ufe, whose misfortunes or accidents, of twenty or thirty years standing, were now brought as fatal charges against them, Some evil of private life was the ground of suspicion. These circumstances perplexed the judges, and increased the public fury. The frenzy lasted from March to October. The supposed sufferers now becoming more daring, accused some of the best people in the country; suspicion now roused from its lethargy; condemnation ceased; the accusers were silent; those under sentence were reprieved, and afterwards pardoned, If we can be convinced by the uniform protestations of those executed, or the confessions of numbers who had been accusers, or the deliberate recantations of others who had confessed themselves witches, or the universal conviction of error in the minds of those who had been leading actors in these awful scenes, or the entire change of public opinion, we shall be satisfied that the whole originated in folly and delusion. All these are facts. All those executed, the first excepted, protested their innocence with their dying breath, when a confession would have saved their lives. Several years after, persons who had been accusers, when admitted to the church, confessed their delusion in such conduct, and asked "pardon for having brought the guilt of innocent blood on the land." The following is an extract from the confession of six persons belonging to Andover, who had owned themselves witches; "We were all seized as prisoners; knowing ourselves altogether innocent, we were all exceedingly astonished, and amazed, and affrighted out of our reason; and our dearest relations, seeing us in this dreadful condition, and knowing our great danger, apprehending there was no other way to save our lives, persuaded us to confess, we said any thing and every thing which they desired." On the day of a public fast, in the south meeting house of Boston, one of the judges, who had been concerned in the condemnation of these unhappy victims at Salem, delivered in a paper, and while it was reading, stood up; it was to desire prayers, &c. being apprehensive he might have fallen into some errors at Salem." The following is from the declaration of twelve men, who had been jurymen at some of these trials: "We do therefore signify our deep sense of, and sorrow for, our errors in acting on such evidence; we pray that we may be considered candidly and aright, by the living sufferers, as being then under the power of a strong and general delusion." Mr. Paris, who 170 says, Witchcraft. was active in the prosecution, and evidently a serious and conscientious man, in his public confession, November 29th, 1694, "I do acknowledge, upon after consideration, that were the same troubles again to happen, which the Lord of his mercy for ever prevent, I should not agree with my former apprehensions in all points." Martha Cory, a member of the church in Salem village, admitted April 27th, 1690, was, after examination, upon suspicion of witchcraft, March 21st, 1692, committed to prison, and condemned to the gallows. By general consent, she was yoted to be excommunicated out of the church. The following will show, in a most affecting manner, the light in which the church viewed this vote ten years after. In December, 1702, the pastor spoke to the church on the sabbath as followeth. Brethren, I find in your church book a record of Martha Cory's being excommunicated for witchcraft; and the generality of the land being sensible of the errors that prevailed in that day, some of her friends have moved me several times to propose to this church, whether it be not our duty to recal that sentence, that so it may not stand against her to all gene. rations. And I myself, being a stranger to her, and being ignorant of what was alleged against her, I shall now only leave it to your consideration, and shall determine the matter by a vote, the next convenient opportunity. February 14th, the pastor moved the church to revoke Martha Cory's excommunication; a majority voted for revoking it." So deep was the people's sense of the errors of those transactions, that a great part of Mr. Paris's congregation could not persuade themselves to sit under his ministry. Accordingly, after great difficulty, after a respectable council had laboured in vain for their reconciliation, after an arbitration respecting the business, Mr. Paris was dismissed, July 24th, 1697, as the aggreived state to the arbitrators," for being an instrument to their miseries," If any reader point the finger of scorn at the people of Essex, or the judiciary of Massachusetts, for their credulity and errors, he is informed they acted in conformity to the public opinion of the world at that time, that they were guided in their judicial proceedings by the writings of Keeble on the Common Law, Sir Mathew Hale, Glanvil, Bernard, Baxter, &c. He is informed that while the people of this once devoted neighbourhood soon saw and retracted their errors, and would now be the last people to fall into such a delusion, other parts of the world have been more slowly convinced. At Tring, in Hertfordshire, twenty miles from London, in 1751, two aged persons were drowned, supposed to be guilty of witchcraft. At Huntingdon the anniversary of the execution of a family for witchcraft is celebrated to this day. A preacher from Cambridge delivers a discourse against witchcrast. At Embo, in Scotland, a person was executed for witchcraft, in 1727. At Rome, the Rev. Father Altizza was lately seized for the crime of sorcery. CHAP. XXIV. French War-Complaint against Gov. Phips-His CharacterIndian and French Ravages-Yale College-Indian_WarPeace-Death of Queen Ann-George I. crowned-Smail Pox-Earthquake-Burnet Governor---his Death. IN 1694, the sword was drawn again, after being sheathed about a year. The Sieur Villion, commander of the French at Penobscot, with two hundred and fifty Indians from the tribes of St. John, Penobscot, and Norridgwock, assaulted