ThiswasthelastexecutionthattookplaceinScotlandforwitchcraft。Thepenalstatuteswererepealedin1756，and，asinEngland，whipping，thepillory，orimprisonment，weredeclaredthefuturepunishmentsofallpretenderstomagicorwitchcraft。
Still，formanyyearsafterthis，thesuperstitionlingeredbothinEnglandandScotland，andinsomedistrictsisfarfrombeingextinctevenatthisday。Butbeforeweproceedtotraceitanyfurtherthantoitslegalextinction，wehaveyettoseethefrightfulhavocitmadeincontinentalEuropefromthecommencementoftheseventeenthtothemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury。France，Germany，andSwitzerlandwerethecountrieswhichsufferedmostfromtheepidemic。Thenumberofvictimsinthesecountriesduringthesixteenthcenturyhasalreadybeenmentioned；but，attheearlypartoftheseventeenth，thenumbersaresogreat，especiallyinGermany，thatweretheynottobefoundintheofficialrecordsofthetribunals，itwouldbealmostimpossibletobelievethatmankindcouldeverhavebeensomaddenedanddeluded。TousethewordsofthelearnedandindefatigableHorst，[ZauberBibliothek。Theil5。]“theworldseemedtobelikealargemadhouseforwitchesanddevilstoplaytheiranticsin。“Satanwasbelievedtobeateverybody’scall，toraisethewhirlwind，drawdownthelightning，blighttheproductionsoftheearth，ordestroythehealthandparalysethelimbsofman。Thisbelief，soinsultingtothemajestyandbeneficenceoftheCreator，wassharedbythemostpiousministersofreligion。ThosewhointheirmorningandeveningprayersacknowledgedtheonetrueGod，andpraisedhimfortheblessingsoftheseedtimeandtheharvest，wereconvincedthatfrailhumanitycouldenterintoacompactwiththespiritsofhelltosubverthislawsandthwartallhismercifulintentions。Successivepopes，fromInnocentVIII。downwards，promulgatedthisdegradingdoctrine，whichspreadsorapidlythatsocietyseemedtobedividedintotwogreatfactions，thebewitchingandthebewitched。
ThecommissionersnamedbyInnocentVIII。toprosecutethewitch-trialsinGermany，wereJacobSprenger，sonotoriousforhisworkondemonology，entitledthe“MalleusMaleficarum，“or“HammertoknockdownWitches，“HenryInstitoralearnedjurisconsult，andtheBishopofStrasburgh。Barnberg，Treves，Cologne，Paderborn，andWurzburg，werethechiefseatsofthecommissioners，who，duringtheirlivesalone，condemnedtothestake，onaverymoderatecalculation，upwardsofthreethousandvictims。Thenumberofwitchessoincreased，thatnewcommissionerswerecontinuallyappointedinGermany，France，andSwitzerland。InSpainandPortugaltheInquisitionalonetookcognizanceofthecrime。Itisimpossibletosearchtherecordsofthosedark，butnowhappilynonexistingtribunals；butthemindrecoilswithaffrighteventoformaguessofthemultitudeswhoperished。
Themodeoftrialintheothercountriesismoreeasilyascertained。Sprenger，inGermany，andBodinusandDelrio，inFrance，haveleftbuttooamplearecordoftheatrocitiescommittedinthemuch-abusednamesofjusticeandreligion。Bodinus，ofgreatreputeandauthorityintheseventeenthcentury，says，“Thetrialofthisoffencemustnotbeconductedlikeothercrimes。Whoeveradherestotheordinarycourseofjusticepervertsthespiritofthelaw，bothDivineandhuman。Hewhoisaccusedofsorceryshouldneverbeacquittedunlessthemaliceoftheprosecutorbeclearerthanthesun；
foritissodifficulttobringfullproofofthissecretcrime，thatoutofamillionofwitchesnotonewouldbeconvictediftheusualcoursewerefollowed！“HenriBoguet，awitch-finder，whostyledhimself“TheGrandJudgeofWitchesfortheTerritoryofSt。Claude，“