Hermann Beigel

“ God defende vs all and geue vs suche grace that we maye henceforthe walke in our vocation, that God in al our workes may be unfeynedly glorified, and by thadmonition of this littel boke learne in such sorte to keepe our soules by fixed and assured faith in Christ, from the stinking puddle of filthy pollution, then shall we escape that horrible place prepared for the vngodly and wycked liuers and as profitable seruants be counted apt members to dwell wyth our Sauiour Christ aboue the cloudes in his heuenly kingdome, to the which God for hys mercies sake bring us all. ”

“ After they were maryed they liued not so quietly as she desyred, beinge stirred (as she said) to much vnquietnes and moued to swearing and cursinge, wherfore she willed Sathan her Cat to kyll the childe, beinge aboute the age of half a yere olde, and he did so, and when she yet founde not the quietnes that she desyred, she wylled it to lay a lamenes in the leg of thys Frauncis her husbande, and it did in this maner. ”

“ When this mother Eue had geuen her the Cat Sathan, then this Elizabeth desired firste of the sayde Cat (callinge it Sathan) that she might be ryche and to haue goodes, and he promised her she shoulde–askinge her what she would haue, and she sayde shepe (for this Cat spake to her as she confessed in a straunge holowe voice, but suche as she vnderstode by vse) and this Cat forthwith brought shepe into her pasture to the number of xviii, blacke and whyte, whych continued with her for a tyme, but in the ende dyd all weare awaye she knewe not howe. ”

“ Item, this mother Waterhouse confessed that she fyrst turned this Cat into a tode by this meanes, she kept the cat a great while in woll in a pot, and at length being moued by pouertie to occupie the woll, she praied in the name of the father and of the sonne, and of the holy ghost that it wold turne into a tode, and forthwith it was turned into a tode, and so kept it in the pot without woll. ”

“ The Lord washing the feet of his disciples. Mother Waterhouse, when a child, and her grandmother, who is instructing her in witchcraft. The cat of Mother Waterhouse, called by her "Sathan." The toade into which the cat was changed by Mother Waterhouse. The likeness of Jone—daughter of Mother Waterhouse. The cat "Sathan in the lykeness of the great dogge." Another likeness of "Sathan" as a dog with the face of an ape, as described by Agnes Brown. The same woodcut. The likeness of Mother Waterhouse. ”

“ YRST she learned this arte of witchcraft at the age of xii yeres of hyr grandmother whose nam mother Eue of Hatfyelde Peuerell, disseased. Item when shee taughte it her, she counseiled her to renounce God and his worde and to geue of her bloudde to Sathan (as she termed it) whyche she delyuered her in the lykenesse of a whyte spotted Catte, and taughte her to feede the sayde Catte with breade and mylke, and she dyd so, also she taughte her to cal it by the name of Sathan and to kepe it in a basket. ”

“ And being demaunded of the by standers, shee confessed that shee sent her Sathan to one Wardol, a neibour of hers, beinge a tayler (with whom she was offended) to hurte and destroy him and his goodes. And this her Sathan went therabout for to haue done her wyll, but in the ende he returned to her agayne, and was not able to do this myschiefe, she asked the cause, and he aunswered because the said Wardol was so strong in fayth that he hadde no power to hurte hym, yet she sent hym dyuerse and sundry time (but all in vayne) to haue mischeuid hym. ”

“ Also she saythe that another tyme being offended with one Father Kersye she toke her catte Sathan in her lap and put hym in the wood before her dore, and willed him to kyll three of this father Kersyes hogges, whiche he dyd, and retourning agayne told her so, and she rewarded hym as before, wyth a chicken and a droppe of her bloud, which chicken he eate vp cleane as he didde al the rest, and she cold fynde remaining neyther bones nor fethers. ”

“ Item fallinge out with an other of her neybours and his wife, shee wylled Sathan to kyll hym with a bludye flixe, whereof he dyed, and she rewarded him as before.
Likewyse shee confessed, that because she lyued somwhat vnquietly with her husbande she caused Sathan to kyll him, and he doid so about six yeres past, syth which tyme she hath lyued a widdow. ”

“ And thys she gaue him at all times when he dyd anythynge for her, by pricking her hand or face and puttinge the bloud to hys mouth whyche he sucked, and forthwith wold lye downe in hys pot againe, wherin she kepte him, the spots of all the which priks are yet to be sene in her skin. ”

“ Waterhouse at her death, whiche was
the xxix daye of July. Anno 1566. YRSTE (beinge redi prepared to receiue her death) she confessed earnestly that shee had bene a wytche and vsed suche execrable sorserye the space of xv yeres, and had don many abhominable dede, the which she repented earnestely and unfaynedly,and desyred almighty Gods forgeueness in that she had abused hys most holy name by her deuyllishe practyses, and trusted to be saued by his mod vnspekeable mercy. ”