Page images
PDF
EPUB

not in the former relations, because it depended upon my single testimony, and may be subject to more evasions than the other I related; but having told it to divers learned and inquisitive men, who thought it not altogether inconsiderable, I have now added it here. It will, I know, be said by some, that my friend and I were under some fright, and so fancied noises and sights that were not. This is the eternal evasion. But if it be possible to know how a man is affected when in fear, and when unconcerned, I certainly know for my own part, that during the whole time of my being in the room, and in the house, I was under no more affright than I am while I write this relation. And if I know that I am now awake, and that I see the objects that are before me, I know that I heard and saw the particulars I have told. There is, I am sensible, no great matter for story in them, but there is so much as convinceth me, that there was something extraordinary, and what we usually call preternatural, in the business. There were other passages at my being at Tedworth, which I published not, because they are not such plain and unexceptionable proofs. I shall now briefly mention them: Valeant quantum valere possunt. My friend and I lay in the chamber where the first and chief disturbance had been. We slept well all night, but early before day in the morning, I was awakened (and I awakened my bed-fellow,) by a loud knocking just without our chamber door. I asked who was there several times, but the knocking still continued without answer. At last I said, "In the name of God, who is it, and what would you have ?" To which a voice answered, "Nothing with you." We thinking it had been some servant of the house, went to sleep again. But speaking of it to Mr. Mompesson when we came down, he assured us, that no one of the house lay that way, or had business thereabout, and that his servants were not up till he called them, which was after it was day. They all affirmed and protested that the noise was not made by them. Mr. Mompesson had told us before, that it would be gone in the middle of the night, and come again divers times early in the morning, about four o'clock, and this I suppose was about that time.

But to proceed with Mr. Mompesson's own particulars.

There came one morning a light into the children's chamber, and a voice crying "A witch, a witch," for at least an hundred times together.

Mr. Mompesson at another time (being in the day), seeing some wood move that was in the chimmey of a room where he was, as of itself, discharged a pistol into it, after which they found several drops of blood on the hearth, and in divers places of the stairs.

For two or three nights after the discharge of the pistol, there was a calm in the house, but then it came again, applying itself to a little child newly taken from nurse, which it so persecuted, that it would not let the poor infant rest for two nights together, nor suffer candles in the room, but carried them away, lighted, up the chimney, or threw them under the bed. It so scared this child by leaping upon it, that for some hours it could not be recovered from the fright, so that they were forced again to remove the children out of the house. The next night after which, something about midnight came up stairs, and knocked at Mr. Mompesson's door, but he lying still, it went up another pair of stairs, to his man's chamber, to whom it appeared, standing at his bed's foot; the exact shape and proportion he could not discover, but he saith he saw a great body, with two red and glaring eyes, which for some time were fixed steadily upon him, and at length disappeared.

About the beginning of April, 1663, a gentleman who lay in the house had all his money turned black in his pockets; and Mr. Mompesson coming one morning into his stable, found the horse he was wont to ride on the ground, having one of his hinder legs in his mouth, and so fastened there, that it was difficult for several men to get it out with a lever. After this, there were some other remarkable things, but the account goes no farther; only Mr. Mompesson positively asserted, that afterwards the house was several nights beset with seven or eight in the shape of mer who, as soon as a gun was discharged, would shuffle away together into harbour.

The drummer was tried at the assizes at Salisbury upon this occasion. He was committed first to Gloucester gaol for stealing, and a Wiltshire man coming to see him, he asked what news in Wiltshire; the visitant said he knew of

[ocr errors]

none. "No!" saith the drummer," do not you hear of the drumming at a gentleman's house at Tedworth ?" "That I

do enough," said the other. "I," quoth the drummer, "I have plagued him (or to that purpose), and he shall never be quiet until he hath made me satisfaction for taking away my drum." Upon information of this, the fellow was tried for a witch at Sarum, and all the main circumstances here related were sworn at the assizes by the minister of the parish, and divers others of the most intelligent and substantial inhabitants, who had been eye and ear-witnesses of them, time after time, for several years together.

The fellow was condemned to transportation, and accordingly sent away; but by some means (it is said by raising storms, and affrighting the seamen) he made shift to come back again. And it is observable, that during all the time of his restraint and absence, the house was quiet, but as soon as he was set at liberty the disturbance returned.

