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"which we are much difquieted, and diftreffed in our Minds; and do therefore humbly beg Forgiveness, firft of God, for Chrift's Sake, for this our Error; and pray, that God would not impute 66 the Guilt of it to our felves, nor others: And we al"fo pray, that we may be confidered candidly, and "aright by the living Sufferers, as being then under the Power of a strong and general Delufion, utterly unacquainted with, and not experienced in "Matters of that Nature.

"We do heartily afk Forgiveness of you all, "whom we have juftly offended, and do declare, according to our prefent Minds, we would none "of us do fuch Things again on fuch Grounds, "for the whole World; praying you to accept of "this in way of Satisfaction for our Offence, and "that you would bless the Inheritance of the Lord, "that he may be intreated for the Land.

Since I have drawn up this Account from Mr Calef, and Mr. Mather's Books, I have met with a farther and later Relations, of thefe Matters, published by Mr. Cotton Mather himself, at the Soth Page of his 6th Book of the Hiftory of New England, Printed 1702. The Account he publishes was written by Mr. John Hales, whofe Wife, as I mentioned before, was at laft accufed amongst the others fuf pected for Witches, and fhe being a Woman of good Reputation, her danger began to open their Eyes

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See 6.---- But that which chiefly carried on "this Matter to fuch a Height, was the increafing "of Confeffions, until they amounted to near upon

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Fifty; and Four or Six of them upon their Try"als, owned their Guilt of this Crime, and were "condemned for the fame, but not executed. And many of the Confeffors confirmed their Confeffions with very ftrong Circumftances, as their exact Agreement with the Accufations of the afflicted "their punctual Agreement with the Accufations "of their Fellow-Confeffors; their relating the Times "when they covenanted with Satan, and the Rea"fons that moved them thereunto: Their Witch"meetings, and that they had their mock Sacraments of Baptifm, and the Supper, in fome of "them: Their figning the Devil's Book, and fome "fhewed the Scars of the Wounds, which, they "faid, were made to fetch Blood with, to fign the "Devil's Book; and fome faid, they had Imps to "fuck them, and fhewed Sores raw,' where they faid, they were fucked by them.

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67. "The afflicted complained, that the SpeEtres which vexed them, urged them to fet their "Hands to a Book prefented to them, (as to them it feemed) with Threatnings of great Torments "if they figned not, and Promifes of Eafe if they obey'd. Among thefe D. H. as the faid (which fundry others confeffed afterward) being overcome by the Extremity of her Pains, did fign the Book prefented, and had the promised Eafe; and immediately upon it, a Spectre in her Shape afflicted "another Perfon, and faid, I have figned the Book "and have Eafe; now do you fign and fo fhall you have Eafe. And one Day, this afflicted Per"fon pointed at a certain Place in the Room, and "faid there is D. H.; upon which a Man with his "Rapier ftruck at the Place, tho' he faw. no Shape,

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and the afflicted called out, you have given her a

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fmall Prick about the Eye. Soon after this, the "faid D. H. confefs'd herfelf to be made a Witch,

by figning the Devil's Books, and declared that "fhe had afflicted the Maid that complained of "her; and in doing of it, had received two Wounds by a Sword or Rapier; a fmall one about the "Eye, which the fhewed to the Magiftrates, and "a bigger on the Side, of which fhe was fearch"ed by a difcreet Woman, who reported, that D. H. "had on her Side the Sign of a Wound newly healed, &c.

§. 11. By these things, you may fee, how this "Matter was carried on, viz. chiefly by the Com"plaints and Accufations of the Afflicted, and then "by the Confeffions of the Accufed, condemning "themfelves and others. Yet Experience fhewed, "that the more there were apprehended, the more were ftill afflicted by Satan; and the Number of "the Confeffors increafing, did but increafe the "Number of the accufed; and the executing of "fome made way for the apprehending of others; "for ftill the Afflicted complained of being tor

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mented by new Objects, as the former were re"moved: So that thofe that were concerned, grew "amazed at the Number and Quality of the Per"fons accufed; and feared, that Satan, by his Wiles, "had inwrapped innocent Perfons under the Impu"tation of that Crime. And at laft it was evi

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dently feen, that there must be a Stop put, or "the Generation of the Children of God would fall "under that Condemnation. Henceforth, therefore, "the Juries generally acquitted fuch as were tried, "fearing they had gone too far before. And Sir "William Phips the Governor, reprieved all that were "condemned, even the Confeffors as well as others.

And the Confeffors generally fell off from their "Confeffions fome, faying, they remembred no

thing of what they had faid; and others faid, they had belyed themselves and others, &c.

§. 12. He adds thefe Reasons why he believed they went too far:

1. The Numbers greater than could be imagined to be really guilty.

2. The Quality. Religious Perfons, that had "taken great Pains to bring up their Children "well.

3. All the Nineteen that were executed, denying the Crime to Death.

4. Upon ceafing the Profecution all was well " and quiet.

Adv. There is nothing in this whole Cafe that feems fo ftrange to me, as what they fay of evil Spirits appearing in the Shape of innocent Perfons. Not but that it may poffibly be true what is thought by fome, That a Spirit, by his own natural Powers, can form either his own Subftance or Vehicle, or borrow'd Matter into the Shape of any Man whatever: But I can never believe but that Divine Providence would interpofe, and lay their Natural Powers under a Divine Reftraint, rather than fuffer them to use them for fuch Mifchief; for otherwife good Men have no Defence against him. He may lay the Blame of his own Actions upon whom he will, and bring them under Condemnation for what he does.

Clerg. Yes, if they who are to judge them be fo weak and credulous as to believe him; but if MagiAtrates do their Duty in true Judgment, and punish Offenders only for their own real Acts of Wickednefs, not for Effects that Spirits work in other Mens Shapes without them, then his Appearances will hurt no Body. But if inftead of this, contrary to the frequent Warnings in Scripture, they who are to judge thofe Cafes, give evil Spirits that Advantage against them; Hath God any when promifed that by a particular Act of Power He will fave credulous Men

from

from being deceived; becaufe otherwife, the Blood of innocent Men will be in danger? How much innocent Blood of Man is daily fhed by the Superftition of Perfecutors, or unjuft Laws of Tyrants? How many righteous Abels fall every Day by Men that are as cruel and as ungodly as wicked Cain? And how do we know but that fome may fall alfo by the Craft of evil Spirits deluding Magiftrates that take not due Care to prevent them? Providence can make fuch crooked Things ftrait in the other World, and therefore in this may permit them for Probation: And therefore instead of tempting God, Men must take heed to their own Actions, or else they may bring this high Guilt upon themselves, and Mischief upon others. And as this is a Point that deferves to be well remembred, tho' I have mention'd it once before, I will now add to it fome Instances where evil Spirits have been faid to have appeared in the Shapes of thofe that were not fufpected to be otherwife than very innocent and virtuous Perfons.

Adv. I hope you will give us no Examples but fuch as you believe your felf.

Clerg. I cannot promife that, because I know not what is true, and what not, in this Matter. Many a Man hath verily believed he hath feen a Spirit externally before him, when it hath been only an internal Image dancing in his own Brain. By this Means, Books are full of Stories of fuch like Facts, and no Man can tell which of them are by real Spirits, which by diabolical Illufion, either within or without the Brain; and which are only ftrong Imaginations, without any Spirit at all. And therefore I dare not affure you of my own Belief of the Inftances I thall give; yet I will promife to bring none but from fober Authors, and fuch as are ufually quoted and allowed of when they speak against accus'd Witches: And therefore it is but common Juftice that thev

fhould