Bannatyne Club > Criminal trials in Scotland, from A.D. M.CCCC.LXXXVIII to A.D. M.DC.XXIV, embracing the entire reigns of James IV. and V., Mary Queen of Scots and James VI > Volume 3

APPENDIX. 609
And tliis we fay thryfe over, ftraiking' tlie for, and it becomes lieall. 2'"', For the bean-shaw,'
or pain in tlie heance,^ — ' Wee ar Iieir thrie Maidens charming for the bean-ftraw ; ])e man of the Midle-
eartli, blew beaver, land-feaver, maneris of llooris, the Lord fleigged* the Feind with liis holy candles
and yeird foot (lone I — Tliair (lie fittis, and lieir Ihe is gon ! — Let hir nevir com heir again I' — S""',
For THE Feaveri.s, we fay thrife over, ' I forbid tlie qwaking-feavers, tiie fea-feaveris, the land-
feaveris, and all the feaveris that ewir God ordained, owt of the liead, owt of the heart, owt of the bak,
owt of the fydis, owt of the kneyis, owt of the thieglies, fra the pointis of the fingeris to the nebes'' of
the toes; owt fall the feaveris goe, [fom] to the hill, fom to the hap, fora to the ftone, fonie to the
llok. In Saint Peiteris nam, Saint Paidlis nam, and all the Saintis of Hevin : In the nam of the
Father, the Sone, and of the IIalie Gost !'•' — And when we took the frwit of the fillies from
[the] filheris, we went to the ftore, befor the boat wold com to it ; and we wold fay, on the lliore-
fyd, thrie feuerall tymes ower,
' The fifheris ar gon to the fea,
And they vill bring horn fillie to me ;
They will bring them hom intill the boat,
Bot they fall get of thaim hot the linaller fort !'
So we either fleall a fith, or buy a filli, or get a filh from them [for nowglit,] an or ma." And with
that we haw all the fruit of the heall* filhes in the boat ; and the fillies that the filliermen thamfelues
will haw, will be bot froath, &c.
The fiifl woyag that ewer I went with the refl of owr Covens wes [to]] Plewghlandis ; and thair
we lliot an man betuixt the plewgh-ftiltis, and he prefentlie fell to the ground, wpon his neife^ and
his mowth ; and than the Divell gaw me an arrow, and cawfed me (hoot an voman in that feildis ;
quhilk I did, and (he fell down dead.'" In Winter 1660, quhen Mr Haiie Forbes, Miniller at Aulderne,
wes feik, we maid an bagg of the gallis, fletli, and guttis of toadis, pickles of bear," pairingis of the
naillis of fingeris and toes, the liewer of ane hair, and bittis of clowtis. We fleipit this all together,
all night among watter, all haked'- throw vther. And whan we did put it among the water, Satan
wes with ws, and learned ws the wordis following, to fay thryfe ower. They ar thus,
' He is lying in his bed, — he is lyeing feik and fair;
Let him lye intill his bed two monethis and [thrie] dayes mair I
2'J, Let him lye intill his bed, — let him lye intill it feik and fore ;
Let him lyne untill his bed monthis two [and] thrie dayes mor I
3'J, He fall lye intill his bed, he fall lye in it feik and fore ;
He fall lye intill his bed [two monethis and] thrie dayes mor !'
Quhan we liaid learned all thes wordis from the Divell, as faid is, we fell all down [wpon owr]
kneis, with owr hear down ower owr fliowlderis and eyes, and owr handis lifted wp, and owr eyes
' Stroking ; gently rubbing. ^ Tlie honeshave or boneskaw, signifies the Sciatica. From an amusing, pub-
lished specimen of the Exmoor Dialect, Devonshire, it appears, lh:it the term is also known in England. The
peasantry of that district use a singular Charm for its cure. * The patient must lie upon his back, on the bank of
the river or brook of water, with a straight staff by his side, between him and the water j and must have the follow-
ing words repeated over him, viz.
" Boneshave right — Boneshave straight —
As the water runs by the stave — Good for Boneshave !"
They are not to be persuaded but that this ridiculous form of words seldom fails to give them a perfect cure.' Exmoor
Scolding. P. 8. Note. ^ Haunch. ' .Affrighted ; terrified. ^ Nibs ; extremities. *' It appears
very singular to us who live in the Nineteenth Century, that Satan should have taught his servants to invoke the
Saints, and even the Holy Trinitv. The charms recited by his disciples are usually fragments of ancient IMonkish
rhymes ; and most of them were such as many good Roman Catholics of the lower orders, even in these times, would
not scruple to use, for the supposed cure of their bodily ailments. ^ One or more. ** Whole. *• Nose.
'** Issobell previously explained, that these poaching exem'sions took place, when the Witches were careering in mid-
air, mounted on windle-straws and bean-stalks, &c. The Devil usually made them pick up such of the Elf-arrows
as fell short of or missed their mark. " Grains of barley, or bear, '' Hacked \ minced into email pieces.