Watchfulness.' And the same Observer having exactly Noted Mr. Hooker, made this Remark, and gave this Report more particularly of him, That he had the best Command of his own Spirit, which he ever saw in any Man whatever. For though he were a Man of a Cholerick Disposition, and had a mighty Vigour and Fervour of Spirit, which as occasion served, was wondrous useful unto him, yet he had ordinarily as much Government of his Choler, as a Man has of a Mastiff Dog in a Chain; he could let out his Dog, and pull in his Dog, as he pleased. And another that observed the Heroical Spirit and Courage, with which this Great Man fulfilled his Ministry, gave this Account of him, He was a Person who while doing his Master's Work, would put a King in his Pocket.

JOHN ELIOT, APOSTLE TO THE INDIANS

The Natives of the Country now Possessed by the NewEnglanders, had been forlorn and wretched Heathen ever since their first herding here; and tho' we know not When or How those Indians first became Inhabitants of this mighty Continent, yet we may guess that probably the Devil decoy'd those miserable Salvages hither, in hopes that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ would never come here to destroy or disturb his Absolute Empire over them. But our Eliot was in such ill Terms with the Devil, as to alarm him with sounding the Silver Trumpets of Heaven in his Territories, and make some Noble and Zealous Attempts towards outing him of his Ancient Possessions here. There were, I think, Twenty several Nations (if I may call them so) of Indians upon that spot of Ground, which fell under the Influence of our Three United Colonies; and our Eliot was willing to rescue as many of them as he could, from that old usurping Landlord of America, who is by the Wrath of God, the Prince of this World.

....

The First Step which he judg'd necessary now to be taken by him, was to learn the Indian Language; for he saw them so stupid and senseless, that they would never do so much as enquire after the Religion of the Strangers now come into their Country, much less would they so far imitate us, as to leave off their beastly way of living, that they might be Partakers of any Spiritual Advantage by us: Unless we could first address them in a Language of their own. Behold, new Difficulties to be surmounted by our indefatigable Eliot! He hires a Native to teach him this exotick Language, and with a

laborious Care and Skill, reduces it into a Grammar which afterwards he published. There is a Letter or two of our Alphabet, which the Indians never had in theirs; tho' there were enough of the Dog in their Temper, there can scarce be found an R in their Language; (any more than in the Language of the Chinese, or of the Greenlanders) save that the Indians to the Northward, who have a peculiar Dialect, pronounce an R where an N is pronounced by our Indians; but if their Alphabat be short, I am sure the Words composed of it are long enough to tire the Patience of any Scholar in the World; they are Sesquipedalia Verba, of which their Linguo is composed; one would think, they had been growing ever since Babel, unto the Dimensions to which they had now extended. For instance, if my Reader will count how many Letters there are in this one Word, Nummatchekodtantamooonganunnonash, when he has done, for his Reward I'll tell him, it signifies no more in English, than our Lusts; and if I were to translate, our Loves, it must be nothing shorter than Noowomantammooonkanunonnash. Or, to give my Reader a longer Word than either of these, Kummogkodonattoottummooetiteaongannunnonash, is in English, Our Question: But I pray, Sir, count the Letters! Nor do we find in all this Language the least Affinity to, or Derivation from any European Speech that we are acquainted with. I know not what Thoughts it will produce in my Reader, when I inform him, that once finding that the Dæmons in a possessed young Woman, understood the Latin and Greek and Hebrew Languages, my Curiosity led me to make Trial of this Indian Language, and the Dæmons did seem as if they did not understand it. This tedious Language our Eliot (the Anagram of whose Name was TOILE) quickly became a Master of; he employ'd a pregnant and witty Indian, who also spoke English well, for his Assistance in it; and compiling some Discourses by his Help, he would single out a Word, a Noun, a Verb, and pursue it through all its Variations: Having finished his Grammar, at the close he writes, Prayers and Pains thro' Faith in Christ Jesus will do any thing! And being by his Prayers and Pains thus furnished, he set himself in the Year 1646 to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, among these Desolate Outcasts.

A BEWITCHED CHILD

Four Children of John Goodwin in Boston, which had enjoy'd a Religious Education, and answer'd it with a towardly Ingenuity:

Children indeed of an exemplary Temper and Carriage, and an Example to all about them for Piety, Honesty, and Industry. These were in the year 1688. arrested by a very stupendous Witchcraft..

It was the Eldest of these Children that fell chiefly under my own Observation: For I took her home to my own Family, partly out of compassion to her Parents, but chiefly, that I might be a critical EyeWitness of things that would enable me to confute the Sadducism of this Debauch'd Age. Here she continu'd well for some Days; applying her self to Actions of Industry and Piety: But Nov. 20. 1688. she cry'd out, Ah, they have found me out! and immediately she fell into her Fits; wherein we often observ'd, that she would cough up a Ball as big as a small Egg, into the side of her Wind pipe, that would near choak her, till by Stroaking and by Drinking it was again carry'd down.

