tapers within, while 
 solemn strains of music issued from it. 
 
 " Enter!" repeated the voice. 
 
 " Have no fear, sire," said Nicholas. 
 
 " That canna be the wark o' the deil," cried James. tf He 
 does not delight in holy hymns and sweet music." 
 
 " That is a solemn dirge for the dead," observed Nicholas, as 
 melodious voices mingled with the music. 
 
 " Weel, weel, I will go on at a* hazards," said James. 
 
 The doors flew open as the King and his attendants approached, 
 and, as soon as they had passed through them, the valves swung 
 back to their places. 
 
486 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 A strange sad spectacle met their gaze. In the midst of the 
 chamber stood a bier, covered with a velvet pall, and on it the 
 bodies of a youth and maiden were deposited. Pale and 
 beautiful were they as sculptured marble, and a smile sat upon 
 their features. Side by side they were lying, with their arms 
 enfolded, as if they had died in each other's embrace. A wreath 
 of yew and cypress was placed above their heads, and flowers 
 were scattered round them. 
 
 They were Richard and Alizon. 
 
 It was a deeply touching sight, and for some time none spake. 
 The solemn dirge continued, interrupted only by the stifled sobs 
 of the listeners. 
 
 " Both gone ! " exclaimed Nicholas, in accents broken by 
 emotion ; " and so young so good so beautiful ! Alas ! alas ! " 
 " She could not have bewitched him," said the King. 
 " Alizon was all purity and goodness," cried Nicholas, " and 
 is now numbered with the angels." 
 
 " The guilty one is in thy hands, O King ! " said the voice. 
 ts It is for thee to punish." 
 
 " And I will not hold my hand," said James. " The Devices 
 shall assuredly perish. When I go from this chamber, I will 
 have them conveyed under a strong escort to Lancaster Castle. 
 They shall die by the hands of the common executioner." 
 
 "My mission, then, is complete," replied the voice. "I can 
 rest in peace." 
 
 " Who art thou?" demanded the King. 
 
 " One who sinned deeply, but is now pardoned," replied the 
 voice. 
 
 The King was for a moment lost in reflection, and then turned 
 to depart. At this moment a kneeling figure, whom no one had 
 hitherto noticed, arose from behind the bier. It was a lady, 
 robed in mourning. So ghastly pale were her features, and so 
 skeleton-like her attenuated frame, that James thought he beheld 
 a spectre, and recoiled in terror. The figure advanced slowly 
 towards him. 
 
 " Who, and what art thou, in Heaven's name ?" he exclaimed. 
 " I am Alice Nutter, sire," replied the lady, prostrating her- 
 self before him. 
 
 " Alice Nutter, the witch!" cried the King. " Why ay, I 
 recollect thou wert here. I sent for thee, but recent terrible 
 events had put thee clean out of my head. But expect no grace 
 from me, evil woman. I will show thee none." 
 
 " I ask none, sire," replied the penitent. rt I came to place 
 myself in your hands, that justice may be done upon me." 
 
 " Ah !" exclaimed James. " Dost thou, indeed, repent thee of 
 thy iniquities ? Dost thou abjure the devil and all his works ? " 
 
 " I do," replied the lady, fervently. " My compact with the 
 Evil One has been broken by the prayers of my devoted daughter, 
 
THE MASQUE OF DEATH. 487 
 
 who sacrificed herself for me, and thereby saved my soul alive. 
 But human justice requires an expiation, and I am anxious to 
 make it." 
 
 " Arise, ill-fated woman," said the king, much moved. " You 
 must go to Lancaster, but, in consideration of your penitence, no 
 indignity shall be shown you. You must be strictly guarded, 
 but you shall not be taken with the other prisoners." 
 
 " I humbly thank your Majesty," replied the lady. (f May I 
 take a last farewell of my child ?" 
 
 " Do so," replied James. 
 
 Alice Nutter then approached the bier, and, after gazing for a 
 moment with deepest fondness upon the features of her daughter, 
 imprinted a kiss upon her marble brow. In doing this her tears 
 fell fast. 
 
 " You can weep, I see," observed the King. "You are a witch 
 no longer." 
 
 " Ay, Heaven be praised ! I can weep," she replied ; " and so 
 ease my over-burthened heart. Oh ! sire, none but those who 
 have experienced it can tell the agony of being denied this relief 
 of nature. Farewell for ever, my blessed child !" she exclaimed, 
 kissing her brow again ; " and you, too, her beloved. Nicholas 
 Assheton it was her wish to be buried in the same grave with 
 Richard. You will see it done, Nicholas ?" 
 
