Decennium luctuosum An history of remarkable occurrences, in the long war, which New-England hath…

Now in the Time of that matchless War, there fell out a Thing at Gloucester, which falls in here most properly to be related: a Town so Situated, Surrounded, and Neighboured, in the County of Essex, that no man in his Wits, will imagine, that a Dozen French men and Indians, would come, and alarm the Inhabitants for Three weeks together, and Engage 'em in several Skirmishes, ⟨p. 104⟩while there were two Regiments Raised, and a Detachment of Threescore men sent unto their Succour, and not one man Hurt in all the Actions, & all End unaccountably. And because the Relation will be Extraordinary, I will not be my self the Author of any one clause in it; but I will Transcribe the words of a Minister of the Gospel, who did me the Favour, with much critical Caution to Examine Witnesses, not long after the Thing happened, and then sent me the Following Account.

Now in the Time of that matchless War, there fell out a Thing at Glocester, which falls in here most properly to be related: a Town so Scituated, Surrounded, and Neighboured, in the County of Essex, that no man in his Witts, will imagine, that a Dozen French men and Indians, would come, and alarm the Inhabitants for Three weeks together, and Engage 'em in several Skirmishes, ⟨p. 104⟩while there were two Regiments Raised, and a Detachment of Threescore men sent unto their Succour, and not one man Hurt in all the Actions, & all End unaccountably. And because the Relation will be Extraordinary, I will not be my self the Author of any one clause in it; but I will Transcribe the words of a Minister of the Gospel, who did me the Favour, with much critical Caution to Examine Witnesses, not long after the Thing happened, and then sent me the Following Account.

A Faithful Account of many Wonderful and Surprising Things, which happened in the Town of Gloucester, in the Year, 1692. Ebenezer Bapson, about midsummer, in the Year, 1692. with the rest of his Family, almost every Night heard a Noise, as if persons were going and running about his House. But one Night being abroad late, at his Return home, he saw Two men come out of his Door, and run from the end of the House into the Corn. But those of the Family told him, there had been no person at all there; where upon he got his Gun, and went out in pursuit after them, and coming a little Distance from the House, he saw the Two men start up from behind a Log, and run into a little Swamp, saying to each other,