Lastly [They] Throw Him Into The Watter Or Leave
[Him] In The Fields To Be Eaten By The Crowes Or Doggs.
Now lett me come to our miserable poore captives that stayed all along
[through] the raine upon the scaffold to the mercy of 2 or 300 rogues that
shott us with litle arrowes, and so drew out our beards and the haire from
those that had any.
The showre of rayne being over, all come together
againe, and having kindled fires began to burne some of those poore
wretches. That day they pluckt 4 nailes out of my fingers, and made me
sing, though I had no mind att that time. I became speechlesse oftentimes;
then they gave me watter wherin they boyled a certain herbe that the
gunsmiths use to pollish their armes. That liquour brought me to my speech
againe. The night being come they made me come downe all naked as I was, &
brought to a strang Cottage. I wished heartily it had ben that of my
parents. Being come, they tyed me to a poast, where I stayed a full houre
without the least molestation.
A woman came there with her boy, inticed him to cutt off one of my fingers
with a flint stoan. The boy was not 4 yeares old. This [boy] takes my
finger and begins to worke, but in vaine, because he had not the strength
to breake my fingers. So my poore finger escaped, having no other hurt don
to it but the flesh cutt round about it. His mother made him suck the very
blood that runn from my finger. I had no other torment all that day. Att
night I could not sleepe for because of the great paine. I did eat a litle,
and drunk much watter by reason of a feaver I caught by the cruel torment I
suffred.
The next morning I was brought back againe to the scaffold, where there
were company enough. They made me sing a new, but my mother came there and
made [me] hould my peace, bidding me be cheerfull and that I should not
die. Shee brought mee some meate. Her coming comforted me much, but that
did not last long; ffor heare comes severall old people, one of which being
on the scaffold, satt him downe by me, houlding in his mouth a pewter pipe
burning, tooke my thumb and putt it on the burning tobacco, and so smoaked
3 pipes one after another, which made my thumb swell, and the nayle and
flesh became as coales. My mother was allwayes by me to comfort me, but
said not what I thought. That man having finished his hard worke, but I am
sure I felt it harder to suffer it. He trembled, whether for feare or for
so much action I cannot tell. My mother tyed my fingers with cloath, and
when he was gon shee greased my haire and combed my haire with a wooden
comb, fitter to combe a horse's tayle then anything else.
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