Chapter 13
The trial of witches—that's hardly a rare occurrence.
Since Innocent VIII of the Roman Catholic Church issued the Edict to Hunt Witches in 1484, the trend of searching for and burning witches has swept across Europe. More than seventy years have passed, and the trend has not only not stopped, but has intensified.
Throughout the Christian world, from Ireland in the far west to Romania in the far east, from Sweden in the north to Spain in the south, all believers in Christ seem to believe that witches are secretly causing trouble around them. They are said to have mates with the devil and secretly bring disasters, spread plagues, harm infants, commit arson and murder... they are almost capable of any evil, and they must be found immediately and burned to death in order to stop these disasters.
However, people are not actually that stupid.
Most of these so-called witches were pitiful old women who were left alone and helpless. They were merely scapegoats used by the people to vent their discontent and anger. A small number of them were persecuted because of their beauty and wealth. After all, imprisoning a witch meant that they could do whatever they wanted to her, and burning a witch at the stake meant that they could demand money from her family, because the priests had helped them get rid of an invisible threat.
In Mary's other half's memory, over the next two hundred years, countless innocent women would die in witch trials, be branded with crimes they did not commit, suffer torture, and be burned alive. This continued until 1780.
On the journey to Edinburgh by carriage, the ladies-in-waiting did not understand why the Queen was making such a fuss and wanted to rush back immediately upon hearing the news.
Witch trials were commonplace, and this was not the first time John Knox had attempted to burn witches. Last year, before Mary had even returned home, he had already burned two women at the stake.
This number is not considered large. It is said that in one small town in the German countries, seven or eight hundred witches were burned to death within a few years.
Lifting the carriage curtain and looking out at the forests and lakes rushing past, Mary said, "I won't believe the woman's crimes until I see them with my own eyes. Rather than a witch, I'd rather believe she's an innocent woman wrongly accused by John Knox."
“But what if she really is a witch? Reverend John Knox is, after all, a devout pastor. Pastors always have gifts from God and supernatural powers that others don’t know about,” Mary Beaton said, her expression very worried.
“Beeton, what if that woman is truly innocent? A devout, hardworking woman who has never done a single evil deed in her life, yet she is tied to a pyre and burned alive because of a few slanderous words,” Mary said.
Fleming, on the other hand, was much more rational and tried to analyze the situation from a different perspective.
“Your Majesty, the witch John Knox caught this time is not from any noble family. She is just a seamstress in Edinburgh. Her husband and son died long ago, and her family is poor. Her death will not harm anyone’s interests,” Fleming said.
What she didn't say was—it would be a huge loss to clash with John Knox over such an insignificant woman, especially since a priest is naturally more likely to gain the trust of the people when it comes to witch hunting, and a misstep could tarnish the Queen's current good reputation.
“I understand what you mean, Fleming… I think if I reward John Knox enough, he wouldn’t mind restoring the reputation of a smeared woman. Upholding justice is also following the Lord’s teachings, isn’t it?” Mary said.
Fleming felt a little relieved. After making the sign of the cross, he did not try to dissuade the Queen from her actions. Instead, he held a gemstone brooch tightly in his hand and let his thoughts drift to the unknown distance.
This brooch was a gift from Secretary of State Maitland to her last night.
Although they had only known each other for three days, she and Maitland got along very well and both hoped to develop their relationship further.
Thinking of this, Fleming's handsome face glowed with a color like rose petals.
...
In the square in the center of Edinburgh, piles of firewood were neatly stacked on a high platform. A ragged old woman was tied to the center of a pillar. Her wrinkled face was ashen and revealed the despair and numbness of someone who was about to die.
A dense crowd surrounded the center of the platform, whispering and cursing the witch. Vendors pushed wheelbarrows back and forth, loudly hawking light wine and oat cakes. Some who arrived late and missed the best viewing spots had to climb onto the surrounding second floors and rooftops.
People watched the old man as if he were a criminal being beheaded. It was a rare moment of joy in the year. Some strong men even took mud and stones from the ground and threw them hard at the platform. Every time a stone hit, it brought a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.
When the time for the burning at the stake arrived, a priest walked over with a torch and lit the edge of the wood. Because of the Edinburgh weather, the damp wood burned rather slowly and emitted thick, acrid black smoke.
"ah--!"
The bound witch looked up and let out a sharp, painful scream that lingered for a long time, and two lines of tears quickly streamed down her cloudy eyes.
Just then, a magnificent carriage pulled by four fine horses galloped towards the city gate and then abruptly stopped at the edge of the square. Due to the excessive speed, the entire carriage lurched before coming to a steady stop.
The surrounding crowd immediately moved away from the carriage bearing the royal insignia.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the coachman jumped down first, opened the carriage door, and shouted loudly, "Her Majesty the Queen has arrived!"
Her Majesty the Queen has arrived!
In an instant, the crowd fell silent.
Mary stepped off the carriage and looked up to see the burning fire. Her pupils contracted, and she immediately ordered, "Whether this woman is a witch is still under investigation! Now fetch water to put out the fire, move the wood away, and then take her to Holyrood Palace prison for me to try."
Just as the priest was about to carry out the Queen's order, John Knox stopped him by pressing his shoulder. He rose from the judge's seat, suppressing his anger at being disrupted, and said, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Mary bowed her head and gave Seton a few instructions to leave quickly. Then, without flinching, she met John Knox's gaze and said in a cold voice, "I have come to fulfill my duty as monarch to protect the innocent civilians in the Kingdom of Scotland, to bring the guilty to trial, and to ensure that the innocent are not wronged."
