HISTORY OF HARTING. 217 



days) pretended that she bred rabbits, and so imposed 

 on many, among others, upon Mr. St. Aubyn, the 

 King's physician, that he espoused her cause. Pope 

 laughed at this tale in one of his letters to Caryll ; 

 and Pope and Pulteney celebrated Mary Toft in a 

 joint satire. 



Public opinion generally was lenient with the witch 

 if there was a joke about her story. If, however, fear 

 rather than laughter were appealed to, the wise woman 

 had a hard time of it, and stood in danger of ducking 

 or burning. 



The Jury of the Court Leet held for the hundred of 

 Dumford, April 15, 1747, made the following entry : 



" Also we present the Hon ble - John Caryll, Esq., 

 Lord of this Manner, for not having and keeping a 

 Ducking Stool within the said Hundred of Dumford 

 according to law, for the ducking of scolds and other 

 disorderly persons." 



Other humourous lovers of the black arts at Harting 

 had the wonderful power of teasing people in a solemn 

 way making loads of hay fall off in the streets near 

 quagmires; turning swarms of bees upon their creditors 

 and Sheriffs' officers ; and, of course, bewitching small 

 pigs, as in "Macbeth" : 



Act I., Scene iii. 



" ist Witch. Where hast thou been, sister? 

 2nd Witch. Killing swine." 



The power of an evil eye and illicit pig-killing are 

 still articles of faith among some of the outlying poor. 

 But when witches kill pigs they become serious, and 

 may expect to be burnt in substitution for the pig 

 that they have swooped upon. 



I have not yet been able to identify the entry of the 

 burial of Emma Stanley, Queen of the Gipsies, who 

 died at Bohemia Hollow in 1848, and who, it is said, 

 was baptized and buried in Harting Church : nor of 

 the marriage of one Bryder with his sister-in-law, for 



