A50177:161
The wonders of the invisible world observations as well historical as theological upon the…
The wonders of the invisible world observations as well historical as theological upon the nature, the number and the operations of the devils : accompanied with I. Some accounts of the grievous [sic] molestations by daemons and witchcrafts ... and the trials of some eminent malefactors ... II. Some councils directing a due improvement of the terrible things lately done by the unusual and amazing range of evil spirits ... III. Some conjectures upon the great events likely to befall the world in general and New England in particular ... IV. A short narrative of a late outrage committed by a knot of witches in Swedeland ... V. The devil discovered, in a brief discourse upon those temptations which are the more ordinary devices of the wicked one / by Cotton Mather.The wonders of the invisible world observations as well historical as theological upon the nature, the number and the operations of the devils : accompany'd with I. Some accounts of the greievous [sic] molestations by daemons and witchcrafts ... and the trials of some eminent malefactors ... II. Some councils directing a due improvement of the terrible things lately done by the unusual and amazing range of evil spirits ... III. Some conjectures upon the great events likely to befall the world in general and New England in particular ... IV. A short narrative of a late outrage committed by a knot of witches in Swedeland ... V. The devil discovered, in a brief discourse upon those temptations which are the more ordinary devices of the wicked one / by Cotton Mather.
Boston: printed by Benjamin Harris, 1693
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It cost the Court a wonderful deal of Trouble, to hear the Testimonies of the Sufferers; for when they were going to give in their Depositions, they ⟨p. 97⟩would for a long while be taken with fits, that made them uncapable of saying any thing. The Chief Judge asked the prisoner, who he thought hindered these witnesses from giving their testimonies? and he answered, He supposed, it was the Devil? That Honourable person, then replied, How comes the Devil so loathe to have any Testimony born against you? Which cast him into very great confusion.
It cost the Court a wonderful deal of Trouble, to hear the Testimonies of the Sufferers; for when they were going to give in their Depositions, they ⟨p. 97⟩would for a long while be taken with fitts, that made them uncapable of saying any thing. The Chief Judge asked the prisoner, who he thought hindred these witnesses from giving their testimonies? and he answered, He supposed, it was the Divel? That Honourable person, then reply'd, How comes the Divel so loathe to have any Testimony born against you? Which cast him into very great confusion.
III. It has been a frequent thing for the Bewitched people, to be entertained with Apparitions of Ghosts of murdered people, at the same time, that the Spectres of the witches trouble them. These Ghosts do always affright the Beholders, more than all the other spectral Representations; and when they exhibit themselves, they cry out, of being Murdered by the witchcrafts or other violences of the persons who are then in spectre present. It is further considerable, that once or twice, these Apparitions have been seen by others at the very same time that they have shown them selves to the Bewitched; & seldom have there been these Apparitions but when something unusual & suspected had attended the Death of the party thus Appearing. Some that have bin accused by these Apparitions, accosting of the Bewitched People, who had never heard a word of any such persons, ever being in the world, have upon a fair examination freely, and fully, confessed the murders of those very persons, altho' these also did not know how the Apparitions had complained of them. Accordingly several of the Bewitched,