In Scotland this practice was in high favour with witches, both in ancient and modern times. The lamentable story of poor King Duff, as related by Hector Boethius, a story which has blanched the cheek and spoiled the rest of many a youthful reader, is too well known to need extracting. Even so late as 1676, Sir George Maxwell, of Pollock, (See Scott's _Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft_, p. 323,) apparently a man of melancholy and valetudinarian habits, believed himself bewitched to death by six witches, one man and five women, who were leagued for the purpose of tormenting a clay image in his likeness. Five of the accused were executed, and the sixth only escaped on account of extreme youth.
Isabel Gowdie, the famous Scotch witch before referred to, in her confessions gives a very particular account of the mode in which these images were manufactured. It is curious, and worth quoting:--
_Johne Taylor_ and _Janet Breadhead_, his wyff, in Bellnakeith, _Bessie Wilsone_, in Aulderne, and _Margret Wilsone_, spows to _Donald Callam_ in Aulderne, and I, maid an pictur of clay, to distroy _the Laird of Parkis_ meall[62] children. _Johne Taylor_ browght hom the clay, in his plaid newk;[63] his wyff brak it verie small, lyk meall,[64] and sifted it with a siew,[65] and powred in water among it, in _the Divellis_ nam, and vrought it werie sore, lyk rye-bowt;[66] and maid of it a pictur of _the Lairdis_ sones. It haid all the pairtis and merkis of a child, such as heid, eyes, nose, handis, foot, mowth, and little lippes. It wanted no mark of a child; and the handis of it folded down by its sydes. It was lyk a pow,[67] or a flain gryce.[68] We laid the face of it to the fyre, till it strakned;[69] and a cleir fyre round abowt it, till it ves read lyk a cole.[70] After that, we wold rest it now and then; each other day[71] ther wold be an piece of it weill rosten. _The Laird of Parkis_ heall maill children by it ar to suffer, if it be not gotten and brokin, als weill as thes that ar borne and dead alreadie. It ves still putt in and taken out of the fyre, in _the Divellis_ name. It wes hung wp wpon an knag. It is yet in _Johne Taylor's_ hows, and it hes a cradle of clay abowt it. Onlie _Johne Taylor_ and his wyff, _Janet Breadhead_, _Bessie_ and _Margret Wilsones_ in Aulderne, and _Margret Brodie_, thair, and I, were onlie at the making of it. All the multitud of our number of WITCHES, of all the COEVENS, kent[72] all of it, at owr nixt meitting after it was maid.