When I pray'd in the Room, first her Hands were with a strong, tho' not even Force, clapt upon her Ears: And when her Hands were by our Force pull'd away, she cry'd out, They make such a Noise, I cannot hear a Word! She complain'd that Glover's Chain was upon her Leg; and assaying to go, her Gate was exactly such as the chain'd Witch had before she dy'd. When her Tortures pass'd over, still Frolicks would succeed, wherein she would continue Hours, yea, Days together, talking perhaps never wickedly but always wittily byond her self: And at certain Provocations her Torments would renew upon her, till we had left off to Give them; yet she frequently told us in these Frolicks, That if she might but steal or be drunk, she should be well immediately. She told us, that she must go down to the bottom of our Well, (and we had much ado to hinder it) for they said there was Plate there, and they would bring her up safely again.

We wonder'd at this: For she had never heard of any Plate there; and we our selves, who had newly bought the House, were ignorant of it: but the former Owner of the House just then coming in, told us There had been Plate for many Years lost at the Bottom of the Well. Moreover, one singular Passion that frequently attended her, was this:

An invisible Chain would be clapt about her, and she in much pain and Fear, cry out when [They] began to put it on. Sometimes we could with our Hands knock it off, as it began to be fasten'd: But ordinarily, when it was on, she would be pull'd out of her Seat, with

Throughout this account the brackets are those of the original edition.

such Violence, towards the Fire, that it was as much as one or two of us could do to keep her out. Her Eyes were not brought to be perpendicular to her Feet, when she rose out of her Seat, as the Mechanism of an humane Body requires in them that rise; but she was dragg'd wholly by other Hands. And if we stamp'd on the Hearth, just between her and the Fire, she scream'd out, That by jarring the Chain, we hurt her.

I may add, that [They] put an unseen Rope, with a cruel Noose, about her Neck, whereby she was choak'd until she was black in the Face: And tho' it was got off before it had kill'd her; yet there were the Red Marks of it, and of a Finger and a Thumb near it, remaining to be seen for some while afterwards. Furthermore, not only upon her own looking into the Bible, but if any one else in the Room did it, wholly unknown to her, she would fall into unsufferable Torments.

A Quaker's Book being brought her, she could quietly read whole Pages of it; only the Name of GOD and CHRIST, she still skipp'd over, being unable to pronounce it, except sometimes, stammering a Minute or two, or more upon it: And when we urg'd her to tell what the Word was that she miss'd, she would say, I must not speak it: They say I must not. You know what it is: 'Tis G, and O, and D. But a Book against Quakerism [They] would not allow her to meddle with. Such Books, as it might have been profitable and edifying for her to read, and especially her Catechisms, if she did but offer to read a Line in them, she would be cast into hideous Convulsions, and be tost about the House like a Foot ball: But Books of Jest being shewn her, she could read them well enough, and have cunning Descants upon them. Popish Books [They] would not hinder her from reading; but [They] would from reading Books against Popery. A Book which pretends to prove That there are no Witches, was easily read by her; only the Name Devils and Witches might not be utter'd. A Book which proves That there are Witches, being exhibited unto her, she might not read it: And that Expression in the Story of Ann Cole, about running to the Rock, always threw her into sore Confusions.

Divers of these Trials were made by many Witnesses: But I considering that there might be a Snare in it, put a seasonable Stop to this fanciful Business. Only I could not but be amaz'd at one thing: A certain Prayer-Book being brought her, she not only could read it very well, but also did read a large Part of it over, calling it

her Bible, and putting a more than ordinary Respect upon it. If she were going into her Tortures, at the Tender of this Book, she would recover her self to read it: Only when she came to the Lord's Prayer now and then occurring in that Book, she would have her Eyes put out; so that she must turn over a new Leaf, and then she could read again. Whereas also there are Scriptures in that Book, she could read them there: but if any shew'd her the very same Scriptures in the Bible it self, she should sooner die than read them: And she was likewise made unable to read the Psalms in an ancient Metre, which this Prayer-Book had in the same Volume with it.

Besides these, there was another inexplicable Thing in her Condition. Ever now and then, an Invisible Horse would be brought unto her by those whom she only call'd [Them,] and [Her Company,] upon the Approach of which, her Eyes wou'd be still clos'd up: For (said she) They say I am a Tell-tale, and therefore they will not let me see them. Hereupon she would give a Spring as one mounting an Horse, and setling her self in a riding Posture, she would in her Chair be agitated, as one sometimes Ambling, sometimes Trotting, and sometimes Galloping very furiously. In these Motions we could not perceive that she was mov'd by the Stress of her Feet upon the Ground, for often she touch'd it not. When she had rode a Minute or two, she would seem to be at a Rendezvous with [Them] that were [Her Company,] and there she would maintain a Discourse with them, asking them many Questions concerning her self [we gave her none of ours] and have Answers from them which indeed none but her self perceiv'd. Then would she return and inform us, How [They] did intend to handle her for a Day or two afterwards, and some other things that she inquir'd. Her Horse would sometimes throw her with much Violence; especially if any one stabb'd or cut the Air under her. But she would briskly mount again, and perform her Fantastick Journies, mostly in her Chair; but sometimes also she would be carry'd from her Chair, out of one Room into another, very odly, in the Postures of a riding Woman. At length, she pretended, that her Horse could ride up the Stairs; and unto admiration she rode, (that is, was toss'd as one that rode) up the Stairs. There then stood open the Study of one belonging to the Family: Into which entring, she stood immediately on her Feet, and cry'd out, They are gone! They are gone! They say that they cannot, God won't let 'em come here! Adding a Reason