Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft, Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
HEre was generally acknowledged to be an error (at leaſt on the one hand) but the Querie is, Wherein?
A. 1. I have heard it ſaid, That the Preſidents in England were not ſo exactly followed, becauſe in thoſe there had been previous quarrels and threatnings of the Afflicted by thoſe that were Condemned for Witchcraft; but here, ſay they, not ſo. To which I anſwer.
1. In many of theſe caſes there had been antecedent perſonal quarrels, and ſo occaſions of revenge; for ſome of thoſe Condemned, had been ſuſpected by their Neighbours ſeveral years, becauſe after quarrelling with their Neighbours, evils had befallen thoſe Neighbours. As may be ſeen in the Printed Tryals of S. M. and B. B. and others: See Wonders of the Inviſible World, Page 105. to 137. And there were other like Caſes not Printed.
2. Several confeſſors acknowledged they engaged in the quarrels of other their confederates to afflict perſons. As one Timothy Swan ſuffered great thin… by Witchcrafts, as he ſuppoſed and teſtifye… ▪ And ſeveral of the confeſſors ſaid they did ſo torment him for the ſake of one of their partners who had ſome offence offer'd her by the ſaid Swan ▪ And others owned they did the like in the behalf of ſome of their confederates.
3 There were others that confeſſed their fellowſhip in theſe works of darkneſs, was to deſtroy the Church of God (as is above in part rehearſed) which is a greater piece of revenge, then to be avenged upon one particular perſon.
2. It may be queried then, How doth it appear that there was a going too far in this affair?
A… 1. By the numbers of the perſons accuſed which at length increaſed to about an hundred, and it cannot be imagined that in a place of ſo much knowledge, ſo many in ſo ſmall a compaſs of Land ſhould ſo abominably leap into the Devils lap at once.
2. The quality of ſeveral of the accuſed was ſuch as did beſpeak better things, and things that accompany Salvation. Perſons whoſe blameleſs and holy lives before did teſtify for them. Perſons that had taken great pains to bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord: Such as we had Charity for, as for our own Souls: and Charity is a Chriſtian duty commended to us. 1 Cor. 13. Chapt. Col. 3.14. and in many other Scriptures.
3. The number of the afflicted by Satan dayly increaſed, till about Fifty perſons were thus vexed by the Devil. This gave juſt ground to ſuſpect ſome miſtake, which gave advantage to the accuſer of the Brethren to make a breach upon us.
4. It was conſiderable that Nineteen were Executed, and all denyed the Crime to the Death, and ſome of them were knowing perſons, & had before this been accounted blameleſs livers. And it is not to be imagined, but that if all had been guilty, ſome would have had ſo much tenderneſs as to ſeek Mercy for their Souls in the way of Confeſſion & ſorrow for ſuch a Sin. And as …or the condemned confeſſors at the Bar, (they being reprieved) we had no experience whether they would ſtand to their Self-condemning confeſſions, when they came to dye.
5. When this proſecution ceaſed, the Lord ſo chained up Satan, that the afflicted grew preſently well. The accuſed are generally quiet, and for five years ſince, we have no ſuch moleſtations by them.
6. It ſways much with me that I have ſince heard and read, of the like miſtakes in other places. As in Suffolk in England about the year 1645, was ſuch a proſecution, until they ſaw that unleſs they put a ſtop it would bring all into blood and confuſion. The like hath been in France, till 900 were put to Death. And in ſome other places the like; So that N. England is not the only place circumvented by the wiles of the wicked and wiſely Serpent in this kind.
Wierus de Pr…ſtigiis Demonum, p. 678 Relates, That an Inquiſitor in the Subalpine Valleys, enquired after Women Witches, and conſumed above an hundred in the Flames, and daily made new offerings to Vulcan of thoſe that needed Helebore more than Fire Until the Country people roſe and by force of …rms hindred him, and refer the matter to the Biſhop. Their Husbands men of good Faith affirmed that in that very time they ſaid of them, that they played and danced under a tree, they were in bed with them.
R. Burton of Witches &c. p. 158. Saith, That in Chelmsford in Eſſex, Anno 1645 were Thirty tryed at once before Judge Coniers, and Fourteen of them hanged, and an hundred more contained in ſeveral Priſons in Suffolk & Eſſex.
If there were an Error in the proceedings in other places, and in N. England, it muſt be in the principles proceeded upon in proſecuting the ſuſpected, or in the miſapplication of the principles made uſe of. Now as to the caſe at Salem, I conceive it proceeded from ſome miſtaken principles made uſe of; for the evincing whereof, I ſhall inſtance ſome principles made uſe of here, and in other Countrys alſo, which I find defended by learned Authors writing upon that Subject.