More wonders of the invisible world, or The wonders of the invisible world displayed. In five parts

Part I. — An Account ot the Sufferings of Margaret Rule

written by the Rev. Cotton Mather. Part II.— Several Letters to the Author, &c. and his Reply

relating to Witchcraft.

Part III. — The Differences between the Inhabitants of Salem Village, and Mr. Parris, their Minister, in New- England.

Part IV. — Letters of a Gentleman uninterested, endeavouring to prove the received opinions about Witchcraft to be Orthodox. With short Essays to their Answers. Part V. — A short Historical Account of Matters of Fact in that Affair.

to which is added

A POSTCRIPT,

COLLECTED BY

ROBERT CALEF,

Merchant, of Boston, in New-England

PRINTED IN LONDON*. A. D. 1700.

RE-PRINTED IN SALEM, BY JOHN D. AND T. C. GUSHING, JR

FOR CUSHING AND APPLETOK-

1 823.

AS CMS '

THE EPISTLE TO THE READER,

AND MORE ESPECIALLY TO THE NOBLE BARONS OF THIS AGE, WHEREVER RESIDING.

GENTLEMEN,

YOU, that are freed from the slavery of a corrupt education ; and that, in spite of human precepts, example, and precedents, can hearken to the dictates of scripture and reason ; for your sakes I am content that these collections of mine, as also my sentiments, should be exposed to public view; in hopes that, having well considered and compared them with scripture, you will see reason, as I do, to question a belief so prevalent as that here treated of, as also the practice flowing from thence ; they standing as nearly connected as cause and effect ; it being found wholly impracticable to extirpate the latter, without first curing the former. And if the buffoon or satirical will be exercising their talents, or if the bigots wilfully and blindly reject the testimonies of their own reason, and more sure word, it is no more than what I expected from them. But you, gentlemen, I doubt not, are willing to distinguish between truth and error ; and if this may be any furtherance to you herein, I shall not miss my aim. But if you find the contrary, and that my belief herein is any way heterodox, I shall be thankful for the information to any learned or reverend person, or

0>'Si ^ R S iv THE EPISTLE

others, that shall take that pains to inibrm me better, by scripture or sound reason; which is what I have been long seeking for in this coun* try in vain*

In a time when not only England in particular, but almost all Europe, had been labouring against the usurpations of tyranny and slavery, the English America has not been behind in a share of the common calamities ; more especially, New-England has met not only with such calamities as are common to the rest, but with several aggravations enhancing such afflictions, by the devastations and cruelties of the barbarous Indians in their eastern borders, &c. But this is not all ; they have been harast (on many accounts) by a more dreadful enemy, as will herein appear to the considerate.

Were it, as we are told in Wonders of the Invisible World, " that the devils were walking about our streets with lengthened chains, making a dreadful noise in our ears ; and brimstone (even without a metaphor) was making a horrid and a hellish stench in 6*ur nostrils ;" and, ei that the devil, exhibiting himself ordinarily as a black man, had decoyed a fearful knot of proud, froward, ignorant, envious and malicious creatures, to list themselves in his horrid service, by entering their names in a book tendered unto them ; and that they have had their meetings and sacraments, and associated themselves to destroy the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these parts of the world ; having each of them their spectres, or devils, commissioned by them, and representing of them to be the engines of

TO THE READER. v

their malice, "by these wicked spectres seizing poor people about the country, with various and bloody torments, and of those evidently preternatural torments some, have died ; and that they have bewitched some even so far as to make them self-destroyers, and others in many towns here and there languished under their evil hands — the people, thus afflicted, miserably scratched and bitten; and that the same invisible furies did stick pins in them, and scald them, distort and disjoint them, with a thousand other plagues ;> and sometimes drag them out of their chambers, and carry them over trees and hills, miles together, many of them being tempted to sign the devil's laws" — "those furies, whereof several have killed more people perhaps than would serve to make a village" — If this be the true state of the afflictions of this country, it is very deplorable, and beyond all other outward calamities miserable. But if, on the other side, the matter be, as others do understand it, that the devil has been too hard for us by his temptations, signs, and lying wonders, with the help of pernicious notions, formerly imbibed and professed ; together with the accusations of a parcel of possessed, distracted or lying wenches, accusing their innocent neighbours, pretending they see their spectres, i. e. devils in their likeness, afflicting of them ; and that God in righteous judgment (after men had ascribed his power to witches, of commissioning devils to do these things) may have given them over to strong delusions to believe lies, &c. and to let loose the devils of envy, hatred, pride, cruelty and malice against each

