Justices
of the peace, judges, and the highest dignitaries of the realm, firmly
believed in these reputed sorceries. Even the great Sir Thomas Brown,
author of the book intended as an exposure of "Vulgar Errors," gave his
testimony to the truth and reality of those diabolical delusions. But we
have little need to wonder at the superstition of past ages, when we
look at the folly and credulity of our own.
It may, perhaps, be pleasing to learn that the judge who presided at the
trial respited the convicts, and reported their case to the king in
council. They were next remitted to Chester, where Bishop Bridgeman,
certifying his opinion of the matter, four of the accused--Margaret
Johnson, Frances Dickisson, Mary Spencer, and the wife of one
Hargreaves--were sent to London and examined, first by the king's
physicians, and afterwards by Charles I. in person. "A stranger scene
can scarcely be perceived," says the historian of Whalley; "and it is
not easy to imagine whether the untaught manners, rude dialect, and
uncouth appearance of these poor foresters would more astonish the king;
or his dignity of person and manners, together with the splendid scene
by which they were surrounded, would overwhelm them.
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