A MEDICAL SORCERER.

Western Star, Issue 2118, 29 May 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

A MEDICAL SORCERER.

, In 1623 Thomas Grieve was tried at Edinburgh for practising a sort, of medical witchcraft. He . was accused, of having cured a number of. persons of sickness and. grievous diseases, by sorcery and witchcraft, by making signs and crosses and the uttering of certain unknown words. .-••,- v ; -,: :■ • -<< UP • i

' He ;took sickness off a woman in Fife, and put it upon,'a, cow, which,therefore ran mad and died." He also cured a woman " of a great, and painful sickness, by drawing her nine times backwards and forwards' by the'legs." He cured a child of a disease which was rapidly consuming him, ■■'• bystraiking back the hair of.hia head, and wrapping him in an anointed cloth. And by that; means putting him asleep, and. thus, through his .devilry, and witchcraft, cured the ewid.", '.'.'" '';"';■■' ;".."",■;.; '-'''';' ,^*'»,

Another point of his,'indictment was " fop. . curing of 'William Cousihe's wife bysorcery and witchcraft, by causing her husband to heat the coulter of his plough, and to cool the same in water brought from the. Holy Well of Hillside,, , and thereafter making, cqajurafjousf.■ j crosses, and signs upon the water, causing her to drink thereof for, her. health, and thus by, sorcery cured her.of her sickness." ;!;«; ,: jV :".; One point of the; indictment described a different mode of curing sickness. '"For curing of James Mudie, with bis wife and. children, rof the fever, and namely, in curing of his wife, he caused a great fire to be put on. and it' hole to be made in f tbe north wall of the house, and a live fowl to be put forth thereat, at three" : ' several times; taken in at the house door backwards lor contrary to the course of the sun),' and thereafter taking the fowl attd putting it""' under the sick woman's'armpit,- and then carry-" 1 ' iog it to the fire, where it down' ahdi burnt alive ; and in that devilish'' manner'' , practised by him cured her of her' sickness/' ' ' For this he received twenty pounds from her ' husband. ','j', ._', '/ , ..' . t .■' '.. i When curing deceased cattle,' he pat them; ~, thrice through a heap of yarn, and sprinkled the fire with enchanted water. ; ,The heap of> yarn was supposed to possess peculiar healing ti virtues. Thomas Grieve put several of hjs patients three times through a heap of yarn, and then threw it into the fire, where it burned blue, so that his patients were cured. • The jbry ; found him guilty of socery and witchcraft, i and he was sentenced to be executed gn,.tUe ~Castle , : Hill of Edinburgh.«, ; ... ~,,-; ' i t. ;,.;., c < <; ■