the people on Oyster river, in New Hampshire; killed and captured about one hundred persons, and burned twenty houses, five of which were garrisons. During these distresses the people became uneasy, ascribing their sufferings to the government, and a number made complaint to the king against governor Phips. He and his accusers were summoned to Whitehall. In November he embarked for England, a majority of the general court being in his favour, he carried a recommendation from the legis lature, that they might not be deprived of so excellent a governor. But before his trial he was seized with a malignant fever, of which he died, in the fifty-fourth year of his age. Sir William Phips was born of poor parents, on the bank of the Kennebec. He was first a shepherd, then a ship carpen ter, then a seaman. By discovering a Spanish wreck, near Port De La Plata, he became rich, and was brought into notice. He was a man of enterprise, diligence, and perseverance; religious himself, and disposed to promote piety in others. 172 Indian and French Ravages. The Indians continued to ravage the frontiers, and in October, 1695, a party penetrated to Newbury, and made captives of John Brown and his family, excepting one girl, who esca ped, and ran five miles to the water side near Newburyport, and alarmed the people. Capt. Greenleaf instantly pursued, and, before it was light the next day, overtook and rescued the captives, nine in number. The Indians, when they found it impossible to carry them off, had determined and attempted to kill them; but such was their hurry, the wounds they gave them were not mortal; all recovered. Capt. Greanleaf received a musket ball in his arm, when he made this attack, which is now preserved in the family. The French and Indians in 1696, took and demolished the fort at Pemaquid. In 1697, the French projected an invasion of the country. A fleet arrived at Newfoundland, expecting an army from Canada, to assault Boston, and ravage the coast to Piscataqua; but the season was advanced, provisions failed, and the design was relinquished. After the peace of Ryswick, 1698, the French could no longer assist the savages; they therefore buried the hatchet, restored their captives, ratified their former engagements, and, in 1699, submitted to the British crown. At the close of the war in Europe, the king appointed the earl of Bellamont governor of New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. He resided at New York; Mr. Stoughton conducted the affairs of New England. In May, Lord Bellemont visited Boston. He was a nobleman of polite, concilia ting manners, and professed great esteem for the congrega, tional ministers, and, with the general court, as was customary at that time, attended the stated Thursday lectures at Boston, In his time, the pirates, who had been connived at for thirty or forty years, were arrested and punished. Numbers were executed at Boston, Bradish, Kidd, aud others were car ried to England, tried, and executed, Soon after the session of the general court, in May 1700, Lord Bellamont returned to New York, where he died, the 5th of March following. This year, Yale College was founded. It was first established at Killingworth, were it was continued seven years; it was then removed to Saybrook, where it remained till 1716, when it was fixed at New Haven. Governor Yale was among its principal benefactors, for which it was, in 1718, called Yale College. The first building was of wood 170 feet Yale College. 179 long, 22 wide, erected in 1717. In 1782, this was taken down. There are now three colleges, each 100 feet long, 40 wide; there is a chapel 50 feet long; 40 feet wide, with a steeple 130 feet high, and another building of a like size, for the library, &c. beside a dining hall, 60 feet by 40, a dwelling house, for the president, and another for the professor of divinity. There is a handsome philosophical apparatus, and a library of about 4000 volumes. The first charter of incorporation was granted to eleven ministers, under the denomination of trustees, in 1701. Their powers were enlarged by an additional charter in 1723, and by another in 1745, when the trustees were incorporated by the name of "the President and Fellows of Yale College, New Haven." By an act of the legislature for enlarging the powers and inereasing the funds of Yale College, passed in 1792, and accepted by the corporation, the governor, lieutenant governor, and the six senior assistants in the council of the state, for the time being, are trustees and fellows of the college, in addition to the former corporation. The executive authority is vested in the president, professors, and tutors. There is at present, a president, a professor of divinity, a professor of natural philosophy, and astronomy, and four tutors. In 1801, there were two hundred and twenty four students in the four classes. In May and September, annually, the several classes are examined in all their classical studies. As incentives to improvement in composition and oratory, those most necessary acquirements for public characters, quarterly exercises are appointed by the president and tutors to be exhibited by their several classes in rotation. The public commencement is held on the second Wednesday in September annually. In 1702, Queen Ann appointed Joseph Dudley, Esq. to succeed Bellamont as governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. According to his instructions he required a permanent salary, and maintained a long and obstinate struggle with the general court of Massachusetts, but was finally obliged to relinquish the object. In 1703, the Indians, aided as usual by the French, attacked all the settlements from Canso to Wells; killed and took about 130 people, and burned many houses. Women and children fled to garrisons; the men carried their arms into the field of labour, and posted centinels round them; small parties of the enemy were frequently making assaults; and the |