OF TfJE GRllA,T

NEW E'NGLAND

·WI'Ul .&If 'ATT.EMPT <fO l:":HrBI'T THii: ?HILOSOI'HV OF

-SPECTRE SEEING, CHAR~IING, ETC.

T.lii8R,\CED ll'f A

LECTURE ON THE OCCULT SCIENCES.

Delineated by

SALE 1\1·:
PUBLISHED BY G. W. & E. CRAFTS.
1845.
 A

LECTURE

ON THE

EMilR~CING SOME .!.CCOU:ST OF THE

NEW ENGLAND WITCHCRAFT,

i

Wl'lR AN ATTEMPT 'tO E X HIBIT THE l'I{IJ,OSOI'FIY Of'

SPECTRE SEEING, DISEASE CIIAR1tJ.ING, &c.

• {V

BY JAMES R~;.(EWHALL
.. .

(PUBLISHED BY Rt:Q.UE:ST OF AUDITORS.]

..
'I

SALEM:
PUBLISHED BY G. vV. & E. CRAFTS,
1845 .
Entered according to act of congress, in the year 1845, by
G. W. & E. CRAFTS,
In the clerk's office of the distl'ict court of Massachusetts.

.. .. .~

.'. .. c.,
 PART I.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

TRIC'rLY speaking, perhaps no-

. ; thing is a science which is not dem-
onstrable. Yet it would suvoi too
strongly of hypercriticism to reject
the generic term "Occult Sciences," in reference to
the systems of Astrology, Conjuration, Demonology,
Divination, Enchantment, Fascination, 1\1 agic, N e~
cromancy, Sorcery, Witchcraft, &c. At all events, we have the high-
est sanction fo:- the usage.
The following pages, which embrace the substance of a lecture de-
livered befo:-e severat lyceum institutions, contain as full an examina-
tion of those in all ages more or less prevalent systems, as practicable.
But 'Vitchcraft is the subject chiefly dwelt upon, that seeming ~f
rather the most tangible nature, and most interesting in its develop·
m~nts and history.*
No subject, probably, has been more diversely estimated by differ~
ent minds, or more generally passed over without such examination as
might lead to a just conclusion as to its nature and merits, than that
popularly known as TVitclu:.1·a{t. Yet, at least that strange and start-
ling episode in the history of New England, known as the Salem
Witchcraft-the witchcraft of 1692-is worthy of something more
than a sneer. We are accustomed to look back upon that terriffie
outbreak as a wild, a fearful dream of the past-sad in its effects, but

*Rev. Mr. Upham, of Salem, a few years since published a volume upon Witchcraft. It
contains much valuable matter, presented in an interesting form. And there would certain!)"
be no apology for the publication of a portion of the pre9ent work, were it not that tbe writer
has ventured to take a somewhat different view of the merit~; of the subject, from that taken by
the learned and experienced author referred to. This, however, be has done with the most un-
feigned diffidence.
 4
a genuine delusion-the legitimate oiT~pring of no recognised princi-
ple of human action-an occurrence, justly exciting in one, pity; in
ano ther, contempt; in :n!'other, mirth; iu all, astonishment; but in
none, serious consi·deration.
It is 110t conclusive evidence of perfect wisdom in the fancied seek-
ers after truth, to be <:ontinu aily tos~cd upon a sea of doubt. This,
however, is in general diP. only ~videt1ce ""e ha,•e of their wisdom. A
wt·ll-orde~ed shaking of tl:e head has with many proved very produc-
tive philosophical cnpital. But there are strange peculiarities in the
honest reasoning and observation of men . lllimitnble is thP. number
of those who Hppear !o think there is no truth, save snch as can be
recognised by one at lea~t of the external senses. Others seem tu
have little ~Jr no affection for truth, unless they find her sporting in n
mantle of mystery. "Unlimited skepticism,'' says Dugald ~tuart, 'lis
as much the c·hild of imbecility as implicit credulity."
Every observing mind, too, has been astonished to perceive what
diversity there is among people, as to the weight they attach to evi-
dence of the different kinds, or to that connectt>d with any given sub·
ject.* And it is a curious fact that some begin to doubt at the very
point where others begin to believe. This is clearly exemplified both
among the leamed and the ignorant. We may refer to the celebrated
Dr. Johnson, in illustration. He was remarkable for his disbelief in
all relations of uncommon occurrences in the natu-ral worid, and quite
as remar kable for his firm belief in wonders of the spiritual world. lt
\vas re ally dangerous for any one to attempt to gire him an account of
an extraordinary tempest, a hurricane, or conflagration, if he hfld his
cane at hand. The narrator \'\'as fortunate if he escaped with no se-
verer visitation than the characteristic vociferation-You lie sir!
hold your tongue sir! Yet if one went to him with the \\-himsical de-
tails of some ghost-hunting expedition, or of th.e fulfilment of some
wonderful dream, he was sure of a patient hearing. It is said that he

* 'f.his is one circumstance which not un frequently occasions great perplexity in courts o,f
justice. Some people can feel no force in evirlence whiclt is perfectly convincing to others.
And it is curious to observe l'low often witnesses, all testifying to the ~ame facts, which came
uoder the immediate observation of each, and all conscieutiou;::ty :\iming to dlsclos.e the truth,
seemingly all but direct.ly contradict each other. The inexperienced jurors smile, but ttu~
judges and attorneys take it gravely as a matter of course. These disagreements in testimony
may arise from lhe different lights in which people view things, from the different impressions
made upon the mind, anrl from the thct that one mind may fix upon a point as the most impor-
tant, which to another is so frivolous as to be entirely overlooked. vVhat to one may at the
time have appeared the whole gist of the matter to another may ha\'C seemed a mere incident.
ft.nd the whole web of testimony is woven accordingly.
 5
~nd John 'Vesley once came near having a serious quarrel, becaus.e
the latter did not pursue, with sutncient zeal to snit the Doctor, a ghost,
represented to have appeared in some part of London.
'rhe credality of others-of a vast majority, perhaps-runs in a
channel directly the reverse. They will believe utter absurdities-im·
possi~ilities-when they relnte to the physical world. But of transac-
tions beyond the possibility of recognition by the senses, they have
no conception, will believe nothing.
Pa-ejudice, or professional dignity, or a deep rooted affection for
the good old n·ays of our fathers, it is to be apprehended, too often
prevents a successful search after truth, among thos~ otherwise most
competent for the labor. Sir Astley Cooper refused to be present at
some novel though highly important er.periments undertah:en by a pro-
fessional brother, because he had a character to lose! The professor
of philosophy at Padua, refused to look through Galilee's telescope
for the p1npose of convincing himself thnt Jupiter had satellites; and
together with an equally wise philosophical brother of Pisa, made
speeches to prove thnt Jupiter could boast of no such ornaments; but,
as Galileo sngely intimates, it proved impossible for them to argue the
luminaries .out of heaven. Cecil spoke of Lord Bacon as a man of
mere speculation; and of his philosophical discoveries as new and
amusing, but fanciful and absurcJ! Dut examples are not required, to
show that the schoolmen are sufficietllly inclined to pursue the benten
track, without risking reputntion in the endeavor to discover and ex-
hibit new truths.
Most people prefer laboring with their hands rnther than their heads.
rrhey are more ready to act than think-unless they are too indolent
to do either, And hence, when a subject, no matter how deep or
C\)mplicated, is .presented, they at once give a jump at a conclusioQ
a~ to its nature or. merits; and just where they hap.pen to alight, thc~e
they forever rematn; there they plant their syrnpatllles nnd mould thet,r
principles. Some of their neighbors, perhaps, land far enough from
them, and each, of course, looks upon the other as lamentably blinded
by the mire into which he has faUen. From this very aversion to men-
tal exercise, many aud gross errors are entertained uy t.he great mass
of mankind. •
And again: The modes of thinking are about as much guided by
fashion as the modes of dress. One community will hold, as with ~
<leath-grasp, principles which would shock another community; ancl
.().ne age will cherish and nurse, wilh the tenderest solicitude, senti-
 6
ments which would excite nothing but contempt and ri<1icule in anoth-
er age. The old proverb that it is as well to be out ,>f the world as out
of the fashion. bears swny in mental action, to as grent an extent as
elsewhere. l\lost people have the utrnost horror of appearing singnl&r,
in their conduet or opinions, an.9 hence carefully avoid :itraying from
the path which others have trodden. And some again are so timid,
that thev would forever Jet their sails lie loose, rather than run into a
strange country.
Our sympathies, too, have more to do with moulding our views,
than we are generally. aware of. The judgment is frequently led cap·
tive by thf. sympathies. Curious experiments hav'e been tried on this
point. By a skilful hand, whole communities, whole nations, have
been thoroughly imbued with the most absurd notions, the most re·
volring priuciples. 'fhis is the great high road on which quackery,
and creatures far more to be dreaded, travel in safety. And the sym-
pathies operate as a contagious medium, through which people catch
opinions as readily as they catch the measles ; and oftentimes with
just about as much benefit to tltemseh·es and those around them.
The' story of the nun will be remembered. Though she was not
probably attempti.ng any philosophical experiment, the case affords
just as spl an illustration. From some strange impulse, she began
one day, to mew, like a eel. Antl the next day, and the next, from
the same impulse, she repe,ated her feline exercise. At length, one
or two of her recluse · sisters imitated her. The contagion spread
through the community, and the interesting performance was n9 more
neglected than was the duty of saying prayers. Not one could give
any more satisfactory reason for the habit, than that the others did so.
The grave old abbess herself finally joined them. And the ludicrous
exhibitions ditl not close, till a most severe penalty was attach,ed to
every sucb breach of decorum, by the autho.rtties. The counteraction
induced, soon opened their eyes to the perfect absurdity of the habit,
and for a 1ime it was about as hard to restrain their laughter at the
delusive spell from which they had become released, as it was to break
the spell ittielf. But there was a kind of reality in all this; a reality
similar to that in witchcraft. "The mass of mankind," as Dr. Paley
observes, ''act more from hab,t than re·flection.''
Truth itself is immutable. And fashion, sympathy, prejudice, nor
age, can change its nature.
 PART II.

Vm·i01),S Phases of Witchcmft. Sketches of its History. A Glance at tlte

G1·o1tnds on which its Claims to Bel·i ef rest. Details of the RemaTkable Out-
break in New England, in 1692. Spectral Appearances, ~c. ~·c.

When I consider whether there are such persons as WITCHEs, my mind is

divided: I believe in general that there is s•.1ch a thing as WITC:HCRA:FT, but
can give no credit to ~ny particular instance of it.-llddison.