 "I will I will!" replied the squire, in a voice of deepest 
 emotion. 
 
 " And I likewise promise it," said Sir Ralph Assheton. tl They 
 shall rest together in Whalley churchyard. It is well that Sir 
 Richard and Dorothy are gone," he observed to Nicholas. 
 
 " It is indeed," said the squire, (t or we should have had 
 another funeral to perform. Pray Heaven it be not so now ! " 
 
 " Have you any other request to prefer ? " demanded the 
 King. 
 
 " None whatever, sire," replied the lady, " except that I wish 
 to make full restitution of all the land I have robbed him of, 
 to Master Roger Nowell ; and, as some compensation, I would 
 fain add certain lands adjoining, which have been conveyed over 
 to Sir Ralph and Nicholas Assheton, only annexing the condition 
 that a small sum annually be given in dole to the poor of the 
 parish, that I may be remembered in their prayers." 
 
 * We will see it done," said Sir Ralph and Nicholas. 
 
 " And I will see my part fulfilled," said Nowell. " For any 
 wrong you have done me I now freely and fully forgive you, and 
 may Heaven in its infinite mercy forgive you likewise!" 
 
 u Amen ! " ejaculated the monarch. And all the others joined 
 in the ejaculation. 
 
 The King then moved to the door, which was opened for him 
 by the two Asshetons. At the foot of the steps stood Master 
 Potts, attended by an officer of the guard and a party of halber- 
 
488 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 diers. In the midst of them, with their hands tied behind their 
 backs, were Jem Device, his mother, Jennet, and poor Nance 
 Redferne. Jem looked dogged and sullen, Elizabeth downcast, 
 but Jennet retained her accustomed malignant expression. Poor 
 Nance was the only one who excited any sympathy. Jennet's 
 malice seemed now directed against Master Potts, whom she 
 charged with having betrayed and deceived her. 
 
 " If Tib had na deserted me he should tear thee i' pieces, thou 
 ill-favourt little monster," she cried. 
 
 "Monster in your own face, you hideous little wretch," ex- 
 claimed the indignant attorney. " If you use such opprobrious 
 epithets I will have you gagged. You will be taken to Lancaster 
 Castle, and hanged." 
 
 " Yo are os bad as ey am, and warse," replied Jennet, rt and 
 deserve hanging os weel, and the King shan knoa of your tricks,'* 
 she vociferated, as James appeared at the door of the pavilion. 
 " Yo wished to ensnare Alizon. Yo wished me to kill her. Ey 
 was only your instrument." 
 
 " Stop her mouth gag her!" cried Potts. 
 
 " Nah, nah ! they shanna stap my mouth they shanna gag 
 me," cried Jennet. " Ey win speak out. The King shan hear 
 me. You are as bad os me." 
 
 "All malice, your Majesty all malice," cried the attorney. 
 
 " Malice, nae doubt, in great pairt," replied James ; " but some 
 truth as weel, I fear, sir. And in any case it will prevent my 
 doing any thing for you." 
 
 " There, you have ruined my hopes, you little wretch ! " cried 
 Potts, furiously. 
 
 " Ey'm reet glad on't," said Jennet. (e Yo may tay me to 
 Lonkester Castle, boh yo conna hong me. Ey knoa that fu' weel. 
 Ey shan get out, and then look to yersel, lad ; for, os sure os ey'm 
 Mother Demdike's grand owter, ey'n plague the life out o' ye." 
 
 " Take the prisoners away, and let them be conveyed under a 
 strict escort to Lancaster Castle," said James. 
 
 u And, as the assizes commence next week, quick work will be 
 made with them, your Majesty," observed Potts. " Their guilt 
 can be incontestably proved, so they are sure to be found guilty, 
 sure to be hanged, sire." 
 
 As the prisoners were removed, Nance Redferne looked round 
 her, and, catching the eye of Nicholas, made a slight motion with 
 her head, as if bidding him farewell. 
 
 The squire returned the mute valediction. 
 
 " Poor Nance ! " he exclaimed, compassionately, " I sincerely 
 pity her. Would there was any means of saving her ! " 
 
 " There is none," observed Sir Ralph Assheton. " And you 
 may be thankful you are not brought in as her accomplice." 
 
 As Jennet was taken away, she continued to hurl threats and 
 imprecations against Potts. 
 
489 
 
 Another officer of the guard was then summoned, and when he 
 came, James said, " One other prisoner remains within the 
 pavilion. She likewise must be conveyed to Lancaster Castle, 
 but in a litter, and not with the other prisoners." 
 
