The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol 3 of 3)

Since making the foregoing Collections of Letters, to the Reverend Mr. Cotton Mather, and others, &c. (which as yet remain unanswered) a Book is come to hand Intituled,

THE Life of Sir William Phips, printed in London, 1697. Which Book, tho it bears not the Authors name, yet the Stile, manner and matter is such, that were there no other demonstration or token to know him by, it were no Witchcraft to determine that the said Mr. C. M. is the Author of it. But that he that has encountred Enchantments, and gone through the Wonders of the Invisible World, and discovered the Devil, that he should step aside into a Remote Country to put on Invisibility! Tho the reason of this be not so manifest, yet it may be thought to be to gratifie some peculiar fancies; and why may not this be one, that he might with the better grace extol the Actions of Mr. Mather, as Agent in England, or as President of Harvard College, not forgetting his own.138

As to Sir William, it will be generally acknowledged that notwithstanding the meanness of his Parentage and Education, he attain'd to be Master of a Ship, and that he had the good hap to find a Spanish Wreck, not only sufficient to repair his Fortunes, but to raise him to a considerable Figure; which King James did so far accommodate as to make him a Knight.

And that after this, in the Reign of his Present Majesty, he took up with those of the Agents, that were for accepting the New Charter, whereby himself became Governour.139

It is not doubted, but that he aimed at the good of the People, and great Pitty it is that his Government was so sullied (for want of better Information and Advice, from those whose duty it was to have given it) by that Hobgoblin Monster, Witchcraft, whereby this Countrey was Night-Mar'd, and harrast, at such a rate, as is not easily imagined.140

After which some complaints going to England about Male-Administration, in the least matters comparatively; yet were such, that he was call'd home to give account thereof, where he soon after expired, so finishing his Life and Government together.141

Death having thus drawn the Curtain, forbidding any further Scene, it might have been prudence, to let his dust remain without disturbance.

But the said Book endeavouring to raise a Statue to him (i. e.) to ascribe to him such Achievements as either were never performed by him, or else unduly aggravated, this has opened the Mouth, both of Friends and Enemies to recount the mistakes in the said Book; as also those miscarriages, wherewith Sir William was chargeable; such as, had it not been for this Book, had been buried with him.142

In P. 3, search is made over the World, to whom to compare him in his Advancement; and most unhappily Pizarro is pitched upon as a match for him, who was a Bastard, dropt in a Church-Porch, put to Suck of a Sow, and being grown, ran away, and Shipt himself for America; there so prospered, as to Command an Army; and therewith did mighty things, particularly took Attaballipa, one of the Kings of Peru Prisoner, and having received for his Ransom, in Gold and Silver to the value of Ten Millions, perfidiously put him to Death; and was the Death of no Man knows how many Thousands of Innocents, and is certainly one of the worst that could have been pitched upon for such comparison.143

Tho this together with the Rhetorical flourishes, and affected strains therein, are instances of the Author's variety of Learning; for which he is recommended by these Three Venerable Person144 in the entrance to the said Book. Yet the Integrity, Prudence, and Veracity thereof, is not so manifestly to be seen. Passing over a multitude of Misrepresentations that are therein relating to the Acts of Sir William, as not designing to rake in the Grave of the Dead, Who is it can see the Veracity of those words? P. 40. [He lay within Pistol-Shot of the Enemies Cannon, and beat them from thence, and much batter'd the town, having his Ship shot thro in an hundred places, with Four and twenty Pounders,] When in the Judgment of those present, they were not nearer to the Enemy, than about half or three quarters of a Mile; that there might be in all about Seven Shot that struck the Hull of the Vessel, none of them known to be bigger than 18 Pounders, the Enemy having but one Gun that could carry so big as an 18 pound Ball.145

It were a fondness after such assertions, to take any notice of this bedeck'd Statue, when there was so much the less need of erecting one (as is asserted P. 108) having already been done so well, that even this Author himself despairs of doing it better;146 and that by one, a Man of such diffused and Embalm'd a Reputation, as that his Commendations are asserted to be enough to Immortalize the Reputation of Sir William, or whomsoever else he should please to bestow them upon, viz. That Reverend person who was the President of the only University then in the English America, P. 109. Which by the way is a much fairer Statue, in honour of the President of the University, than that erected for Sir William.

For notwithstanding all this noise of Erecting Statues, and the great danger in plucking them down, &c. yet in P. 89, 'tis said that even Sir William shewed Choler enough, leaving it open for others, thereby to understand, that he was wholly given over to Passion and Choler.147 And in P. 92, 'tis said he did not affect any mighty shew of Devotion; these expressions with others may prevail with the unbiased Reader to think that these builders of Statues, had some further design in it, than to blazen the Achievements of Sir William Phips, viz. To set forth Mr. J. Mathers Negociation in England, his procuring the New-Charter for Sir William to be Governour, and himself Establish'd President of the College, are the things principally driven at in the Book.148

Another principal thing is to set forth the supposed Witchcrafts in New-England, and how well Mr. Mather the Younger therein acquitted himself.149

As to the New Charter for the right understanding that Affair, it will be needful to say, that the People that afterwards settled in New England, being about to leave their Native soil, and to seek (as the Providence of God should direct them) a settlement in remote Regions, wherein they might best secure their Civil and Religious Interests, before they enter'd upon this, considering it might be needful on many accounts for their future well being, they obtain'd a Charter to be in the nature of a prime agreement, setting forth the Soveraigns Prerogative, and the People's Priviledges; in the enjoyment whereof they long continued, after having purchas'd the Title to their Lands, of the Natives of the Country, and settled themselves therein, without any charge to the Crown.