T is less than two centuries Bince all Christen·

dom believed in witchcraft, demonology, and all
similar systems. Now, almost all Christendom
laughs at such things. In this, there is no proof
for or against their truth. Are our school boys
wiser than the philosophers of old? Are there
greater minds, or more learned, pious, and re-
~~Y, fleeting men, than formerly 1 Certainly not.
And none need be told that some of the greatest mental lights that
ever shed lustre upon science or religion, also aimed to make lumi-
nous those abstruse systems. .
Th~ progress of fashion is as clearly exemplified, probably, in gen·
era) interpretations of scripture, as in any thing that could be in·
st,anced. That the views of this age are correct, we, of course,
believe; but a coming age mcty deem them absurd; just as we deem
absurd the interpretations of past time. We all believe Martin Luther
was a great man, and a man sincerely zealous in the cause of his
Master; and our souls are nourished by the strong meat which his
able hand prepared. But how much is our respect for him increased,
when he gravely tells us of the Devil's coming into his bed room, and
cracking stolen haze) nuts against his bed post, and 'otherwise disturb-
ing his rest 1 Yet the Bible, in his view, created or sanctioned such
belief. And in the variations of the views of mankind in relation to
certain scriptural truths, the history of witchcraft is in a great degree
 8
.involved. When the belief in '" itchcraft p;evaitedi, the receil'ed, the
only, interpretations of scripture, required such belief. The conv erse
is our 'Case. Jt has, indeed, been suid that witchcraft was entirely
unlmown till after Ch1·istianity began; that is, witchcraft as th~ term
is now nuderstood, for we are not unmindful th at witches are spoketl
of in the Old Testament.*'~ The reason given is that such a being as-

*The remarkable, and to modern theorists perplexing, story of the Witch of EndQr, found in
the 28th chapter oflst Samuel, is, or ought to he, familiar to evt>ry one. The story is a short
and simple one. "Samuel was dead, aud ,all Israel had Jameuted bim, and buried him in
Ramah." Saul was ruler in the Jand'. ''And Sau l l;ad put away tllose tha t had familiar spirit!!,
nnd the wizards out of the land." The Philistine hosts had :~ssemb1 ed ngauH•t him, and when
he saw them " he was afraid and llis 1Jea rt greatly tremhled." . He then resorted to three s u-
pernatural methods for gaining instructiou from the Lord, as to f1ow he shouid proceed; he
inquired of the Lord by dreams, by Udm, and by prophets. Bnt the Lord answe red hiUJ not.
"Then said Saul unto his servants, ::-leek me a woman that hath a famil!ar Sj)irit, that I may go
to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a wenllall that ll:nh a
familiar spirit at E nde>r. And Saul disguised himself, ~nd put on other raiment, a11d he weut,
and two men with him, a11<l they came to the womarr by night; aild he said, I 11ray thee, di-
vine unto me by the farniliar spirit, and bring ma hirn up whom I ,;hall name unto thee. And
the woman said unto him, Behold, '.thou kr.owest whnt Snul hath d•me, how he bath cu! otr
those that have fal'n iliar spirits, and' the wizanls out nf the land: wherefore layest tbou a suare
for my life, to cause rne t.o die? And Saul sware to he r by the Lord, sn.vJng, Ai$ the Lord liv-
eth, there shall no punishment happe11 to thee for this thing. Tl.en said the woman, \Yhom
shaH I bring up unto thee ? And he said, Bring me up SamueL A no Wilen the woman saw
Samuel, ~he cried with a loud voice: and the womou spnl<e to Saul, saying, Wby hast tho11
deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king E<ald untQ her, Be not afraid: for what ;;a west
thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gorls ascending ortt of the ~artJJ . And he said
unto her, '\IVhat form is htl ofl ~ And she said, An old man comt>th up; and he is covered with
a mantle. And San! pe1·ceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to t.he ground,
and bowed himself. An:l Samuel said ur.to SarJJ, VVlly hast thou di>quieted me to I.Jrin g me
up?" Now here is an account which cannot be t rifler! w Hh. And to three points I would
particularly ask attentiou. l. Samuel actually did appear. To deny this would be directly tl}
deuy the Bible. 2. Both Saul ar1d the witch herself l1ad faith in h er power to raise up the
seer. "'l'hen said the woman, Whom shall l bring up unto thee? And be said, Bring me
up Samuel." Tbis certainly indicates fu II confidence in her power. 3. He came up imme·
diately on her incantations. Not one of the best commeutators, I believe, 11as veutured tu ex-
press a doubt that Samuel actually appeared; uu t they, or :>orne of them , have fixed upon the
idea that the woman did not expect to call him up, and was surprised aHd alurmed when he
arose. But it would be tJUite as accordant with the arcount to ,-:uppose that Iter alarm was oc-
casionfld hy the discovery that she was in the awful presence of Saul, lle who had visited with
terrible veugearice all who practised 11uch arts as those in which :>lie was at that momeut en-
gaged. This conclusion seems to follow in tile direct order of the incidents. Able commen-
tators have supposed thatthe appenrai1ce of Samuel wa.;; entirely iudepeurlent of the witch's
art:>; that her incantatium; bad altogether failt'd, she not haviug ~>ncceeded in making oue of
b'er famiiiars assume the shape of Samuel; that the real appearance of the prophet \Vas a true
miracle wrought by almighty power. But he re are tbe facts: Samue l did appear on her incan-
tations, as was expected by her :llld Sau 1. .And at the same time that Samuel aro.;e ~he also
seems to have discovered that she was in Sau I 's preser:ce; and from this discovery her alarm
appears to have arisen. There was miraculous power exercised. \Vas it exerci~ed tllrougll her
agency? I have here spoken of the scrip tural statements without reference to modern defini-
nitions (If witchcraft. Commentators too often make sad havoc with the sacred test. Their
disquisitions are not always the most profitable kind of reading; particularly when they give
loose to sectarian bias. or when they propose to support some ?avorite theory.
 9
that calle(l uy christians the devil, was unknown to the heathen sys·
tems. And a \vitch is defined to be one who has deliberately entered
into a compact with the de\·il; to have actually signt'd a writin~.r, giv·
ing up bis or h~r soul, after death, to the prince of darkness,
on condition th<1t his m<~jcsty will bestow cert:lin supematural pow-
ers, to be exercised till death.
Iu the Commentaries of Sir \Villi am Blackstone, a \Vork from which
men, nges hen.ce, will continue to draw •Nisdom, is this pa~snge : " To
deny the possibility, nay the actual existence of witchcraft and sorce ..
ry, is at once flatly to contradict the revealed word of, God ."
The intellectual and pious Atldison, as may have been observed by
the liule quotation from the Tattler, placed at the beginning of this
tlivision of my rernarl<s, says, "1 believe in general that there is such
a thing as witchcraft.''
The eminent Baxter denounced us ''obdurate sadducees '' the dis-
believers in witchcraft. 'Ve might also refer to Sir Mnlthew Hale,
to the good \Yillinm Penn, to flacon, and to hosts of others of the great
and good, who have been equally clear in expressing their belief in
the existence of witchcraft.
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.''-Exodus xxii: 18. Adam
Clarke rema_rks on this passage: "Had there been no witches, such
a law as this had never been made. The existence of the law, gi\·en
under the direction of the Spirit of God, proves the existence of 1he
thing. • . . • That witche,s , wizards, those who dealt with famil-
iar spirits, &c., arc repreeentcd in the sacred writings, as actually pos-
sessing a power to evolcc the dead, to perform supernatur:ll operatious,
and to discover hidden or secret things, by sprlls, charms, 1ncanta-
tions, &c., is evident to every unprejudiced re:H1er of the Bible." But
we need not individualize; the whole christian world held it as a part
of their system.
One of the strongest evidences of the existence of man's spiritual
nature, separate from his physical-of his immortality-is his uncon-
trollable fli2:hts beyond
~ . the visible \\'orld, his seek in<Ts after some~
~

thing within the veil. The faith of some ages has been bright and
beautiful; of others, wild and romantic; of othtrs, gloomy and austere.
And theology, literature, every thing, has been tinged by that faith .
Poetry has received some of her loveliest ornaments, frvm the glowir1g
system$ of ages past, aud even now the susceptible heart lingers fondly
around the fading I ight. Bow beautifully has Coleridge referred to this:
2
 10
~' 0 never rudely will 1 blame his faith
ln the might of slars and angc:ls.
Thd intelligible forms of ancient poets,
The fair humanities of old re ligion,
Tbe ppwer, the beauty and the majesty,
That haci her haunts in dell or piny mountain,
Or forest, by slow stream, or pebbly sprinO',
Or chasms and wa-t.'ry deptbs; all these h~ve vanished 1
Th~y live no longer in the faith of reason.
Eut still the heart d?th need n language; still
Doth the old instinct bring back the old names,
And to yon starry world they now are gone,
Spirits or gods who us~d to ~;hare this (~arth
With man as with a friend; and to the lover,
Yonder they move; from yonder visible sky
Shoot influence down; and, even at this day,
'Tis Jupiter who brings whate 'er is great,
And Venus who brings every thing that's fair."

The great witchcraft excitement at Salem, and indeed throughout

New England, in 1692, though in some respects the most remarkable,
was by no meane the mo&t frightful outbreak that ever oc_curred ..
Perhaps the most dreadful exhibitions took place in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. In 1515, in three month3, fi\·e hundred witches
were burue<.l at Geneva. A single judge, in one province of France, in
the course of fifteen years, towards the close of the sixteenth century,
condemned to the stake not less than nine hundr~d . In different parts
of Europe, from the time christianity hegan, Jown to near the close
of the last century, there were occasional outbreaks, more or less
fearful.
We remarl~ed, a p_nragraph or two back, that a witch, properly,
was one who was supposed to have entered into· a solemn compact,
reduced to writing, with the devil. This, of collrse, supposes the at
least occasional corporeal appearance of his satanic m<ljesty. It is
common, at this day, to reicr the term devil to the abstrlct spirit of
e\·il ; so the corner stone is removed. But in <~II places. where and
ali times whf:!n witchcraft Ins prevailed, the universal belief has been
that the devil was as real a being as existed ; and that he had legions
of imps ever ready to do his bitlding. The value received by the
witches, in consideration of the ~urrender of their souls at death, in
part consisted in the power to command the aid of invisible spirits, to
harrass and tOJ'ment thase whom thtir maLice, revenge or fancy should
point out as victims, by pinching, strangling, bitiug, scratching, scald-
ing, &c. The witches themselres were to have power to a?pear in
the shape of beasts or spectres, or almost any form ; also power to
 11
inAict diseases upon their victims, and to cause them to pine away
aild die.
There is a possibility that the luwwledge of the art of printing
would have died wit!1 the inventor, had it not been for the popular be-
lief in devil dealing. "When the inventor appeared in the market place
'Of Mentz, with a sample of his printed sheets, the people cro,.,ded
.aronud, and 'v\'ere very much astonished at their perfection. But thei r
astonishment was redoubled on finding that they' were precisely alike.
If there was a wrong o.r defective letter in one, the :-;ame was the case
with the whole~ if there was a gr;aceful ,flotuish in one, none were
without it. They besought bim to inform them by what extraordinary
process he had been able to produce such results. He anade a secret
of the discovery, designing to turn it to great future account. A panic
soon seized upou the people. Tenor mingled with their astonishment.
They be·lieved the inventor to have accepted an agency for the dP.vil.
He was seized and thrown into prison. And finally, to obtain release,
he was forced to make known his secret.
t. ,.,. Some learned writers have been nt great pains to fix: upon a cause

for the extraordinary outbreak known the world over as the Sulem
Witchcraft. But of the result of these Ie;unerllabors, people naturally
entertain different views. The peculiarly tryin~ situatio.tL.of the colo- ,
t1ist::>, at the period immediateiy preceding: has been .f0r-ced prominently
into view, as having prepared the pub1ic mind for such an excitement.
That certainly was, in a!most any point of view, an exceedingly dark
period. The broad land was stil.l a-lmost entirely overshadowed by the
primeval forest. The Indians had been making a rnoet desperate ef·
fort ft'r the exterminatio.n of the pale-skinned intruders upon their soil.
To the rnthless Ind.ian warfare, had been added the skill oft he French.*
The politica.l ;<1ffairs ,of the settlers, too, had for a time worn a most
g~oomy aspect.t

*The dreadful conHict with the Indians, known as Philip's War, cGm,menced in 1675. The
r.ed men fought 1 w~th .a desp!!ration which could only have been felt by an expiring nation. The
dar!;: ness of the winter's night was brolten by tile glare of the blazing habitation ; nnd the path
tp many a settlement was traced by the blood upon the snows. 'I'he colonies never before sus-
tained such a shock from their jealous and infuriated neighbors. SL't hundred of the bravest.<'f
the colonial soldiery were lost in this war; a number of towns were made desolate; and six:
hundred dwellings <•estroyed. But it proved one of tlle last,ende.avors of the [ndians. From
the disasters of the swamp fight they never rer.ove.red; though spasmodic e.tforts were occasion-
a}ly made, for years. ll•lt in 1690, the coloni~ts were called to the field to face new, and in
some respects, far more powerful ene"" ie3. The war with the French and Ind inns had broken
out, and to the savage practices ofthe la~ter, were added the experienced gene;alsh~p, the m~~
.deadly weapon, the national hatred, of the former.

