Further Account of the Trials of New England Witches, Postscript
POSTSCRIPT.
THE Deſign of the preceding Diſſertation, is not to plead for Witchcrafts, or to appear as an Advocate for Witches: I have therefore written another Diſcourſe, proving that there are ſuch horrid Creatures as Witches in the World; and that they are to be extirpated and cut off from amongſt the People of God, which I have Thoughts and Inclinations in due time to publiſh; and I am abundantly ſatisfied that there have been, and are ſtill moſt curſed Witches in the Land. More then one or two of thoſe now in Priſon, have freely and credibly acknowledged their Communion and Familiarity with the Spirits of Darkneſs; and have alſo declared unto me the Time and Occaſion, with the particular Circumſtances of their Helliſh Obligations and Abominations.
Nor is there deſigned any Reflection on thoſe worthy Perſons who have been concerned in the late Proceedings at Salam: They are wiſe and good Men, and have acted with all Fidelity according to their Light, and have out of tenderneſs declined the doing of ſome things, which in our own Judgments they were ſatisfied about: Having therefore ſo arduous a Caſe before them, Pitty and Prayers rather than Cenſures are their due; on which account I am glad that there is publiſhed to the World (by my Son) a Breviate of the Tryals of ſome who were lately executed, whereby I hope the thinking part of Mankind will be ſatisfied, that there was more than that which is called Spectre Evidence for the Conviction of the Perſons condemned. I was not my ſelf preſent at any of the Tryals, excepting one, viz. that of George Burroughs; had I been one of his Judges, I could not have acquitted him: For ſeveral Perſons did upon Oath teſtifie, that they ſaw him do ſuch things as no Man that has not a Devil to be his Familiar could perform: And the Judges affirm, that they have not convicted any one meerly on the account of what Spectres have ſaid, or of what has been repreſented to the Eyes or Imaginations of the ſick bewitched Perſons. If what is here expoſed to publick view, may be a means to prevent it for the future, I ſhall not repent of my Labour in this Undertaking. I have been prevailed with ſo far as I am able to diſcern the Truth in theſe dark Caſes, to declare my Sentiments, with the Arguments which are of weight with me, hoping that what is written may be of ſome uſe to diſcover the Depths of Satan; and to prevent innocent ones having their Lives endangered, or their Reputations ruined, by being through the Subtilty and Power of the Devils, in conſideration with the Ignorance and Weakneſs of Men, involved amongſt the Guilty. It becomes thoſe of my Profeſſion to be very tender in Caſes of Blood, and to imitate our Lord and Maſter, Who came not to deſtroy the Lives of Men, but to ſave them.
I likewiſe deſign in what I have written, to give my teſtimony againſt theſe unjuſtifiable ways of diſcovering Witchcrafts, which ſome among us have practiced. I hear that of late there was a Witch-cake made with the Urine of bewitched Creatures, as one Ingredient by ſeveral Perſons in a place, which has ſuffered much by the Attack of Hell upon it: This I take to be not only wicked Superſtition, but great Folly: For tho' the Devil does ſometimes operate with the Experiments, yet not always, eſpecially if a Magical Faith be wanting. I ſhall here take occaſion to recite ſome Paſſages in a Letter, which I received from that Eminent pious and learned Man, Mr. Samuel Cradock; during my abode in London; the Letter bears date Febr. 26. 1690. Then take it in his own Words, which are theſe; We have at this preſent one in our next Town, who has a Son who has ſtrange Fits, and ſuch as they impute to Witchcraft: He come to conſult with me about it, but before he came, he had uſed a means which I ſhould never have directed him unto, viz. He took the Nails of his Son's Hands and Feet, and ſome of his Hair, and mixed them in Rye-paſte with his Water, and ſo ſet it all by the Fire till it was conſumed, and his Son (as he ſays) was well after, and free from his Fits for a whole Month, but then they came again, and He tried that means a ſecond time, and then it would not do; He removed his Son into Cambridgeſhire the next County, and then he was well, but as ſoon as he brought him home he was afflicted as before. The Poy ſays, He ſaw a thing like a Mole following of him, which once ſpoke to him, and told him he came to do the Office he was to do: I adviſed his Father to make uſe of the Medicine preſcribed by our Saviour, viz. Faſting and Prayer. Here have been others in this Town, that though they were under Ill-handling as they call it: One Family had their Milk ſo affected, that they could not poſſibly make any Cheeſe, but it hov'd and ſwelled, and was good for nothing: They are now rid of that trouble, but how they got rid of it I do not know: Thus my Letter. By which it is evident that Towns in England as well as New-England are moleſted with Daemons, only I wiſh that the Superſtitions practiced in other places to get rid of ſuch troubleſome Gueſts had never been known, much leſs uſed amongſt us or them.
