MR. Parris, whose History is so intimately connected with the Salem
Witchcraft Delusion of 1692, was a Son of Thomas Parris of London,
and was born in 1653. He was a Member of Harvard College, but did not
graduate at that Institution. He was at first a Merchant in Boston,
but not succeeding in Business he left it, and offered himself as a
Candidate for the Ministry.
The People at Salem Village being without a Pastor, on the 15th of
November, 1688, sent a Committee, consisting of three Persons, viz:
Captain John Putnam, Mr. Joshua Rea, Sen., and Francis Nurse, "to treat
with Mr. Parris about taking ministerial Office." Nothing was done
however at this Meeting towards effecting a Settlement, and on the 25th
of November, after the Services in the Afternoon, the Audience was
stayed, and by a general Vote, requested Mr. Parris to take Office. On
the 10th of December, 1688, the Brethren of the Church, sent Lieut.
Nath'l Putnam, Sergeant Fuller, Mr. Joshua Rea, Sen., and Sergeant
Ingersoll, who came, they said, "as Messengers to know whether Mr.
Parris would accept of Office." He replied, "ye Work was weighty, they
should know in due Time." After this, several came on like Errands, but
as yet, no Proposals of Maintenance were tendered.
On the 29th of April, 1689, Deacons Nath'l Ingersoll and Edward Putnam,
Daniel Rea, Thomas Fuller, Jr., and John Tarbell, came to Mr. Parris,
from the meeting House, where there had been a general Meeting of the
Inhabitants, and said, "being the aged Men had had the Matter of Mr.
Parris's Settlement so long in Hand, and effected nothing, they were
desirous to try what the Younger could do." Upon Mr. Parris's asking
them what their Will was, they answered "they were sent, by ye People
to desire him to take Office, and had concluded to offer him sixty
Pounds for his Salary." Twenty Pounds of which, was to be in Money,
and the Remainder as follows: Wheat at 4 Shillings per Bushel, Indian
Corn at 2 Shillings per Bushel, Barley, Rye and Malt at 3 Shillings per
Bushel, Pork at 2 Pence per. Pound, Beef at 1½ Pence per. Pound.
The Committee being desirous of a speedy Answer, Mr. Parris informed
them, that he would accept of their Proposals, provided they would
comply with the following Provisions for his Maintenance: 1st, "When
Money shall be more plenteous, the Money Part to be paid me, shall
accordingly be increased. 2d, Tho' Corn or like Provisions should arise
to a higher Price than you have set, yet for my own Family Use, I
shall have what is needful, at ye Price now stated; and so if it fall
lower. 3d, The whole sixty Pounds to be only from our Inhabitants,
that are dwelling in our Bounds, or proportionable to what Lands they
have, within ye same. 4th, No Provision to be brought in, without
just asking whether needed, and myself to make choice of what, unless
ye Person is unable to pay in any Sort but one. 5th, Fire Wood to be
given in yearly freely. 6th, Two Men to be chosen yearly to see that
due Payments be made. 7th, Contributions each Sabbath in Papers, and
only such as are in Papers, and dwelling within in our Bounds, to be
accounted as Part of the sixty Pounds. 8th, As God shall please to
bless ye Place, so as to be able to rise higher, than ye said sixty
Pounds, that then a proportionable Increase be made. If God shall
please for our Sins to diminish the Substance of said Place, I will
endeavour accordingly to bear such Losses, by proportionable Abatements
of such as shall reasonably desire it."
These Proposals of Mr. Parris to the Committee were read to them and
accepted, and they expressed their Belief, that the Inhabitants would
approve of them. But it would seem that at a Meeting of the People of
the Village, May 17th, 1689, Mr. Parris was sent for, when Objections
were made against the 5th and 7th Provisions of his Settlement.
"Touching the 5th it was objected, they had no Commons, and therefore
could not conveniently give in Fire Wood, because some must bring in
half Cord, others more, others less, &c. Therefore they would allow six
Pounds per annum, one third Money, which would buy 30 Cords, as they
had dealt by former Ministers." Parris replied, he was willing to ease
them, but then he desired, that one of them would take the six Pounds
annually, and furnish him with 30 Cords of Wood, to which Proposal he
found none of them willing to consent. He then told them, if he did
accept the six Pounds, it might in Time be insufficient to purchase 30
Cords of Wood. In reply to the Fears of Parris in regard to the Rise
of the Price of Wood, he says, I had a general Answer from many that
at four Shillings per Cord, I should be supplied during my Life among
them. He continues, after much urging, I replied I would try them for
one Year. Mr. Parris says: "touching his 7th Provision, nothing at
the Time was said or objected against Contributions by Papers, for it
had been their former usual Way, but only against those, that dwelled
within their Bounds, they urging that some did not live within their
Bounds, yet they were constant Hearers, and therefore it was meet to
have their Help."
