The volume begins with an introduction detailing the origins of the Salem witchcraft panic in sixteen ninety-two, tracing how local accusations escalated into widespread judicial prosecutions authorized by Governor William Phipps. Increase and Cotton Mather, prominent Boston ministers and scholars, reflect upon these extraordinary events through distinct treatises intended to justify the actions of the court and combat the perceived kingdom of Satan.
Cotton Mather's The Wonders of the Invisible World provides an account of several trials at Salem, including those of George Burroughs and Bridget Bishop, alongside a theoretical discussion on the nature and operations of evil spirits. The text attempts to counter the perceived plot of the devil against the Puritan colony by analyzing spectral evidence and corroborating testimonies from confessing witches who described diabolical covenants and secret meetings.
The second major treatise, Increase Mather's A Further Account of the Tryals together with Cases of Conscience, addresses specific theological dilemmas concerning diabolical molestation. It examines whether the devil can assume the shape of innocent persons to afflict the pious, and establishes criteria for valid evidence and judicial discernment to prevent miscarriages of justice while still urging the vigorous detection of actual sorcery.
Throughout the works, the authors defend the conscientious motives of the magistrates and jurors, despite mounting public reaction and later repentance from those involved in the trials. The texts serve as remarkable historical monuments documenting the intersection of early American theology, legal procedure, and popular superstition during a period of intense crisis.
Included are various related documents, such as a narrative of an apparition in Boston, accounts of similar witchcraft outbreaks in Sweden reported by Dr. Horneck, and detailed abstracts of contemporary authorities on the detection of witches, such as Perkins, Gaule, and Bernard. The overarching theme emphasizes the spiritual warfare confronting the Puritan settlement and the necessity of divine intervention to restore order.
The volume concludes with supplementary discourses on Satan's devices and ordinary temptations, reinforcing the authors' persistent belief in the reality of the invisible world despite the eventual subsidence of the panic and the subsequent remorse felt throughout the New England community.