281288 vi ^ THE EPISTLE

other, yet still disguised under the mask of zeal: for God, and left them to the branding one another with the odious name of witch ; and upon the accusation of those above mentioned, brother to accuse and prosecute brother, children their parents, pastors and teachers their immediate flock, unto death ; shepherds becoming wolves ; wise men infatuated ; people hauled to prisons ; with a bloody noise pursuing to, and insulting over the (true) sufferers at, execution; while some are fleeing from that called justice, justice itself fleeing before such accusations, when once it did but begin to refrain further proceedings ; and, to question such practices, some making their escape out of prisons, rather than by an obstinate defence of their innocency to run so apparent hazard of their lives ; estates seized, families of children and others left to the mercy of the wilderness (not to mention here the numbers proscribed, dead in prisons or executed, &c.) — All which tragedies, though begun in one town, or rather by one parish, has plague-like spread more than through that country, and by its echo giving a brand of infamy to this whole country throughout the world : — If this were the miserable case of this country in the time thereof, and that the devil had so far prevailed npon us, in our sentiments and actions, as to draw us from so much as looking into the scrip tures for our guidance in these pretended intricacies ; leading us to a trusting in blind guides, such as the corrupt practices of some other countries, or the bloody experiments of Bod id, and such other authors ; — then, though our case

TO THE READER. vii*

be most miserable, yet it must be said of New- England, thou hast destroyed thyself, and brought this greatest of miseries upon thee.

And now, whether the witches (such as have made a compact by explicit covenant with the devil, having thereby obtained a power to commission him) have been the cause of our miseries; or whether a zeal, governed by blindness and passion, and led by precedent, has not herein precipitated us into far greater wickedness (if not witchcrafts) than any have jet been proved against those that suffered: — to be able to distinguish aright in this matter, to which of these two to refer our miseries, is the design of the present work.

As to the former, I know of no sober man, much less reverend christian, that, being asked, dares affirm, and abide by it, that witches have that power, viz. to commission devils to kill and destroy; and as to the latter, it were well if there were not too much of truth in it, which remains to be demonstrated.

But here it will be said, What need of raking in the coals that lay buried in oblivion? We cannot recal those to life again, that have suffered, supposing it were unjustly; it tends but to the exposing the actors, as if they had proceeded irregularly.

Truly I take this to be just as the devil would have it, so much to fear disobliging men, as not to endeavour to detect his wiles, that so he may the sooner, and with the greater advantages, set the same on foot again (either here or elsewhere), so dragging us through the pond twice by the same cat And, if reports do not via THE EPISTLE

herein deceive us, much the same has been act* nig this present year in Scotland. And ^\hat kingdom or country is it, that has not had their bloody fits and turns at it? And if this is such a catching disease, and so universal, I presume I need make no apology for my endeavours to prevent, as far as in my power, any more such bloody victims or sacrifices; though indeed I had rather any other would have undertaken so offensive, though necessary, a task; yet, all things weighed, I had rather thus expose myself to censure, than that it should be wholly omitted. Were the notions- in question innocent and harmless, respecting the glory of God, and well-being of men, I should not have engaged in them; but finding them, in my esteem, so intolerably destructive of both, this, together with my being by warrant called before the justices, in my own just vindication I took it to be a call from God, to my power, to vindicate his truths, against the pagan and popish assertions, which are so prevalent ; for though christians in general do own the scriptures to be their only rule of faith and doctrine, yet these notions will tell us, that the scriptures have not sufficiently, nor at all, described the crime of witchcraft, whereby the culpable might be detected, though it be positive in the command to punish it by death ; hence the world has been from time to time perplexed, in the prosecution of the several diabolical mediums of heathenish and popish invention to detect an imaginary crime (not but that there are witches such as the law of God describes) which has produced a deluge of

TO THE READER. ix

blood ; hereby rendering the commands of God not only void but dangerous.

80 also they own God's providence and government of the world; and that tempests and storms, afflictions and diseases, are of his sending; yet these notions tell us, that the devil has tbe power of all these, and can perform them when commissioned by a witch thereto ; and that he has a power, at the witch's call, to act and do, without and against the course of nature, and all natural causes, in afflicting and killing of innocents; and this it is that so many have died for.

Also it is generally believed, that if any man has strength, it is from God the Almighty Being : but these notions will tell us, that the devil can make one man as strong as many ; which was one of the best proofs, as it was counted, against Mr. Burroughs the minister; though his contemporaries in the schools, during his minority, could have testified, that his strength was then as much superior to theirs as ever (setting aside incredible romances) it was discovered to be since : thus rendering the power of God, and his providence, of none effect.

