Woodstock | Page 9

but all their businesse was not done,
and some of them were so conceited as to believe, and to attribute the
rest they enjoyed the night before this last, unto the mastive bitch;
wherefore, they resolved to get more company, and the mastive bitch,
and try another night.
October 31. This night, the fires and lights prepared, the ordinary
keeper and his bitch, with another man perswaded by him, they all took
their beds and fell asleep. But about twelve at night, such rapping was
on all sides of them, that it wakened all of them; as the doors did seem
to open, the mastive bitch fell fearfully a yelling, and presently ran
fiercely into the bed to them in the truckle-bed; as the thing came by
the table, it struck so fierce a blow on that, as that it made the frame to
crack, then took the warming-pan from off the table, and stroke it
against the walls with so much force as that it was beat flat together, lid
and bottom. Now were they hit as they lay covered over head and ears

within the bed-clothes. Captain Carelesse was taken a sound blow on
the head with the shoulder-blade bone of a dead horse, (before they had
been but thrown at, when they peept up, and mist;) Browne had a
shrewed blow on the leg with the backbone, and another on the head,
and every one of them felt severall blows of bones and stones through
the bed-clothes, for now these things were thrown as from an angry
hand that meant further mischief; the stones flew in at window as shot
out of a gun, nor was the bursts lesse (as from without) than of a
cannon, and all the windows broken down. Now as the hurling of the
things did cease, and the thing walkt up and down, Captain Cockaine
and Hart cried out, In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
what are you? What would you have? What have we done that you
disturb us thus? No voice replied, (as the Captains said, yet some of
their servants have said otherwise,) and the noise ceast. Hereupon
Captains Hart and Cockaine rose, who lay in the bed-chamber, renewed
the fire and lights, and one great candle, in a candlestick, they placed in
the door, that might be seen by them in both the rooms. No sooner were
they got to bed, but the noise arose on all sides more loud and hideous
than at any time before, insomuch as (to use the Captains' own words)
it returned and brought seven devils worse than itself; and presently
they saw the candle and candlestick in the passage of the door, dasht up
to the roof of the room, by a kick of the hinder parts of a horse, and
after with the hoof trode out the snuff, and so dasht out the fire in the
chimnies. As this was done, there fell, as from the ceiling, upon them in
the truckle-beds such quantities of water, as if it had been poured out of
buckets, which stunk worse than any earthly stink could make; and as
this was in doing, something crept under the high beds, tost them up to
the roof of the house, with the Commissioners in them, until the testers
of the beds were beaten down upon, and the bedsted-frames broke
under them; and here some pause being made, they all, as if with one
consent, started up, and ran down the stairs until they came into the
Councel Hall, where two sate up a-brewing, but now were fallen asleep;
those they scared much with the wakening of them, having been much
perplext before with the strange noise, which commonly was taken by
them abroad for thunder, sometimes for rumbling wind. Here the
Captains and their company got fire and candle, and every one carrying
something of either, they returned into the Presence-Chamber, where

some applied themselves to make the fire, whilst others fell to prayers,
and having got some clothes about them, they spent the residue of the
night in singing psalms and prayers; during which, no noise was in that
room, but most hideously round about, as at some distance.
It should have been told before, how that when Captain Hart first rose
this night, (who lay in the bed-chamber next the fire,) he found their
book of valuations crosse the embers smoaking, which he snacht up
and cast upon the table there, which the night before was left upon the
table in the presence amongst their other papers; this book was in the
morning found a handful burnt, and had burnt the table where it lay;
Browne the clerk said, he would not for a 100 and a 100 L that it had