. was jn 1684 that the colonial charter was annulled. And two years after, the c11nning,
tIt
;!rbltrary, and overbearing s:r Edmund Andros arrived with his royal COI\Illnission. And n~"
 12
But the idPa that these had any thing to do with the cause of the
e:-nption, does not seem very satisfactory, wben we cousic..l::-r that in
other portions of the world, \Vhere they did not exist, similar transac-
tions took place. Aud they would indeed seem rnther to buve a ten-
dency to divert the mind from thin1;s pE'rtnining to the unseen world.
:\1ight we not rather .conclude that tbe cause was involred in fa.cts like
these: The whole civilized \\·.orld at that time believed in witchcraft.
There were no more. rais illO"
o
their voices ~g:-~inst
-
it than there are rais-
ing their voices Hgainst chris·t ianity itself at the present day. The
received interpretations of scripture required such belief. The Jaws
of Englan9 and of all other christianized countries recognized it as a
crime.:K: And then, what is \'ery important, let us bear in rnind that
the cnl<mists were singularly pertinac ious in fancying that they were
specially sent here by divine proYidence for the purpose o~ preserving
pure those gospel doctrines which they and their brethrE>n of the old
world had sacrificed so much to sustain. Their minds were \oVell pre-
pared for the dark and fearful apprehension that the devil, w bile

reader of New England history will need to be informed nf the public ferment which hi.:: gros<~
acts of oppre:.>:;ion occa:sioned. He seeme1l to aint ~olely .to aggrandize himself and !Jis follow-
er;;. Oprressive taxes were imtlosecl; new offices with exorbitant f~e~ were instituted i a •e-
moulding or renewal nf real -e~tate tit If's wa:o required, and heavy charges for all prnperty tran-
sactious levieol. ln short, next to enriching himself and his friend«, his object see 111ed to be to
''ex anu l1nrra:ss those whom he gov•~rned. If the people uf New :England e~er rejoiced, it was
O.{l the nccession of William and 1\!ary.

* Eay;; Jnd~e Bla.d,stone: • . • . The thing itself [ w itchcrnfl] is a truth to whlch every na-
tioB i11 '"e wnrltl hath iu it,:; t.nru llorne tc>stimony, dtllrr hy examples seemin,gly well atte;:ted,
Ol' hy prnlHhiiol·y law;. i ·which at leu!>t suppo"e the JlOto.;:ihiliry nf comm~rce with evil ~pirit.;:.
The l'ivillaw pn11i-he:; with death not only the sorr.t~ rer<: thf'ntse lv,•s:, but also thosP. who con-
sult th r 111; imitatin:; iu the f••••ucr Lhe expr~:;i! law Clf God, 'Thou \"halt ll<'t sntfer a witch to li"e·'
A11<l oar own law.<, hoth bef11re and since t.be .COIH}IIP:<t, 1ta1'e been equally peual; ranking lhi~
crianc~ i11 tile same clas< with !wre:-y, und conclemHiu!! both to the tl;llttt•:;." A statut~;~ of 33
llrnry vur. mad e all witchcraft und ::ic•rcery, fdony, withOIIt b<;lif'fit uf der~y. And a. Sl:llllte
of l JaultlS ~· ennct~:.d "that :dj perHlll::i luvoldn~ auy evcl :<pirit, or cou.<ultin;!, ('OVt'nanting
with 1 f'rttertaiuinjZ, t'IIIJlloyill;:!, fet'dinl!, or rewardiug any evil spirit; nr taki11!! Ull dea:l bodies
fmuc th:•ir grave:< th be usetl iu any wit<"hcrr.fr., ~orcery, cha•n•, or euchautmcut; or killing IH
urhc•rwise hurtiuj!: :1ny pcrsun by sq(.h iufc rual arts, :-iwuld h~ !!Uilty of fdouy with .. ut beut'fit
of tl e ri!Y, and :c>utfc r (h~ath. Aud if any pt:r~on shunld att"IDilt hy s Ct rC\"' ry to llisc(JVI!r hidden
tn•asurt!, nr to re~tor~ ~tolt:n goods, or to pruvukt.: nulawf.JI love, or to hurt any man or beast,
t lwugh the !:a me were 1101 df.)c t ed, he .•hou lrl ,;nif<Jr iuq•risnumeut anrl pillory f<~r the firt<t of-
fcuc~, ancl d l'ath fiw 1he ;:ecourt.' 'l'htl reculiar i10terest, whil:b Jam.-s illllivldually exhibited,
however, iu these nmttels, did uot hJCet with the n:ct'ptiun, iu nfter yenrs, \\'hidl lltl probably
expected. £-lis Lonk-luaking propen>'ity added l;nt littfe lustre to II is 1egal fame: though that
fam e wn,;; none the luigh!est. lt was ;1 cnttin~ remark of the comme~stator, that ".:nch a scep-
tre wu;; too weighty to be wielded lly such u haucl." James llOWI"'ver, had the wit<dom and
grace to rec:mt some of his va:wrie:;, lwfure his death. \VitciH.raft had its le:;a: ups nnd dol\'ns
iu Englautl, till hy statute of 9 George Il. it was eua.cted "that no prosecutiou ~hall fJr the fu-
ture be carried on against any persons for conjuration, witchcraft, ~orcery, or enchantment."
But still, per:;ons pretendi11g toLe wi~ches, for~une-tellers, &c. , would, a~ .with us, be guilty of
misdemeanor, and fa.U under the provisions of vagrant acts.
 13
wandering up nnu rlow11 the rart!1, seeki'lg ·.vbere he could do most mis-
chief, had discovered this sc·q,;estered niche. which contained nil that
was pure, all that was lovely in the sp;t.em establi::;hed' by him to whom
of old he had offered all the kingdoms of the world for the boon of
worship. And could 1hey doubt that on making the di!>co••ery he bud.
s11mmoued his stron~est powers for the destruction of the holy viue
which they under the kec11e~t pri\·ations had planted, and, at every
ear1 hly hazard, hnd cheri::;!lcd.
The remarkable excitemeul Rt Salem, commenced enrly in the year
1692. I n the latter part of Februury, two little girls in the family of
Rev. Mr. P.n rris, one his own daughter, uamed Elizabeth, about nine
year!<, and the other, his neice, named Abi~ail \Villiams, twelve years
of uge, together with n girl in the ncighborhoo<j, nnmed Ann Putnam,
b~gan to act in a most strange and runaccouut::~ble manner.'"' 'fhey did
not, however, at first, appear to be maliciously or viciously inclirJed.
They would jabber in strange lang-uage wild nnd unmeaning speeches.
They would <.listort their countenances ir)to the most od<.l and gro-
t esque expressions, even on the most solemn occasions, and put their
bodies into all manner of uncommon and unse-emly postures. They
would roll upon lhe floor, creep under chairs and tables, and cravd

* 'l'hese occurrences took place at Sa1em Vi llnge as it was then calleel, hut now !mown as
North Dauvers.. 'file church was eHabli::.•hed here in 1671, as a branch of the fir;;t clwrr.h of
.Salem. Rev. Mr. Bramnn was the late pastor. ~lr. Parris, jn whose f;uuily the excitement
commenced, was the fourth pastor. ne was born at London, in 1653, and settled here, in 1689.
'l'he ::econd pa~tor wa~ Rev, George I:urroughs; and it is painful to remark that he was e-xecuted
for witchcraft, on Gallows ll ill, Augn~t 19, 1C92, under peculiarly affecting circum:stnnces. Mr.
Panis was a man of learning and fe;·vent piety, but, in common with the Puritan cler~ry in
g~neral, he tool< a most dnrl< and mt:lanC'.holy view of lmman uature. He appeared to perceive
nothing bright or~>eautiful in the outward world, and nothing but cnrruption in tile h11n1an
hca l't, In lool\ing over the paris h recorrl;;, some y ears si:lc~. I wa;; induced t,u transcribe the
following, wllich stands in ;\lr. Parris's own hand writing. And while copying, it was impos-
sible to avoid a thought of the agony which tilled the heart of him who made tile record.
"27 !\I.u;ctt, SAn., 1C92, RACRA!tiENT D.AY.
·"After the common auditory was clismissed, and ucfore the church co111muuiou at the Lord's
tahle, tloe full0wing testimo:.y a~ainst the error of our sister Mary Sihley, who l1ad given tli-
rectiuu to my Indian man in an unwarrantable way, to find out witches, was read loy the
pastor. It is alto~:ether undenyahle thaL our grP.at and ~Jessed God hath suffered many persons,
ill :::everal familits, of this liulc village, to be greviously vexed and tortured in body, and to be
deep ly tempted, to the endaragering of th~ destruction of their souls, and all these amazing facts
(wt'l l known to many of us) to he done by witcltcrafL and dial>olical operations. l tis also well
known that when these calamities fir:st began, wlJ icll was in my own fan1 ily, the affliction was
several we~ks bcfure such hell i-•h operations as witcbcraft was suspected. Nay it never bralte
forth to any consitlerahle light uutil diaholical means were used by ihe making of a cake by my
Indian mau, who had his direction~; from this our Sister Mary Sii.Jiey, since whic.h apparitions
J1ave been plettty, aud exceeding much 1nischief hath followed. But by this means it seems
the devi l hath l;een rais<1d amongst us, and hh; rage is vehement and terrible, and when .he shall
,be silenced the Lord only !mows.''
 14
into hole~. They would seize the firebrands and scatter them around
the rooms, besrnellr themseh•e:s with ashes, nnd as a qnuiut writer of
that time snys, make as if they would go up chimney. Such conduct,
of course, excited the most painful apprehensions of their parents and
friends; parti cula.r ly as persuasion, threats, nor reprimands could over-
come it. Considerable time wa$ spent, in using every effort which
the tenderest and most anxious ~olic it ude cuuld devise, to remove the
cause, whatever it might be, of this strange coJH.l~ct; bnt all efforts
we:·e unavailing. ]>hy~ ici ans were now sent for, and after mn-
tureiy considering the cases, it w <IS decided that the chiltlren
were B EW ITC H ED ! And this was the I ighting up · of that fire which
sheds such a melancholy light over the histor ic page of that period.
rrhe annunci at ion carried terror to eve_ry bosom. A heavier cloud
settled upon the brow of the old; the joyous blood of t~e youthful
heart was sudden!} chill ed; the happy laugh of childhood was sub-
dueu, suppressed. Every thiug !'ieemed tinged as with a glat~e from
the nethet· world. The excitement soon began to spread. Several
other girls in the neighborhood became affected. Private and pub-
lic fasts were held. And if ever fervent, agonizing prayers went up
to heaven from the he3rts and lips of men, it was from the terror-
stricken ones of that da rk period . Scrupulously did th~y fast; earn-
eslly did they pray, that the sr-i ritual plague might not be permitted to
spread. On the solemn occasion of public exercise, the bewitched
themselves were generally present; and not unfrequently th eir most
violent fits came on during the exercises. And they would sometimes
go into tbe most dreadful couvulsions. The first person accuEed by
these children, of bewitchin g tlH~rn, was an old Indian woman in the
family of Mr. Pnrris, and she actually confessed that she did bewitch
them, ha ving deriv ed her superuatural powers from the evil one, 'rith
w.bom she had entered into a most solemn league. This eonfession.
as ma•y we"ll be supposed, added immensely to the excitement. Few,
now, could doubt that the arch enemy had commenced his .dreadful
work in their midst in good earn est.
Increase Mather, in giving an account of a visit he made to Salem
Village, on the 19th of March, mentions this Abigail 'Williams, whom
he saw in one of her fits. He says, ''she was hurried to and fro in
the room," though those present endeavorec to rest.rain her. She
stretched out her arms as though she would fly; and insisted that she
snw the spectre of an old woman who lived ]n the neighborhood .
.She ran to the fire and t~rew firebrands about the ·h ouse; tmd did
 15

