The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol. 3 of 3)Mather, Cotton
History
The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol. 3 of 3)
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England
The 30th of _June_, the Court according to Adjournment again sat;
five more were tried, _viz._ _Sarah Good_ and _Rebecca Nurse_, of
_Salem-Village_; _Susanna Martin_ of _Amsbury_; _Elizabeth How_ of
_Ipswich_; and _Sarah Wildes_ of _Topsfield_: these were all condemned
that Sessions, and were all Executed on the 19th of _July_.[32]
At the Tryal of _Sarah Good_, one of the afflicted fell in a Fit, and
after coming out of it, she cried out of the Prisoner, for stabbing
her in the breast with a Knife, and that she had broken the Knife in
stabbing of her, accordingly a piece of the blade of a Knife was found
about her. Immediately information being given to the Court, a young
Man was called, who produced a Haft and part of the Blade, which the
Court having viewed and compared, saw it to be the same. And upon
inquiry the young Man affirmed, that yesterday he happened to brake
that Knife, and that he cast away the upper part, this afflicted person
being then [102] present, the young Man was dismist, and she was bidden
by the Court not to tell lyes;[33] and was improved (after as she had
been before) to give Evidence against the Prisoners.
At Execution, Mr. _Noyes_ urged _Sarah Good_ to Confess, and told her
she was a Witch, and she knew she was a Witch, to which she replied,
you are a lyer; I am no more a Witch than you are a Wizard, and if you
take away my Life, God will give you Blood to drink.
At the Tryal of _Rebecca Nurse_, this was remarkable that the Jury
brought in their Verdict not Guilty, immediately all the accusers in
the Court, and, suddenly after all the afflicted out of Court, made
an hideous out-cry, to the amazement, not only of the Spectators, but
the Court also seemed strangely surprized: one of the Judges exprest
himself not satisfied, another of them as he was going off the Bench,
said they would have her Indicted anew. The chief Judge said he would
not Impose upon the Jury; but intimated, as if they had not well
considered one Expression of the Prisoners when she was upon Tryal,
_viz._ That when one _Hobbs_, who had confessed herself to be a Witch,
was brought into the Court to witness against her, the Prisoner turning
her head to her, said, [_What, do you bring her? she is one of us_]
or to that effect, this together with the Clamours of the Accusers,
induced the Jury to go out again, after their Verdict, not Guilty. But
not agreeing, they came into the Court, and she being then at the Bar,
her words were repeated to her, in order to have had her explanation of
them, and she making no Reply to them, they found the Bill, and brought
her in Guilty; these words being the Inducement to it, as the Foreman
has signified in writing, as follows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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