Charles Wentworth Upham - The True Story of Salem - Book 1-7

'The Last Night my Daughter Ann , was grievously Tormented by Witches, Threatning that she should be Pressed to Death, before Giles Cory . But thro' the Goodness of a Gracious God, she had at last a little Respite. Whereupon there appeared unto her (she said) a man in a Winding Sheet, who told her that Giles Cory had Murdered him, by Pressing him to Death with his Feet; but that the Devil there appeared unto him, and Covenanted with him, and promised him, He should not be Hanged. The Apparition said, God Hardned his heart; that he should not hearken to the Advice of the Court, and so Dy an easy Death; because as it said, It must be done to him as he has done to me. The Apparition also said, That Giles Cory , was carry'd to the Court for this, and that the Jury had found the Murder, and that her Father knew the man, and the thing was done before she was born. Now Sir, This is not a little strange to us; that no body should Remember these things, all the while that Giles Cory was in Prison, and so often before the Court. For all people now Remember very well, (and the Records of the Court also mention it,) That about Seventeen Years ago, Giles Cory kept a man in his House, that was almost a Natural Fool: which Man Dy'd suddenly. A Jury was impannel'd upon him, among whom was Dr. Zorobbabel Endicot ; who found the man bruised to Death, and having clodders of Blood about his Heart. The Jury, whereof several are yet alive brought in the man Murdered; but as if some Enchantment had hindred the Prosecution of the Matter, the Court Proceeded not against Giles Cory , tho' it cost him a great deal of Mony to get off.' Thus the Story.

The Reverend and Worthy Author, having at the Direction of His Excellency the Governour, so far Obliged the Publick, as to give some Account of the Sufferings brought upon the Countrey by Witchcraft; and of the Tryals which have passed upon several Executed for the Same:

Upon Perusal thereof, We find the Matters of Fact and Evidence, Truly reported. And a Prospect given, of the Methods of Conviction, used in the Proceedings of the Court at Salem

But is New-England , the only Christian Countrey, that hath undergone such Diabolical Molestations? No, there are other Good people, that have in this way been harassed; but none in circumstances more like to Ours , than the people of God, in Sweedland . The story is a very Famous one; and it comes to Speak English by the Acute Pen of the Excellent and Renowned Dr. Horneck . I shall only single out a few of the more Memorable passages therein Occurring; and where it agrees with what happened among ourselves, my Reader shall understand, by my inserting a Word of every such thing in Black Letter .

I. It was in the Year 1669. and 1670. That at Mohra in Sweedland , the Devils by the help of Witches , committed a most horrible outrage. Among other Instances of Hellish Tyranny there exercised. One was, that Hundreds of their Children, were usually in the Night fetcht from their Lodgings, to a Diabolical Rendezvouz, at a place they called, Blockula , where the Monsters that so Spirited them, Tempted them all manner of Ways to Associate with them. Yea, such was the perillous Growth of this Witchcraft , that Persons of Quality began to send their Children into other Countries to avoid it.

II. The Inhabitants had earnestly sought God by Prayer ; and Yet their Affliction Continued . Whereupon Judges had a Special Commission to find and root out the Hellish Crew; and the rather, because another County in the Kingdom, which had been so molested, was delivered upon the Execution of the Witches .

III. The Examination , was begun with a Day of Humiliation ; appointed by Authority. Whereupon the Commissioners Consulting , how they might resist such a Dangerous Flood, the Suffering Children , were first Examined; and tho' they were Questioned One by One apart, yet their Declarations All Agreed . The Witches Accus'd in these Declarations, were then Examined; and tho' at first they obstinately Denied , yet at length many of them ingeniously Confessed the Truth of what the children had said; owning with Tears, that the Devil , whom they call'd Locyta , had Stopt their Mouths ; but he being now Gone from them, they could No Longer Conceal the Business. The things by them Acknowledged , most wonderfully Agreed with what other Witches, in other places had confessed.

IV. They confessed, that they did use to Call upon the Devil , who thereupon would Carry them away, over the Tops of Houses, to a Green Meadow, where they gave themselves unto him. Only one of them said, That sometimes the Devil only took away her Strength , leaving her Body on the ground; but she went at other times in Body too.

V. Their manner was to come into the Chambers of people, and fetch away their children upon Beasts, of the Devils providing: promising Fine Cloaths and other Fine Things unto them, to inveagle them. They said, they never had power to do thus, till of late; but now the Devil did Plague and Beat them, if they did not gratifie him, in this piece of Mischief. They said, they made use of all sorts of Instruments in their Journeys! Of Men , of Beasts , of Posts ; the Men they commonly laid asleep at the place, whereto they rode them; and if the children mentioned the Names of them that stole them away, they were miserably Scurged for it, until some of them were killed. The Judges found the marks of the Lashes on some of them; but the Witches said, They would Quickly vanish . Moreover the Children would be in strange Fits , after they were brought Home from these Transportations.

VI. The First Thing , they said, they were to do at Blockula , was to give themselves unto the Devil, and Vow that they would serve him. Hereupon, they cut their Fingers , and with Blood writ their Names in his Book . And he also caused them to be Baptised by such Priests , as he had, in this Horrid company. In some of them, the Mark of the cut Finger was to be found; they said, that the Devil gave Meat and Drink , as to Them , so to the Children they brought with them: that afterwards their Custom was to Dance before him; and swear and curse most horribly; they said, that the Devil show'd them a great, Frightful, Cruel Dragon , telling them, If they confessed any Thing , he would let loose that Great Devil upon them; they added, that the Devil had a Church , and that when the Judges were coming, he told them, he would kill them all ; and that some of them had Attempted to Murder the Judges , but could not .

VII. Some of the Children , talked much of a White Angel , which did use to Forbid them, what the Devil had bid them to do, and Assure them that these doings would Not last long ; but that what had been done was permitted for the wickedness of the People. This White Angel , would sometimes rescue the Children, from Going in , with the Witches.

VIII. The Witches confessed many mischiefs done by them, declaring with what kind of Enchanted Tools , they did their Mischiefs. They sought especially to kill the Minister of Elfdale , but could not. But some of them said, that such as they wounded, would Be recovered , upon or before their Execution.