Let us recur to the charges against some of these persons: The Rev.Cotton Mather, speaking of the trial of Bridget Bishop, says: "There was one strange thing with which the Court was _newly entertained_.

As this woman was passing by the meeting-house, she gave a look towards the house; and immediately a demon, invisibly entering the house, tore down a part of it; so that, though there was no person to be seen there, yet the people, at the noise, running in, found a board, which was strongly fastened with several nails, transported into another quarter of the house." A court of very ignorant men would be "entertained" now with such a story, in a very different sense from that in which the Rev.Cotton Mather used the word.

The Court of 1692, doubtless swallowed the story whole, for it was no more absurd than the bulk of the evidence upon which they condemned the reputed witches.
One of the charges against the Rev.Master Burroughs, who had himself been a minister for a short time in the village, was, that though a small, slender man, he was a giant in strength.

Several persons witnessed that "he had held out a gun of seven foot barrel with one hand; and had carried a barrel full of cider from a canoe to the shore." Burroughs said that an Indian present at the time did the same, but the answer was ready.

"That was the black man, or the Devil, who looks like an Indian." Another charge against Master Burroughs was, that he went on a certain occasion between two places in a shorter time than was possible, if the Devil had not assisted him.