152 MEETINGS. 



GallicaiuB et Anglicana" and contains seventy biographies of 

 ministers and clergymen. Among them is a sketch of the life 

 of the Rev. Daniel Fautrat, of Guernsey, who was minister of 

 the Cat el Parish ; then of Torteval ; and who afterwards, in 

 1633 (in the reign of Charles I.), succeeded Mr. de la Marche, 

 at St. Peter-Port. This MS. is by a John Quick (born 

 1636 — died 1706). There were two Fautrats, Helier and 

 Daniel, father and son, and the biographer somewhat confuses 

 them. This story of the witch — who was burnt alive in the 

 Bordage during Daniel Fautrat's ministry at the Town 

 Church — is a very curious one, and is a decided acquisition 

 to the witch-lore of the island. It is as follows : — 



THE WITCH AND THE RAVEN. 



"After Monsieur [Daniel] Ffautrat had spent some years at 

 Torteval and St. Andrew's [Guernsey] he was, upon the death of 

 Monsr. de la Marche, called to succeed him in ye Pastorall charge of 

 St. Peters-Port, [in 1634, in the reign of Charles I.] which is ye 

 Towne of this Island, a fair Markett Towne and priviledged with ye 

 Sessions of ye whole Island, where all caisses Civill and Criminall are 

 finally tryed and determined in ye Playderoye, by ye Bayliffe and 

 Jurates. 



"During his ministry in this Towne, and about ye year 1640 

 [Charles I.] there happened a most remarkable event. Divines do 

 say that it is a very rare thing for witches under Gospell Light to 

 repent ; and some have given this reason of their assertion — because 

 they have committed that unpardonable sin against ye Holy Ghost. 

 I cannot tell, but that this following story seems to confirm it. 



" There was a certain woman of this Island, above four-score 

 years of age, who had been imprisoned, indicted and found guilty 

 upon full evidence, of that abominable sin of witchcraft, and for it 

 was condemned to death. She gave out confidently that she should 

 not dye. However, she is carried from prison to ye appointed place 

 of Execution to be burnt alive. 



" All the way, as she was going thither, a great Black Raven 

 was seen hovering, and heard croaking after a dolefull manner over 

 her head, till she came to ye stake. And now, whilst they be fasten- 

 ing ye chain, she begs of one of the Bystanders to give her a clew of 

 thread, which having received, she fastens one end of it to her girdle, 

 and taking ye other end, she flings it with her hand up into ye aire. 

 The Raven, stooping down, catcheth at it with his Beak, and mount- 

 ing, carrys with him ye old witch from ye bottom of ye vale up into 

 ye air. A young man of that Island, seeing her flying, being on ye 

 top of ye hill, flings his Halbard so exactly betwixt her and ye raven, 

 that it cuts ye thread asunder, and ye old witch is taken by him, but 

 with many fearfull imprecations upon him, she vomityng out whole 

 cartloads of curses against him. 



