880 A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



searche accordinge to our oathes we cannot find any outwards or innwards mark 

 soe far as wee can p.ceave whereby wee can in conscience find them or either of 

 them guilty of witchcraft, onely in the mouth of Goody Gardiner there is a 

 blewe spott which being prickt did not bleed and the place was insensible, but 

 being prickt close by it, it bled the which wee leave to the judgment of Phisi- 

 tians. Mr Hooper and the chirargions being appointed to viewe that spott, the 

 daye that she was come to her triall, and it was fallen away and flatt, and being 

 prickt it bled and it was knowne to be there 18 yeares, and for further triall she 

 was tried and throwne twice in the sea. She did swyme like a corke and could 

 not sinke. These signes and other strong evidences in Court condemme her, yet 

 neverthelesse shee would confesse noething att her death. She was demanded in 

 Court if she could give a reason why she did not sinke. She answered that she 

 did open her mouth and breathe but could not sinke." 



2. Trial of John Middleton, 1653. 



"(10) The examination of Robert Priestly, taken before Mr. Stephen Paynter 

 and Mr. Wilkinson, Councell, April the 17, 1653." 



"Who saith that on Fryday last, being the 15th of this instant, he being 

 removeing Mr Tucker's cattell in the evening in a peece of ground near to the 

 house of John Midleton, he saw right oppositt agt the house, a Black creatuer 

 lye soe upon the ground (sic) in the shape of a catt but farre Bigger, with eyes 

 like fier, and a tayle near as long as a mans arme, And this examynate being 

 some whitt daunted at the first sight, yet tooke courage & went upp close to yt 

 to look on yt. he only saw it move the head, and drawne his knife with a resolu- 

 tion to stabb yt : as he lift up his hand and knife to strike at yt with all his 

 force, he being a strong man, he found he had no power to strike it. Att which 

 this exanimate was so amazed and affrighted that his hayre stood up right on 

 his head, and he departeing from yt looked backe, & sawe the said creature 

 turne the head and look wishfully after this examt, but he ran away & left yt : 

 reporting the same to the servant in his house, with much feare.* And further 

 saith not. (Signed), ROBERT PRIESTLY. 



" (5) Upon these and many clear grounds of suspition of John Midleton being 

 guilty of witchcraft, Captain Josias Fforster, Govnor, appoynted the severall 

 men to search Midleton which follow : " (names of 6 men are partly legible). 

 " who made report as ff'th, And do affirm that upon the search of Midleton's body 

 they stretched out his body upon a chest And thereupon discovered first one 

 teate or dugge about the biggness of a catt's or bigger, which teate or dugge was 

 inoyste & they say that Midleton confest that the moystuer yssued from that 

 Teate. They affirm further that right over against that said Teat or dugg, they 

 found another yet not altogether so bigg or great as the other, which had no 

 sign of moystuer at present. They further affirm that they found on his body 

 divers suspitious markes & spots, Blew in culler. They say further that because 

 they desired to be better satisfied amongst themselfes they concluded to search 

 each other, to see whether there might appear any such markes upon any of 

 themselves, which they did accordingly, but they affirm that they found not any, 

 nor the likelyhood of any." 



* Apparitions of the devil in human form are not mentioned here, and " spec- 

 tral apparitions " of the " witches," so prominent in the Salem trials, were more 

 seldom asserted here. But the " black-cat " superstition was believed in. 