“The evidence against this witch is irrefutable; Your Majesty need not trouble yourself with an investigation,” John Knox said.
Knox gave a wink, and his deputy, John Craig, quickly handed Mary a document with both hands.
It was a scroll filled with dense Latin writing, all of which were "crimes" dictated by the witch and written down by someone else. In addition to the usual crimes of witchcraft, such as cursing and harming infants, an extra crime was added: inciting Christians to do evil and opposing the Queen's rule.
The witch named Anna confessed that after she entered Knox, she waited at the church entrance to stop the Protestants, used evil magic from the devil to bewitch their minds, incite them to do evil, and then rushed into the Queen's palace to wreak havoc.
A cross was drawn at the bottom right corner of the document, and a bloody handprint was pressed on it; this was the usual way for illiterate commoners to sign contracts.
Mary read quickly; after skimming through a few key lines, she understood why the old woman had suffered such an undeserved misfortune.
She was taking the blame for John Knox, bearing all the ill repute, and then restoring the pastor's reputation for innocence in Edinburgh.
That's utterly absurd.
But in this ignorant and uncivilized era, at least a few adults among the onlookers in Edinburgh believed this story.
“Your Majesty, aren’t you furious about the people’s rebellion against your rule? Now that I’ve personally found the culprits and burned them at the stake, I’m sure that will appease your anger,” John Knox said slowly from the side.
Mary's face was icy cold. She gripped the document tightly with her fingers, then gave a cold laugh and threw it into the fire in front of her!
Flames flickered and quickly burned the sheets of paper covered in Latin writing to ashes.
“This is not the truth, but a fabricated confession obtained under torture; it is insufficient as evidence,” Mary said.
“What proof do you have that this is a false text? By your royal authority? But Your Majesty, I must humbly remind you that I, the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the leader of Protestantism, and a man blessed by God—have far more experience than you in identifying witches…” John Knox also stepped forward to Mary, humbly yet defiantly confronting the Queen, “…Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s, and unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, don’t forget, these are the words you once said to me.”
Mary lowered her voice, looked into Knox's eyes, and hinted, "Reverend Knox, the King also has the right to try witches. If you hand this case over to me, I will reward you with unimaginable treasures... and perhaps even some missionary rights."
Unexpectedly, John Knox frowned, filled with disgust, and paid no heed to Mary's hint.
Knox, his eyes lowered, stared intently at Mary and said in a similarly soft voice, "Destroying these witches who rely on Satan to practice sorcery, so that they will no longer plague Scotland, is the right path I should take, Your Majesty. So please forgive me for not understanding your meaning."
Mary believed that the witch John Knox was implying was definitely not just the one currently being burned.
The damp wood burned slowly, but as they spoke, the flickering flames began to approach the old woman's legs, and there was no time to delay any longer!
Being so close, the sweltering heat made Mary, who was standing by the fire, start sweating. Just as she was about to hurry up and continue persuading Knox, Fleming, who was standing behind her, tugged at Mary's sleeve.
“Your Majesty…” Fleming said softly, gesturing to the crowd around him.
Mary looked up and saw distrustful faces all around her.
"That was a heinous witch..."
"I was wondering why my house caught fire for no reason last year. At that time, this old woman was just across the street from my house."
"And my poor little Becky, he died of illness when he was only three months old."
"Unbelievable! How could Her Majesty protect such a sinner..."
...
Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.
Even a king's hundred words on the subject of the devil and the witch are no match for a single word from a respected priest. Just as Mary used her royal power to subdue Knox, Knox is now returning the favor in kind.
Mary understood Fleming's implication.
If she continues to argue for this witch, her authority and reputation as queen will be damaged.
But she was unwilling to back down or give in on this matter.
The bonfire burning outside Holyrood Palace on the night she returned home is still vivid in her memory. At that time, she secretly made up her mind to love her people. How long has it been? Is she going to break the promise she made in her heart?
Mary closed her eyes briefly, then raised her voice so that everyone around could hear her: "Reverend Knox, I believe in your abilities as a priest, but as the king, I cannot ignore a woman who may be falsely accused. Saving him was a revelation from the Lord in a dream. So, put this old woman down, and under my supervision, in front of the representatives elected by the common people of Edinburgh, you shall reinvestigate the evidence against her as a witch."
"This will be a fair and just trial and investigation, without any personal desires, torture to extract confessions, or any underhanded tricks. Only the King and the Lord will judge."
"God is all-knowing and all-powerful; I believe He will give this woman the most just judgment!"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves!
Upon hearing the Queen's suggestion, the crowd immediately began to discuss the feasibility of the plan.
After all, Her Majesty's words seemed to make some sense, and the proposed solution was quite fair. They believed that Reverend Knox was deeply favored by God and not the kind of despicable person. But what if? What if the witch was framed...?
John Knox pursed his lips tightly, feeling himself trembling with anger.
He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way; what was wrong with this so-called Queen of Scotland?
She was just an old, useless woman, utterly worthless. To the king, burning her alive was clearly a trivial matter!
Just then, Mary suddenly felt a cool sensation on her face. She reached up and touched it, only to find it was a drop of rain.
It's raining.
Mary stared blankly at the cold raindrops on her palms for a moment, then looked up at the overcast sky and exclaimed, "This is the Lord's arrangement! God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He extinguished the flames in this way to prove the old woman's innocence!"
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