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.CONTENTSPART I.CASES IN THE BIRMINGHAM COURT OF REQUESTS Introduction I.The Pleasures of MatrimonyII.The Sturdy Club III.The Carrier IV.The ExecutorV.A Judge may Quit the Line of JusticeVI.Match a KnaveVII.The Second-hand WifeVIII.Defective Powers IX.ABCX.The Servant and his Two MastersXI.WarningXII.The Meek Husband and the Bouncing WifeXIII.The LoversXIV.Landlord and TenantXV.Queer Aspects XVI.The Privilege of a Cockade XVII.The Power of BeautyXVIII.The Hundred-Pound NoteXIX.The Merchant and the Button-Maker XX.The FeeXXI.The Reckoning XXII.A Quarter too LateXXIII.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 ClubXXVII.Character XXVIII.The Name UnknownXXIX.The Female NoteXXX.The Widowed WifeXXXI.The Bench StormedXXXII.The Coat and many Owners XXXIII.The Cloud of WitnessesXXXIV.A Club Conducted without a ManXXXV.The StampXXXVI.The Stumbling WifeXXXVII.The CollectorXXXVIII.The Hunted JewXXXIX.A Picture of Man from the LifeXL.The Necessity of MarryingXLI.The Necessity of UnmarryingXLII.The Forsaken FairXLIII.Betty John PART II. WITCH TRIALSIntroductionAn Abstract of Mr. Perkins's Way for the Discovery of WitchesThe Sum of Mr. Gaule's Judgment about the Detection of WitchesBernard 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 WITCHESA 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