other thin gs of a similar nature. 'rhat nigl1t, Mather says, he lod,!.!'ed

ut the house of Nathaniel lni;ersol, which \\' a:; in the neighborhood of
Mr. Parri:s's. "Presrutly aftt' r I came into my lougiugs," says he,
"Capt. Walcot's daughter 1\lary came to IAieutenaut lugersol's and
spake to me; but suddeuly after, as she stood hy the door, was bitten,
so that she cried out, of her wrist; and loo k ing on it with a can~le,
we saw apparently the marks of tet>th, both upper and lower set, on
each side of the wrist.'' II e preached in the village the nr-xt day,
which was the Sabuath, and there were prescut at the meeting several
of the afflicted persous; among them Abigail \Villiams. And there
was also present a woman named Martha Cory, who was the next day
examiued on the charge of beiug a witch ; and who was final1v execu-
ted. Continuing his account of their presence in the meeting honse,
he says, ~~They had severa l sore fits in the time of public worship,
whi ch did $Ornethiu~ interrupt me in my first prayer. After psalm
was sung, Abigail \Villiams said to me, 'Now stand up and name
your text! ' A11d nfter it was read she said, 'It is a long text.' . • •
In the beginuing of the sermon, l\lrs. Pope, a woman nfilictP.d, said to
me, 'Now there is enough of that.' . . . Iu sermon time, when
Good wife C. was present in the meeting bouse, A uigail \Villiams
called out, 'Look where Goodwife C. sits on the ueam, suckling her
yellow bird betwixt her fingers!'* .Ann Putman, another girl afflicted,
said there was a yellow bird sat on my hat as it hung on the pin in the
pulpit; but tho~e that were by restrained he r from speal(ing loud
abo l! t it."
The next day, as above observed, this Martha Cory was examined
by the uragist rates cJf Sr. Iem. A ucl from the same lea rued and pious
wr iter, I will extract a few incidents of the examination .. , .. ''About
twelve of the clock they \\'ent into tbe meeting house, whic.h was
througed with spectators. .l\lr. Noyes began '"'·ith a very pertinent
and pathetical prnye r ; nnd Goodwife C. being called to answer to
wha t was nlleged again1:;t her, she desired to go to prayer, which was
much wondered nt, in the pre$euce of so many hundred p<'ople; the
mugistrates told her they would not admit it ; they carne not to hear

"'The meeting houses of tho~e days had few nf tJ1e comforts of modern s truct•trell, and none
of their e ltlganci('s. The pnnclerous rafters nntt ht>:W1:> were open to view, the floors were
withnllt pew:.:, and supplied with rudt: unco111fo rtahle seat~, e xce rt that. here anll there a vene~
ralJIH dcuue or sile ocwplt-cl a rhair. Fire!', in the colde!'t weather, were not drea tned of; and
it was cout<illered a ju~t cuuse ofcon~pla iut If the minister did uot occupy at least two hours
in the services-their faith l\ept them warm. And the worshiper:~ not unfrequently came
from distances of :;ix l)f eight miles.
 16
her pray, but to examine he r, in what was alleged ngninst her."* The
affl icted om's present ''vehemently accused her, in the assembly, of
nffi icting them, by biting , pinching, strnngling, &c. And thE'y diu in
~

their fits see he:r lih;eness coming to them, and brjnging a book to
them; she said she had no boo k ; they affirmed that she had n yellow
bird, that used to suck betwixt her fingers, and' being asked about it,
if she had any fam·iliar spir}t, th.at atreadf'd her, she said she had no
familiarity with any such thing. . . . . The said C. said they were
poor distracted children, and no heed to be given to what they said.
Mr. Hathorne and Thl r. Noyes replied th at it W<'\S the judgrnerJt of all
1.hat were present, they were bewitched, and only she the accus~d per-
son said t bey were destr acted. It wa:s observed several timP.s, that if
sht:> did but bite !1er under lip in time of examiaation, the persons
afflicted were bitten on the ir arms aud \\ r!sts, and produceJ the marks
before the magistrales nnd others. An d be ing watched for' that, if she
did but pinch her fingers, or grasp one hand hard in another, they
were pinched and prodnceu the marks Lefore the magistrate::; and
spectntors. After that it \\-·as observ'ed thnt if she did but lean her
breast against Lhe seat in the meeting house, (being the bar at which
she stood,) they were afr1icted. Particularly l\lrs. Pope complained of
grievous torment in her bowels as if they were torn out. She vehe-
mently accused the said C. as the instrument, and first thre~v her muff
at her; but that flying n0t home, she got hP.r shoe and hit Goodwife
C. on the head with it. After these postures were watched, if the
said C. did but stir her feet, th ey were afflicted in their feet, and
.stamped fearfully. . .• They accused her of having familiarity with
the devil in thf! time of examination, in the shape of a black man
whispering in her ear."
'Vho can fail to pereeive that in this scene at the meeting house,
there was something extraordinary 1 Mrs. Pope and the otht:>r afflicted
ones were evidently acting from some strong. some overpowering
mental impulse. And it is equally evident th:-~t the presence of the
unfortunate Mrs. Cory excited them to an astonishing uf'gr,ee. \Veil,
then, in this you have the operation of witchcraft-witchcraft, a
creature of the nsind. Aud in their dreadful mental exciterneut, while

*This was exceedingly cruel. A poor lonely woman flragged into an extited, an almost in-
furiated assembly, charged with a most diabolical crime, and adjndgod beforehand, guilty to
the last extremity, begging, while des~>rted hy every earth ly friend, the consolation of pouring
out her heart's agony to llilll who is the friend and stay of the disconsolate, aud ask iug of him
that measure ofgractl which she lteenly felt would be required to sustain her in the fiery ordeal
througb which she was ahout to pass-and being denied, even with n sneer!
 17
Mrs. C. was not in their presence, we can. well conceive they rr.ight
fnncy they saw her spectre. But of spectral appearances I shall have
somethin~ to "Say hereafter. The power of Mrs. Cory seems to have
h~en fully equal to that of t~Je best mesmeriser of modern days. All
these mental operatious may be called imagination. But they cer-
tainly brought about most terrible realities. ·Many people seem to
think that there. cannot be any thing real, in extraordinary mental
manifestations. Perhaps they would be profitably employed, for a
time, in attempting to define imagination, and to stake out bo1mds for
it. But when folks come to tell about the devil's going round with n
memorandum book uuder his arm, to get pevple to sign off their
claims to heaven, matters of the material \'l'orld, which we can com-
~rehend, are brought in play 1 and we have a right to dt-nounce them
as delusion or f'Ornething worse. And the suckiug yellow bird, marks
of teeth, &.c. were fancies, of conrse.
These transactions at the meetiug house did not tnl{e place before
u·congregation of infants. The aged, the grave, th~ pious, the learn-
e-d, were there. And with sorrow and alurm they felt the deplorable
reality. The account itself is from one who filled the honorable sta-
tion of president of Harvard college.
But let us turn our attention for a momenl particularly to the chil-
dren. 1\tlrs. Cory said they wer~ "poor distracted children;" and no
doubt she was rig-ht. And so were Mr. Noy-es and Mr. Hathorne,
when they said they were bewitclled. Just look over the whole history
of their- cdlliction, from the begirllling. It is extremely difficult for
me to believe, with people much wiser than myself, that they were
acting from mere caprice, from wantonness or waggery. It is not
. j
easy to reconcile the idea with their youth and the attendant circum-
stances. 1t requires very elastic reasoning powers to account for such
extraordinary ability for the arts of deception, so sudde11ly exhibited;
ond such conduct in hitherto dutiful and circumspect children, before
weeping parents, grave magistrates and minist-ers; aud a curious and
scrutinizing populace. 1f they were all the time deceiving, they must
have acted their part most excellently well, to have excited no suspi-
cion. In casting about for means to account for such conduct, on
the ground of deception, some have fixed upon the supposition that
these girls had an antipathy against one or two old women and took
these means for \'entin.g their tlialice. That is, they pretended to be
bewitched f()r the purpose of having these old women punished as
witches. This would answer some purpose \\·ere it not for the unfor-
3
 18
tunate but stubbom fact that the children did not, in the beginning,
charge any one with having bewitched them ! They did not suggest
such a thing as that they were bev.1 itched, until the physicians had cle-
cided the matter for them. rrhis is made certain by the record still
open to observation on the church book, in Mr. Parris's own baud
writing; and which is quoted at large in the note on page 13; a sen-
tence of which it may be well here to repeat: ''It is w~=.:ll known that
when these calamities first began, which WilS in my own family, the
affliction was several weeks before such hellish operations as witch-
craft was suspected." It is evident, let me repeat, that these children
acted from some violent, uncontrollable mental impulse- an impulse
which may have arisen from some slight cause. And when the idea
of wi tchcraft was ~uggested, it became fixed and moulded into most
terrific shapes. We have little space to allow for details. And as the
safest way of conveying an idea of the occurrences, we will introduce
a passage or two from Mather's l\lagnalia, a \Vorlc of great value and
evidencing the inexhaustible learning, and patient research of the
author-his piety and penetration of mind, as weH as his generous
share of conceit.

'l'he tormentors tendered unto the afflicted a. book requiring them to sign it,
or to louch it at least, in token of their consenting to be listed in the service
of the devi}; which they refusing to do, the spectres under the commano of
that black miln, as they called him: would apply themselves to torture them
with prodigious molestations.
The afflicted wretches were horribly distorted and convulsed; they were
pinched black and bln~; pins would be run every where in their flesh; they
would be scalded until they had blisters raised on thetn; and a thousand other
things, lwfore hundreds of witnesses, were don!'l unto them, evident-ly preter-
natlll·al; for if it were perternatural to keep a rigid fast for nine~ yea, for :fifteen
days to~ethe~; or if it were preternatural to have one's hands tied close to-
gether with a rope to be plainly seen, and then by unseen hands presently
pulled up a great way from the earth, before a crowd of people; such preter-
natural things were endured by them .
But of all the preternatural things which these people ~<uffereti, there were
none more unaccountable than those wherein the prestigious demons wonld
every now and then cover the most corporeal things in the world with -a fascin-
ating mist of invisibility. As now, a person was crneHy assaulted by a spectre,
that 1:1he said came at her with a spindle, tho•1gh nobody f•lse in the roorn
could see either the spectre or the spindle; at last, in her agonies, giving a
snatch at the spectre, she pulled the spindle away; and it was no sooner got
into her hand, but the other folks then presP-nt beheld that it was indeed a real,
proper, iron spindle; -.vhich when they locked up very safe, it was, neverthe-
less, by the demuns taken away to do farther mischief.
Again, a. person was haunted by a most aln:sive spectre, which came to her;
she said, with a sheet about her, though se~n to none hut herself. Aftl"r she
had undergone a cleat of teaze from the annoyance of the spectre, she ~;,ave a
violent snatch at the shet!t that was upon it; wherefrom she tore a corner,
which in her hand immediately was beheld by all that were present, a palpa-
ble corner of a sheet:· and her father 1 which was of her, catched, tha~ be-
 19
tn\ght see what his daug-hl~r had sa strangely st>ized; .b11t the spe.ctre had
like to have wrung his hand off, by endeavoring to wrest it from him; how·
ever he still held it; and several times this odd accident was renewed in the
family. There wanted not the oaths of gaod creditable people to these par-
I
ticulars.
Also it is known, that these wi-cked spectres did proceed so far as to steal
several quantities of money from divers people, part of which individual
money dropt sometimes ont of the air, before sutfu~ient spectators, into the
hands of thH afflicted, while the spectres were urging them to subscribe their
covenant with death. Moreove1·, poisons to the standershy wholly invisible,
were sometimes forc~d npon the affiicted; which, when they have with much
reluctancy ewallowed, they have swoln presently, so that the common medi-
cines for poisons have been found necessary to relieve them; yea, sometimes
the spectres in the stn~ggles have so dropt the poisons, that the standcnsby
have ·smelt them and viewed them, and beheld the pillows of the miserable
stained with them. Yet more, the miserable have complained bitterly of burn-
ing rags run into their forcibly distended mouths; and though nobody could
see any such cloths, or indeed any fires in the chambers, yet presently the
scalds were seen plainly by avery body on the mouths of the complainers, and
not only the smell, but the smoke of the bnming sensibly filled the chambers.
Once more the miserable exclaimed extremely of branding irons. heating
at the fire on the h~arth to mark them ; now the standersby could see no
irons, yet they could see distinctly the print of them in the ashes, and smell
them too, as they were carried by the not-seen furies unto the poor creatures
for wh-om they were intended; and those poor creatures were thereupon so
stigmatized with them, that they will bear the marks of' them to their dying
day. Nor are these the tenth part ofthe prodigies that fdl out among the in-
habitants of New England.
It was also found that the :flesh of the afflicted was often bitten at such a
rate, that not only the print of the teeth would be )eft on their flesh, but the
:veTy slaver of spitt1e too, even such as might be clearly distinguish~d from
other pt'ople's. And usoally the affiicted went through a terrible deal of seem-
ing difficulties from the tormenting spectrP.s, and must be long waited on, be-
fore they could get a brealhing space from their torments to give in their
testimony.

