IS93] THE WITCHES OF WARBOYS
heard it but she, affirming that it squealed very loud in her
ears
Mother Samuel still continuing in her denial, the Lad/
Cromwell would have taken her into a chamber where Dr HaU,
a doctor of Divinity, was present, to examine her more closely,
but she refused to go with them At length, when the Lady
perceived that she could not prevail with her, she suddenly
pulled off Mother Samuel's kercher and taking a pair of shears
clipped off a lock of her hair and gave it privily to Mrs Throck-
morton together with her hairlace, willing her to burn them
Mother Samuel seeing herself thus dealt with spake to the Lady,
' Madam, why do you use me this ? I never did you any harm
as yet *
Towards night the Lady departed, leaving the children much
as she had found them That night the Lady Cromwell
suffered many things in her dreams concerning Mother Samuel
and was very strangely tormented by a cat (as she imagined) which
Mother Samuel had sent to her which offered to pluck off all the
skin and flesh from her arms and body Such was the struggling
and strivmg of the Lady in her bed and the mournful noise which
she made, speaking to the cat and to Mother Samuel, that she
awakened her bedfellow, who was Mrs Cromwell, wife of Mr
Oliver Cromwell Not long after, the Lady fell strangely sick
and so continued until her death which occurred in about a year
and a quarter The manner of her sickness, except that she
always had her perfect senses, was much like the children's, the
pains taking her sometime in one part of the body, sometime in
another, but always the grieved part shook as if in a palsy But
the saying of Mother Samuel would never go out of her mind
c Madam, I never hurt you as yet5
Some time after Mother Samuel, who was then staying at
Mr. Throckmorton's house, became very sick, and being very
penitent in her sickness she confessed her witchcraft Mr
Throckmorton sent to Dr. Dorrmgton, the minister of the town,
relating the whole circumstance and desiring him to console
her The next day being Sunday, and Christmas Eve, Dr
Dornngton to comfort her chose his text of repentance out of
the Psalms, and there declared in the whole assembly all
the matter of Mother Samuel's confession, applying himself
HEJ 225 i