Reading 1:
Deodat Lawson, Christ's Fidelity the only Shield against Satan's Malignity,
1704
It pleased God in the year
of our Lord 1692 to visit the people at a place called Salem Village in
New England, with a very sore and grievous affliction, in which they had
reason to believe, that the sovereign and holy God was pleased to permit
Satan and his instruments to affright and afflict these poor mortals in
such an astonishing and unusual manner.
Now, I having for some time before,
attended the work of the ministry in that village, the report of those
great afflictions came quickly to my notice....My concern was augmented
when it was reported, at an examination of a person suspected for witchcraft,
that my wife and daughter, who died three years before, were sent out of
the world under the malicious operations of the eternal powers....
1. One or two of the first
that were afflicted, complaining of unusual illness....
2. They were oftentimes very
stupid in their fits, and could neither hear nor understand....
5. They affirmed that they
saw the ghosts of several departed persons....
6. Persecution by the dragons
of Hell, the persons afflicted were harassed at such a dreadful rate, to
write their names in a devil book....
8. Sundry pins have been
taken out of the wrists and arms of the afflicted; and one in time of examination
of a suspected person, had a pin run through both her upper and lower lip
when she was called upon to speak....
13. Sometimes in their fits,
they have had their tongues drawn out of their mouths to a fearful length,
their heads turned very much over their shoulders; and had their arms and
legs etc. wrested, as if they were quite dislocated, the blood hath gushed
plentifully out of their mouths, for a considerable time together....
Reading 2:
The examination of Sarah Good before the worshipful Assts John Harthorn,
Jonathan Curran March 1, 1691-2
(H) Sarah Good what
evil spirit have you familiarity with?
(G) None.
(H) Have you made no contract
with the devil?
(G) No.
(H) Why do you hurt these
children?
(G) I do not hurt them. I
scorn it.
(H) Who do you employ then
to do it?
(G) I employ no body
(H) What creature do you
employ then?
(G) No creature but I am
falsely accused....
Harthorn then desired the afflicted
children all of them to look upon her and see if this were the person that
had hurt them and so they all did look upon her, and said this was one
of the persons that did torment them--presently they were all tormented.
(H) Sarah Good do you not
see now what you have done, why do you not tell us the truth, why do you
thus torment these poor children?
(G) I do not torment them....
(H) How came they thus tormented?
(G) What do I know you bring
others here and now you charge me with it....
(H) Who was it then that
tormented the children?
(G) It was [Sarah] Osborne.
(H) What is it you say when
you go muttering away from persons houses?
(G) If I must tell I will
tell.
(H) Do tell us then
(G) If I must tell, I will
tell it, it is the commandments. I may say my commandments I hope....
Her answers were in a very wicked
spiteful manner. Reflecting and retorting against the authority with base
and abusive words and many lies she was taken in it was here said that
her husband had said that he was afraid that she either was a witch or
could be one very quickly.
Questions
-
Did Puritans really believe in witchcraft
and the supernatural?
-
Why did residents of Salem believe that a
witchcraft epidemic was taking place?
-
Why do you think most accused witches were
women?
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