There were, it is true, some men of talent, piety and learning, who
during the darkest hours of the excitement, continued to maintain
that the whole was a delusion ; continued vehemefltly to inveigh
again'St the sanguinary proceedings. Col. Saltonstall, one of the
judges of the court, early wiLhdrew, and always opposed the proceed-
i.ngs. But this did not prove him wiser than his neighbors. It only
proved him more skt:>ptical., less susceptible. If there were great men
doubters, there were greater oues believers.
Nor must it be supposed that the trials were mere child's play; or
that the condemnations took place without what was deemed sufficient
evidence. Authors of lhat period speak particularly on this point, and
assert that some of the most judicious and vehement opposers, publicly
declared, thnt had they themselves been on the jury, they could not
have acquitted the prisoners! '' Flashy people," quaintly observes
1\ia~her, "may burlesque these things, but when hundreds of the most
JiObE}r _p~ople, in a country where they have as much mother wit cer..
 20
tainly as the rest of mnnl\ind, lmo:o tlum to bt tna, nothing but the
absurd nnd froward spirit of saducism can question them."
"There was one," says he, "whose magical images were found, and
who confess.ir.g her deeds, (when a jury of doctors ret!,.Hned her com-
pos mentis,) actually showed the whole court by what ceremonies used
un!o them, she directed her fnrniliar spirits how and where to cruciate
the objects of her malice; and the experiment beiBg made ot;er and
over again before the whole court, the effect followed exactly in the
hurts done to the people at a distance from her.''
'The seeing of spectres seems easily explained.* r
It originates in
strong mental conceptions. At the time to which our n·arrative re-
lates, it was firmly believed that people were \'exed and tormented by
spiritual visitants. The impression wns so very strong as to render
such visitants frequently visible, so to speak, to the mental eye-a
mere result of that firm belief. I will state a little fact iu illustration
of the idea. A young female relative of mine, was betrotlred t~ a
youthful mariner. She was a girl of very susceptible fedings; her' at-
tachment was arueut, had been of long continuance, and \ras fondly
reciprocated. During his last voyu~·e, she had a singularly strong
impression that he would nev(~r return. The prt>sentiment weighed so
heavily upon her spirits, as to excite the concern of her friends. One
stormy 11ight, while the family were absent, she was sitting alone in
the parlor, l i~1eni11g to the howling of the winds and the beating of the
rain; and ns may well be imagined, not unfrequf:lntly entertaining a
thought of her far-off lover. She thus sat, in silence, till near mid-
night. A II of a sudden, on looking up, she ueheld her affianc{'d,
standing beside her, with a countenance deadly pale, and with the
water dripping from his clothes. She was for a moment hewildercd,
though not frightened. Site essnyeu to spec:lii, but he vanished too
suddenly. To this day, she insists that it was uot a dream, that she
was fully awake; but admits that she had been long and anxiously
thinking of him. It is evident that the spectre originnted in her ex-
cited mind. He, h·o wever, did meet his death, by drowning, at the
precise time of the appearance, as near as could be ascertained, on

*The lecturer, while attempting to explain the philosophy of spectral appearances, won ld
not be understood to deny lltat miraculous agency has sometimes been l'mployed to recall the
dead. It is certainly a no greater exhiuition of power to recall tllan to create. And that the
power has been thus exercised, in past ages, at least, we must not doubt. The story of the
Witch of Endor, spoken of ill the note on page 8, is to the purpose. But the ghost-seeiug me-
dia of modern times, it is apprehended, may be explained on uatural principles.
 21
the arrival of the ship. Aucl though that was merely a coincidence,
nothing could sl~<1l<e her belief that he camP. to the fond object of his
affection, with the tidings of his own departure.
\Vhen the mind is thus prepared, very slight things will operate as
powerful evidenc.e. Prints of branding irons could easily be seen in ash-
es, print~ of teeth and blisters upon flesh, and all things of a like nature.
But it is not so easy to account for iron spindles, ropes, pins or pieces
of sheet, being actually retaine~ in possession of those who seized
them. We are justifietl in supposing that some roguery was cnrried
on here. The minds of people were prepared to believe the most ab-
surd things, and to be imposed upon with marvellous facility. Impo-
sitions, indP-ed. w<~re frequently detected and expo~ed. And this is
further evidence that our ancestors were not so perfectly Lliud as some
seem to think. The work to which such fr<:>queut reference has been
made, has this passage; "In fine, the Jast courts that snte upon this
thorny business, finding that it was impossible to penetrate into the
whole meaning of the things that had happened, and tlwt so many un-
searcltable clteats were interwoven inlo the conclus£ort of a mysterious
business, which perhaps had not crept thereinto at the beginning of it,
they cleared t)Je aecm:ed as fast as tb~y tried them.''
'l'hese strong impressions may sometimes seize upon the minci at
the suggestion of some most natural appearance, and as instantly be dis-
pelled, at the suggestion of reason. One very dark night, at about
twelve o'clock, n friend of mine was walking ai'Ong a dE:'solate road,
through a swampy piece of woods, and all at once observed, gliding
close by his side, apparently a person about his own size, clothed in shiny
white. Though the object kPpt pace, and performed the usual motions
of a person wall<ing, it was noiseless. Although a little startled at first,
his better judgment immediately suggested that it was not a real exist-
ence. With his walking stick he struck at it, but only beat the air.
I

He paused, and that likewise paused. Taking two or three steps in

a sideling direction, he found himself on the brink of a gully, aud at
once di"sco\'ered the cause of the illusion. The heavy clouds were
just lifting in the western horizon, and a faint light fell upon the water
in the gully-just enough to give it a silvery tinge. On this mirror
his dark shadow fell, though the impression on his mind was as if the
shadow were of a silvery hue, moving on a dark ground. Such was
the spectre; and as real a one probably as any person living has seen.
But these impressions may obtain such an ascendancy, under some
circumstances, over the judgment of an individual or a community, as
 22
even to rnnke natural phenomena and fact yield to them-be seconda·
ry aud subservient. Such precisely was the case in the memorable
year 1692. The received impression was that legions of emissaries of
.the e.vil one had been let loose upon this devoted community, and
that in many cases the people ''hac their eyes so refined" that they
.could perceive these at times invisible tormentors. And every thing
~was bent and twisted till it supported that belief. Whatever fact was
·too i11flexible to be perverted, was at once denounced as unscriptural,
saduceau. Just as one among us would argue: The Bible teaches
this or that doctrine. The Bible is true. II ence, if any thing is ad·
vanced contrary to this or that doctrine, it cann·ot be true, however
plausible it may seem.
One beautiful spring 111orning, T was walking in an orchard, with a
gentleman from one of the remote Swiss cantons, wher~ a belief in
fairy visitatious still prevails. He was much less delighted at the
prospect of a proflliSiou of fruit, than at the presence of the gay com·
pauy of fairies. And he became quite a.ngry on my insisting that I
could not see the lovely creatures which to him were so perceptible,
sporting among the blossoms. He saw them clearly through his men·
tal vision.
It is really amusing to see how the mind, under these impressions,
will sometime~ grapple with physical impossibilities.
How is i~ about those devils which visited you the other day! said
I to a neighbor.
I don't want to say any thing about them. People don't believe
me; and the truth is good for nothing if it isn't believed, he replied ,
'Vhat did they resemble 1
They were as large as gray squirrels; striped with yellow and red;
and had white wings .
How many were there 7
About two dozen .
Where did they come from 7
They jumped out of the coffee pot, while my wife and myself were
sitting at breakfast.
How much will your coffee pot hold 7
About two quarts.
Now, Mr. S., do you not percei\·e the utter impossibility in the way
of the truth of your story? How could t\VO dozens of gray squirre.ls
,g et into a two quart cofiee pot 7
That is the very thing th~t I ~old m>' wife, at the time, pu~zl.t!d m.e
 23
most. And what was most remarkable, they came out of the nose.
But I'm ready to take my oath that it is true. It's of no use to
reason a<Yai nst the senses.
:")

The fnc.t was, the man had the delirium tremens. And in reading
over the recorded evideuce on some of the witch trials, I am strongly
inclined to the belief that some of the witnesses had beeu familiar
with strong water bottles.*
Nat ural phenomena, were always regarded in the lig-ht of super~
natural signs. The story of the Phantom Ship is familiar to every
one.t rrhe nightly ho\-vlings of the wild beasts in the woods, were
unceremoniously charged upon his satanic majesty. A11d every de·
partment of nature was forced to furnish evidence iu support of the
one dreadful idea.

