The Witch-cult in Western Europe Part 14

'Antoine Tornier, Et Iaquema Paget ont confesse, que comme elles retournoient a certain iour par ensemble de glanner, pa.s.sans au long du [=p]re de Longchamois, elles apperceurent que l'on y tenoit le Sabbat; Surquoy elles poserent bas leurs fardeaux, & allerent au lieu predict, ou elles firent comme les autres, & puis se retirerent chacune en leurs maisons, apres auoir reprins leurs fardeaux.'[447]

The Salem Witches (1692) met 'upon a plain gra.s.sy place, by which was a Cart path and sandy ground in the path, in which were the tracks of Horses feet'.[448]

_Date and Hour._-There was no fixed day or hour for the Esbat, and in this it differed from the Sabbath, which was always at night. The Devil let his followers know the time, either by going to them himself or by sending a message by the officer. The message might be by word of mouth, or by some signal understood by the initiated.

Though there was no fixed day for the Esbat, it seems probable that one day in the week was observed in each locality.

Danaeus, in his general survey of the cult in 1575, says: 'He apointeth where they shall meete, and at what houre of the day, or of the night: wherein they haue no surenes, nor certentie. For these meetinges are not weekely, nor monthly, nor yeerely, but when and how often it shall seeme good to this their maister. And many times himself warneth them to meete, sometimes hee apoynteth others to warne them in his staede. But when he doth it himself, he appeareth vnto them in likenesse of a man.'[449] De Lancre says that in the Ba.s.ses-Pyrenees 'le lieu ou on le trouue ordinairement s'appelle Lanne de bouc, & en Basque _Aquelarre de verros, prado del Cabron_, & la les Sorciers le vont adorer trois nuicts durant, celle du Lundy, du Mercredy, & du Vendredy.-Les iours ordinaires de la conuocation du Sabbat, ou pour mieux dire les nuicts, sont celles du Mercredy venant au Ieudy, & du Vendredy venant au Samedy.-Catherine de Naguille de la paroisse d'Vstarits, aagee de onze ans, & sa compagne, nous out a.s.seure qu'elles auoi?t este au Sabbat en plein midy.'[450] Jane Bosdeau (1594) 'every Wednesday and Friday met a Rendezvous of aboue Sixty Witches at Puy de dome'.[451] Boguet says that the day of the Sabbath was variable, usually Thursday night;[452] while, according to Bodin, the most frequent was 'entre la nuict du Lundi & Mardi'.[453] Boguet also goes on to say, 'Le Sabbat ne se tient pas tousiours de nuict, ains que les Sorciers y vont aussi quelquefois de iour, selon que firent Antoine Tornier, & Iaquema Paget, & plusieurs autres de leur secte le confessent.'[454] The Lorraine witches also had the same custom:

'Alle zugleich, so viel ihrer bisher in Lotharingen peinlich sind verh.o.r.et worden, bekandten, da.s.s solche Versammlung in keiner andern Nacht, als welche zu nechst vor dem Donnerstag oder Sambstag hergehet, gehalten werden.-Johannes a Villa und Agathina des Schneiders Francisci weib, sagt, eine oder zwey Stunde vor Mitternacht, were die bequemste Zeit darzu, und zwar nicht allein zu diesen Gespensten, sondern auch sonsten zu allerhand Gespensten, Bollergeisten, Irrgeisten, &c. Aber die Stunde nach Mitternacht diene nicht darzu.'[455]