These are some of the destructive notions of this age; and however the asserters of them seem sometimes to value themselves much upon sheltering their neighbours from spectral accusations, they may deserve as much thanks as that tyrant, that, having industriously obtained an unintelligible charge against his subjects, in matters wherein it was impossible they should be guilty, having thereby their lives in his powtf THE EPISTLE

er, yet suffers them of his mere grace to live* and will be called gracious lord.

It were too Icarian a task for one, unfurnished with necessary learning, and library, to give any just account from whence so great delusions have sprung, and so long continued. Yet, as an essay from those scraps of reading that 1 have had opportunity of, it will be no great venture to say, that signs and lying wonders have been one principal cause.

It is written of Justin Martyr, who lived in the second century, that he was before his conversion a great philosopher; first in the way of the stoicks, and after, of the peripateticks, after that of the pythagorean, and after that of the platonist, sects; and after all proved of eminent use in the church of Christ: yet a certain au* thor, speaking of one Apollonius Tyaneus, has these words : " That the most orthodox themselves began to deem him vested with power sufficient for a deity; which occasioned that so strange a doubt from Justin Martyr, as cited by the learned Gregory, fol. 37 : If God be the creator and lord of the world, how comes it to pass that Apollonius his telisms have so much over-ruled the course of things? for we see that they also have stilled the waves of the sea, and the raging of the winds, and prevailed against the noisome flies, and incursions of wild beasts, &c.,)' If so eminent and early a christian were by these false shews in such doubt, it is the less wonder, in our depraved times, to meet with what is equi*, alen: thereto. Besides this, a certain author informs me, that Julian (afterwards

TO THE KEADEK. t\

called the apostate) being instructed in the philosophy and disciplines of the heathen, by Libarius his tutor, by this means he came to love philosophy better than the gospel, and so by degrees turned from Christianity to heathenism."

This same Julian did, when apostate, forbid that christians should be instructed in the discipline of the gentiles; which, it seems, Socrates, a writer of the ecclesiastical history, does acknowledge to be by the singular providence of God ; christians having then begun to degenerate from the gospel, and to betake themselves to heathenish learning. And in the Mercury for the month of February, 1695, there is this account, "That the christian doctors, conversing much with the writings of the heathen, for the gaining of eloquence, a council was held at Carthage, which forbad the reading of the books of the gentiles."

From all which it may be easily perceived, that in the primitive times of Christianity, when not only many heathen of the vulgar, but also many learned men and philosophers, had embraced the christian faith, they^ still retained a love to their heathen learning; which, as one observes, being transplanted into a christian soil, soon proved productive of pernicious weeds, which overran the face of the church ; hence it was so deformed, as the reformation found it.

Among other pernicious weeds arising from ♦this root, the doctrine of the power of devils, and witchcraft, as it is now and long has been understood, is not the least : the fables of Homer, Virgil, Horace and Ovid, &c being for the xii THE EPISTLE

elegancy of their language retained then (and so are to tjiis day) in the schools, have not only introduced, but established, such doctrines, to the poisoning the christian world. A certain author expresses it thus : " That as the christian schools at first brought men from heathenism to the gospel, so these schools carry men from the gospel to heathenism, as to their great perfection." And Mr. I. M. in his Remarkable Providences, gives an account, that (as he calls it) an old council did anathematize all those that believed such power of the devils, accounting it a damnable doctrine. But as other evils did afterwards increase in the church (partly by such education) so this insensibly grew up with them, though not to that degree as that any council, I have ever heard or read of, has to this day taken off those anathemas; yet after this the church so far declined, that witchcraft became a principal ecclesiastical engine (as also that of heresy was) to root up all that stood in their way ; and besides the ways of trial that we have still in practice, they invented some which were peculiar to themselves; which, whenever they were minded to improve against any orthodox believer, they could easily make effectual. That deluge of blood, which that Scarlet Whore has to answer for, shed under this notion, how amazing is it!

The first in England, that I have read of, of any note, since the reformation, that asserts this doctrine, is the famous Mr. Perkins: he, as also Mr. Gaul, Mr. Bernard, &c. seem all of them to have undertaken one task; taking notice of the multiplicity of irregular ways to try them by.

