Series 5 > Miscellany [of the Scottish History Society] XIII

TRIAL OF GEILLIS JOHNSTONE, 1614
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nor yit past he to the said tolbuth dur and pat his finger in the lok thairof,
nor that he evir saw at ony tyme the said Irishe Jonet in his mother’s
hous, nor yit maid ony sic declaratioun as set doun in the said article.
9. Mr Mungo Rig of Carberrie, swome and demandit upone the veritie of
the fact set doun in the xix article of the dittay, and gif the said Geillis
Johnestoun war the curer of his oxin of the lowing evill in forme and
maner set doun thairuntill, declairis at Witsonday was ane yeir or thairby,
he him self being absent fra hame, at his hamecuming it was shawn to
him be his servandis that his ky and oxin was vexit with that diseas and
that for cureing thairof his hyrd had eirdit ane of his guds quik within his
awin boundis and upone his awin proper landis, nocht betuix my Lord’s1
landis or marches as is set doun in the dittay.2 Quhilk forme of cure as his
servandis than tould to him was ane ordiner cure practiyet be all that had
the lyk diseas upone thair bestiall. Bot that the said Geillis Johnestoun
was in his boundis or gaif ony directioun for cureing of his oxin be
chairmes or uther wayis, declairis hir to be altogiddir innocent and frie
thairof, nather that evir sho was in his boundis to his knawlege at ony
tyme, and nevir understandis any thing of hir bot to be ane honest
woman.
10. Robert Dykis, suome and demandit gif he knawis ony thing
concerning the said Geillis’s raising of the devill within hir awin hous in
December last, and of the fyre that was raisit be him and quencheing
thairof in maner speicifeit in the tuentie article of the dittay, declairis as
he sail answer to God he knawis nathing thairof.
11. Gavin Duncane, swome and examinat upone the verritie of the said
article est conformis Robert Dykis in omnibus.3
[12r.] Richird Bennet4 suor[ne]...
1 ‘My lord’ probably refers to the earl of Dunfermline, principal judge in this case, whose
lands of Pinkie, like the lands of Carbary, lay within the parish of Musselburgh.
2 See article 19, above, p. 122. This relates to the burial of the oxen.
3 The testimony of the witness confirms to that of Robert Dykes in all things. This is the
last word on fo llv. The last folio, fo.12, has been tom vertically, only half of it
remaining, and fo. 12v. is very dirty and soiled. Therefore, the following sections will
receive special treatment. For the various editorial decisions, please see the introduction,
above, pp. 105-6.
4 Richard Bennett was the last of the witnesses whom the pursuers intended to call. He
was testifying as to the 25th article of the dittay.