He had been a soldier under Cromwell, and used to talk much of gallant books he had of an old fellow, who was accounted a wizard.

This is the sum of Mr. Mompesson's disturbance, partly from his own mouth, related before many persons, who had been witnesses of all, and confirmed his relation; and partly from his own letters, from which the order and series of things is taken. The same particulars he sent also to Dr. Creed, who was at that time Doctor of the Chair in Oxford.

Mr. Mompesson suffered by it in his name, in his estate, in all his affairs, and in the general peace of his family. The unbelievers in spirits and witches took him for an impostor. Many others judged the permission of such an extraordinary evil to be the judgment of God upon him, for some notorious wickedness or impiety. Thus his name was continually exposed to censure, and his estate suffered by the concourse of people from all parts to his house, by the diversion it gave him from his affairs, by the discouragement of servants, by reason of which he could hardly get any to live with him.

The Drummer of Tedworth met with great opposition when first narrated, and several violent controversies took place.-Signs before Death.

A HOUSE HAUNTED SOME THIRTY YEARS AGO OR MORE AT OR NEAR BOW, NOT FAR FROM LONDON, AND STRANGELY DISTURBED BY DEMONS AND WITCHES.

A certain gentleman, about thirty years ago or more, being to travel from London into Essex, and to pass through Bow, at the request of a friend he called at a house there, which began then to be a little disquieted. But not anything much remarkable yet, unless of a young girl who was disturbed in her bed, who died within a few days after.

Some weeks after this, his occasions calling him back, he passed by the same house again, but had no design to give them a new visit, he having done that not long before. But it happening that the woman of the house stood at the door, he thought himself engaged to ride to her and ask how she did. To whom she answered with a sorrowful countenance, that though she was in tolerable health, yet things went very ill with them, their house being extremely haunted, especially above stairs, so that they were forced to keep in the low rooms, there was such flinging of things up and down, of stones and bricks through the windows, and putting all in disorder. But he could scarce forbear laughing at her, giving so little credit to such stories himself, and thought it was the tricks only of some unhappy wags to make sport to themselves, and trouble to their neighbours.

Well, says she, if you will but stay a while you may chance to see something with your own eyes. And indeed he had not stayed any considerable time with her in the street, but a window of an upper room opened of itself, (for they of the family took it for granted nobody was above stairs,) and out comes a piece of an old wheel through it. Whereupon it presently clapt to again. A little while after it suddenly flew open again, and out came a brick-bat, which inflamed the gentleman with a more eager desire to see what the matter was, and to discover the knavery. And therefore he boldly resolved if any one would go up with him, he would go into the chamber. But none present durst accompany him. Yet the keen desire of discovering the cheat, made him adventure by himself alone into that

room, into which when he was come, he saw the bedding, chairs and stools, and candlesticks, and bedstaves, and all the furniture rudely scattered on the floor, but upon search found no mortal in the room.

Well, he stays there awhile to try conclusions, anon a bedstaff begins to move, and turn itself round a good while together upon its toe, and at last fairly to lay itself down again. The curious spectator, when he observed it to lie still a while, steps out to it, views it, whether any small string or hair were tied to it, or whether there were any hole or button to fasten any such string to, or any hole or string in the ceiling above; but after search, he found not the least suspicion of any such thing.

He retires to the window again, and observes a little longer what may fall out. Anon, another bedstaff rises off from the ground of its own accord higher into the air, and seems to make towards him. He now begins to think there was something more than ordinary in the business, and presently makes to the door with all speed, and for better caution shuts it after him; which was presently opened again, and such a clatter of chairs, and stools, and candlesticks, and bedstaves, sent after him down stairs, as if they intended to have maimed him, but their motion was so moderated, that he received no harm; but by this time he was abundantly assured, that it was not mere womanish fear or superstition that so affrighted the mistress of the house. And while in a low room he was talking with the family about these things, he saw a tobacco-pipe rise from a side table, nobody being nigh, and fly to the other side of the room, and break itself against the wall, for his farther confirmation, that it was neither the tricks of wags, nor the fancy of a woman, but the mad frolics of witches and demons. Which they of the house being fully persuaded of, roasted a bedstaff, upon which an old woman, a suspected witch, came to the house, and was apprehended, but escaped the law. But the house after was so ill haunted in all the rooms, upper and lower, that the house stood empty for a long time after.-Glanvil on Witches.

« PreviousContinue »