Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	father_n	mother_n	son_n	5,085	5	5.8675	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17030	The witches of Northampton-shire Agnes Browne. Ioane Vaughan. Arthur Bill. Hellen Ienkenson. Mary Barber. Witches. Who were all executed at Northampton the 22. of Iuly last. 1612.		1612 (1612)	STC 3907; ESTC S115086	12,069	29

were detained hauing once gotten sight of them in their fits the Witches being held by scratching they drew blood of them and were sodainely deliueted of their paine Howbeit they were no sooner out of fight but they fell againe into their old traunces and were more violently tormented then before for when Mischiefe is once a foote she growes in short time so heaost●…ong that she is hardly curbed Not long after Maister Auery and his Sister hauing beene both in Northampton and hauing drawne blood of the Witches Ryding both homewards in one Coach there appeared to their view a man and a woman ryding both vpon a blacke horse M. Auery hauing spyed them a farre off and noting many strange gestures from them sodainely spake to them that were by and as it were Prophetically cryed but in these words That either they or their Horses should presently miscarcy And imediately the hor●…s fell downe dead Wherevpon Maister Auery rose vp praysing y ● grace and mercies of God that he had so powerfully deliuered them and had not suffered the foule spirits to worke the vttermost of their mischiefe vpon men made after his image but had turned their fury against Beasts Upon this they both hyed them home still praysing God for their escape and were neuer troubled after I had almost forgotten to tell you before that M. Auery was by the Iudges themselues in y ● Castle yard of Northampton séene in the middest of his fits and that he strangely continued in them vntill this Ioane Vaughan was brought vnto him But now to draw néere vnto their ends this Agnes Browne and her daughter Ioane Vaughan or Varneham béeing brought to their Arraignement were there indighted for that they had bewitched the bodies of Maister Auery and his sister Mistris Belcher in manner and forme aforesayd Together with the body of a young Child to the death the true relation whereof came not to my hands To all which they pleaded not guilty and putting themselues vpon the couutrey were found guilty And when they were asked what they could say for themselues why y ● sentence of death should not be pronounced against them they stood stiffely vpon their Innocence Wherevpon Iudgement béeing giuen they were carried backe vnto the Gaole where they were neuer heard to pray or to call vppon God but with bitter curses and execrations spent that little time they had to liue vntill the day of their Execution when neuer asking pardon for their offences either of God or the world in this their daungerous and desperate resolution dyed It was credthly reported that some fort-night before their apprehension this Agnes Browne one Ratherine Gardiner and one Ioane Lucas all birds of a winge and all abyding in the Towne of Gilsborough did ride one night to a place not aboue a mile off called Rauenstrop all vpon a Sowes backe to sée one mother Rhoades an old Witch that dwelt there but before they came to her house the old Witch died and in her last cast cried out that there were three of her old friends comming to sée her but they came too late Howbeit shee would méete with them in another place within a month after And thus much concerning Agnes Browne and her daughter Ioane Varnham The Arraignement Conuiction and Execution of one Arthur Bill of Raundes in the County of Northampton THis Arthur Bill a wretched poore Man both in state and mind remained in a towne called Raunds in the County aforesayd begotten and borne of parents that were both Witches and he like a gratious Child would not degenerate nor suffer himselfe to stray from his fathers wicked Counsels but carefully trode the steps that hée had diuillishly taught him This Arthur Bill was accused that he should bewitch the body of one Martha Aspine alias Ieames the daughter of one Edward Aspine of the same towne to death But this matter remaining doubtfull that it could not be cléerely tryed vpon him hée béeing strongly suspected before by bewitching of Diuers kinds of cattle to be guilty of that crime And béeing also publiquely knowne to bée of an euill life and reputation together with his father and mother The Iustices and other officers thereby purposing to trie the said Arthur by an experiment that many thinke neuer failes caused them all to bee bound and their Thumbes and great Toes to bée tied acrosse and so threw the father mother and sonne and none of them sunke but all floated vpon the water And hereby the way it is a speciall thing worthy generall noting and obseruation that there are two signes or tokens which are tokens as more certaine then others to detect and find out Witches by The one is the marke where the Spirits sucke and the trying of the insensiblenesse thereof The other is their fléeting on the water Concerning which though I dare affirme nothing for certainty there béeing for ought I know neither euident proofe in nature nor reuelation from heauen to assure vs thereof yet mée thinkes I may say the like of this as is held of the bléeding of a slaine body in presence of the mutherer For as in a secret murther if the dead Carkase bée at any time either seene or handled by the murtherer it doth streitway gush out of blood as if the blood should by issuing foorth in such strange manner cry vnto heauen for reuenge of the murtherer God hauing as may séeme appointed that secret supernaturall signe for triall of that secret vnnaturall crime that the blood left in the body should thus appéere and as it were challenge the murtherer for that blood whi●…h hée before had felloniously stollen from the body so it may bee that God hath appointed for a supernaturall signe of the monstrous impiety of Witches that the Element of water should refuse to receiue them in her bosome that haue shaken from them the sacred water of Baptisme and wilfully refused the benefit thereof by making that breach and fall from God in participating thus vildly with the Spirits of Beliall By whom and in the exercise of which sinne their hearts are so hardened that not so much as their eyes are able to shead teares threaten or torture them as you please God not permitting them as may bee thought to dissemble their obstinacy in so horrible a crime No not the women though that sex bee ready to shead ●…eares vpon euery light occasion But to returne to our matter These thrée the Father Mother and Sonne beeing thus séene floating vpon the water the suspition that was before not well grounded was now confirmed Whereupon the said Arthur Bill beeing the principall or I thinke the onely Actor in this Tragedy was apprehended and sent to Northampton gaole the nine and twentith day of May last by Si●… Gilbert Pickering of Tichmas●… alias Tichmase in the same County Knight and presently after his commitment ●…earing that his old father would relent and so happily confesse that which might bee preiudiciall vnto him sent for his mother

