Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/117

Rh credulity, to make people believe there was something more in her fits than a bare paroxysm of the disease. The affair reaching the ears of one Masters, the parson of Aldington, he immediately thought of setting her up for a prophetess, in hopes thereby of propping the sinking foundation of the Romish church; or, at least, to make his own chapel famous, and reap the advantages of pilgrimages, offerings, &c. To this end, his first care was to persuade her to believe, she had a supernatural impulse, and that what she said was truly prophetic. The distemper holding for some time, she had an opportunity of attaining such perfection in counterfeiting her fits, that, when cured, she could so exactly imitate them as to deceive any body; for, having by her art brought the fit upon her, she would lie as it were in a trance for some time, then coming to herself (after many strange grimaces and odd gesticulations) she would break out into devout ejaculations, &c. pretending to prophesy, and see visions, &c. and was always particularly vehement against heresy and innovations.

This artful management, together with her pretended piety, deceived not only the common people, but several learned men. Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, ordered Masters to attend her carefully, and joined with him Dr. Bocking, a canon of Christchurch, in Canterbury, and others, to examine further into the affair. But notwithstanding this piece of outward ceremony, Warham, who was a zealous catholic, was not a little suspected, with some others, of countenancing the imposture under hand. She said, the blessed virgin had appeared to her, and told her, that she could never recover, till she went and visited her image in the famous chapel that was dedicated to her, and called the Chap