*One ofrhe persons e.xecnted at Snlcm was Susannn !llnrtin, of Ame~hury . And it i;; really
sad to see whitt evidence was received against her. 'l'he poor woman had hecome vt!X~d at one
Kembel, on account of his llavin!l: purcha,;ed a puppy of some oue else, nfter having agreed to
purchase nf her, and declared that if she li\'ed, she wonld give him llll(tpies enough . The wit-
ness thus te~tities i " Within a ft'W days after this, Kembt:l coming out of the woorls, there
nrn:;:e a little black clo11d in th.e northWHs t, and Kembel i1J11nediately felt a fon:e upon h im,
which made him not allle to avoid running upon the stumps of trees that were hefore him, al-
tlwngh he had a broad plain cartway before him; but though he had his axe on his shoulder to
endanger him in his falls, he could not forbear going out of his way to tnmiJic over t11em.
nrhen he came below t.he meetin: house, there appeared to him a little thing like a puppy of a
darkish color, and it shot backward;,~ and forwards between l1is legs. He had the courage to
use all pol!!sible endeavors to cnt it with his nxe, blJt he could not hit it; the pnppy ga\'e a jump
from him, and went, as to hirn it seemed, into the ground," &c. &.c.

t 1'lle appearance of the Phantom Ship, at New Haven, in 1647, occasioned a great sensation,
throughout New England. I'rohaiJiy some vessel wa;; pa><sing up Long Isla nil Sound, aud the
phantom nrolSe from atmosph~ric refraction. This kind of mir;1ge is thus accur,\tely illustrated
by Alonzo Lewis, iu his excellent llistory of Lynn :

1\Ir. Lewis remarks: "On a pleasant Sunday afternoon, in the !'Urn mer of 1843, I saw several
vessels sailing off Nnhant, retl~cted in the manner represented above. 'I'he atmosphere wa!l
dense, yet tran,;;parent, and there were several strata of thin vapory clouds lightly suspended
over the water, on Which the vessels were brightly mirrored. The refracted im:~ges were all
clearly portrtty~d as the real vesselS lleJieatll ; and a drawing ean but imperfectly represent the
exceeding beauty of the mirage."
 24
It is melancholy, it is horrible, to see ho"" evidence was sometimes
tlistorted to. prove the guilt of the a,ccused . Iu some cases the testi·
mony was such as a jury might convict upon; but in others, it was so
palpably absurd, o·r bore such evident marks of malevolence or wag·
gery, that we may well be ttstonished that it was for a moment listen~d
to by those claiming to possess common sense.
Another fact must not be l~st sight of'. Those char~ed-or cried
out agaiQst-as the phrase was, not un frequently confessP.d themselveii
guilty. rrh.e very first person chargf'd did this. And well might such·
confessions aid the progress of the whirlwind. How do we account
for this 1 Some tell us that the couft-f.\sions wer.e wrung from them
by threatened torture, or elicited by _promises of release or pardon.
But it is not true that this was always the case. No less than fifty-
five persons, some of them having through life sustc.ined good charac-
ters, confessed themselves guilty of this most diabolical crime. The
reason is as clear as daylight. They were laboring under the same
impressions that weighed upon ail the rest of the community. They
did not trust at all to their own judgment; but gave credence to the
evidence that was adduced against them. Their case may be illustra·
ted by that ofthe artless countryman, who, afte1· listeuing to the Ia\\-'•
yer who was vehemently pleading against him, rushed before the court
with the most inexpressible horror depicted on his counteunnce, ex·
claiming in frf'nzy, ". Take me off, take me off to prison; l find I de·
serve it, though I thought till now, that I was innocent as a child!"*
And we must not neglect to refer to the recantations. l\Iany of the
most zealous prosecutors and persecutors, nfterwards-· when the spell
was broken-recauted, and in dust and tears mourned over their er ..

*Confessions are, in courts of justice, received with caution. And, when possible, the state
of mind under wl;lich the per:>on cor.fessing acts, is accurately ascertained. Men's hopes or
fears are sometimes so wroughi upon tLat they may easily be led to declare themselves guilty
of crimes which they never committed. And the actual belief of guilt is llften engendered aud
firmly fixed. Yet, fran I\, free, and uubinsed confe:;sions should lie considered strong evidence;
for it is not to be presumed that a man will sacrifice Jlis safety or reputatiou, by denouncing
himselfas a criminal, while he is innocent. It is also sometimes found that a timid, apprehen·
sive, and injudicious person will resort to such JUf'lliiS to show b lmselt' innocent as proves troJliJ
evidence of his guilt. Lord Hale mention~ a sad instance. A young woman was lleurd to cry
out, "Good uncle, do not kill me~" The next day, she was not to he found . She was wealthy,
and her u nde was nat,Jrally suspected of having made :way w ilh her. To prove b is innocence,
he was required to produce her. 'l'his he could not do, for she had absconded. He knew a
girl, very much resembliug his niece, and strange as it may seem, hoped to reuwve susp,icion by
producing her. The cheat was tletected, and of course tal\ell a,; all but positive evidence
of his guilt. He was executed for the supposed murder. But his niece was afterward found to
be Jiving.
 25
rots. But on examination it will be found that they, in their deepest
5orrow, assert that they were sincere-that they verily thought they
were doing God service. Mr. Parris himself, made a sort of half·
\vay recantation. The jury who sat on the cases at Salem Village,
put forth a recantation, in which they most touchingly refer to their
\ict:::1; most humbly ask,ing forgiveness of all those living, whom they
had by their decisions injured, and expressing a~ hope and confidence
that Heaven would forgive them, as they acted, as they fully believed,
in the way of uuty~ Nobody doubts th~ir sincerity. But those same
minds might have run into some other extreme, on some other occa-
SIOn. M••ther, however, who was one of the most zealous of the zeal-
ots, disposes of the matter easily. He thon4ht ' it did much to advance
the cause of religion. After speaking of various ways in which it
promoted the causf.' of holiuess, he continues: ''Some scores of other
youn~ people, who \'-ere strangers to real piety, were n•)W struck with
the lively clemoustrations of hell evidently set forth bPfore their eyes,
when they saw persons cruelly frightened, wounded, aud starved, by
devils, aml scalded by burning brimstone; and yet ~o preserved in this
tortured state, as that, at the end of one month's wrPtchedness, they
were as able still to undergo another. In thP whole the <.levi! got ju~t
nothing; but God got praises, Christ got ~ubjPcts, the Holy Spirit got
temples, the church got additions, and the souls of men got everlasting
benefits." 'rhis view was certainly conscience-easing.
Bnt to return, for a moment, to the dreadful scenes of 1692. It
would be difficult for us to conceive of the horrors of that pMiod.
Every one stood aghast. h was t.he general belief that our heavenly
father had given up this devoted community to the ravages of the
arch enemy. The accu~ations did not rest upon the miserable and
decrepit outca8!s alone; but some of the worthiest and wisest were
charged with the fell crime. The demon entered the domestic circle.
Drops of blood stained the hearth stone. The eve .. balls of fiends
gl<tred upon the sleeping infant. The distressed parent was drng-ged
to prison on the accusation of the nffiicted child. And the child was
Jed from the play ground to the stern bar of justir.e, on the fearful ac-
cusation ofthe parent. The whole community was in mourning. It
was truly the reign of t~rror. No one wat; safe from the present a~
tit)n of a warrant of arrest. And e:ueh evidence was received, and
all so distorted to work conviction, that an arrest was almost equiva•
lent to a death warrant. The number of persons hung at Salem, was
nineteen. One aged man was pressed to death. Eight or nine were
4:
 c·ondemned to death, but not executed. A hundred aud fifty were
imprisoned, and two hundred others accused. And poor ~alem lost
about a third part of her population, by removal and otherwise .
.l\Iy own humble opinion of the matter, has probably been made
sufficiently clear. In common speech we say witchcraft was a
delusion ; but yet there was a reality in the mental action from which
the wild proceedings arose. What is the mesmerism of modern days 1
Is there no reality in the manifestations which many wise ones now
admit take place through that agency 7 Indeed 1 have heard advo..
cates of this system assert that the power of those deemed witches
consisted in mesmeric influence.*
But the dreadful spell was broken. The minds of the people· un·
denvent a reaction-took a new course. Then were lamentations
heard in the streets, for errors committed. And penitential te-ars
gushed forth. It is a sad subject, but disclo9e&· au important phase of
human nature. In almost every age there is an eruption from the same

*Our friends, the advocates of mesmerism, will not a II ow us to rloubt that things of as won-
derful a nature as aught tlJat appenrs in the whole history of witchcraft, may tal\e place any
day. How much truth there is in mesmerism, who is able to decide? I apprehend, its phe-
nomena may be accounted for iu t1le same manner that the developments of witchcraft may
be explained. The reality consist;; in strong, overpowering, men tal conceptions. I very
well re-m em her hearing the pioneer of mesmerism in thi,; country, dec Iare that if one could not
be maile to believe in the science, lte could not he made to feel its effects. Tllere is the wt:ole
secret. Jnst induce one firmly to believe that you have power to put hi::n iuto that peiruliar
state, and he straightway passes into it, as the mere result Of that firm bel ie.f. Just make one
firmly believe thnt you can bewitch hitll, and he is in your power, for that purpose. These
things show the ruling power wltich the mind has, ever the bndy. It indeed 8llows the op-
eration of faith . And the hold figurative assertion ofs;cri;Hure, that faith can remove moun-
tain;;, is fully sustainell. The fact l::, there are ·mnrvellous tru tits, both in tB·e wo rld of mi11d,
and the world of matter, twd the wholesale rejection of the one class or the other, without ex-
aminatiou, doe.s not, certninly, evince the highe::.t allniument in wistlouJ. l\lntt:::rs pertaining
to the im111nterial world, however, itt this utilitarian age, are generally subjected to tile rough-
est treatment. How often do we hear this or that proposition denounced as not being in ac.
cordance with the Jaws of min d. He must he wise iudeed who is sufficiently conver~ant with
those laws, to be always correct in such denuncintions. £t may, in truth be absurd, in his beg-
garly conception. No crented existence has power to comrreheud itself. ;\latter cannot com-
prehend-matter, nor mintl, mind. The latter, however, can ~ comprehend the former, for it is
superittr to it; aud conclusive evicltmce of that superiority is exhibited in thh~ fact itself. A>nd
then, as mind·i11 the highe~ t 0fa)l created existences, it f{)llows lhnt it can be comprehended
only by Deity. We are therefore totally incompetent to set bounds for its powers and maui-
festntions. Then there is the matte! of spirit!!-al ilttc1·course, They who reject the itlea of au
intercourse between spirit, even while it exists in the body, and spirit which has no bodily
• form, r£-ject tiie plainly rel'ealed word of God.. 'fbe Jaws which regulate that intercouri>e Hl\\Y
never be defined j uut this is no proof of their non-existence. \Yhy are we commanded to
pr:ty? A man Wllo disbelieves in all connection between our:;eJves and the l'piritual 1\'orld,
does not certainly act with the most perfect consistency, to off<'r up prayer. Indeed, w!Jat i.;;
argur'!ent, or persuasion, but the attempt of one mind to induce sympathetic act-ion in another·
miud-l
 27
crater, though perhaps the hot lava is of different consistency. It is
often profitable to trace the progress of these eruptions in the body
politic. Sometimes it is slow, almost imperceptible; and sometimes
it is like the raging of the prairie fire. Glnuce, for instance, at the
infidelity of France; wa-tch the workings of the sweet poison thrown
into the body politic in the first half of the eighteenth century; see
how like a subtle disease it fixed upon the vitals; how, by cunning and
varied appliances, it ultimately reached every class, circulated in every
vein; and how, finally, urged on by calm, inflexible energy like that
of a Buffon or a 9ondillac; hy all..-· ements like those of a Voltaire or
a Rosseau; by daring, ferocious impiety, Jike that of a Diderot, it
burst forth in such a whirlwind as overwhelmed with fierce destruc-
tion, peace on earth, trust and hope in heaven. Then were the lovely
banks of the Loire made pestilent by the dissolving remains, and the
waters made red and warm by the gushing blood of innocence. Thr.n
the ghosts of the betrayed and sacrificed wandered among the smoul-
dering ruins of fallen temples and altars, at)d wept for desecrated
household fanes.· And this was just one cer.1tury after the distractions
in New England. But people do not think witchcraft ' had any thing
to do with thus tearing out the very bowels of France; yet, was there
not something quite as dreadful and quite as unaccountable 1
The days of witchcraft, we trust, have passed. Our progress in re-
finement, in the arts of life, in sci en oe, has opened new regions into
which the mind may soar for exercise and profit. But yet, if that be·
lief is the legitimate offspring of a principle of our nature, the root
from which it sprang remains. And what can assure us that in some
age to come it may not again spread aloft its baleful shadow 7 There
is, however, no danger of a return of the murky cloud upon New
England, while the views of the people remain as they are. But ue
there no views now prevalent as strange, and as much to he dreaded.,
in' their full development, :a£ those ef 1692 1

A Witch of the 15th Centu:ry;-Spencer. A Witch of the 19th Century.- Wltittier.