Some I hear have taken up a Notion, that the Book newly publiſhed by my Son, is contradictory to this of mine: 'Tis ſtrange that ſuch Imaginations ſhould enter into the Minds of Men: I peruſed and approved of that Book before it was printed; and nothing but my Relation to him hindred me from recommending it to the World: But my ſelf and Son agreed unto the humble Advice which twelve Miniſters concurringly preſented before his Excellency and Council, reſpecting the preſent Difficulties, which let the World judge, whether there be any thing in its diſſentany from what is atteſted by either of us.
It was in the Words following:
The Return of ſeveral Miniſters conſulted by his Excellency, and the Honourable Council, upon the preſent Witchcrafts in Salem Village.
Boſton, June 15. 1692.
I. THE afflicted State of our poor Neighbours, that are now ſuffering by Moleſtations from the Inviſible World, we apprehend ſo deplorable, that we think their Condition calls for▪ the utmoſt help of all Perſons in their ſeveral Capacities. II. We cannot but with all Thankfulneſs acknowledge, the Succeſs which the merciful God has given unto the ſedulous and aſſiduous Endeavors of our honourable Rulers, to detect the abominable Witchcrafts which have been committed in the Country; humbly praying that the diſcovery of theſe myſterious and miſchievous Wickedneſſes, may be perfected. III. We judge that in the proſecution of theſe, and all ſuch Witchcrafts, there is need of a very critical and exquiſite Caution, leſt by too much Credulity for things received only upon the Devil's Authority, there be a Door opened for a long Train of miſerable Conſequences, and Satan get an Advantage over us, for we ſhould not be ignorant of his Devices. IV. As in Complaints upon Witchcrafts, there may be Matters of Enquiry, which do not amount unto Matters of Preſumption, and there may be Matters of Preſumption which yet may not be reckoned Matters of Conviction; ſo 'tis neceſſary that all Proceedings thereabout be managed with an exceeding duplicate page duplicate page tenderneſs towards thoſe that may be complained of; eſpecially if they have been Perſons formerly of an unblemiſhed Reputation. V. When the firſt Enquiry is made into the Circumſtances of ſuch as may lie under any juſt Suſpicion of Witchcrafts, we could wiſh that there may be admitted as little as is poſſible, of ſuch Noiſe, Company, and Openneſs, as may too baſtily expoſe them that are examined: and that there may nothing be uſed as a Teſt, for the Trial of the ſuſpected, the Lawfulneſs whereof may be doubted among the People of God; but that the Directions given by ſuch Judicious Writers as Perkins and Bernard, be conſulted in ſuch a Caſe. VI. Preſumptions whereupon Perſons may be committed, and much more Convictions, whereupon Perſons may be condemned as guilty of Witchcrafts, ought certainly to be more conſiderable, than barely the accuſed Perſons being repreſented by a Spectre unto the Afflicted; inaſmuch as 'tis an undoubted and a notorious thing, that a Daemon may, by God's Permiſſion, appear even to ill purpoſes, in the Shape of an innocent, yea, and a vertuous Man: Nor can we eſteem Alterations made in the Sufferers, by a Look or Touch of the Accuſed to be an infallible Evidence of Guilt; but frequently liable to be abuſed by the Devil's Legerdemains. VII. We know not, whether ſome remarkable Affronts given to the Devils, by our disbelieving of thoſe Teſtimonies, whoſe whole force and ſtrength is from them alone, may not put a Period, unto the Progreſs of the dreadful Calamity begun upon us, in the Accuſation of ſo many Perſons, whereof we hope, ſome are yet clear from the great Tranſgreſſion laid unto their Charge. VIII. Nevertheleſs, We cannot but humbly-recommend unto the Government, the ſpeedy and vigorous Proſecution of ſuch as have rendred themſelves obnoxious, according to the Direction given in the Laws of God, and the wholeſome Statutes of the Engliſh Nation, for the Detection of Witchcrafts▪
FINIS.