ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this pamphlet is the lengthy sermon delivered by the author after he describes Elizabeth Barnes’ killing of her young daughter. The learned author – possibly the pamphlet writer and priest Henry Goodcole, although it was published anonymously – questions why Elizabeth, after she was seduced by the Devil, did not go immediately to a priest and confess the fact. Had she done so, the Devil would have been cast out, and she would not have murdered her own child. The author uses various analogies to explain his meaning: a woman would not allow her house to burn but would instantly call for help to suppress the fire; if she broke a limb or fell sick, she would seek the assistance of a surgeon or a physician; when St Paul was bitten on the hand by a viper, he instantly thrust it in the fire before the venom could harm him; a spot in a garment can be removed if it is treated quickly, but, if allowed to set, the garment is ruined forever. Likewise, Elizabeth should have immediately confessed the Devil’s attempt to seduce her, allowing the priest to assist her in her time of need. At the very least, the author claims, she should have prayed to God, because prayer is the Devil’s scourge. Instead, Elizabeth chose to remain silent, seeking the help of neither priest nor God, allowing Satan’s seduction to fester. In doing so, she became the “Devil’s secretary”. Another curious feature of this chapbook is the half dozen completely unrelated – though not uninteresting – crimes described by the author in the last few pages; the chapbook and its author’s key message about prayer and confession would have been much stronger had it ended with Elizabeth’s execution.
