whereupon the family obtained, as they de clared, peaceful nights. But a trial at the Warwick assizes taught the deluded man that his peculiar mode of getting rid of witches was not exactly in accordance with the laws of England. In November, 1868, at Tunbridge Wells a woman jealous of her husband applied to a fortune-teller to reveal whether there were grounds for her jealousy. A bargain was made that for one shilling to buy doctor's stuff, the fortune-teller should bewitch a cer tain other woman who was supposed to have led the husband astray, and should give her "excruciating pain." Somehow or other the wife herself was in great pain that same night, and then indicted the fortune-teller for having bewitched the wrong person. At Maidstone Assizes the charge settled down into the more definite one of obtaining a shilling under false pretences. In 1825 a curious proof was afforded of the popular belief in a " sink-or-swim " method of detecting a wizard. At Wickham Keith in Suffolk, there dwelt one Isaac Stebbing, a small, spare, elderly man; he was a huck ster, or dealer in small cheap wares. Near him dwelt a thatcher, whose wife became more and more silly as she advanced in years; while another neighbor, a farmer, also showed signs of mental weakness. The gossips of the village deeming it strange that there should be two silly persons among them, took refuge in the theory of witchcraft or necromancy, and sought about for some one who had done the mischief. The poor huck ster was fixed upon. One cottager asserted that while using the frying-pans one evening, Isaac Stebbing was seen to dance up to the door. This, it seems, is one of the tests of wizard tactics; but Stebbing stoutly denied having done anything of the kind. There upon arose a charge that he had once called upon a neighbor with mackerel for sale, at four o'clock in the morning, before the family wereup, — another proof of black magic; he admitted having called at the hour named, but only as a dealer, and denied all compli
city with wizards. Not yet satisfied, the villagers ascertained from a cobbler that one day his wax would neither melt nor work properly, and that Isaac Stebbing passed his door at the very moment when this occurred, — a sure proof (in the cobbler's estimation) that the huckster had bewitched the wax. The villagers, having their minds preoccupied with the belief that Stebbing was a wizard, did not like to be baffled, and proposed that the sink-or-swim test should be applied. The poor fellow consented. There was a large pond called the Grunner, on Wickhamgreen, and around this pond on a certain day a strong muster of villagers assembled. Four men were appointed to walk into the water with Isaac, and the parish constable attended to keep the peace. Stebbing, wearing only his coat and breeches, walked into the pond attended by the four men; and when they had waded about breast-high, they lifted him up and laid him flat on his back on the sur face of the water. Now it is well known that any person in this position can readily float if he will only keep perfectly quiet. Whether or not the huckster was aware of this, is not recorded; but he did float, rather to the disappointment of the wizard-hunters. They called out, " Give him dnother! " and again did he remain so quiet as to float when placed on the surface of the water. Not yet satisfied, they cried out, " Try him again; dip him under the water! " and under he went, head down and heels up; but speedily recovering himself, he floated as before. The old man was more dead than alive when he had borne these repeated duckings for three quarters of an hour, and he hoped that his neighbors would be satisfied with the result. But they were not; they wished their wizard theory to be justified, even if the poor fellow's life had been sacrificed as a consequence. It was gravely proposed to subject him to more exacting tests; but by this time the clergyman and church wardens had heard of the affair, and forbade the further prosecution of the monstrous ordeal.