TO THE READER. xiii

invented by heathen and papists, they made it their business, and main work, herein to oppose such as they saw to be pernicious. And ii they did not look more narrowly into it, but followed the first, viz. Mr. Perkins, whose education (as theirs also) had forestalled him into such belief, whom they readily followed, it cannot be wondered at. And that they were men liable to err, and so not to be trusted to as perfect guides, will manifestly appear to him that shall see their several receipts laid down to detect them, by their presumptive and positive ones ; and consider how few of either have any foundation in scripture, or reason; and how vastly they differ from each other in both ; each having his art by himself, which forty or an hundred more may as well imitate, and give theirs, ad infinitum, being without all manner of proof. But though this be their main design, to take off people from those evil and bloody ways of trial, which they speak so much against; yet this does not hinder, to this day, but the same evil ways, or as bad, are still used to detect them by, and that even among protestants; and are so far justified, that a reverend person has said lately here, How else shall we delect witches ? And another, being urged to prove by scripture such a sort of witch as has power to send devils to kill men, replied, that he did as firmly believe it, as any article of his faith ; and that he (the inquirer) did not go to the scriptures to learn the mysteries of his trade or art. What can be said more to establish their heathenish notions, and to vilify the scriptures, our only rule ? and xiv • THE EPISTLE

that, after we have seen such dire, effects thereof, as has threatened th e utter extirpation of this whole country.

And as to most of th e actors in these tragedies, though they are so far from defending their actions, that they will readily own that undue steps have been taken, &c. yet it seems they choose that the same should be acted over again, enforced by their example, rather than it should remain as a warning to posterity, as herein they have mist it. So far are they from giving glory to God, and taking the due shame to themselves.

And now, to sum up all in a few words, we have seen a bigoted zeal stirring up a blind and most bloody rage, not against enemies, or irreligious, profligate persons ; but (in judgment of charity, and to view) against as virtuous and religious as any they have left behind them in this country, which have suffered as evil doers (with the utmost extent of rigour, not that so high a character is due to all that suffered) and this by the testimony of vile varlets, as not only were known before, but have been further apparent since, by their manifest lives, whoredoms, incest, &c. The accusations of these, jrom their spectral sight, being the chief evidence against those that suffered ; in which accusations they were upheld by both magistrates and ministers, so long as they apprehended themselves in no danger.

And then, though they could defend neither the doctrine nor the practice, yet none of them have, in such a puublic manner as the case re-

TO THE READER. xv

quires, testified against either; though at the same time they could not but be sensible what a stain and lasting infamy they have brought upon the whole country, to the endangering the future welfare not only of this but of other places, induced by their example; if not to an entailing the guilt of all the righteous blood that has been by the same means shed, by heathen or papists, &c. upon themselves, whose deeds they have so far justified, occasioning the great dishonour and blasphemy of the name of God, scandalizing the heathen, hardening of enemies ; and, as a natural effect thereof, to the great increase of atheism.

I shall conclude, only with acquainting the reader, that of these collections, the first, containing More Wonders of the Invisible World, I received of a gentleman, who had it of the author, and communicated it to use, with his express consent, of which this is a true copy. As to the letters, they are, for substance, the same I sent, though with some small variation, or addition. Touching the two letters from a gentleman, at his request 1 have forborn naming him. It is great pity that the matters of fact, and indeed the whole, had not been done by some abler hand, better accomplished, and with the advantages of both natural and acquired judgment ; but others not appearing, 1 have enforced myself to do what is done ; my other occasions will not admit any further scrutiny therein. R. C,

PART I ACCOUNT OF THE SUFFERINGS

OF

MARGARET RULE.

SIR,

•1 NOW lay before you a very entertaining story — a story which relates yet more Wonders of the Invisible World — a story which tells the remarkable afflictions and deliverance of one that had been prodigiously handled by the Evil Angels. I was myself a daily eye-witness to a large part of these occurrences, and there may be produced scores of substantial witnesses to the most of them; yea, I know not of any one passage of the story but what may be sufficiently attested. I do not write it with a design of throwing it presently into the press, but only to preserve the memory of such memorable things, the forgetting whereof would neither be pleasing to God, nor useful to men ; as also to give you, with 2* some others of peculiar and obliging friends, a sight of some curiosities. And I hope this apology will serve to excuse me, if I mention, as perhaps I may, when I come to a tenth paragraph in my writing, some things which I would liave omitted in a farther publication.

COTTON MATHEB.

ANOTHER BRAND

PLUCKT OUT OF THE BURNING.

