he falls; another takes his place, and again Storer takes aim, and he falls by his fellow. Soon the tide rises, and overturns the rolling battery; the men are exposed to the deadly fire of the sloops, and fall or fly in every direction.

Their next project was to build a kind of fire ship, eighteen or twenty feet square, loaded with combustible substance, this raft of fire they guided as near the vessels as they dared; and the tide directed the blazing pile directly toward the tremb ling sloops. Never were men in a more awful situation. In this moment of distress, they cried unto God, and he heard them. To the amazement of all, the wind suddenly changed, and with a fresh gale drove the floating destruction on shore, so shattered, that the water broke in, and extinguished the fire. Thus, after alternately attacking the garrison and vessels for forty-eight hours, exhausting their strength, expending their ammunition, losing one of their French commanders, and a number of their men, they sullenly retreated, having killed one man, and a number of cattle, and taken one prisoner; him they tortured, and killed in the most terrible manner.

This summer, a formidable stone fort was built at Pemaquid, called William Henry. Early in the summer of 1693, Major Church received the command of the troops in the eastern country, with orders to raise three hundred and fifty more. He surprised and took a party of the enemy not far from Wells; then marched to Pemaquid, Taconet, and Saco, but found no enemies. At Saco, he ordered a fort to be built. About this time, the Indians alarmed Quabaog, or Brookfield, and killed a number of persons, but they were pursued, most of them killed, their captives and plunder retaken. The Indians had become tired of the war; they had some serious fears respecting the Maquas, and sued for peace, which was willingly granted them. A treaty was signed, May 11, 1693.

In 1691, the general court employed two of their members, with Sir Henry Ashhurst, and the Rev. Dr. Mather, to solicit the restoration of their charter. In this they were disappointed, but a new charter was given, including the colony of Plymouth, Province of Main and Nova Scotia, with all the country between Nova Scotia and Maine, to the River St. Lawrence; also Elizabeth Islands, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard, in the government of Massachusetts. But the people were greatly disappointed in their new charter. Many of their invaluable privileges were taken from them. They no longer chose their governors, secretary, or officers of admiralty. The mili

New Charter.

governor.

165

A house of repre

tia was under the controul of the sentatives was not mentioned. To levy taxes, grant administrations, prove wills, and try capital offenders, was the office of the governor and council. But in the true spirit of their native independence, the first act of the legislature, in Massachusetts, after receiving the charter, contained the following clause: "Nɔ aid, tax, tollage, assessment, custom, loan, benevolence, or imposition whatsoever shall be laid, assessed, imposed, or levied on his majesty's subjcets, or their estates, on any pretence whatever, but by the act and consent of the governor, council, and representatives of the people, assembled in general court."

CHAP. XXIII.

Witchcraft.

IT was now seventy-two years since the first settlement of Plymouth. During this period, making their own laws and choosing their own rulers, New England had established regulations for promoting learning and religion, not equalled perhaps in any nation. In 1643, there were thirty-six churches in New England; in 1650, there were forty, which contained 7750 communicants; and though the philosophist points the finger of derision at the pious founders of these republics, the history of man does not present any people adopting wiser measures, or productive of more permanent blessings. where is knowledge more generally diffused, no where are morals more correct, religion more pure, or the inhabitants more independent and happy.

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But the fairest day has its cloud. Sir William Phips, the first governor under the new charter, found the province n a deplorable situation. An Indian war was wasting the frontiers. An agitation, a terror of the public mind in the greater part of Essex county, like a tornado, was driving the people to the most desperate conduct. In the tempest of passion, a government of laws, trial by jury, all the guards against oppression, were too feeble to protect the person or property of the most loyal subject. The pillars of civil government were sha-. ken to the foundation, by the amazing power of supposed

witchcraft. In the beginning of 1692, the Rev. Samuel Paris of Salem village, now Danvers, had a daughter aged 9, and a niece aged 11," who were distressed with singular distempers." The means used by the physician being ineffectual, he gave it as his opinion, that "they were under an evil hand." The neighbours immediately believed that they were bewitched. An Indian servant and his wife privately made some experiments" to find out the witch." The children being informed of this, immediately complained of Tituba, the Indian woman, that she pinched, pricked, and tormented them. They said she was visible to them, here and there, where others could not see her. Sometimes they would be dumb, and choked, and have pins thurst into their flesh. Mr. Paris, being deeply affect ed with the distress of his family, invited a number of his brethren in the ministry to visit him, and give their advice. They advised him "to wait on the providence of God, and to be much in prayer." Accordingly, two or three private fasts were kept at his house, at one of which several ministers came aud joined with him. After this, there was a public fast in the village, and afterward in several congregations in the neighbourhood; and finally, the general court appointed a fast through the colony, "to seek the Lord, that he would rebuke Satan." Still the distresses increased, more persons complained of their sufferings, and more were accused. At the sight of these the sufferers would swoon and fall into fits; at the touch of the same persons, they would revive. The public mind was shocked and alarmed; the most decisive proceedings followed. For a time, all, or most of the people were of one mind. March 2d, there was a public examination at the village, and several were committed to prison. March 21, the magistrates met in Salem, and Mr. Noyes opened with prayer. On the 24th of March, they met at the village, and Mr. Hale prayed. On the 26th, they met again in Salem and kept the day in fasting and prayer. There was another exam-, ination at Salem, April 22d, and a number more imprisoned. June 2d, an old woman was condemned at Salem, and executed on the 10th, making no confession. Five more were tried June 30th, and executed July 19th; six more were tried August, 6th, and all executed the 19th, except one woman, pleaded pregnancy. One of these was Mr. George Burroughs, sometime minister at Wells: he had also preached at the vil lage, but met with great opposition. A great number of witnesses appeared at his trial; a specimen of their testimonies

