The Lancashire Witches: A Romance of Pendle Forest

wn in beauty and riches. Seventeen abbots have exercised unbounded hospitality within it, but now they are all gone, save one!-and he is attainted of felony and treason.

Pyx and chalice, thuribule and vial, golden-headed pastoral staff, and mitre embossed with pearls, candlestic

t a churlish guard bids him hie away, and menaces him if he tarries with his halbert. Closed are the buttery-hatches and the pantries; and the daily dole of bread hath ceased. Closed, also, to the brethren is the refectory. The cellarer's office is ended. The strong ale which he brewed in October, is tapped in March by roystering troopers. The rich muscadel and malmsey, and the wines of Gascoigne and the Rhine, are no longer quaffed by the abbot and his more honoured guests, but drunk to his destruction by his foes. The great gallery, a hundred and fifty feet in length, the pride of the abbot's lodging, and a model of architecture, is filled no

naments sold, its granaries emptied, its possessions wasted, its storehouses sacked, its cattle slaughtered and sold. But, though stripped of its wealth and splendour; th

tions were needed they were judiciously made. Thus age had lent it beauty, by mellowing its freshness and toning its hues, while no decay was perceptible. Without a strug

d glass fell upon the floor of the magnificent conventual church, and dyed with rainbow hues the marble tombs of the Lacies, the founders of the establishment, brought thither when the monastery was removed from Stanlaw in Cheshire, and upon the brass-covered gravestones of the abbots in the presbytery. There lay Gregory de Northbury, eighth abbot of Stanlaw and first of Whalley, and William Rede, the last abbot; but there was never to lie John Paslew. The slumber of

ores of ammunition. A strong guard was set at each of the gates, and the courts were filled with troops. The bray of the trumpet echoed within the close, where rounds were set for the archers, and martial music resounded within the area of the cloisters. Over the great north-eastern gateway, which formed the

ks in the white habits of the Cistertian brotherhood, but which were now stained and threadbare, while their countenances bore traces of severest privation and suffering. All the herdsmen and farmers had been retainers of the abbot. The poor monks looked wistfully at their former habitation, but replied not except by a gentle bowing of the

icipated by the concourse without the abbey, as well as by those within its walls, was the arrival of Abbot Paslew and Fathers Eastgate and Haydocke

mmit of a gentle hill, rising immediately in front of the abbot's lodgings, called the Holehouses, whose rounded, bosomy beauty it completely destroyed. This terrible a

o having been deprived of his forester's office, was now habited in a frieze doublet and hose with a short c

der, "that's a fearfo sect that gallas. Yoan been

a great rabblement at t' geate, an one o' them lunjus archer chaps knockt meh o' t' n

t' heretic robbers. Walladey! walladey! that we should live to see t' oly feythers driven loike hummobees owt o' t' owd neest. Whey they sayn ot King Harry hon decreet ot

a protty king. Furst he chops off his woife's heaod,

" cried Ruchot o' Roaph's. "But we da

Ashbead; "an' if a dozen o' yo chaps win join me, eyn

l to-morrow," said Ruch

" replied Ashbead. "But whot dust theaw say, Hal o' Nab

keawse," replied Hal o' Nabs. "We winna stond by, an see

skew!" responded all the oth

voice near them. And immediately af

Hal o' Nabs. "Oh, ey seen, t

Ashbead, looking round in a

Hal o' Nabs. "But ey d

ssing himself, and spitting on the ground. "Ow

o'd a strawnge odventer wi' him t' neet o' t' g

es at 'em reet an' laft; an be mah troath, lads, yood'n a leawght t' hear how they roart, an ey should a roart too, if I couldn, whon they began to thwack me wi' their raddling pows, and ding'd meh so abowt t' heoad, that ey fell i' a swownd. Whon ey cum to, ey wur loyin o' meh back i' Rimington Moor. Every booan i' meh hoide wratcht, an meh hewr war clottert wi' gore, boh t' eebond an t' gog wur gone, soh ey gets o' meh feet, and daddles along os weel os ey con, whon aw ot wunce ey spies a leet glenting efore meh, an dawncing abowt loike a

