In the 1640s, a self-designated witch-finder named Matthew Hopkins “toured the counties of Norfolk, Essex, Hants, and Sussex, in quest of witches.”
In one year he brought no fewer than sixty to the stake.
Method of detection: “swimming”
- The right thumb of the suspected person was tied to the toe of the left foot, and vice versa. She was then wrapped in a blanket and placed on her back in a pond. If she floated — which we are told was generally the case when placed carefully upon the water — she was guilty, and was burned forthwith; if she sank, she was innocent.
— Sax Rohmer, The Romance of Sorcery
Only the preposition “she” is used, throughout this section. Self can only assume this means: No male witches, ever.
Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.
Kanlaon 