.NDI.MjIzNzE

Magicians in Ephesus did. Act 19. 18, 19. Nothing can be more cleer. Suppose a man be suspected for murder or for Com- mitting a Rape, or ye like Nefandous wickedness, if he doth freely Confesses ye [the] accusation, that's ground Enough, to Condemn him. The Scripture approveth of judging the wicked Servant out of his owne mouth. Luke. 19.22. It is by som objected, yt [that] Persons in discontent may falsely accuse themselves; I say if they do so, & it can not be proved yt [that] they are false accusers of themselves they ought to dy for their wickedness & their blood will be upon their owne heads. The Jury, ye [the] Judges, & [the] ye Land is cleer. I have read a verry sad & amazing & yet a true story to this purpose. There was in ye [the] year 1649 in a towne called Laudar in Scotland a certain woman accused & Imprisoned on suspicion of Wichcraft. wn others in ye [the] same prison wth her were convicted & their Execution ordered to be on ye [the] Monday following, she desired to speake wth a Minister to whom she declared freely yt [that] she was guilty of wichcraft; acknowledging also many other crimes com[m]itted by her, desiring yt [that] she might dy [die] with ye [the] rest. She said particularly yt [that] she had covenanted wth [with] ye [The] Devill, & was becom his Servant about twenty yeares before, & yt [that] he kissed her & gave her a Name, but yt [that] since he had never owned her. Severall Ministers who were jealous yt [that] she had accused herselfe untruely, charged it on her Conscience, telling her yt [that] they doubted she was under a Temptatio[n] of ye [the] Devill to destroy her owne body & soul, & adjuring her in ye Name of God to declare ye [the] Truth. Notwith standing all ys [this], she strictly adhered to wt she had said, & was on Monday morning condemned & ordered to be executed yt [that] day. Wn she came to ye [the] place of Executio[n] she was silent untill ye [the] prayers were Ended. Then gooing to ye [the] stake where she was to be burnt she thus Exprest herselfe. _All you yt [that] see mee this day, know yee yt [that] I am to dy as a Witch by my owne confessio[n], & I free all men especially ye [the] Ministers & ye [the] Magistrates fro[m] ye [the] Guilt of my blood, I take it wholly on myselfe. And as I must make Answer to ye [the] God of Heaven, I declare I am as free fro[m] Witchcraft as any child, but being accused by a malicious woman, and_