▁were ▁taken ▁into ▁the ▁court room ▁to ▁be ▁tried ▁by ▁the ▁pet ty ▁j ury , ▁the ▁for er un ner ▁of ▁the ▁modern ▁j ury . ▁The ▁accused ▁w itch es ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁tried ▁separately ▁as ▁Pot ts ' ▁account ▁suggests , ▁but ▁in ▁groups . ▁Pot ts ▁also ▁represents ▁written ▁depos itions ▁as ▁if ▁they ▁had ▁been ▁spoken ▁in ▁court , ▁and ▁he ▁almost ▁certainly ▁" im pro ved " ▁B rom ley ' s ▁speech es . ▁ ▁Research er ▁Mar ion ▁Gib son ▁has ▁suggested ▁that ▁" P ot ts ▁and ▁other ▁pam ph lete ers ▁have ▁a ▁different ▁understanding ▁of ▁truth ful ▁reporting ▁from ▁modern ▁sch ol ars , ▁sub j ug ating ▁what ▁really ▁happened ▁to ▁what ▁ought ▁to ▁have ▁happened ." ▁Nevertheless , ▁Pot ts ▁" se ems ▁to ▁give ▁a ▁generally ▁trust worth y , ▁though ▁not ▁compreh ensive , ▁account ▁of ▁an ▁Ass ize ▁w itch craft ▁trial , ▁provided ▁that ▁the ▁reader ▁is ▁constantly ▁aware ▁of ▁his ▁use ▁of ▁written ▁material ▁instead ▁of ▁verb at im ▁reports ". ▁ ▁Political ▁background ▁ ▁The ▁tri als ▁took ▁place ▁not ▁quite ▁seven ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁Gun pow der ▁Plot ▁to ▁blow ▁up ▁the ▁H ouses ▁of ▁Parliament ▁in ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁kill ▁King ▁James ▁and ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁arist ocracy ▁had ▁been ▁fo iled . ▁It ▁was ▁alleg ed ▁that ▁the ▁P end le ▁w itch es ▁had ▁h atch ed ▁their ▁own ▁gun pow der ▁plot ▁to ▁blow ▁up ▁Lanc aster ▁Castle