Chapter XIII: Section I

_A sketch of the history of the prosecution and murder of divers poor harmless creatures_, _falsely denominated witches_, _at Lynn_, _in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries_.

Before the reformation, and since in popish countries, the cognizance of reputed _witches_, and suppression of what is called _witchcraft_, pertained to the _inquisitors_. _Luiz de Paramo_, a Spanish inquisitor, who wrote a most curious book in defence of the holy office, {720} declares that in the course of 150 years, (from 1485, if we are not mistaken) the inquisition had _burnt_ 30,000 _witches_, which he evidently thought a most meritorious deed, for which the pious actors were entitled to the gratitude and veneration of posterity, and himself, who had been very active in the same way, to the praise of having deserved well of his country and of all Christendom.

After the reformation, the business, in these kingdoms, was taken up by such zealous protestants (conformists and nonconformists) whose spirit pretty much resembled that of the Spanish Inquisitors, and who appear to have been equally unchristianlike. Their zeal against what they called witchcraft was unbounded; and whenever they could fix that stigma upon any one, he could have little chance of escaping with his life. This country has therefore been highly infamous for the punishments inflicted, and the barbarities exercised upon those hapless beings whom our ignorant, superstitious, and savage ancestors used to brand with the odious names of _witches_ and _wizards_. We might well be called to blush for those execrable deeds of our forefathers, if there were not others belonging to ourselves which no less loudly call for blushing.

Lancashire, it seems, has been noted for its reputed witches, and so has Warboys and other places in Huntingdonshire. Nor has this town been unproductive of persons who bore the same name, or had the hard fate of lying under the same imputation.—The first of these, that has fallen within the knowledge of the present writer, was _Margaret Read_, who is said to have been _burnt_ here for witchcraft, in 1590.—Poor creature! She was certainly _murdered_! by the magistrates! by what was called the law of the land, and in the venerable and sacred name of justice! Such acts, however, have been but too common in all ages, in all countries, and even in what are called protestant states. England was then such a state, but that did not always secure the people from injustice and oppression, or prevent in all instances the rulers and magistrates from shedding innocent blood.

About eight years after, that is, in 1598, one _Elizabeth Housegoe_ was executed here on the same account: but whether she was put to death by _burning_, or by _hanging_, does not appear. Whichever it was, it was a most horrid and detestable deed, and would lead one to shudder at the barbarous character of our ancestors, but for certain existing circumstances, which seem too clearly to indicate that we are not yet got so far beyond them in civilization and humanity as we are apt sometimes to conceive. Our boasted superiority in those respects over all modern nations, may also be suspected to be much less real than imaginary.

_Mary Smith_ is the next name that occurs among this description of hapless sufferers at Lynn. She is said to have been _burnt_ {723a} here, on the 12th. of January 1616, for witchcraft, which she was accused of having practised upon divers persons by means of a vocal contract with the devil. The poor creature, who no doubt was insane, acknowledged the truth of these foolish accusations; which acknowledgement, probably, formed the chief, if not the only proof of her guilt: and _Alexander Roberts_, styling himself _preacher of God’s Word at King’s Linne_, in the same year published a treatise on Witchcraft, in which the story of this Mary Smith, this pitiable victim of the stupid ignorance and savage superstition of our ancestors, is related. {723b}

While their hands were still red and poluted with the innocent blood of this poor defenceless woman, our magistrates went about establishing a Library in the town, which seems indeed to have been very much wanted among them: and we have already given them credit for that undertaking. But its inconsistency with the other part of their conduct is so manifest and glaring (especially if we join with it their laudable _feast of reconciliation_,) that one is apt to wonder that they should be capable of acting such different parts, or of being the performers of actions so totally dissimilar and heterogeneous. It must however be owned that the inconsistencies of the human character are sometimes very strange, unaccountable, and surprising.

After the last mentioned affair we hear no more of these horrid doings at Lynn till 1645, when _Dorothy Lee_, and _Grace Wright_, as Mackerel informs us, were _hanged_ here for witchcraft. But we suspect that this is misdated, and that this bloody scene did not take place till the following year, (1646) as it appears, from the Town Records, that on the 11th. of May, that year, it was “ordered that alderman Thomas Rivett be requested to send for Mr. _Hopkins_, the Witch-discoverer, to come to Lynn, and his charges and recompense to be borne by the town.” We may presume that he did not hesitate to come, and that it was in consequence of his coming the prosecution and execution of those poor unhappy creatures took place. It must have been a sad time when such arch-villains as this Hopkins were caressed by the magistrates, and employed to assist them in the administration of justice!—Of him we shall hereafter give some further account.

Those two women were probably the last that were put to death here for witchcraft: but great numbers suffered afterwards for the same imaginary crime in other parts of the kingdom, to the great disgrace of both the makers and the administrators of our laws. Even till within these sixty or seventy years, if we are not mistaken, there have been instances among us of poor defenceless beings doomed to capital punishment for the same pretended offence: and though our legislators and rulers seem no longer to have any faith in the existence of witches, yet the common people in many places are as much in that belief as ever, and would be very glad, no doubt, to have the old sanguinary laws still put in execution. A melancholy instance of the present existence of such a superstitious belief among our country people occurred but about two years ago at Great Paxton in Huntingdonshire, of which we shall, perhaps, in another place take some further notice.