There in a gloomy hollow glen she found Our witche8 at·e no longer old,
A little cottage built of sticks and weedes, And wrinkled I.Jeldames, 11atan-sold;
In homely wise, and wald with sods around But young, and gay, and laughing ct·eatures,
Jn which a witch did dwell, in loathly weedes; With the heart's sunshine on their features-
And wilful want, all careless of her needes; TiJeir sorcery-the light which rlances
So choosing solitarie to abide When the raisP.d lid unveils its ll:lances;
Far from all neighbors, that her devilish ileedes; And the low breathed and gentle tone
.And hellish arts from people she might hide, .Faintly respouding unto ours,
.And hurt far off unknown whomever she en- Soft, dream-like as a fniry's moan,
-vide. Above its nightly closing flowe~:s.
 PART III.

Other Sp~~i~s of Witchcraft.

.. Charms; Amu!f~s, 4"c .

ET us entertain ~hatev~r views we may, in regard tq

srect ral appeara~~es ~nd many' other matters per~
taining to 'our ~ubject, ~v~ 0~1ght not to lose sight of
th~ fa~t that ~ometim·~~ tho~e said to ha~e bern be~
witch~d, were ~ound to suffer from the etfects of dis-:
ease, and to pine away and diP. in accordance with
t~~ rpal~dictions of those 'fho · it ~as alleged bewitched them. The,
effects
;)) "
here, were real, whatever
\
may have been th~
\. . cause.
' We may
caJl the cau~e imaginatiO!l-and perhaps that is a proper terrn-buL
th~ effects were very f~r fr~m being imaginary. The mind h:ts aQ
e~ect upqn the boqy, such a~ we ar'e not ·accustomed duly to recog:
nise; a~ci an impr~ssio~
~ . mad~ upo~ tlu:~ mental
.
portion of. our nature,
)

~ay ~e r ious~y affect ~he physical organization·. Disease and death

fr~~uemly follow from the operation o'r the mind. we shou~d remem-:
her. that
~ '
tpe mind i~ master
. :
of the body. How clearly is this shown.
in th~ awful ~rime of suicide. Here, ' the !'Ilind wills the destruction
of the bqdy, a1~d seyer~ a~ the ag~ny is, that body cannot r~sist. Skill-
ful. and .
cuuning
. . apol~~mces
' mental , .. often exhibit
. . results, astonishing t(!.
the unbelieving or unreflecting:
As a farni!iar exafllple, I wou)d refer to the story of the . farmer:
of War~y!ckshire, told by Dar~vin! ~nd ~~ touchin~~f versified by
Wordsworth, under the title of Goody Blake and H-arry Gill. .And
th~ story~ by the way is well authenticated. During a wintt:r s~a~o~ ,
this unfeeling young man discovered that ~tic~~ !1i!d been p~rloined
from qis hedges. So one cold night, he ~Ony~aleq l1imself near where
the trespass had been committed, and re~~!ned watching till ~ear mid-
night, when an qld woman made her aP.pea!ance and. began to coJlec~
a bundle. •
of• sticks. He remained undiscovered .till she had ..
proceeded saI
far as ~o ~nable ~~~ ~o convict ~er of theft, and ~~en sprang upoq her~
.
 29
cr And fiercely by the arm he took her,
And by the arm h~ held her fast,
And fiercely by the arm ht! shook her,
And cried, ' I've caught you then at last!'
·';['hen Goody, who had nothing said,
Her bundle from her lap let fall;
And kneeling on the sticks, she pray'd,
To God that is the judgd of all.
,She pray'd, her wither'd hand t~prearing,
While Harry held her by the arm-
! God! who art nev~&· out of hearing,
0 may he never more be warm ! '
The cold, co}~ moon ~,tbov~ her head,
Thus on her knees did Goody pray ;
Young Harry heard what she had said,
And icy ~oJd, he turned away."

He was immediately seized with such chills as set his teeth to chatter~
in g. The next day, he was so very cold that he was obliged to put on
additional garments; but all his efforts could not restore him to
,warmth. He was finally obliged to take to his becl, which he kept for
.twenty years, shivering beneath an enormous quantity of blankets,
when death released him from his suffering. Here, it is evident, the
solemnity and fervor of the old woman's prayer, offered under such
impressive circumstance:~, instantly awakened, in a perhaps paturally
apprehensive mind, an overwhelming conviction that it would be
~nswere,d. And it was literally answered through the operation of his
own mind.
That the mind has great effect i:n removing or producing disease
.c.~nn,ot b~ doubted. Miller, a German physician of some note, ob-
.s.erves ,; ".":f.' he influence of ideas upon the body, gives rise to a variety
.of phei]Qmena which border on the marvellous. It may be stated as a
general .fa_ct, t~at any state of the body, which is conceived to be ap-
proachipg, a.nd ~hich is expected with perfect confidence and certain-
ty of it~ occurrence, wiH Le very prone to ensue, as the mere result of
that idea, if it do _n~t lie without the bounds of possibility.''
During .the prevalence of the cholera in France, in 1832, a number
of experiments were tried by the physicians to discover if possible the
c~terit «:>{this influ.enc.e of .the mind upon the body in relation to dis-
ease,s. This was c;me of the exp~rimei'lts: A healthy criminal in a
prison was remo.ved from one cell into another ; and though no one
~av.ing t~e ch9lera, .had ever been in the prison, a physician remarked
in the hearing of the criminal that he hoped the poor fellow would not
.4J~ of the cholera, a.s they had jus~ removed from the eel~ ~nt~ w~i~h
 30
they were placing him. the corpse of a man who bad died of that ter-
l'ible disease. The next clny, the man was found dead, and what was
n:tost remarkable, it was evident that he had died of the cholera. This
was the first case that had appeared in the prison.
I very well remember that when quite a lad, with two or three school
fellows I went to an elderly Jacly who !1ad a high reputation for curing
warts, by charms. She rec.eived us kindly, and simply asked each of
us how many warts we had. ¥/ e told her. She then assured us that
in three weeks they would all be gone. And her assurance was veri-
fied. The implicit faith we had in her power undoubtedly put in ac-
tion that portion of the physical machinery which removed, by absorp-
tion, the excrescencies..
Few, probably, will doubt these things. And the position tal\ en, is
strongly fortified by the following extract from one of Dr. 'Varren's
medical lectures of 1832. " Sometime since," observed tl1at eminent
practitioner, ''a female fr iend presented herself to me,I with
• I • • .
a tumor
. ,. .
or swelling of the submaxillary gland of the neck, which h,ad become
what is called a wen. It was about the size (!)fan egg, had lasted two
years, ami was so very hard, that I considered any attempt to dissipate
it by medicine to be vain, and advised its removal by operation. To
this the patient could not bring her mind; therefore, to satisfy her
wish, I directed some applications of considerable activity to be made
to the part, and these she pursued for a number of weeks, without any
change. After this she called on me, and with some hesitation begged
to know whether au application recommended to her, would in my
opinion be safe. This consisted in applying the han,d of a dead man
three times to the diseased part. One of her neighbors now lay dead,
and she had an opportunity of trying the experiment, if I thought it not
dangerous. At first I was disposed to divert her from it; but recollect-
ing the power of the imagination, I gravely assured her she might make
the trial without apprehension of serious consequences. Awhile after,
she presented herself once more, and with a smiling countenance inform-
ed me that she had used this remedy, and on examining for the tumor,
I found it had disappeared."
There is no cioubt that pains, particularly those of a nervous char-
acter, are often removed by these to some people singular appliances.
All requisite to charm away a pain in many cases is to fully convince
the one on whom you would operate that you have power to relieve
him. This fait!t is marvellous in its results. It is the miraculous
power claimed by some bodies of christians. I was not long ago con-
 31
'fersiug with an Elder who vehemently and sincerely maintained that
he could establish the authenticity of his doctrines by miraculous exd·
hioitions. I asked him what he could do. He suid he coul<.l heal dis-
eases. \Veil, said I, please to cure that man's bead. f can, if he has
faith, llut can you not do it "''ithollt his having faith iu you r power 1
Certainly nnt, he replied-and quoted some scripture which did not
8eE'rn applicable. Now this showed that the power was not miracu-
lous. A miracle, properly, is a 'Contrarention of snrne law of nature;
and hence fait!t is not a prerequh;ite. It is, for instance, a miracle to
change water iuto wine, for the water cannot exercise faith. lf th is
distinction were kept in mind, great errors would be avoided by many
very good christian people.
'fhis power of the mind, or imagination, if people think proper so to
call h, in curing diseases or aggravating them, is so great that an
medical men know that where a patient firmly believes he must die,.
there }s little hope of saving him. And on the other hand, fhe pro~
gress of restol'ation to health is greatly accelerated by faith in the
means employed.
The eminent 1\'lr. Boyle says that at one time he was very subject
to the nose bleed, and after using several remedies, he found the mose
of a dead man's Rkull the roost effectual. And· he speaks of amulets
as often efficaciot1s-the effluvia pervading the pores of the body-
supposing '' an agreement be~ween the pores of the skin, and the fig-
ure of the corpuscles.''*
R..-ery body knows, however, that intel·Iigent physicians have n thou ...
saud difficulties to contend \\lith nrising from prejudice and downright
superstttton. And they are often obliged to conceal their better
knowledge and fall in with the whims of people. Formerly, the belief
extensively prevailed that a remedy should partal{e of the color of the

*The following exlract from a scarce work of Reginald Scot-the" Discnverie of Witchcraft"
-\'ltill give sufficient informntion on the use of amulets: "An .Agat (tbey saie) hath vertue
again"t the biting c-f scorpions or sl.'rpent~. It is writlen (but [will not stand to it) that 1t mak-
eth a man eloquent, and procureth U1e favor of princes; yea that the fume thereof !loath turn
nwaie tempests! Chelidonius is a sto11e taken out of a swallowe, which cu rcth melancholie!
.flmetllysus malteth a llroonlten man sober, and refre~heth the wit! The Corall rueserveth such
as beare it, from fascinati(ln or bewitching, and in this rEJspect they are hanged about the cJiil-
dren's necltes! A Topase healeth the tunaliclte person of his passion of hrnncle! Chalcedonius
rnaketh the bearer Iuckie in la~v, quickeu~th the power of the liodie, and i:> also of force ag:tinst
the illusion of the divell, and phantasticall cogitations! Corneolons mit1gateth the l1eate of the
miud, and qualifieth walice! Iris maketh rainbows to appeare!" And the astuteauthoradds
that according to" the aboUlHlance of humane superstitions and follies 11 some ascribe to these-
stones other or greater powers than they possess !
 32
disease. A relic of that belief comes to us in the use of saffron for
the meazles. The color of the remedy corresponds with the color of
the disease. But saffron tea is no better for the meazles than cat•
nip tea; yet a physician would be considered a half heretic; if he
prescribed the latter.
In reflecting upou these subjects we should be careful to discrimi·
nate bet ween those occurrences which are to be ascribed, to the op·
eration ·of the mind upon the body, and those which cannot be affected
by mental operations. Gross superstitions are exhibited in the latter
class ~ Even Hippocrates urged particular studies on his son, because
"the rising and setting of the stars have a great effect upon distem·
pers." The plague of London, many suppoeed, arose from causes
similar to the above. In a pamphlet, by W. Kemp, A.M., dedicated
to Charles II. is this passage : ''One cause of breeding _the pestilence
is that corruption of the air, which is occasioned by the influence of
the star5, by the aspects, conjunctions, and oppositions of the planets,
by the eclipses of the sun and moon, and by the consequences of com·
ets." It is very important for a Just apprehension of what I would
urge, to make the distinction in el asses of occurrences here referred to.
I trust that what has been said will not be misunderstood. It would
be doing great injustice to c_harge me with intimating that such oc·
currences as some that have been instanced are common. I only un·
dettalte to say that such effects follow in the degree of faith which
can be brought into action; if they be not without the bounds of pos·
sibility. Some people have no more faith than stones-and so you may
as well try to operate on stones. Others are so susceptil)le that they
will go into the mesmeric sleep at the command of another. One of
the most interesting and profitable chapters in the history of the~e
times, is that relating to quae!< medicines. It would be heresy to at-
tempt to convince the world that they do not perform wonders. Bur,
I apprehend the curative effects in most instances follow rather from
the faith of the patlenl than from any inherent properties of the nos·
trums. But then, if the effects really follow, the only difference ~eems
to be that two cents would purchase ~omc known and simple medicine
to effect what twenty·five c.ents' worth of the patent concoctions would.
 PART IV.

