in offering their testimony.  They would cry out, that the Devil, generally in the shape of a black man, appeared to them at the time, whispering in the ear of the accused, or sitting on the beams of the meeting-house in which the examinations were generally conducted.  On this occasion, they declared that three of the persons, then in jail in some other place, came in their apparitions, forbade Mary Warren’s confession, and struck her down.  To give full effect to their statement, she went through the process of tumbling down.  Although nothing was seen by any other person present, the deception was perfect.  The Rev. Mr. Parris wrote it all down as having actually occurred.  His record of the transaction goes on as follows:—­

     “Mary Warren continued a good space in a fit, that she did
     neither see nor hear nor speak.

“Afterwards she started up, and said, ‘I will speak,’ and cried out, ‘Oh, I am sorry for it, I am sorry for it!’ and wringed her hands, and fell a little while into a fit again, and then came to speak, but immediately her teeth were set; and then she fell into a violent fit, and cried out, ’O Lord, help me!  O good Lord, save me!’

     “And then afterwards cried again, ’I will tell, I will
     tell!’ and then fell into a dead fit again.

     “And afterwards cried, ’I will tell, they did, they did,
     they did;’ and then fell into a violent fit again.

“After a little recovery, she cried, ’I will tell, I will tell.  They brought me to it;’ and then fell into a fit again, which fits continuing, she was ordered to be led out, and the next to be brought in, viz., Bridget Bishop.

     “Some time afterwards, she was called in again, but
     immediately taken with fits for a while.

     “‘Have you signed the Devil’s book?—­No.’

     “‘Have you not touched it?—­No.’

     “Then she fell into fits again, and was sent forth for air.

     “After a considerable space of time, she was brought in
     again, but could not give account of things by reason of
     fits, and so sent forth.

     “Mary Warren called in afterwards in private, before
     magistrates and ministers.

“She said, ’I shall not speak a word:  but I will, I will speak, Satan!  She saith she will kill me.  Oh! she saith she owes me a spite, and will claw me off.  Avoid Satan, for the name of God, avoid!’ and then fell into fits again, and cried, ‘Will ye?  I will prevent ye, in the name of God.’”

The magistrate inquired earnestly:—­

     “‘Tell us how far have you yielded?’

     “A fit interrupts her again.

     “‘What did they say you should do, and you should be well?’

     “Then her lips were bit, so that she could not speak:  so she
     was sent away.”

Mr. Parris, the reporter of the case, adds:—­