The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, (Vol. 1 of 3)Mather, Cotton
History
The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination, (Vol. 1 of 3)
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England
It may be justly said of Cotton Mather, that he was one of the most
remarkable Men of the Age in which he lived; not only remarkable on
one, but on many Accounts; and for none, perhaps, more than for his
wonderful Precociousness, or the early Intuitiveness of his Mind. His
Memory was likewise very extraordinary. The Acquirement of Knowledge
seems to have been with him accomplished almost without Effort; and his
Writings show that they were generally drawn from the Storehouse of his
Mind, where, from Reading and Observation, they had been from Time to
Time deposited. Authors who write from this Source alone are generally
diffuse, and wanting in those very essential and minute Particulars,
which in these Days constitute so important a Part of every Man's
Writings. His Style is very peculiar; and no One who is acquainted with
the Writings of "famous Thomas Fuller," can hardly doubt that Cotton
Mather attempted to make that Writer's Composition a Model for his own.
Still he falls considerably short of Fuller in his Attempts at witty
Conceits; in them the latter is always happy, while the former often
fails.
His Ability for acquiring Languages has probably been surpassed by but
very few, and he is said to have been Master of more Languages than any
other Person in New England in his Time. Those, especially the Latin,
it must be confessed, he made a most unreasonable Use of, bringing in
Passages from them at all Times, as though every Body understood them,
as well as himself.
So far as we now remember, Dr. Douglass seems to have been the Author
of the Fashion or Practice, so much of late Years in Vogue, of reviling
Cotton Mather. It has been carried to such an Extent in some Quarters,
that any One who presumes to mention his Name, does it at the Peril
of coming in for a Share of Obloquy and Abuse himself. Some not only
charge him with committing all Sorts of Errors and Blunders, but they
bring against him the more serious Charge of misrepresenting Matters
of Fact. Now it would be well for those who bring those Charges to
scrutinize their own Works. It may be, if they cannot see anything
pedantic, puerile or false in them themselves, others may come in
Contact with Errors even worse than those of Stupidity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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