Bartie Paterson's Charm

Bartie Paterson’s Charm By E. Lynn Linton © 2007 by http://www.HorrorMasters.com

That same year James Brawn was ill. Bartie Paterson went to him, and gave him drinks and salves made of green herbs, and bade him “sitt donn on his kneis thre seuerall nychtis, and everie nycht, thryse nyne tymes, ask his helth at all living wichtis, aboue and vnder the earth in the name of Jesus.” He gave Alexander Clarke a drink of Dow-Loch water—poor Alexander Clarke was fond of consulting witches—causing him each time he lifted the mug to say, “I lift this watter in the name of the Father, Sone, and Holy Ghaist, to do guid for their helth for quhom it is liftit.” And he was able to cast a spell over cattle by saying— “I charme thé for arrow-schot, For dor-schof, for wondo-schot, For ey-schot, for tung-schot, For lever-schot, for lung-schot, For hert-schot, all the maist, In the name of the Father, the Sone, and Haly Ghaist. To wend out of fleisch and bane, Into stek and stane, In the name of the Father, the Sone, and Haly Ghaist. Amen.”

So the law put a stop to his incantations, and he was strangled and burnt, and all his goods escheit to the crown. But the crown did not get a very full haul, for poor Bartie was scarce removed from beggary.