who

"Elizur Keysar,

may be seen by the following deposition. aged about forty-five years, saith, that on Thursday last, being the 5th of this instant month of May, I was at the house of Thomas Beadle, in Salem, and Capt. Daniel King being there also at the same time and in the same room, said Capt. Daniel King asked me whether I would not go up and see Mr. Burroughs and discourse with him, he being then in one of the chambers of said house. I told him it did not belong to me, and I was unwilling to make or meddle with it; then said King said, Are you not a christian? If you are a christian, go and see him, and discourse with him. But I told him I did believe it did not belong to such as I was to discourse him, he being a learned man. The said King said, I believe he is a child of God, a choice child of God, and that God would clear up his innocency. So I told him my opinion or fear was, that he was the chief of all the persons accused for witchcraft, or the ringleader of them all; and told him also, that I believed if he was such a one, his master (meaning the devil) had told him before now, what I said of him. And said King seeming to me to be in a passion, I did afterward forbear.

The same afternoon, I having occasion to be at said Beadle's house, in the chamber where Mr. George Burroughs kept, I observed that the said Burroughs did steadfastly fix his eyes upon me. The same evening, being in my own house, in a room without any light, I did see very strange things appear in the chimney, I suppose a dozen of them, which seemed to me to be something like jelly that used to be in the water, and quivered with a strange motion, and then quickly disappeared. Soon after which, I did see a light up in the chimney, about the bigness of my hand, something above the bar, which quivered and shaked, and seemed to have a motion upward; upon which I called the maid, and she, looking up the chimney, saw the same; and my wife looking up, could not see any thing. So I did and do conclude it was some diabolical operation!!!"

On the margin of this deposition is written," Mr. Elizur Keysar declared to the Jury of Inquest, that the evidence in the paper is the truth upon oath, August 31, 1692."

Niue persons received sentence of death, September 17th, eight of whom were executed September 22d, one woman being reprieved, pleading pregnancy. Giles Cory had been pressed to death, September 16th, because he would not (seeing all were convicted) put himself on trial by the jury. Previous to this, numbers had confessed themselves guilty of

witchcraft, it being the only way of saving their lives, none who confessed being executed. Terrible was the day. Every man was suspicious of his neighbour, and alarmed for himself. Business was interrupted; many people fled from their dwellings; terror was in every countenance, and distress in every heart. Every place was the subject of a direful tale, and the most common incidents received some fanciful construction to cover them with mystery, or load them with infamy.

The agency of invisible beings, whether true or false, constitutes a part of every religion under the sun. The first page of the Jewish scriptures introduces the subject; the New Tes tament constantly supposes the powerful influence of spiritual beings. Mahometans, and pagans, civilized aud savage, have, for substance, but one creed on the subject.

The people of Essex county had lived among the savages; they had heard their narratives of Hobbamocko, or the devil, of his frequent appearance to them, of their conversations with him, and of his sometimes carrying them off. These were the familiar tales of their winter evenings, which confirmed their opinions, roused their admiration, laid the basis of much su perstition, and furnished fuel for approaching terrors. The circumstances attending the first strange appearances were unfortunate, and powerfully tended to give them currency, They first appeared in the family of their minister; he was credu lous; this excited belief in others. An Indian and his wife were in the family; they were supposed adepts in the science of witchcraft, their opinions were important; to complete the misery, the physician united his suffrage; the evidence now in the public mind was conclusive. No wonder the alarm was

sudden and terrible. Children not twelve years of age were allowed to give in their testimony. Indians related their own personal knowledge of invisible beings, and women told their frights. The testimonies then received, would now be considered a burlesque on judicial proceedings. One circumstance, however, ought to be noticed. The persons accused had generally, if not every individual, been in some obnoxious situa tion, or done some singular or forbidding action. Giles Corey had confessed himself a scandalous person, and been accepted by the church, at eighty years of age. Mr. Burroughs had been greatly disliked as a preacher; he was a stout man, and performed athletic exploits, which were thought preternatural, Another person was an object of envy on account of superior wealth; but most of those accused were in the lower walks of