>>I've had another thought. Jenny, what was the law concerning malicious gossip? Was that ever called "mischief"?<< Good question... and I'm not sure. I did a little more research on "mischief" and found that (at least under modern law) mischief includes causing damages through threats -- which is precisely what many witches were accused of doing. Unfortunately I haven't had much luck connecting this to colonial America or the witch trials. I have electronic copies of a couple English witch-hunting guides that were popular in both Old and New England. I ran searches for the word "mischief" to see if I could find any cases where a witch was charged with mischief, or where judges recommended charging suspected witches with michief. I didn't find any. On the other hand all of these writers talk about witches doing "mischief" (that is, tangible harm). William Perkins (_A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft_, 1618) lists the signs that a magistrate should look for, if he suspects someone of witchcraft. Two of these signs include "mischief". For instance Perksins says it is a evidence of witchcraft "if after cursing, there followeth death, or at least some mischeiefe. For Witches are wont to practise their mischievous facts by cursing and banning." (pg. 44) Also "if after enmitie, quarrelling, or threatning, a prese[n]t mischiefe doth follow." (pg. 44) In both cases mischief is grounds for suspecting a witch, but not confirmation of witchcraft. About half of _The Lawes Against Witchcraft and Conjuration_ (anonymous, 1645) is a summary of Richard Bernard's _A Guide to Grand Jurymen_ (1629), one of the most influential English guides for witch trials. Again, although no one mentions charging witches with the crime of "mischief", "mischief" is the term they use for the results of malign witchcraft. "4. There are other presumptions against these Witches; as if they be given to usuall cursing, and bitter imprecations, and withall use threatenings to be revenged, and their imprecations, or some other mischief presently followeth." Or again, "7. When the party shall see visibly some apparition, and shortly after some mischief shall befall him." (Both of these rules are paraphrases of Bernard's guidelines.) None of the books discussed malicious gossip, so no help there. All of which is a round-about way of saying no new news. No evidence of witches being charged with mischief. More evidence of what we know -- that witches were believed to do mischief (ie., tangible harm). Jenny Gibbons