OR

MORE WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD

Sect. 1. WlTHIN these few years, there died in the southern parts, a christian Indian, who, notwithstanding some of his Indian weakness, hfid something of a better character, of virtue and goodness, than many of our people can allow to most of their countrymen, that profess the christian religion. He had been a zealous preacher of the gospel to his neighbourhood, and a sort of overseer or officer, to whose conduct was owing very much of what good order was maintained among these proselyted savages. This man, returning home from the funeral of his son, was complimented by an Englishman, expressing sorrow for his loss. Now, though the Indians used upon the death of relations to be the most passionate and outrageous creatures in the world, yet this converted Indian handsomely and cheerfully replied, Truly 1 am sorry, and 1 am not sorry : I am sorry that I have buried a dear son; but I am not sorry that the will of God is done : I know that without the will of God my son could not have died; and I know that the will of God is always just and go SUFFERINGS OF

good, and so I am satisfied. Immediately upon tins, even within a few hours, he fell himself sick, of a disease that quickly killed him ; in the time of which disease, he called his folks about him, earnestly persuading them to be sincere in their praying unto God, and to beware of the drunkenness, the idleness, the lying, whereby so miny of that nation disgraced their profession of Christianity; adding, that he was ashamed, when he thought how little service he had hitherto done for God ; and, that il God would prolong his life, he would labour to do better service ; but that he was fully sure he was now going to the Lord Jesus Christ* who had bought him with his precious blood; and for his part, he longed to die, that he might be with his glorious Lord; and, in the midst of such passages, he gave up the ghost; but in such repute, that the English people, of good fashion, did not think much of travelling a great way to his interment. Lest my reader do wonder why I have related this piece of a story, I will now hasten to abate that wonder, by telling that whereto this was intended but for an introduction. Know then, that this remarkable Indian being, a little before he died, at work in the wood, making of tar, there appeared unto him a black man, of a terrible aspect, and more than human dimensions, threatening bitterly to kill him, if he would not promise to leave oiF preaching, as he did, to his countrymen, and promise particularly, that if he preached any more, he would say nothing of Jesus Christ unto them. The Indian was amazed, yet had the courage to answer, I will, in spite of you, go on to preach Christ, more than ever I did; and the God whom I serve will keep me, that you shall never hurt me. Hereupon the apparition, abating somewhat of his fierceness, offered to the Indian a book of a considerable thickness, and a pen and ink, and said, that if he would now set his hand unto that book, he would require nothing further of him ; but the man refused the motion with indignation, and fell down upon his knees into a fervent and pious prayer unto God, for help against the tempter; whereupon the demon vanished.

This is a story which I would never have tendered unto my reader, if I had not received it from an honest and useful Englishman, who is at this time a preacher of the gospel to the Indians; nor would the probable truth of it have encouraged me to have tendered it, if this also had not been a fit introduction unto a yet further narrative.

Sect. 2. It was not much above a year or two after this accident (of which no manner of noise has been made) that there was a prodigious descent of devils upon divers places near the centre of this province ; wherein some scores of miserable people were troubled by horrible appearances of a black man, accompanied with spectres, wearing these and those human shapes, who offered them a book to be by them signed, in token of their being listed for the service of the devil ; and, upon their denying to do it, they were dragooned with a thousand preternatural torments, which gave no little terror to the beholders of these unhappy people. There was one in the north part of Boston seized by the evil angels many months alter the general storm of the late enchantments was over, and when the country had long lain very quiet, both as to molestations and accusations from the invisible world : her name was Margaret Rule, a young woman : she was born of sober and honest parents, yet living ; but what her own character was before her visitation I can speak with the less confidence of exactness, because 1 observe that wherever the devils have been let loose, to worry any poor creature among us, a great part of the neighbourhood presently set themselves to inquire, and relate all the little vanities of their childhood, with such unequal exaggerations, as to make them appear greater sinners than any wThom the pilot of hell has not yet preyed upon. But it is affirmed, that, for about half a year before her visitation, she was observably improved in the hopeful symptoms of a new creature ; she was become seriously concerned for the everlasting salvation of her soul, and careful to avoid the snares of evil company. This young woman had never seen the afflictions of Mercy Short, whereof a narrative has been already given ; and yet, about half a year after the glorious and signal deliverance of that poor damsel, this Margaret fell into an affliction, marvellous, resembling hers in almost all the circumstances of it ; indeed the afflictions were so much alike, that the relation I have given of the one, would almost serve as the full history of the other ; this was to that little more than the second part of the same tune ; indeed Margaret's case was in several points less remarkable than Mercy's, and in some other things the entertainment did a little vary.