Narratives of the New England Witchcraft Cases Book

	From "An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences" (better known as "Remarkable Providences"), by Increase Mather, 1684	1
	Introduction	3
	The Preface	8
	Chapter V: Preternatural Happenings in New England	17
	Case of Ann Cole, of Hartford, 1662	18
	Case of Elizabeth Knap, of Groton, 1671	21
	Case of the Morses, at Newbury, 1679-1681	23
	The Tedworth Case, in England, 1661-1663	32
	Case of Nicholas Desborough, of Hartford, 1683	33
	Case of George Walton, at Portsmouth, 1682	34
	Case of the Hortados, at Salmon Falls, 1682-1683	37
	The New York Cases of Hall and Harrison, 1665, 1670	39
	Introduction	41
	Case of Ralph and Mary Hall, of Setauket, 1665	44
	Case of Katharine Harrison, 1670	48
	"Lithobolia, or the Stone-throwing Devil," by Richard Chamberlain, 1698	53
	Introduction	55
	Dedicatory Letter and Verses	58
	Why the Author relates this Stone throwing and why he believes it Witchcraft	60
	The Quaker George Walton and his Neighbors at Great Island (Portsmouth)	61
	The Beginning of the Stone throwing (June, 1682)	62
	The Author himself a Victim	64
	His Serenade and its Sequel; the Black Cat	66
	The Deviltries at Great Bay	67
	Notable Witnesses	69
	The Author again an Object of Attack	70
	Injuries to Others, in House and Field	72
	The Lull in August; the Final Stone throwing in September	76
	The Author's Conclusions	76
	The Pennsylvania Cases of Mattson, Hendrickson, and Guard, 1684, 1701	79
	Introduction	81
	Case of Margaret Mattson and Gertrude Hendrickson, 1684	85
	Case of Robert Guard and his Wife, 1701	88
	"Memorable Providences, relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions," by Cotton Mather, 1689	89
	Introduction	91
	Dedicatory Epistle to the Hon. Wait Winthrop	93
	The Boston Ministers "to the Reader"	95
	The Introduction	97
	Case of the Goodwin Children, at Boston, 1688-1689	99
	The Goodwin Family	99
	The Trouble with the Laundress and her Mother	100
	The Strange Malady of the Children	101
	The Appeal to the Ministers and to the Magistrates; Arrest and Trial of Goody Glover	103
	Her Condemnation and Execution	105
	The Continued Fits of the Children	107
	Efforts of the Ministers to help them	109
	The Author takes the Eldest Girl to his Home; her Behavior	110
	His Experiments with her	112
	Her Imaginary Journeys	114
	Strange Power over her of the Author's Study	115
	The Ministers' Day of Prayer and its Effect	118
	The Author tests the Linguistic Powers of the Demons	119
	And the Power of Scripture and Prayer to quell them	120
	Their Gradual Departure	121
	What the Author has learned from it all	122
	Postscript: the Devils return, but are again dispelled by Prayer	124
	Goodwin's Account of his Children's Bewitchment	126
	Case of Deacon Philip Smith, of Hadley, 1684	131
	Case of Mary Johnson, of Hartford, 1648	135
	Case of the Boy at Tocutt (Branford)	136
	Other Bewitchments	141
	"A Brief and True Narrative of Witchcraft at Salem Village," by Deodat Lawson, 1692	145
	Introduction	147
	"The Bookseller to the Reader"	152
	The Author's Visit to Salem Village	152
	The Antics of "the Afflicted"	153
	Examination of Goodwife Corey	154
	Goodwife Putnam's Afflictions	157
	Examination of Goodwife Nurse	158
	Tales told by Elizabeth Parris, Dorcas Good, Abigail Williams, Mercy Lewis	160
	Goodwife Cloyse slams the Meeting-house Door	161
	Extraordinary Things about the Afflicted	161
	About the Accused	162
	Letter of Thomas Brattle, F.R.S., 1692	165
	Introduction	167
	His Reasons for writing frankly	169
	The Procedure at Salem; the "Afflicted" and their Evidence	170
	The "Confessors"	173
	Indictment and Trial	174
	"Spectre Evidence"	176
	The Executions	177
	Things to wonder at	177
	The Troubles at Andover	180
	Zeal of the Judges	182
	The Doubters and their Reasons	184
	Extent of the Convictions; Hope from the impending General Court	185
	Efforts of certain Ministers to check the Matter	186
	Further Reasons for Hesitation	187
	Why the Confessions cannot be trusted	189
	Letters of Governor Phips to the Home Government, 1692, 1693	191
	Introduction	193
	Letter of October 12, 1692: the Witch Panic as he found it, and what he did about it	196
	Letter of February 21, 1693: Recapitulation of his Earlier Report; how the Panic was brought to an End	198
	From "The Wonders of the Invisible World," by Cotton Mather, 1693	203
	Introduction	205
	The Author's Defence	210
	His Relation to the Salem Trials	213
	The Trial of George Burroughs	215
	The Trial of Bridget Bishop	223
	The Trial of Susanna Martin	229
	The Trial of Elizabeth How	237
	The Trial of Martha Carrier	241
	"Curiosities"
I.	The Devil's Imitation of Divine Things	245
II.	The Witches' making themselves and their Tools invisible	246
III.	The Bewitched delivered by the Execution of the Witches	248
IV.	Apparitions reveal Old Murders by the Witches	249
	Certificate of the Judges to the Truth of this Account	250
	"A Brand Pluck's out of the Burning," by Cotton Mather, 1693	253
	Introduction	255
	The Story of Mercy Short	259