The English and Scotch evidence is to the same effect. The witches 'are likewise reported to have each of them a Spirit or Imp attending on, or a.s.signed to them.... These give the Witches notice to be ready on all Solemn appointments, and meetings, which are ordinarily on Tuesday or Wednesday night'.[456] Janet Breadheid of the Auldearne Coven emphasizes the irregularity of the dates: 'Efter that, we vold still meit euerie ten, twelve, or twantie dayes continwally.'[457] Marie Lamont merely notes that the meetings were at night: 'The devil came to Kattrein Scott's house in the midst of the night.... When she had been at a mietting sine Zowle last, with other witches, in the night, the devill convoyed her home in the dawing.'[458] The Somerset witches had no special night: 'At every meeting before the Spirit vanisheth away, he appoints the next meeting place and time,'[459] and Mary Green went to a meeting 'on Thursday Night before Whitsunday last.'[460] At Paisley the meeting was on Thursday, the 4th of January, 1678, in the night, in John Stuart's house.[461] The Swedish witches were much harder worked: 'whereas formerly one journey a week would serve his turn, from their own Town to the place aforesaid, now they were forced to run to other Towns and places for Children, and that some of them did bring with them some fifteen, some sixteen Children every night.'[462]

The more modern examples suggest that the date became more fixed: 'On croit que c'est toujours un vendredi soir que les sorciers et sorcieres se reunissent.'[463] 'Sorciers et sorcieres vont au _sabbat_ le vendredi, a travers les airs.'[464]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 328: Boguet, pp. 106-7.]

[Footnote 329: Pitcairn, ii, pp. 542-3.]

[Footnote 330: De Lancre, _Tableau_, p. 148.]

[Footnote 331: Id., _L'Incredulite_, p. 808.]

[Footnote 332: Kinloch, pp. 122-3.]

[Footnote 333: Burns Begg, p. 239.]

[Footnote 334: Bourignon, _Vie_, p. 211; Hale, p. 29.]

[Footnote 335: Stewart, p. 174.]

[Footnote 336: Pitcairn, i, pt. ii, p. 239. Spelling modernized.]

[Footnote 337: Boguet, p. 104.]

[Footnote 338: Potts, G 4.]

[Footnote 339: Whitaker, p. 216.]

[Footnote 340: Pitcairn, iii, p. 604.]

[Footnote 341: Horneck, pt. ii, p. 320.]

[Footnote 342: Bodin, _Fleau_, p. 178.]

[Footnote 343: Scot, pp. 41, 184. Scot is as usual, extraordinarily inaccurate in his statements. The correct formulae, as given by Wierus, will be found in Appendix V, with notes on the ingredients by Prof. A. J.

Clark.]

[Footnote 344: Boguet, p. 96.]

[Footnote 345: De Lancre, _Tableau_, p. 148.]

[Footnote 346: H. G. van Elven, _La Tradition_, 1891, p. 215. Unfortunately neither name nor place are given in the transcription.]

[Footnote 347: Burns Begg, p. 223.]

[Footnote 348: Glanvil, pt. ii, pp. 139, 141, 148-9, 151.]

[Footnote 349: Scot, Bk. iii, p. 66; Lea, iii, p. 493. I give Scot's translation as being more racily expressed.]

[Footnote 350: J. Bournon, p. 19.]

[Footnote 351: Boguet, p. 96.]

[Footnote 352: De Lancre, _Tableau_, p. 123.]

[Footnote 353: Whitaker, p. 216.]

[Footnote 354: Bourignon, _Vie_, p. 214; Hale, p. 31.]

[Footnote 355: Horneck, pt. ii, pp. 316, 317, 318, 319, 321.]

[Footnote 356: Kinloch, p. 129.]

[Footnote 357: Surtees Society, xl, pp. 191-2, 194, 197; Denham Tracts, ii, pp. 299-301, 304, 307.]

[Footnote 358: Holinshed, _Ireland_, p. 58.]

[Footnote 359: Chartier, iii, p. 45; Lea, iii, p. 536.]

[Footnote 360: From a trial in the Greffe, Guernsey.]

[Footnote 361: Danaeus, ch. iv.]

[Footnote 362: Boguet, p. 104.]

[Footnote 363: Id., pp. 9, 104.]

[Footnote 364: A marginal note against the word _rama.s.se_ gives 'autrement balait, & en Lyonnois coiue'.]

[Footnote 365: Boguet, pp. 9, 97, 104.]

[Footnote 366: Cannaert, p. 49.]

[Footnote 367: Pitcairn, iii, pp. 604, 608, 613.]

[Footnote 368: Glanvil, pt. ii, p. 194.]