to come vnto him to whom bewraying his minde they both ioyned together and bewitched a round ball into the Throat of his Father where it continued a great while his Father not beeing able to speake a word Howbeit the ball was afterwards had out and his Father prooued the principall witnesse against him His Mother for feare of hanging not any hatred or detestation shee bare vnto the sinne many times fainted and would often pitifully complaine vnto her Spirit that the power of the Law would bée stronger then the power of her art and that she saw no other likelihood but that shee should be hanged as her Sonne was like to bee To whom her Spirit answered giuing this sorry comfort that shee should not bee hanged but to preuent that shee should cut her owne throate Shee hearing this sentence and holding it definitiue in great agony and horror of minde and conscience fell a rauing crying out that the irreuocable Iudgement of her death was giuen and that shee was damned perpetually cu●…sing and banning the time wherein shee was borne and the houre wherein she was conceiued Her Neighbours often hearing her bitter execrations bad her call vpon God and to be sorry for the sinnes which shée had committed But shee could in no case endure to heare it And hauing thus for 3. or 4. daies tormented herselfe in this Agony at last she made good the Deuils word and to preuent the Iustice of the Law and to saue the hangman a labour cut her owne throat Her Sonne beeing all this while in prison and hearing of his Mothers death and that his Father was become a witnesse against him was much perplered in his minde that his Mother was dead in whom he most trusted and his Father liuing whom he most feared Howbeit hee stiffly stood still in the deniall of euery thing pleading nothing but his innoceney Notwithstanding that hee had before at vnawares confest that he had certaine Spirits at commaund which béeing imployed would doe any mischiefe to any man woman or child that hée would appointe It said is that hee had thrée Spirits to whom hée gaue thrée speciall names the Diuell himselfe sure was godfather to them all The first hée called Grissill The other was named Ball and the last Iacke but in what at shapes they appeered vnto him I cannot learne For Diuels can appéere both in a bodily shape and vse spéech and conference with men Dur Sauiour saith That a Spirit hath neither flesh nor bones A Spirit hath a substance but yet such as is inuisible whereupon it must néedes bée granted that Deuils in their owne nature haue no bodily shape nor visible forme it is moreouer against the Truth and against Piety to beléeue that Deuils can create or make bodies or change one body into another for those things are proper to God It followeth therefore that whensoeuer they appeare in a visible form it is no more but an apparition and counterfeit sh●…w of a body vnlesse a body be at any time lent them And when they make one body to beare the likenes of another it is but a colour Some man will say what reason is there to shew they can doe so much beeing of an essence inuisible Wee may not stay heere within the limits of our owne reason which is not able to comprehend what way Deuills should be able to worke such operations Wée may not I say measure their power and subtilties in working for our owne capacity and vnderstanding But wée must looke what the Cannon of Scripture doth testify in this behalfe Wée haue manifest proofe that the Deuill can take a bodily shape For when Aaron had cast downe his staffe and it was turned into a Serpent The enchaunters of Egypt cast downe their staues and they became Serpents which was indéed but in shew and appearance which the Deuill made For he deluded the Sences both in hiding the forme of the Staues which indéed were not any way changed As also in making a shew of such bodies as were not This was done openly otherwise it might be thought to be a méere illusion For wée see that men in extreame ●…ickenes thinke they heare a voice and sée a shape which none other in presence either heareth or séeth some are so melancholy that they imagine they heare and sée that which they doe not For Sathan doth so delude the fantasie that the party supposeth that his very outward sences doe perceiue the matter But héere was no such thing All that were with Pharao did thinke ther●… were very Serpents in déede Saning that Moses and Aaron did know it the iugling of the Deuill But to returne to this Arthur Bill Hée miserable man lying in prison from the 29 day of May to the 22 of Iuly following many resorted to him willing him to leaue off all colour and dissimulation and not to suffer his Conscience to double with his Tongue But to cleere his heart and his thoughts before the Maies●…ic of him to whome no secrets are hid That the world might be witnesse of his confession and contrition to pray with him and for him For although hee had wandred and gone astray hée might by his true contrition and their hearty prayers bée brought vnto the fold againe But his Conscience béeing feared and his heart stéeld could receiue no impression but stood like an Image of Adamant more easy to be broken in péeces then bée peirced In this obduracie of mind and Spirit hée continued vntill the ●…ssises where béeing Arraigned for seuerall crimes committed but especially for the Murther of the sayd Martha Aspine contrary to the peace of our Soueraigne Lord the King his Crowne and dygnity hée pleaded to them all not guilty and putting himselfe vpon the Countrey was by them found guilty Uppon the verdict whereof his countenance changed and he cried out that he had now found the Law to haue a Power aboue Iustice for that it had condemned an Innocent It séemes to me that these vilde Spirits which these Witches haue at commaund and by their imployment are suffred to haue power to hurt the bodyes of others haue a greater Power ouer them that set them a worke For they doe not onely féed vppon them participating with the blood of humane flesh for the redemption wherof Christ shed his owne precious blood But it appeares that they haue also power euen ouer their Soules leading them into wandring by-waies and such erroneous Laberinths that in the wilfull obstinacie and peruerse sufferance of their owne minds to stray in this daungerous desart of obduracie they are lost for euer But to conclude with this Arthur Bill that se ill concluded with the world He béeing brought to the place of Execution and standing vppon that fatall stage for offenders pleaded still his innocencie that Authority was turned to Tyranny and Iustice into extreame Iniury to the great wonder and disdaine of all the lookers on Thus with a dissembling Tongue and a corrupted Conscience hee