“Some little time after which, I, going well to bed, about the dead of the night, felt a great weight upon my breast, and, awakening, looked; and, it being bright moonlight, did clearly see said Bridget Bishop, or her likeness, sitting upon my stomach; and, putting my arms off of the bed to free myself from the great oppression, she presently laid hold of my throat, and almost choked me, and I had no strength or power in my hands to resist, or help myself; and, in this condition, she held me to almost day.  Some time after this, my mistress (Susannah Gedney) was in our orchard, and I was then with her; and said Bridget Bishop, being then in her orchard,—­which was next adjoining to ours,—­my mistress told said Bridget that I said or affirmed that she came, one night, and sat upon my breast, as aforesaid, which she denied, and I affirmed to her face to be true, and that I did plainly see her; upon which discourse with her, she threatened me.  And, some time after that, I, being not very well, stayed at home on a Lord’s Day; and, on the afternoon of said day, the doors being shut, I did see a black pig in the room coming towards me; so I went towards it to kick it, and it vanished away.”

Louder goes on to say, that, immediately after this, on the same occasion while he was staying at home from meeting, he saw a black thing jump into the window, and it came and stood just before his face “upon the bar.”  The body of it looked like a monkey, only the feet were like a cock’s feet with claws, and the face somewhat more like a man’s than a monkey’s.  He says that he was greatly affrighted, “not being able to speak or help myself by reason of fear, I suppose;” and that his mysterious visitor made quite a speech to him, representing that it was a messenger sent to say, that, if he would “be ruled by him, he should want for nothing in this world.”  The virtuous and indignant Louder says that he answered, “You devil, I will kill you!” and gave it a blow with his fist, but “could feel no substance; and it jumped out of the window again.”  It immediately came in by the porch, although the doors were shut, and said, “You had better take my counsel.”  Hereupon Louder struck at it with a stick, hitting the ground-sill and breaking the stick, but felt no substance.  Louder concludes his testimony as follows:—­

“The arm with which I struck was presently disenabled.  Then it vanished away, and I opened the back-door and went out; and, going towards the house-end, I espied said Bridget Bishop in her orchard going towards her house, and, seeing her, had no power to set one foot forward, but returned in again:  and, going to shut the door, I again did see that or the like creature, that I before did see within doors, in such a posture as it seemed to be agoing to fly at me; upon which I cried out, ’The whole armor of God be between me and you.’  So it sprang back and flew over the apple-tree, flinging the dirt with its feet against my stomach, upon which