Can you check if these last, new sentences on witches are correct? Thank you very much for your help!
1) James listed the main characteristics of witches:
They are almost always women, they are often old, they have familiars, animal-shaped spirits that help witches do their magic.
2) They have a witch’s mark or devil’s mark. These signs were, in reality, any ordinary markings on the skin.
3) They make models of their victims in wax and put spells on them. They generally live by themselves and hold odd ceremonies.
4) Many women were forced to confess to practising witchcraft after being tortured, even if the punishment was death.
5) By 1700 the government no longer acted as if witches existed and the 1735 law, which was in force until 1951, did not punish people who were witches but people who pretended to be witches by calling up spirits, foretelling the future, casting spells and discovering spirits.