ed Hal o' Nabs. "An who

ing t' abbut o' Whalley,-ey knoad it be't moitre and crosier,-an efter each o' t' varment had stickt a

l o' Nabs, breathlessly,-"t'

o Summat I couldna see; an axt when t' next meeting wur to be held. 'On the night of Abbot Paslew's execution,' awnsert t' voice. On hearing this, ey could bear nah lunger, boh shouted out, 'Witches! devils! Lort deliver us fro' ye!' An' os ey spoke, ey tried t' barst thro' t' winda. In a trice, aw t' leets went out; t

ue of the adventure, were checked by the approach of a monk, who, joining the asse

te bursers of the abbey. Alack! alack! they now need the chari

hbead. "Monry a broad me

ind to us aw,"

rth, cellarer," pursued the monk; "and after them F

ther Moore, lads

he others; "a good mon, a reet good mo

es Father Forrest, the procurator, with Fathers Rede, Clough, and Ba

as t' oly feythers pass," cried A

rustic assemblage fell upon their knees, and implored their benediction. The foremost in the procession passed

e. You will see him who hath clothed you, fed you, and taught you the

cried Ashbead. "We'n meayed up our mo

ined the prior; "it will avail nothing, and you will only sacrifice your own li

ently with the intention of dispersing them. Behind them strode Nicholas Demdike. In an instant the alarmed rustics were on their feet, and Ruchot o' Roaph's, and some few among them, took

ficer, who proved to be Richard Asshet

ay honts o' meh,

leader's order, he sprang forward, and, wresting a hal

ted Assheton, irritated

t. Loike a stag at bey ey'm dawngero

hbead would only be taken with life, and they were not

erposed the prior; "it will avail th

Ashbead, flourishing the pike:

m," cried Demdike

laugh, "Cum on, then. Hadsta aw t' fiends

voice of thunder, and fixing

narmed, he gave the pike to Hal o' Nabs, who was close beside him, observing, "It shall never

ng man freed himself from the gripe, and closed with his assailant. But though of Herculean build, it soon became evident that Ashbead would have the worst of it;

upon him. The next instant his hold relaxed, and the wizard sprang to his feet unharmed, but deluged in blood. Hal o' Nabs uttered a cry of keenest anguish, and, flinging himself upon the body of the forester, tried to staunch the wound; but he

e. She was tall, finely formed, with features of remarkable beauty, though of a masculine and somewhat savage character, and with magnificent but fierce black eyes. Her skin was dark, and her hair raven black, contrasting strongly

ing a keen reproachful look on Demdi

hurt with a pike. Stand out of the way, Bess, and let the men pas

ely. "He may recover if his wound be dressed. Let him go

erved one of the arquebussiers; "he u

ers when they arrive," observed Assheton; "suc

erved Demdike, "no huma

?" said Bess, breathing the

ing her roughly aside; "woul

"if thou save him not, by the devil thou

aken there, and placed upon the ground, after which the arquebussiers and their leader marched off; while Bess, kneeling down, supported the head of the wounded man upon her knee, and Demdike, taking a s

fixed his gaze upon Bess, who placed her finger upon her lips to e

; "but ey'd reyther dee thus, wi' the

med Bess, "Nic

Ey'st be gone soon. Ah, Bess, dear lass, if theawdst promise to break thy co

" cried Bess. "You wil

ore to-morrow neet, it'll be sacrificed to t' Prince o' Darkness. Go to some o' t' oly feythers

t to them, implored them, but their hearts are hard as flints. They will not heed me. They will not disobey the a

ied Ashbead; "ey dunna wish to ha'

e, Cuthbert," cried Bess; "Nic

ried Ashbead, raising. "Ey'st

ted he tore off the bandage,

he perishes now," obs

elp him!" i

ing the effusion. "Keep him off, ey adjure thee. Farewell, B

ng? Look at me, speak to me! Ha!" she cried, as if seized by a sudden idea, "they

!" groaned

e he could place his hands upon it all powe

r lost!" cried Bess,

was blown from the gate-towe

e two other priso

ly, and seizing the bewildered woman by the ar