Witchfinder General Page #2

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in their beds

if they're to be proper wives and mothers.

-Goodnight, Cornet.

-Goodnight, sir.

And will you make a proper wife

and mother, Sara?

I still have much to learn, Richard.

I'll teach you.

Now, didn't your uncle just say

you must early to bed?

-He did.

-And isn't he a wise man?

-He is.

-Right.

How much further, Matthew?

You will not call me Matthew.

I'm not one of your drinking cronies,

carousing and wenching in the taverns.

Aye, you're not that, sir.

Remember, John Stearne, you ride with

me only because you help me in my work.

-Oh, you call it work?

-It's the Lord's work, a noble thing...

And a profitable one.

The Good Lord paying in silver

for every hanging.

That is blasphemy, Stearne.

Hold your tongue.

I'm merely an honest man

who helps you get your confessions.

The law has prescribed due methods

of interrogation.

And I have been blessed with the skills

to carry them out.

Oh, stop your gabbling.

We have work to do in Brandeston.

Who is it this time?

-The message tells of a priest.

-A priest?

One who gives worship to Satan

and calls him Lord.

Oh, with the priest himself a witch, there'll

be others corrupted, too, I'm thinking.

You enjoy torture, don't you, Stearne?

And you, sir?

-Goodbye, sir.

-God be with you, Richard.

-Goodbye, Richard.

-Goodbye, Sara. I'll see you again soon.

Given up ale for star-gazing, Tom Salter?

Not star-gazing, Master Marshall. Waiting.

What for?

Matthew Hopkins, a lawyer.

Must be important,

that you wait after dark.

-It is, that.

-Aye.

Well, if I see a lawyer on the road,

I'll tell him you're here.

How far is it to Brandeston, friend?

-About three miles.

-Thank you.

-Are you the lawyer?

-Aye.

-Name of Hopkins?

-Aye, Matthew Hopkins.

-And this is my assistant, John Stearne.

-Why do you want to know, soldier?

There's some men from the village

back there, waiting for you.

Aye, they sent for us.

What would a lawyer want in Brandeston?

A man who may not be

what he seems to be. Come Stearne.

-John Lowes is his name.

-An evil man.

-A papist.

-Yeah, burning candles and all.

That is no proof of witchcraft in itself.

Dressed himself in devil's garments,

he did.

-And made unholy signs.

-Yeah, he did. I saw him.

I will find out the truth for you.

Have no fear, friends.

Yes?

John Lowes?

So, it has come to this.

You accuse me, a priest,

of working with the Devil.

We can only judge by the evidence.

And there's a lot of that, old man.

I reject your accusations totally.

He's going to give us trouble.

A simple confession, priest,

that's all we ask.

Help us.

We've got a lot of work to do

in Brandeston.

Leave my house, the pair of you.

I told you he was going to be difficult.

I reject your foul suggestions!

Leave here at once!

All you reject is the true God!

Take him, Stearne.

Look for the Devil's marks upon him.

Right. Help us, you two.

-Look, he still prays to Satan.

-Get on with your task.

If the Devil made you a priest, he's going

to have hidden his mark with a lot of care.

To what purpose is this?

When the Devil buys a soul, he marks

the person's flesh, so we will know him.

If such a mark is pricked,

no blood will flow, nor pain be felt.

Mistress Sara? Mistress Sara?

They've come for him.

Seems Satan has hidden

his mark well, Matthew.

Set him to running.

Quick, then, you two, around the table.

And keep him moving.

You would be his niece.

-Your name, child?

-Sara.

I am Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder.

Being his niece,

you, too, may be corrupted by Satan.

No, not his niece.

A foundling,

taken in by him and his housekeeper.

-Are you telling me the truth, child?

-Yes, yes, of course.

When she died, I became his servant.

And you've remained innocent

all of these years?

Yes, sir, entirely.

-I trust you know the old man?

-Better than anyone.

In private talk, we may shed some light

on his innocence.

Private?

Yes, away from the distraction

of the crowd.

Perhaps in the quiet of your room tonight,

you might be able to help me

prove him guiltless.

Would you release him now?

You might be convinced tonight

that this is all needless.

And you will make every effort to present

the facts to me?

-You may come to my room tonight, sir.

-At what hour?

At 8:
00, if you'll release him now.

All right. He can sleep in the jail,

and we'll be rid of him.

Come on!

Get up, you papist bastard!

-Has he confessed yet?

-Not a word.

-Well, then stop this.

-But he hasn't confessed.

Take him to the jail. We'll continue

the interrogation tomorrow.

-Jail...

-You heard what he said.

Quiet down, you animal.

You know what, Marston? There

were these couple of right filthy girls,

filthy they were!

Horrible to behold, horrible!

-Witches?

-Yes, both of them.

We hanged them, Matthew and me.

Matthew. You know Matthew,

he's my partner.

Did it take you long to get

a confession out of them, John?

Well, a couple of days with one of them,

the other one...

Do you want more ale, sir?

Go on, then? Come on.

What about the other one?

-Tell us about her.

-Oh, yeah, the other one.

Now, she was a real strange one, she was.

Loved us for it,

like she wanted to get strung up.

Reckon that was the only bit

of excitement she ever had.

Well, go on, then, Mr. Stearne.

Go on.

Sara, I've come to question you.

You came here for a purpose, sir.

I came here to get your evidence

about the priest.

He's been kind to me.

Perhaps he had a motive.

Men sometimes have strange motives

for the things they do.

I know.

My motive in coming here was

to find the truth.

How about the priest, Master Hopkins?

We'll have done with him in a day or two.

Have no fear, child.

-He's been good to me in his way.

-He is an idolater.

He must confess and die.

Stearne will see to that.

Oh, no, please!

Don't let him be harmed, please!

You seek to protect a witch

from rightful justice?

Oh, no, not that,

but couldn't he be kept in a cell?

He could do no harm from a prison cell.

Oh, please!

But justice must be done, my dear.

Grant me this.

Please, Matthew.

Past noon,

you unkempt lout. Get up!

Get away!

I need air.

-Where's the priest?

-Where you put him, in the jail.

We'll get him out

and start questioning him, then, eh?

-No.

-What?

-He stays where he is.

-But we have no confession at all.

I said we'll leave him in the cell.

All right, then. All right.

What about the women? When are

we going to start interrogating them?

I hear tell they've a good few witches

around this place.

-When you're in fit condition.

-I'm fighting-fit as it is.

Oh, and where were you

last night, Matthew?

-I hear tell you've been a-wandering.

-You hear tell too much, man.

You, there, old man.

Master Hopkins, the Witchfinder,

he says you're to be kept here,

interrogated no further.

-Where are you off to, John?

-I'm going for a walk.

By myself.

Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!

Tell me that! Come on! Tell me!

Confess, witch!

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