"In fine, after much Agitation here, it was agreed on my Part and
theirs, that such out Persons had Liberty to please themselves, in
paying to the Minister or the meeting House. And so I left them, fully
acquiescing with my aforesaid Conditions, not doubting but that they
had truly entered it on the Records, as I took for granted, nor heard
any Thing otherwise, till after my Ordination a good while, in another
public Meeting of the Village; when another Vote, recorded and read,
vastly different from the Agreement, as above said--which I then openly
did, and still must deny, to be any Contract of mine."
We have now presented Mr. Parris's Account, of the Transactions between
himself and the People of Salem Village, in regard to his Settlement.
This was drawn up by him, and used upon his Trial before the Court of
Common Pleas at Ipswich in 1696-7. We have been thus particular in
Relation to the Settlement of Mr. Parris at Salem Village, it being
one of the Causes, which led to the most bitter parochial Quarrel,
that ever existed in New-England, and in the Opinion of some Persons,
was the chief or primary Cause of that world-wide famous Delusion, the
Salem Witchcraft.
Salem Village, since embraced in the Parish of Rev. Dr. Milton P.
Braman, in Danvers, Massachusetts, was, on the 19th of November, 1689
(when the Rev. Samuel Parris entered upon his Duties there as a Pastor
and Teacher,) a small Hamlet or Village, inhabited principally by
Farmers, but embracing within its Limits, much adjoining Territory,
extending its Lines to Wills Hill, now Middleton, there being many
Families who attended Worship at Salem Village. The number of rateable
Polls in the Parish was 100. It appears, from the Records, that Mr.
Parris presented to his Church, upon his Settlement, a new Covenant and
Form of Admission for its Members, together with the Question, who were
the proper Subjects of Baptism? These caused some Debate in the Church,
but none opposed the final Action upon them. Some singular and unusual
Cases of Discipline came before them, but they appeared to have been
disposed of peaceably. It was not until the 8th of October, 1691, that
we discover any unfriendly feeling, existing between Mr. Parris and
his People. It was on that Day, he says in his Church Records,--"Being
my Lecture Day after public Service was ended, I was so bare of Fire
Wood, that I was forced publicly to desire the Inhabitants to take
Care that I might be provided for, telling them, had it not been for
Mr. Corwin (who had brought Wood, being here at my House), I should
hardly have had any to burn." Upon the Pastor's informing the Church
of his Destitution of Fire Wood, the Brethren raised a Committee, who
were instructed to see the Town Committee, and desire them to make a
Rate for the Minister. The Committee on Rates met November 10th, 1691,
and reported that they did not see good Cause to take Notice of the
Church Committee, without they had a Letter to show, under the Church
and Pastor's Hand. Upon this, Mr. Parris complained of the Treatment
of the Committee towards him, but more especially the Church, whom
he said manifested an indifference in this Affair. The Committee,
whose Business it was to raise a Tax to procure the Pastor's Wood,
still continuing to refuse to do it, on the 27th of December, 1691,
a Petition was sent to the Quarter Sessions, wherein the Petitioners
complain, that "no Reparations of the Village Meeting House has been
for a great while regarded, so that broken Windows, stopt up some of
them by Boards or otherwise, and others wide open, and is sometimes so
dark, that it is almost _unuseful_." The Court, upon this Petition,
appointed a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Village, to choose a new
Committee to meet on the 25th of January, 1692, for the Purpose of
assessing Rates to repair the meeting House, and procure the Pastor's
Wood. The Inhabitants of the Village met on that Day, and made choice
of Joseph Pope, Joseph Holten, Jr., John Tarbell, Thomas Preston, and
James Smith, as their Committee.
This is the last we hear about this Affair of procuring Wood, &c.,
probably all further Consideration of it was absorbed in the great
Witchcraft Delusion, which was now close at Hand, and about to break
forth.
We are now brought to the Period of the Commencement of Salem
Witchcraft, as it first developed itself in the Family of Samuel
Parris, Minister at Salem Village in 1692.
