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impanelled the chapter guest, who, with the wardens, met every three or four weeks under the
chairmanship of the Vicar or Rector. They were bound by oath to report and present persons alleged
to have been guilty of a breach of the Canon Law. Thus every parish had its body of nine or ten men,
the Skeet, whose duty it was to spy on their neighbours.
In practice the efficiency of the system was bound to be affected by the restraints governing the
conduct of individuals in a small community, and as time went on, the quest men were increasingly
reluctant to perform their office. But even if they hesitated to destroy the goodwill of their neighbours
by excessive zeal during their year of office, they had a great respect for oaths, and the result was that
the quest exerted a steady pressure on the life of the Parish, encouraging resentment, suspicion and
fear.'
Hence the modern Manx hatred of the informer. By these means the Church got to know the type of
people who were likely to be witches. The quest men pried and searched everywhere, and they would
be the people who searched the belongings of John Curlitt and found, or pretended to find, the pact
with Satan.
They doubtless caused the killing of nearly all the remaining witches and many others, some of whom
were not of the cult, until there remained only those who were of families too high to meddle with and
possibly some of those who were too poor to be worth looting. Witches would become good Church
members to avoid persecution; after all, they had Biblical authority for bowing the head to Rimmon,
and it is possible some of these repudiated Christianity at their initiation.
The new terror brought great changes, and, as you could only trust your own children or near
relations, the cult became practically a family secret society cut off from all other covens. They held
the rites indoors; much had to be curtailed because of the lack of members and many of the rites were
forgotten. It was probably about this time that the practice of witches keeping records became
common as the regular priesthood no longer existed and the rites were only occasionally performed.
In all the witch writings there is this warning, usually on the first page:
Keep a book in your own hand of write. Let brothers and sisters copy what they will but never let this
book out of your hand, and never keep the writings of another, for if it be found in their hand of write
they will be taken and tortured. Each should guard his own writings and destroy them whenever
danger threatens. Learn as much as you may by heart and when danger is past rewrite your book.
For this reason if any die, destroy their book if they have not been able to do so, for if it be found, 'tis
clear proof against them. 'Ye may not be a witch alone,' so all their friends be in danger of the torture,
so destroy everything unnecessary. If your book be found on you, it is clear proof against you; you
may be tortured.
Keep all thoughts of the cult from your mind. Say you had bad dreams, that a devil caused you to
write this without your knowledge. Think to yourself, 'I know nothing; I remember nothing; I have
forgotten all.' Drive this into your mind. If the torture be too great to bear, say: 'I will confess. I cannot
bear this torment. What do you want me to say? Tell me and I will say it.' If they try to make you tell
of the Brotherhood, do not, but if they try to make you speak of impossibilities, such as flying through
the air, consorting with the Devil, sacrificing children or eating man's flesh, say: 'I had evil dreams, I
was not myself, I was crazed.'
Not all magistrates are bad. If there be an excuse they may show mercy. If you have confessed aught,
deny it afterwards; say you babbled under the torture, you know not what you did or said. If you be
condemned, fear not, the Brotherhood is powerful, they may help you to escape if you are steadfast.
If you betray aught - THERE is NO HELP FOR YOU IN THIS LIFE, OR IN THAT WHICH IS TO
COME.
If you go steadfast to the pyre, DRUGS WILL REACH YOU and you will feel naught, but will go to
death and what lies beyond, the Ecstasy of the Goddess.
The same with the working tools. Let them be as ordinary things that anyone may have in their homes.
Let the Pentacles be of wax that they may be melted or broken at once. Have no sword unless your
rank allows you one. Have no names or signs on anything, write the names and signs on in ink before
consecrating them and wash it off immediately after. Never boast, never threaten, never say you wish
ill to anyone. If any speak of the craft, say:
'Speak not to me of such, it frightens me, 'tis evil luck to speak of it.'
This tells a great deal. It may date from the time of the fierce persecutions on the Continent, and may
have then been roughly translated into English. The trouble in dealing with these documents is the
witch law: everyone must copy what they will from another, but no old writings may be kept. As
everyone is apt to alter things slightly, modernising the language and making other changes, it is
impossible to fix the date when it became current. Clearly it was not written in England. Though
bishops may have burnt witches at times, hanging was the only legal death sentence here.
It might have been written in Scotland, but Scots would have worded it more clearly I think. It shows
one thing: that the craft was powerful. They could bribe jailers to smuggle drugs in to the poor
wretches. This I think explains the Inquisition complaints that witches would go to sleep even when
on the rack. It must also date from a time when people were becoming literate. Witch-burning on the
Continent was by a sort of lynch law; bishops did what they liked, saying that the Church was above
the law of the land.
People still ask me questions about witches because they have heard so many tales about them. Do
they go to the sabbat? Is it true they use flying ointment? Why do witches anoint themselves? Did
they fly through the air to their meetings on broomsticks? In the old days they usually walked,
carrying poles or quarterstaffs, which were useful as weapons. They sometimes used them to make
sort of pole jumps over obstacles; they were useful in finding one's way and avoiding obstacles in the
dark.
In the persecution times, at least, they would put them between their legs and ride on them when
approaching the meeting place; or if challenged, as a sign that they belonged to the cult. Failure to do
this might mean an arrow between their ribs, and this would usually be smeared with something of the
hogs-blood and hellebore variety.
Finally, they rode these poles in the fertility dance; but riding them meant they got some grease and
soot on them, and a pole so stained could be used in evidence against them; so they often took a stick
or broomstick which might reasonably be dirty, and used this for recognition or for the jumping or
fertility dances. If the place of meeting was distant, they rode horses. They never flew on broomsticks.
Nowadays like ordinary people they walk or take a bus or whatever is most convenient.
I have never known witches anoint themselves all over, but I have been shown a recipe for an
anointing oil. This consisted of vervain, or mint crushed and steeped in olive oil or lard, left overnight,
then squeezed through a cloth to remove the leaves. Fresh leaves were then added and the squeezing
repeated three or four times until it was strongly scented and ready for use. It is said that if they lived
in the country where they would not be seen, they would strip and rub the oil into their skin and go to
the sabbat naked.
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