An Essay on Demonology, Ghosts and Apparitions, and Popular Superstitions: Also, an Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem, in 1692Thacher, James
Philosophy
An Essay on Demonology, Ghosts and Apparitions, and Popular Superstitions: Also, an Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem, in 1692
Thacher, James
Superstition; Witchcraft; Witchcraft -- Massachusetts -- Salem
'Several of the bewitched,' adds Dr Cotton Mather, 'gave in their
testimony that they had been troubled with the apparitions of two
women, who said they were Burroughs' two wives, and that he had been
the death of them, and that the magistrates must be told of it, before
whom, if Burroughs upon his trial denied it, they did not know but
they should appear against him in court. Burroughs being now on trial,
one of the bewitched persons was cast into horror at the ghosts of the
two deceased wives, then appearing before him, and crying for
vengeance against him. But he, though much appalled, utterly denied
that he discerned anything of it: nor was this,' adds Dr Mather, 'any
part of his conviction.'[B] It was testified by some of the
witnesses, that the prisoner had been at witch meetings with them; and
that he was the person who had seduced them into the snares of
witchcraft; that he promised them fine clothes for doing it; that he
brought puppets to them, and thorns to stick into those puppets, for
the afflicting of other people; and that he exhorted them with the
rest of the crew to bewitch all Salem village, but be sure to do it
gradually, if they would prevail in what they did. It was testified of
one Ruck, brother-in-law to the prisoner, that himself and sister,
with Burroughs, going out two or three miles to gather strawberries,
Ruck, with his sister, rode home very moderately with Burroughs on
foot in company. Burroughs stepped aside into the bushes, whereupon
they halted and holloed for him. He not answering, they proceeded
homewards with a quickened pace, and yet, when they were got near
home, to their astonishment they found him on foot with them, having a
basket of strawberries. Burroughs then fell to chiding his wife for
speaking to her brother of him on the road; which, when they wondered
at, he said he knew their thoughts. Ruck being startled at that,
intimated that the devil himself, did not know so far. Burroughs
answered, 'My God makes known your thoughts unto me.' The prisoner at
the bar had nothing to answer unto what was thus witnessed against
him, that was worth considering. 'But the court began to think,' says
Dr Mather, 'that he then stepped aside only that by the assistance of
the black man he might put on his invisibility, and in that
fascinating mist, gratify his own jealous humor to hear what they said
of him.' This is paying no great compliment to the philosophical
character of the court. Burroughs was, however, condemned, and was
carried in rags in a cart through the streets of Salem, to his
execution; and his body was dragged by the rope over the ground, and
buried among some rocks, one hand and part of the face left uncovered.
When on the ladder, he repeated the Lord's Prayer; probably because it
was the popular opinion, that a wizard is deprived of the power of
doing it, and he also protested against the injustice of his
sufferings with such awful solemnity, as to affect the spectators to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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