 Attended by Sir Kichard Hoghton, the monarch then pro- 
 ceeded to his lodgings in the Tower. 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. ONE GRAVE." 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING the sad occurrences above detailed, James 
 remained for two more days the guest of Sir Richard Hoghton, 
 enjoying his princely hospitality, hunting in the park, carousing 
 in the great hall, and witnessing all kinds of sports. 
 
 Nothing, indeed, was left to remind him of the sad events that 
 had occurred. The prisoners were taken that night to Lancaster 
 Castle, and Master Potts accompanied the escort, to be ready for 
 the assizes. The three judges proceeded thither at the end of 
 the week. The attendance of Roger Nowell, Nicholas, and Sir 
 Ralph Assheton, was also required as witnesses at the trial of the 
 witches. 
 
 Sir Richard Assheton and Dorothy had returned, as already 
 stated, to Middleton ; and, though the intelligence of the death of 
 Richard and Alizon was communicated to them with infinite 
 caution, the shock to both was very great, especially to Dorothy, 
 who was long very long in recovering from it. 
 
 Nicholas's vivacity of temperament made him feel the loss of 
 his cousin at first very keenly, but it soon wore off. He vowed 
 amendment and reformation on the model of John Bruen, whose 
 life offered so striking a contrast to his own, that it has very 
 properly been placed in opposition by a reverend moralist ; but I 
 regret to say that he did not carry out his praiseworthy intentions. 
 He was apt to make a joke of John Bruen, instead of imitating 
 his example. He professed to devote himself to his excellent 
 wife but his old habits would break out ; and, I am sorry to say, 
 he was often to be found in the alehouse, and was just as fond of 
 horse-racing, cock-fighting, hunting, fishing, and all other sports, 
 as ever. Occasionally he occupied a leisure or a rainy day with a 
 Journal,* parts of which have been preserved ; but he set down in 
 it few of the terrible events here related, probably because they 
 were of too painful a nature to be recorded. He died in 1625 
 at the early age of thirty-five. 
 
 But to go back. A few days after the tragical events at 
 Hoghton Tower, the whole village of Whalley was astir. But it 
 
 * Published by the Chetham Society, and admirably edited, with notes, exhibiting 
 an extraordinary amount of research and information, by the Rev. F. R. Raines, 
 M.A., F.S.A., of Milnrow Parsonage, near Rochdale. 
 
490 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 was no festive occasion no merry-making that called forth the 
 inhabitants, for grief sat upon every countenance. The day, too, 
 was gloomy. The feathered summits of Whalley Nab were 
 wreathed in mist, and a fine rain descended in the valley. The 
 Calder looked dull and discoloured as it flowed past the walls of 
 the ancient Abbey. The church bell tolled mournfully, and a 
 large concourse was gathered in the churchyard. Not far from 
 one of the three crosses of Paulinus, which stood nearest the 
 church porch, a grave had been digged, and almost every one 
 looked into it. The grave, it was said, was intended to hold two 
 coffins. Soon after this, a train of mourners issued from the 
 ancient Abbey gateway, and sure enough there were two coffins 
 on the shoulders of the bearers. They were met at the gate by 
 Doctor Ormerod, who was so deeply affected as scarcely to be 
 able to perform the needful offices for the dead. The principal 
 mourners were Sir Richard Assheton of Middleton, Sir Ralph 
 Assheton, and Nicholas. Amid the tears and sobs of all the 
 bystanders, the bodies of Richard and Alizon were committed to 
 the earth laid together in one grave. 
 
 Thus was their latest wish fulfilled. Flowers grew upon the 
 turf that covered them, and there was the earliest primrose seen, 
 arid the latest violet. Many a fond youth and trusting maiden 
 have visited their lowly tomb, and many a tear, fresh from the 
 heart, has dropped upon the sod covering the ill-fated lovers. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. LANCASTER CASTLE. 
 
