Witchcraft in Old Scots Criminal Law. the rectitude and firmness of Sir George Mackenzie, leave no room for doubt that he redressed the inquity to which she had so nearly fallen a victim. The position of a friendless woman, or even of one with in fluential friends, was in such a case desperate indeed. The accusation was like the taint of leprosy, or like a charge of horse stealing in the Wild West. Every man's hand was against the accused. Her accusers were neighbors who, having lost children or prop erty by a sudden visitation, were spurred by grief and anger to destroy the vile wretch whose abominable arts they regarded as the cause of their loss. The witnesses and jurors were also in the ordinary case neighbors, some of whom feared death or injury if the witch should escape, and were impelled by their feajs to ensure her conviction; while others had private spite to gratify, and sought her destruction by a terrible death for the satisfaction of their own revengeful passions. How these combined influences operated is apparent from one sentence in our author: "I have observed that scarce ever any who were accused before a country assize of neighbours did escape that trial." ' It is rather curious to note the several points which were regarded as important in establishing a charge of witchcraft. The first of these was a paction or agreement to serve the devil. For this the formula has been preserved: "I deny God, creator of heaven and earth, and I adhere -to thee and believe in thee." Absolute proof of the use of these words was not demanded. Evidence of any promise to serve sufficed to condemn the prisoner. Upon this promise the natural sequel was the renunciation of baptism. That rite was performed with appropriate solemnity. The aspirant to occult powers placed one hand on the crown of her head and another on the sole of her foot, and in that posture pronounced the words of renuncia tion. Satan then baptized the witch in his own name, and wiped from her brow the moisture of the old baptism. At the same time he called her by a new and, if the
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specimens given us are fair examples, usually ridiculous name, and impressed his mark by a pinch in any part of the body. Seeing that these unhallowed ceremonies took place far from human observation, there was but one portion of the proceedings which could be expected to leave traces available as real evidence. That was the devil's mark. It was blue, devoid of sensation, and incapable of bleeding. A set of scoundrels called "prickers" made a trade of professing to detect those marks. As the poor prisoner was entirely at their mercy, without redress, we can easily picture the horrors of an ex amination of her person by such brutes. Even Sir George has no good word for these men, whom he stigmatizes as "villains" and "horrid cheats." As regards the subject-matter of the charge, it had to be varied according to the kind of occult power said to have been exer cised in each case. Some witches professed the faculty of divination. There were three species of that art, Demonomancy, the invo cation of pagan gods: Necromancy, the prophesying by departed spirits, and Hvdromancy, the divination by water and natural objects. In a charge of divination, two vic tims were claimed—the diviner and the man who sought to rend the veil that overhangs futurity. Both were punished with death. Other witches professed the power of blast ing or injuring those who had given them cause of offence. Agnes Finnic was, in spite of the efforts of an able advocate, condemned and burned for this form of the crime. She had angrily told a man that he would come halting home, and the same day he was struck down with palsy; she had declared that a woman who had declined to pay her money would repent her refusal, and within an hour the refuser was a helpless paralytic; she had informed another woman who had objected to carry away two herrings, that she had eaten her last meal, and shortly after wards she died. If these threats and their apparent fulfilment were facts, we must admit that the coincidence was remarkable. Evil
