Fascinating and entertaining tales of cases and trials from the Birmingham Court of Requests (such as "The meek husband and the bouncing wife," "The servant and his two masters"); a witchcraft trial held before Sir Matthew Hale, 1664, taken down by an attendant at the proceedings; and six New England Salem witchcraft trials from 1692. CONTENTS PART I. CASES IN THE BIRMINGHAM COURT OF REQUESTS Introduction I. The Pleasures of Matrimony II. The Sturdy Club III. The Carrier IV. The Executor V. A Judge may Quit the Line of Justice VI. Match a Knave VII. The Second-hand Wife VIII. Defective Powers IX. ABC X. The Servant and his Two Masters XI. Warning XII. The Meek Husband and the Bouncing Wife XIII. The Lovers XIV. Landlord and Tenant XV. Queer Aspects XVI. The Privilege of a Cockade XVII. The Power of Beauty XVIII. The Hundred-Pound Note XIX. The Merchant and the Button-Maker XX. The Fee XXI. The Reckoning XXII. A Quarter too Late XXIII. The Bastard XXIV. "TheTempest," as it was acted by their Majesties' Servants at the Theatre in Birmingham XXV. The Female Contest XXVI. The Hundred-Tongue Club XXVII. Character XXVIII. The Name Unknown XXIX. The Female Note XXX. The Widowed Wife XXXI. The Bench Stormed XXXII. The Coat and many Owners XXXIII. The Cloud of Witnesses XXXIV. A Club Conducted without a Man XXXV. The Stamp XXXVI. The Stumbling Wife XXXVII. The Collector XXXVIII. The Hunted Jew XXXIX. A Picture of Man from the Life XL. The Necessity of Marrying XLI. The Necessity of Unmarrying XLII. The Forsaken Fair XLIII. Betty John PART II. WITCH TRIALS Introduction An Abstract of Mr. Perkins's Way for the Discovery of Witches The Sum of Mr. Gaule's Judgment about the Detection of Witches Bernard of Batcomb's "Guide to Grand Jurymen" TRIALS OF THE NEW ENGLAND WITCHES I. The Trial of G. B. at a Court of Oyer and Terminer, held in Salem, 1692 II. The Trial of Bridget Bishop, alias Oliver, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, held at Salem, June 2, 1692 III. The Trial of Susanna Martin, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, held by Adjournment at Salem, Jane 29, 1692 IV. The Trial of Elizabeth How, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, held by Adjournment at Salem, June 30, 1692 V. The Trial of Martha Carrier, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, held by Adjournment at Salem, August 2, 162 A FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE TRIALS OF THE NEW ENGLAND WITCHES A True Narrative, collected by Deodat Lawson, relating to Sundry Persons afflicted by Witchcraft at Salem Village in New England, from the 19th of March to the 5th of April, 1692 Remarks of Things more than Ordinary about the Afflicted Persons Remarks concerning the Accused A Further Account of the Trials of the New England Witches, sent in a Letter from thence to a Gentleman in London A TRIAL OF WITCHES BEFORE SIR MATTHEW HALE AT BURY ST. EDMUNDS, 1664 PART III. AMUSING ACTIONS AT LAW