The next great Event in the Life of our Author was the Witchcraft Delusion. As his own Work upon that memorable Chapter in New England's Annals is to be given in Connection with this Biography, any Apology or Remarks upon his Participation in it from the Editor could be of but little Value or Interest, no more will be done here than to extract what his Biographer-Son has favored the World with. That, as will be seen, is apologetical, and is far better told than the Part he took in the Revolution. It is indeed about all that can be said in Extenuation of one thus circumstanced.
"The Summer of the Year 1692, was a very doleful Time unto the whole Country. The Devils, after a most præternatural Manner by the dreadful Judgements of Heaven took a bodily Possession of many People in our Salem, and Places adjacent; where the Houses of the poor People began to be filled with the Cries of Persons tormented by evil Spirits. There seemed to be an execrable Witchcraft in the Foundation of this wondrous Affliction; many Persons of divers Characters being accused, apprehended, prosecuted upon the Visions of the afflicted.
"Mr. Mather, for his Part, was always afraid of proceeding to convict and condemn any Person as a Confederate with afflicting Dæmons upon so feeble an Evidence as a spectral Representation. Accordingly he ever testified against it both publicly and privately, and particularly in his Letter to the Judges, he besought them that they would by no Means admit it; and where a considerable Assembly of Ministers gave in their Advice about the Matter, he not only concurred with the Advice but he drew it up.
"Nevertheless, on the other Side, he saw in most of the Judges a charming Instance of Prudence and Patience; and as he knew their exemplary Piety, so he observed the Agony of Soul with which they sought the Direction of Heaven, above most other of our People who were enchanted into a raging, railing and unreasonable Disposition. For this Cause, tho' Mr. Mather could not allow the Principles some of the Judges had espoused, he could not however but speak honorably of their Persons on all Occasions; and his Compassion upon the Sight of their Difficulties, which Compassion was raised by his Journeys to Salem the chief Seat of these diabolical Vexations, caused him still to go to the Place. And merely for this Reason, some mad People in the Country (from whom one or two credulous Foreigners have dared to publish the abusive Story) under a Fascination of their Spirits equal to what our Energumens had upon their Bodies, reviled Mr. Mather as if he had been the Doer of the hard Things that were done in the Prosecution of the Witchcraft.
"In this evil Time Mr. Mather offered at the Beginning, that if the possessed People might be scattered far asunder, he would singly provide for six of them; and he with some others would see whether without more bitter Methods, Prayer and Fasting would not put an End unto these heavy Trials: But his offer was not accepted.
"However for a great Part of the Summer he did almost every Week spend a Day by himself in the Exercise of a secret Fast before the Lord. On these Days he cried unto God, not only for his own Preservation from the Malice and Power of the evil Angels, but also for a good Issue of the Calamities in which he had permitted the evil Angels to ensnare the miserable Country. He also besought the Lord that he would enable him, prosper, direct, and accept him in publishing such Testimonies for Him as were proper, and would be serviceable unto his Interests on that Occasion.
"And that a right Use might be made of the prodigious Things which had been happening among us, he now composed and published his Book entituled, The Wonders of the Invisible World, which was reprinted several Times in London: In the Preface he speaks of, 'the heart-breaking Exercises', he went thro' in writing it. There was a certain Disbeliever of Witchcraft who wrote against this Book; but as the Man is dead, his Book died long before him.[31]
"But having spoken eno' of the more publick Witchcraft, I think I will hale in here an Account of a Witchcraft happening in one private Family at Boston, two or three Years before the general one. 'Twas, I think, in the Year 1689, in the Winter, that several Children belonging to a pious Family at the South End of Boston were horribly bewitch'd and possessed.[32]
"Mr. Mather tho't it would be for the Glory of God, if he not only pray'd with as well as for the Children; but also took an Account of the extraordinary Symptoms which attended them, with sufficient Attestations to confound the Sadducism and Atheism of a debauched Age."