	Her Bewitchment	260
	How the Devil and his Spectres appeared to her	261
	How they tormented her	263
	Her Discourses to them	267
	How her Tortures were turned into Frolics	271
	The Shapes worn by the Spectres	274
	Her Remarkable Answers and Strange Knowledge of Scripture	275
	The Methods used for her Deliverance	276
	Her Deliverance on New Year's Eve	277
	The Renewal of her Troubles after Seven Weeks	278
	The Strange Books brought by the Spectres for her signing	280
	The Books used at their Witch-meetings	282
	The Helpful Spirit, and how he aided her against the Others	283
	The Prayer-meetings and her Final Deliverance	285
	From "More Wonders of the Invisible World," by Robert Calff	289
	Introduction	291
	The Epistle to the Reader: the Author's Reasons for his Book	296
	His Materials	306
	Cotton Mather's Letter of Enclosure	307
	His Another Brand pluckt out of the Burning (the Story of Margaret Rule)	308
	Introductory Anecdote of the Devil's Appearance to an Indian	308
	Who Margaret Rule was; the Beginning of her Bewitchment	310
	How she was tortured by Spectres	311
	And by the Devil	312
	Her Remarkable Fastings; how she was further tormented	313
	Her Strange Revelations as to the Spectres	314
	The White Spirit and his Comfortings	316
	Her Pastor's Efforts for her	317
	Her Tormentors' Attempt with Poppets	318
	The Author's Reply to his Revilers	320
	The Good that has come of the Affair	322
	Part II: Calef's Correspondence with Mather	324
	His Letter of Jan. 11, 1694, enclosing his Journal of his Visit to Margaret Rule on Sept. 13	324
	And on Sept. 19	327
	And rehearsing his earlier Letters of Sept. 29 and Nov. 24	329
	Mather's Reply (Jan. 15)	333
	Enclosed Certificates of Witnesses to Margaret Rule's Levitation	337
	Calef's Rejoinder (Jan. 18)	338
	Part V: The Salem Witchcraft	341
	The Rev. Mr. Parris and the Divisions at Salem Village	341
	The Strange Behavior of Divers Young Persons and its Ascription to Witchcraft	342
	Mr. Lawson's Visit and his Account; the Examinations of the Accused	343
	Mr. Lawson's Sermon; the Solemn Fast at Salem	345
	The "White Man"; Goodwife Cloyse and the Slammed Door; the Public Examination of April 11	346
	The Lord's Prayer as an Ordeal; Specimen of a Mittimus	347
	Arrival of Governor Phips; the Political Events leading to it	348
	Mrs. Cary's Commitment and Escape	349
	Captain John Alden's Narrative	353
	Opening of the Special Court at Salem (June 2)	355
	Bridget Bishop's Fate; Advice of the Boston Ministers	356
	The Trials of June 30; Fate of Sarah Good; of Rebecca Nurse	357
	The August Trials and Executions; George Burroughs, John Willard, the Procters	360
	Procter's Letter to the Ministers	362
	Old Jacobs and his Grand-daughter; her Confession and Retraction	364
	The September Trials	366
	The Coreys; Wardwell; Mary Esty and her Letter	367
	Mrs. Hale accused; Mr. Hale's Change of View	369
	Seizure of the Property of Fugitives	370
	Flight of George Jacobs and Fate of his Family	371
	The Andover Witchcraft	371
	The Gloucester Witchcraft	373
	End of the Special Court; Summary of its Work	373
	How the Accused were brought to confess; Protestation of the Andover Women	374
	Criticism of Cotton Mather's Account of the Trials	378
	The Laws in Force against Witchcraft	381
	The new Superior Court and how it dealt with the Witch Cases (Jan.-April, 1693)	382
	Governor Phips's General Pardon	384
	The Benham Case in Connecticut (1697); the Massachusetts Proclamation of a General Fast (Dec., 1696)	385
	Judge Sewall's Public Penitence	386
	The Penitence of the Jurors	387
	Criticism of Cotton Mather's Life of Phips (1697)	388
	And of its Author's Teaching as to Witchcraft	389
	Calef's own Convictions as to the Matter	391
	From "A Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft," by John Hale, 1702	395
	Introduction	397
	An Epistle to the Reader, by John Higginson	399
	Mr. Hale's "Preface to the Christian Reader"	402
	The Origin and Nature of Devils	406
	Summary of New England Witch Cases, 1648-1692	408
	Margaret Jones; Mrs. Lake	408
	Mrs. Kendal	409
	Mrs. Hibbins; Mary Johnson	410
	The Principles acted on in these Convictions	411
	Mrs. Morse; Goody Glover	412
	The Salem Witchcraft; its Beginnings	413
	Tituba's Confession	415
	Conscientiousness of the Judges; the Authorities used by them	415
	Influence of the Confessions; their Agreement with the Accusations and with each other; their Circumstantiality	416
	Specimen Confessions: Deliverance Hobbs's	417
	Ann Foster's; Mary Lacy's	418
	William Barker's	419
	Their Testimony against themselves and against each other	420
	How Doubt at last was stirred	421
	Wherein lay the Error	422
	Like Mistakes in Other Places	424
	The Application of the Whole	425
	The Virginia Case of Grace Sherwood, 1706	433
	Introduction	435
	Her First Trial; the Jury of Women	438
	The Appeal to the Governor and Council; the County Court instructed to make Further Inquiry	439
	Her Second Trial; the Ducking	441
	The Verdict; her Detention for Trial by the General Court	442
	Index	443