now shal you know the hidden secrets of my mistres,
unto whome the powers of hel do obey, and by whom
the celestial planets are troubled, the gods made
weake, and the elements subdued, neither is the violence
of her art in more strength and force, than when she
espieth some comly young man that pleaseth her fancie,
as oftentimes it hapneth, for now she loveth one Boetian
a fair and beautiful person, on whom she employes
al her sorcerie and enchantment, and I heard her say
with mine own ears yester night, that if the Sun had
not then presently gon downe, and the night come to
minister convenient time to worke her magicall enticements,
she would have brought perpetuall darkness over all
the world her selfe. And you shall know, that
when she saw yester night, this Boetian sitting at
the Barbers a polling, when she came from the Baines
shee secretly commanded me to gather up some of the
haires of his head which lay dispersed upon the ground,
and to bring it home. Which when I thought to
have done the Barber espied me, and by reason it was
bruited though all the City that we were Witches and
Enchantresses, he cried out and said, Wil you never
leave off stealing of young mens haires? In faith
I assure you, unlesse you cease your wicked sorceries,
I will complaine to the Justices. Wherewithall
he came angerly towards me, and tooke away the haire
which I had gathered, out of my apron: which
grieved me very much, for I knew my Mistresses manners,
that she would not be contented but beat me cruelly.
Wherefore I intended to runne away, but the remembrance
of you put alwayes the thought out of my minde, and
so I came homeward very sorrowful: but because
I would not seeme to come to my mistresse sight with
empty hands, I saw a man shearing of blowne goat skinnes,
and the hayre which he had shorne off was yellow,
and much resembled the haire of the Boetian, and I
tooke a good deale thereof, and colouring of the matter,
I brought it to my mistresse. And so when night
came, before your return form supper, she to bring
her purpose to passe, went up to a high Gallery of
her house, opening to the East part of the world, and
preparing her selfe according to her accustomed practise,
shee gathered together all substance for fumigations,
she brought forth plates of mettal carved with strange
characters, she prepared the bones of such as were
drowned by tempest in the seas, she made ready the
members of dead men, as the nosethrils and fingers,
shee set out the lumps of flesh of such as were hanged,
the blood which she had reserved of such as were slaine
and the jaw bones and teeth of willed beasts, then
she said certaine charmes over the haire, and dipped
it in divers waters, as in Wel water, Cow milk, mountain
honey, and other liquor. Which when she had done,
she tied and lapped it up together, and with many perfumes
and smells threw it into an hot fire to burn.
Then by the great force of this sorcerie, and the
violence of so many confections, those bodies whose