[3] Upham's History of Witchcraft.
[4] "Fifty-five persons, many of them previously of the most unquestionable character for intelligence, virtue, and piety, acknowledged the truth of the charges that were made against them, confessed that they were witches, and had made a compact with the devil. It is probable that the motive of self-preservation influenced most of them: an awful death was in immediate prospect. The delusion had obtained full possession of the people, the witnesses, the jury, and the court. By acknowledging the crime, they might in a moment secure their lives and liberty. Their principles could not withstand the temptation: they made a confession, and were rewarded by a pardon."—Upham's Lectures on Salem Witchcraft.