The Lancashire Witches. 195 



always been a noted place for belief in ideal beings, 

 though, it must be admitted, only for those of an inferior 

 order. Not more strongly was faith placed in Dryads 

 and Oreads by 



" The lively Grecian in his land of hills," 



than belief has been, from time immemorial, in " bog- 

 garts," by the simple-minded aborigines of Lancashire. 

 In one way or another, every pretty place of a se- 

 questered character has had some superstitious tale or 

 personage connected with it, at all events in the moun- 

 tainous districts of the eastern borders ; and when we 

 look around, and consider how suggestive is the country 

 in respect of mild and innocent diablerie, it is scarcely 

 more than would be expected woods, glens, ravines, 

 cloughs, waterfalls, deep shades, these are the very 

 places to develop whatever latent tendency there may 

 exist towards demonology. On August 6, 1612, there 

 were tried at Lancaster no less than nineteen old 

 women charged with witchcraft ; and so great a sensation 

 did the superstitious narrative of " Loynd's wife" create 

 in 1633, that just as tales of horror get dramatised now- 

 a-days for fairs and shows, did the story, 230 years ago, 

 of the " Witches of Lancashire." 



Herein, according to some, is the origin of the phrase 

 in question. By a gallant transfer, we are told, the 

 name soon acquired its present very different significa- 

 tion ; and, truly, nothing better or so good could have 