That Clause in their Charter for this Country, viz. (Provided that no other Christian Prince be prepossest of it) being a tacit acknowledgment, that before settlement no one Christian Prince had any right thereto more than another. During this time of New-England's Prosperity, the Government here were very sparing of Granting Freedoms, except to such as were so and so qualfied. Whereby the number of Non-Freemen150 being much increas'd, they were very uneasie, by their being shut out from having any share in the Government, or having any Votes for their Representatives, &c. it rendred many of them ready to join with such as were undermining the Government, not duly considering that it had been far more safe to have endeavoured to prevail with the Legislators for an enlargement.

So that it will not be wonder'd at that in the latter end of the Reign of King Charles the II. and of King James, (when most of the Charters in England were vacated) that this was quo warranto'd and finally Judgment entered up against it, and the Country was put into such a form of Government as was most agreeable to those times, viz. A Legislative pow'r was lodg'd in the Governour (or President) and some few appointed to be of his Counsel, without any regard therein, either to the Laws of England, or those formerly of this Colony: Thus rendering the Circumstances of this Country beyond comparison worse than those of any Corporation in England. The People of those Corporations being acknowledged still to have a right to Magna Charta, when their particular Charters were made void. But here when Magna Charta has been pleaded, the People have been answered, that they must not expect that Magna Charta would follow them to the end of the World: not only their Estates, but their Lives being thereby rendered wholly precarious. And Judge Palmer151 has set forth in Print, that the King has power to grant such a Commission over this People.

It is not hard to imagine that under such a Commission, not only the People were liable to be opprest by Taxes, but also by Confiscations, and Siezing of Lands, unless Patents were purchased at Excessive prizes, with many other Exorbitant Innovations.

The first that accepted this Commission was Mr. Dudley, a Gentleman born in this Country, who did but prepare the way for Sir Edm. Andros. In whose time things being grown to such Extremities, not only here, but in England, as render'd the succeeding Revolution absolutely necessary; the Revolution here being no other than an acting according to the Precedent given by England.

During the time of Sir Edmonds' Government, Mr. Increase Mather, Teacher of the North Church in Boston, having undergone some trouble by Fobb-Actions152 laid upon him, &c. (tho with some difficulty) he made his Escape, and got passage for England, being therein assisted by some particular Friends; where being arrived, he applied himself to King James for redress of those Evils the Country then groaned under; and meeting with a seeming kind reception, and some promises, it was as much as might at that time be reasonably expected.153

Upon the Day of the Revolution here, tho the greatest part of the People were for reassuming their Ancient Government, pursuant to his Royal Highness' Proclamation; yet matters were so clog'd, that the People were dissmist without it, who did not in the least mistrust but that those who were put out of the Government by Mr. Dudley, would reassume: Mr. Broadstreet, who had been then Governour, being heard to say that Evening, when returned home, That had not he thought they would have reassum'd, he would not have stirr'd out of his House that Day.154 But after this, some that were driving at other matters, had opportunities by Threats and other ways not only to prevail with that good Old Gentleman, but with the rest of the Government wholly to decline it; which some few observing, they took the opportunity to call themselves a Committee of Safety, and so undertook to Govern such as would be govern'd by them.155

It has been an Observation of long continuance that matters of State seldom prosper, when managed by the Clergy. Among the opposers of the reassuming few were so strenuous as some of the Ministers, and among the Ministers none more vehement than Mr. Cotton Mather, Pastor of the North Church in Boston, who has charged them as they would answer it another day to reassume. Among his Arguments against it, one was that it would be to put a slight upon his Father, who, he said, was in England, labouring for a compleat Restoration of Charter Privileges, not doubting, but they would be speedily obtain'd. Any Man that knows New England cannot but be sensible, that such Discourses from such Men, have always been very prevalent. And hence it was that even those that would think themselves wronged, if they were not numbred among the best Friends to New-England, and to its Charter, would not so much as stoop to take it up, when there was really nothing to hinder them from the Enjoyment thereof.156

After the Committee of Safety had continued about seven Weeks, or rather after Anarchy had been so long Triumphant, an Assembly having been call'd came to this resolve and laid it before those Gentlemen that had been of the Government, that if they would not act upon the Foundation of the Charter, that persuant to it, the Assembly would appoint some others in that Station. The Answer to which was, that they would accept, &c. And when a Declaration signifying such a reassuming, was prepared with the good liking of the Deputies, in order to be published, some that were opposers, so terrified those Gentlemen, that before publishing it was underwritten [that they would not have it understood that they did reassume Charter-Government] to the no small amazement of the People, and disappointment of the Deputies, who if these had not promised so to act, had taken other care, and put in those that would.157