 BEHOLD the grim and giant fabric, rebuilt and strengthened by 
 " Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster ! " 
 
 Within one of its turrets called John of Gaunt's Chair, and at 
 eventide, stands a lady under the care of a jailer. It is the last 
 sunset she will ever see the last time she will look upon 
 the beauties of earth ; for she is a prisoner, condemned to die 
 an ignominious and terrible death, and her execution will take 
 place on the morrow. Leaving her alone within the turret, the 
 jailer locks the door and stands outside it. The lady casts a 
 long, lingering look around. All nature seems so beautiful so 
 attractive. The sunset upon the broad watery sands of More- 
 cambe Bay is exquisite in varied tints. The fells of Furness 
 look black and bold, and the windings of the Lune are clearly 
 traced out. But she casts a wistful glance towards the moun- 
 tainous ridges of Lancashire, and fancies she can detect amongst 
 the heights the rounded summit of Pendle Hill. Then her gaze 
 settles upon the grey old town beneath her, and, as her glance 
 wanders over it, certain terrible objects arrest it. In the area 
 
LANCASTER CASTLE. 491 
 
 before the Castle she sees a ring of tall stakes. She knows well 
 their purpose, and counts them. They are thirteen in number. 
 Thirteen wretched beings are to be burned on the morrow. Not 
 far from the stakes are an enormous pile of fagots. All is pre- 
 pared. Fascinated by the sight, she remains gazing at the place 
 of execution for some time, and when she turns, she beholds a 
 tall dark man standing beside her. At first she thinks it is the 
 jailer, and is about to tell the man she is ready to descend to 
 her cell, when she recognises him, and recoils in terror. 
 
 " Thou here again ! " she cried. 
 
 " I can save thee from the stake, if thou wilt, Alice Nutter," 
 he said. 
 
 rt Hence ! " she exclaimed. " Thou temptest me in vain. 
 Hence!" 
 
 And with a howl of rage the demon disappeared. 
 
 Conveyed back to her cell, situated within the dread Dungeon 
 Tower, Alice Nutter passed the whole of that night in prayer. 
 Towards four o'clock, wearied out, she dropped into a slumber; and 
 when the clergyman, from whom she had received spiritual con- 
 solation, came to her cell, he found her still sleeping, but with a 
 sweet smile upon her lips the first he had ever beheld there. 
 
 Unwilling to disturb her, he knelt down and prayed by her side. 
 At length the jailer came, and the executioner's aids. The divine 
 then laid his hand upon her shoulder, and she instantly arose. 
 
 " I am ready," she said, cheerfully. 
 
 " You have had a happy dream, daughter," he observed. 
 
 " A blessed dream, reverend sir," she replied. " I thought I 
 saw my children, Richard and Alizon, in a fair garden oh ! how 
 angelic they looked and they told me I should be with them 
 soon." 
 
 " And I doubt not the vision will be realised," replied the clergy- 
 man. " Your redemption is fully worked out, and your salvation, 
 I trust, secured. And now you must prepare for your last trial." 
 
 " I am fully prepared," she replied ; " but will you not go to 
 the others?"" 
 
 " Alas ! my dear daughter," he replied, " they all, excepting 
 Nance Redferne, refuse my services, and will perish in their ini- 
 quities." 
 
 " Then go to her, sir, I entreat of you," she said ; " she may yet 
 be saved. But what of Jennet? Is she, too, to die?" 
 
 " No," replied the divine ; " being evidence against her relatives, 
 her life is spared." 
 
 "Heaven grant she do no more mischief!" exclaimed Alice 
 Nutter. 
 
 She then submitted herself to the executioner's assistants, and 
 was led forth. On issuing into the open air a change came over 
 her, and such an exceeding faintness that she had to be supported. 
 She was led towards the stake in this state; but she grew fainter 
 
492 THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES. 
 
 and fainter, and at last fell back in the arms of the men that sup- 
 ported her. Still they carried her on. When the executioner 
 put out his hand to receive her from his aids, she was found to be 
 quite dead. Nevertheless, he tied her to the stake, and her body- 
 was consumed. Hundreds of spectators beheld those terrible fires, 
 and exulted in the torments of the miserable sufferers. Their 
 shrieks and blasphemies were terrific, and the place resembled a 
 hell upon earth. 
 
 Jennet escaped, to the dismay of Master Potts, who feared she 
 would wreak her threatened vengeance upon him. And, indeed, 
 he did suffer from aches and cramps, which he attributed to her ; 
 but which were more reasonably supposed to be owing to rheum 
 caught in the marshes of Pendle Forest. He had, however, the 
 pleasure of assisting at her execution, when some years afterwards 
 retributive justice overtook her. 
 
 Jennet was the last of the Lancashire Witches. Ever since 
 then witchcraft has taken a new form with the ladies of the county 
 though their fascination and spells are as potent as ever. Few- 
 can now escape them, few desire to do so. But to all who are 
 afraid of a bright eye and a blooming cheek, and who desire to ad- 
 here to a bachelor's condition to such I should say, " BEWARE 
 OF THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES I" 
 
 THE END. 
 
 MCCOEQUODALE & co., LIMITED, PEINTEES, LONDON WOEKS, NEWTON. 
 
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