The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England, to which is added A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England WitchesMather, Cotton
History
The Wonders of the Invisible World: Being an Account of the Tryals of Several Witches Lately Executed in New-England, to which is added A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England -- Early works to 1800
II. The Court being sensible, that the Testimonies of the Parties
Bewitched, use to have a Room among the _Suspicions_ or _Presumptions_,
brought in against one Indicted for Witch-craft; there were now heard
the Testimonies of several Persons, who were most notoriously Bewitched,
and every day Tortured by Invisible Hands, and these now all charged the
Spectres of _G. B._ to have a share in their Torments. At the Examination
of this _G. B._ the Bewitched People were grievously harrassed with
Preternatural Mischiefs, which could not possibly be Dissembled; and
they still ascribed it unto the endeavours of _G. B._ to Kill them. And
now upon the Tryal of one of the Bewitched Persons, testified, that in
her Agonies, a little black Hair'd Man came to her, saying his Name was
_B._ and bidding her set her hand to a Book which he shewed unto her;
and bragging that he was a _Conjurer_, above the ordinary Rank of
Witches; That he often Persecuted her with the offer of that Book,
saying, _She should be well, and need fear nobody, if she would but Sign
it;_ But he inflicted cruel Pains and Hurts upon her, because of her
denying so to do. The Testimonies of the other Sufferers concurred with
these; and it was remarkable, that whereas _Biting_ was one of the ways
which the Witches used for the vexing of the Sufferers; when they cry'd
out of _G. B._ Biting them, the print of the Teeth would be seen on the
Flesh of the Complainers, and just such a Set of Teeth as _G. B's_ would
then appear upon them, which could be distinguished from those of some
other Mens. Others of them testified, That in their Torments, _G. B._
tempted them to go unto a Sacrament, unto which they perceived him with
a Sound of Trumpet, Summoning of other Witches, who quickly after the
Sound, would come from all Quarters unto the Rendezvouz. One of them
falling into a kind of Trance, affirmed, that _G. B._ had carried her
away into a very high Mountain, where he shewed her mighty and glorious
Kingdoms, and said, _He would give them all to her, if she would write
in his Book;_ but she told him, _They were none of his to give;_ and
refused the Motions; enduring of much Misery for that refusal.
It cost the Court a wonderful deal of Trouble, to hear the Testimonies
of the Sufferers; for when they were going to give in their Depositions,
they would for a long time be taken with Fits, that made them uncapable
of saying any thing. The Chief Judg asked the Prisoner, who he thought
hindred these Witnesses from giving their _Testimonies_? And he
answered, _He supposed it was the Devil._ That Honourable Person
replied, _How comes the Devil then to be so loath to have any Testimony
born against you?_ Which cast him into very great Confusion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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