AstTology. Demonology. Fortune Telling. ~Ion Pitcher. Conclusion.

STROLOGY, Demonology, Magic, Sorcery, and the

many other systems of a hidden, mysterious nature,
have held more or less sway in all times. Ages ago
they were reduced to form, and ranl<ed as sciences.
. Poetry is full oftheir imagery. And many an intricate
pass in history has been illllmiueu by the glow which they have shed.
The dreamy light of the fascinating, I had almvst said sublime, sys·
tern of Astrology. has led to some of the lofty discoveries in astronomy.
That system is still prevalent iu oriental countries. Through its
agency, it is believed, the fc1tes of men may be read in the starry vol-
ume which is nightly opeued above. The earliest accounts we have
of the huma:1 race, show that they led a pastoral life. And as they
wntchetl their f.ocks upon the star lit plc:ius, do we \\onder that they
~houltl have trncetl out images of strength, beauty, or mystery, among
the ma1·shaled hosts auove, or should have fancied the fates of men
there recorded in glittering liues. Orion, the most magnificent of all
the celeslial constellations upon which the t>ye of man is permitted to
· gnze, and which at the rnomcut I am speal<ing, is pursuing its stately
march across the cleur blue vault, may trace its very name to the
old mythology.
' Demonology has in some ages formed an important part of the very
religion of men. In the £neid we have this bold description of one
uuder the iufluence of a demon:
"Invoke the skies,
1 feel the God, the rushing God, she crit•s;
W hrle yt't she spok~, t"n!argt·d her ft>atott>s grew;
Her color changt>d, her locks disheveled flew;
The heavenly tumult. reigns in evt>ry pnrt,
Pants in her breast, ancfl sweUs her risin!! heart;
Still swelling to the sight the prit-slt'ss giQw'd,
And ht•aved impatient of the incumbent God."

But the progress of true science an~] purified rei igion ha.s loosened
the hold of mol'lt forms of superstilion. Yet, even now, und among
5
 34
U!, we may perc~\ve li1ngering traces of these mysteries. How mnny
sober business men constantly carry lucky bones or pocket pieces-.
How many regard lucky and unlucky days. How many regard the
infinite variety of signs. In the ballad o~ Cumnot' Hall are touching-
ly exhibited several superstitions ot the latter class, which may well
apply forcibly to many cases of our dny. Earl Dudley, it will be re-
membere~, was .suspected o:f h·aving caused the death of his unfortu-
nate countess, in the vain hope of obtaining the hand of his sovereign.
Elizabeth, however,. proposed him toM ary of Scots; but she indignanta
1y rejected him.
"The death-bell thrice was heard to ring,
An aerial voice was heard to call,
And thrice the raven flappf·d his wing
Around the towers of Curnnor Hall.
The mastiff howled at village door,
The oaks were shattered on the green;
Wo was that honr-for never more
The hapless countess e'er ~as seen.
And in that manor now no more
Is cheerful feast and sprightly b~11;
For eve r since that dreary hour
Have spirits haunted Cumnor Hall."

The S}stem ofjortun.e telling will probably prevail in ages to come·.

The restless spirit of man will ever seek to look beyond the veil. And
though his better judgment whi~pers that th::- hand which essays to
draw aside the c.urtnln is as weak as his o\Vn, his trembling hopes and
fears beget a confidence. Says 1\I ackenzie, •' Of many who say they
do not believe in fortune telling, I have known few on whom it had
not a very sensible effect." How many :t sturdy mariner goes stealth-
ily to C?nsult the crone, before embarking upon lhe treacherous bil-
lows. How many a blooming maiden pursues the moonlit path to the
habitation of tbe fortune teller, ·tremblingly to inquire if the fates have
ordained that the concealed, hut consuming love of her own gentle
heart is to find a response in that heart where alone repose can be
found. ·
The traveler, as he pursues his way eastward from the metropolis
of Massachusetts, may observe an abrupt, rocky elevation, upon the
left, a furlong or two, from the second railroad depot in Lynn. This
~levation 'is called High Rock, and the View from it is p:-arhaps as
expansive, varied and maguiticent, as from any spot iu all NPw Eng•
land. The broad t>x·pan~e of the llay, boundle~s to the vision, ~ave
'that under the dc!Jrest sky the dim outline of Cape Cod is percepti·
 '35
ble; tlfe many lovely i~lands lying aoout the entrance to the spacious
h~rbor of Boston, with the countless ve~sels moving amoug them;
1he hold cliffs of Nahant, and the rocky headlands against which the
surly tv aves constantly dash, and then foam and f\)Jl away in spent fury
upon the worn pebbles and glittering sands of the r.oves and hE'aches;
the spires and indistinct architectaral piles of the city, with the blue
hills of Norfolk beyond; the wide-spread and populous town of
Lyun, occupyiug the broad plain which stre1ches from the bold ram-
part of woody h1Hs upon the north~ the deta~hed haoitations, ~cattered
upon the romantic tleclivities, beside the pond& and among the craggy
niches along lhe wild shoc·es ~ the spire·s of distant towns lifting them~
selves above lire hilf·s; the river, the meadows, the woods ·;-th~se,
and a thousand minute obje·ct~, make up a picture of rare grandeur
and beauty.
Upon the declit·ity of this elevation, once stood a lonely cottage,
which, for more than half a century, was the home of the renowned
Moll PitchM. There, in that then sequtstered s'{>ot, it may l1terally
he saiu, she was visited by thosE' of every kindred and nation. And
there, on the oin'th of April, 1813, at the age of seventy-five, she
pas~ed witl1in that Hit which she had so often professed to lift for
others to catch glimpses of their future destinies. That she was an
extraordinary woman, cannot be doubted. Taldng the position,
which we are assured she herself atways assumed, that she possessed
no other means for direct intercourse with the nnseen world, than
those who sought her aid, it must be acknowledged that she ha-d
rnan-elous qnicknf'ss of perception-ability to compare, combine, and
analyze, with wondrous rnpidity. And had her 111ental efforts been
directed to loftier pursuits, we ean hardly doubt that she might
have been a bright star to shed lustre upnn the path of rncn. Few
could read the human henrt wi~h such precision; and few could with
such unerriug c•ertainty discover a true .i ndex to the· afff:ctions, the
hopes, the fears, of others, iu a trembling word, a transient glance.
Her i11fluence was felt throughout the civilized world i and fortuues
and honors were secnred or lost through her predictions. Her maiden
name was Mary Diamond. lu early life, she experiencf>d severities of
fortune; .and it is said pursued her profession for a livelihood. 1\Ir.
I..ewis, in ~peaking of lwr p{'raonal appearance, says: "She was of
the medium height nnd size for a woman, with a good form and
agreeable manners. IIer head, phreuolog-ically considered, was some•
··what capacious; her forehead broad and full, her hair dark brown, he·r
 36
nose rncfin ing to long, an(l her face pale and thin. There was noth-
ing gross or sensual in her nppearance-her countenance was rat her
iutellectual; and she had that coutour of face and e3pression, which~
without being p()sitively beautiful, is, neverthele8s, decidedly inter-
esting-a thoughtful, pensive, and, sornetirnes downca~t look, alnto&t
approaching to melancholy-an eye, when it locked nt you, of calm
and l\een penetratio.n-and an expression <>f intelligent discernment,.
half mingled with a glance of shrewdness.'' She seems to have pos-
sessed a benevolent heart, and often to have sac;ificecJ her owh com·
fort for that of others. The intelligent wr-iter just referred to, says-
she has been known to rise before the sun, wall< two miles to a mill,.
purchase meal, and carry it to a poor widow, who would otherwise
have had no breakfast for her children. Sl1e li\·ed it~ '' lJOmfl·y wise."
But her rude cottage w:ts sometimes visited by the nobles of earth,
for her fame w·as ~s wide a~ the world, And there, too, carne the
fairest dnu2hters of the land, the t:-=iv1ng l'tudeut, the anxious business
man, the siy;hing youth. Her preuictiom,; seem tP have been dispensed
with much a!"surance, and yet with an --;:..i:· of honesty and sincerity ..
Her name will be known to future 2:enei·a1ions, in the most di~tant
lands. E~·e : l nml', we :>ore told, it is C:H1:1tccl in the wilt! ballads nf the
old world, <md invokecl_by the stuv t> ling gipsey, <ts he draws arouud
the eveninl1o n:rour,>
-
of villat>e:s. It cannot be dcuied that lwr J>redic-
~

tion~ were rerifted oftentim~s wi~!~~ltiJOst startling P.xactue~s, and acute

reasoners hnv£, bee:1 most pa:nfully exercised in attempting to account
for her extraordinary success 011 any known principles.
}, nd TI0\\1 1 ill bidding' auieu IO those w};o hr?Ve kindly listened tO my
imperfect remarks, I may he allow ~~ l the 1:imple observation• that su.-
pe?·stit-nn is n term brood nnd v<:ried in ~~s pof.>ular rne:1niug aucl
npplication. Often when it h:\S rei 0':1e•l in its legitimate character, its-
~ ,_,/'-
sceptre has th~own a darl< iwd fe:•rt-ul shadow upon the path of men.
But sottwtimPs its operations ha·;·e been rnisilpprehende<l, and meu hare
referred to it occnrrf'nces belongiu1:r r:!ther to the dep<irtments nf 11'118"
~ !::)

sc1ence. L€'t us remember this; for there are myMeri.es in the loftest
re'g ions of truth.

NoTF.:.-\'\-hile !"flP.:tkintr [fHl!!P. 25) Clfthn rE'cantalifllll" of l<OJnE' ofthn"P who hnd IIPPn zealon_9
in hriu~illl! '" pnni~lunent the l'UfiiiiiSI'd Witches, i11 1\192, lllt•tttiott of Jnll!!e St•wall. wn<~_ a<·c•-
df'utallv 11111ille<l. AfiiH 1he Jr<>n<lful ,:ct·lle:> hnd clo!'t·cl, "" wa::t !"o O•'~'JII.I atfoc'lt'1l1n vrt'W of
the pn•l he llatl tak<'n,. l.hat }1,. auuually !'t'l aJ•:HI """eta~· fM IIIJIIJIIiatinn antlpray .. r, i!' privat.e.
Anti nn the ~cu .. ral f,,:.:t, h,. :tl"o<" lt..f .. te th~< wlrt•l•• ('c•ll!!r~'l!<lliun nt th~ 0111 S1111llo L hnrc-!1 m
13H~tiOl1, an•f n.••nalu,.d in Jl"llit<:wtial tll'ilnJI.·. whiltt a pap.·r nf hi~ WRil rend from •h · rllllflit.
expre;;;;jve t•f hi' $ur•ow. But ntlltd J II,, H:t:: ~IIIII ~II hill l~tuk t'Cl hack \V it h v.. ry clltf -reid f,•e 1-
iOJ!:l. So far frnn1 exr~re,.~ing auy n~l!r .. t,;, II•• wa,; ili»plt'n>'e•l nL httn•ine: olllers lameu t llle
llarsh jH'Ocetlc.liugs. We have uo reason to doubt that tlu~y were l10Lh l:!lncc:re.

561