Go back

Assertions for a specific being.

Name Description Original Text
Anonymous 237The devil in the form of a gentleman in black, who appears before the fourteen year old Sarah Bower while she is at a neighbour's house. He speaks "many kind Words to her," and offers her gold and silver, as well as "fine suits of Head-Cloths, and very high Top-knots if she would be his, and let him take some Blood out of her Arm." He then takes out a knife, as though to cut her arm, causing the girl to cry out and her neighbours to come. When they appear, the gentleman in black vanishes. When Sarah Bower attempts to describe what happened, she finds herself speechless, and her neighbours assume that "some Rogue had attempted to Rob the House." On the Thursday following, when Sarah Bower's speech returns, she tells of the gentleman in black's visit, and how "he had sort of broad Feet like a Cow." Later, Sarah Bower predicts that she must visit the Black Man at two in the afternoon. When such time came around, Sarah Bower entered the yard, and "was thrown to the ground in a strange manner," presumably by Anonymous 237, although to witnesses present (Anonymous 100) can see "no form or shape [...] that could occasion her Fall."A pretty while before this, she being at a Neighbours House, rocking a Child in the Cradle, while the good Woman was gone a little way, (as she after declared when she came to her Speech) a Gentle|man all in Black opened the Door and came in, and after speaking many kind Words to her, threw down a Bag of Gold and Silver, as she thought, and pour'd the Mony about the Room, and told her she should have that, and fine Suits of Head-Cloths, and very high Top-knots if she would be his, and let him take some Blood out of her Arm; after which, she standing all in Amaze, the black Gentleman took down a Knife from the Man|tle-tree in order, as she thought, to cut her Arm, upon which she made all the Cry and Noise that possible she could, upon which the Mistriss of the House and some other of the Neighbours came in, but upon their appearance the black Gen|tleman or Devil immediately Vanished, and she made to them all the Signs and Tokens she could at that time of the occasion of her Cry, which they then thought was, that some Rogue had attempted to Rob the House; she continued thus Speechless untill the Thursday after the Last-Fast, on which day about Ten in the Morning her Speech came to her again and she then seemed to be ex|traordinary sensible of her former and present Condition, relating as before about the Gentleman in black, and moreover she related how that he had sort of broad Feet like a Cow,

Appears in:
Dirby, Richard . Dreadful News from Wapping. Unknown: 1693, 3 - 4