[margin:] Master Mayor, Master Cockram, Master Styner, Master Fowkes.
The third examination of Susan Swapper taken before Thomas Higgons, Mayor of the ancient town of Rye in the county of Sussex, and the jurats of the same town, the third day of December anno domini 1607 annoque regni domini nostri Jacobi dei gratia regis nunc anglie etc quinto.
1 The said Susan being again examined whether she knew anything by the spirits or otherwise concerning the sickness and death of Master Thomas Hamon, late mayor of Rye, or of the death or sickness of the children of Master Taylor, confesseth and sayeth as followeth viz.
That the first or second day that the said Master Hamon fell sick, Mistress Taylor did send for this examinate to her house to speak with her, and when she came thither unto her, she willed this examinate to
Go up into the chamber over the hall in Master Taylor’s house, to see if any of the spirits were there, for that she said she very believed there was one there, and that she heard him above.
Whereupon this examinate went up, and there she saw one of them, viz. the spirit called Richard, who spake unto this examinate, and willed her to
Go unto young Anne Bennett, and will her to send unto him some planet water*.
And so this examinate went down and teld her that the said spirit Richard would have her send ----- [p]lanet water, and then the said Mistress Taylor did go to her ------?be out a bottle and did put ?pour out some of the same water ------le glass bottle about the quantity of three or four spoonfuls, which was a whitish water, and gave it to this examinate to carry it unto him.
And when this examinate came again into the chamber, the spirit was not in that chamber but in the next chamber where she saw him. So this examinate did set the little bottle of planet water upon the table, and went down and told Mistress Taylor thereof. And then Mistress Taylor said unto this examinate,
“I will lay a penny that the bottle is not upon the table.” And this examinate answered her
“I assure you it is there for I left it there.”
“Nay”, said she, “it is not there, go up and see.”
So this examinate went up and the bottle was not there, neither the said spirit. And then the said Mistress Taylor willed this examinate to
Go gather her some herbs to make water, but she did go [sic] for any.
But Mistress Taylor did then tell her that
She the said Mistress Taylor heard that Master Mayor was taken sick, and that he should die of the said sickness, for she knew it well, and that she did know and could tell all what was done in Master Mayor’s house, and in every house in Rye, if that she the said Mistress Taylor would trouble herself about it.
And she further said to this examinate that
Everybody should see that after Master Mayor was dead, what an ugly corpse he should be to look on, and that one side of him should die before the other, and that there was one of the spirits with him at times. And that one of the spirits before his death should give him a gripe upon his members, and that they should look very black after his death. And she further
*made from herbs picked at an astrologically auspicious time
[end of sheet 1]
[RYE 13/8]