Mr. Parris's Household consisted, at this Time, of himself and
Wife, his age being 39 Years, that of his Wife 44 Years, a Daughter
Elizabeth, aged nine Years, a Niece of eleven Years by the Name of
Abigail Williams, and two Servants named John Indian, and Tituba his
Wife, both Natives of South America, then called New Spain. These were
held as Slaves, and Parris probably came into possession of them in
some of his Commercial Transactions. By some Persons, these Indians
have been supposed to belong to the Aborigines of our Country and to
have obtained their knowledge of Witchcraft from the Indian Powows; but
this appears to have been a mistake. Mr. Parris's nearest Neighbors
were Capt. Jona. Walcut, who had a Daughter called Mary, 17 years of
Age, and his Parish Clerk. Thomas Putnam, who had a Daughter named Ann,
aged 12 Years, and a servant Girl, living with him, named Mercey Lewis
aged 17 Years, Mary Warren, aged 20 Years, lived with John Proctor,
Elizabeth Booth, aged 18 Years, lived near to John Proctor, Sarah
Churchill, aged 20 Years, lived in the Family of Geo. Jacobs, Sen.,
Susannah Sheldon, aged 18 Years, lived in the Village. These Girls,
together with Abigail Williams, a Niece of Mr. Parris, aged 11 Years,
were in the Habit of meeting in a Circle in the Village, to practice
Palmistry, Fortune Telling, &c. It appears by Evidence, given at the
Courts, that some of their Parents and Guardians did not approve of
these Meetings. Mary Warren, one of the most Violent of the accusing
Girls, lived as we have before said, with John Proctor, and at last
became his principal Accuser, upon his examination for Witchcraft.
Proctor, out of all Patience with the Meetings of the Girls, composing
this Circle, one Day said he "was a going to the Village to bring Mary
Warren, the Jade, Home; for, if let alone, these Girls would make us
all _Devils and Witches together quickley_. They should rather be had
to the Whipping Post; but he would fetch his Jade Home, and thrash
the Devil out of her." Proctor said, when Mary Warren was first taken
with Fits, he kept her close to the Wheel, and threatened to thrash
her, and then she had no more Fits; but the next Day, he being gone
from Home, she had her Fits again. If the accusing Girls had been dealt
with as John Proctor would have had them, we probably should have had
a short Story to tell, about Salem Witchcraft. It is at the Meeting of
this Circle of eight Girls, for the purpose of practising Palmistry
and Fortune Telling, that we discover the Germ, or the first Origin of
the Delusion. We have endeavored to follow them after the Excitement
had subsided, for the Purpose of ascertaining their Character in after
Life. One only of this Circle, Ann Putnam, confessed her Folly, and
sought Forgiveness. Some of them grew up Licentious in their Habits,
and all of them appear to have sought Obscurity. Their whole Course,
as seen in their Depositions, discloses much Malignancy, and their
Ignorance was so great, that of the Eight accusing Girls, Six of them
signed their Names with a Cross.
It was in the latter End of February, 1692, that the Daughter of
Mr. Parris, named Elizabeth, aged 9 Years, together with his Niece,
Abigail Williams, aged 12 Years, were taken Sick and received such
attention from Mrs. Parris as their Case seemed to require. But growing
worse under her Treatment, and not being able to ascertain what their
Disease was, application was made to their Family Physician, Dr. Gregg,
living in the Village. He visited them, and observed that they were
afflicted with a sad Distemper, the Name of which he could not tell.
Other Physicians were called in, in Consultation, when one of them
gave it as his Opinion, that the Children were under an evil Hand. It
is probable that it was Dr. Gregg that supposed the Girls bewitched,
for he had expressed the same Opinion of many of his Patients when he
could not understand their Disease, many times before. It is highly
probable that the Opinion of these Physicians went far to form the
Belief of not only Parris, but also of his ministerial Friends, in the
Existence of Witchcraft in the Village. Mr. Parris appears to have been
much astonished, when the Physicians informed him, that his Daughter
and Niece were, no doubt, under an evil Hand. There is Evidence that
Mr. Parris endeavored to keep the Opinion of the Physicians a Secret,
at least, till he could determine what Course to pursue. At this Time,
Mary Sibley, a Member of his Church, gave directions to John Indian
how to find out, who bewitched Betsy Parris and Nabby Williams. This
was done without the Knowledge of Parris. The Means used to make
this Discovery, was to make a Cake of Rye Meal, with the Urine of
the Children, and Bake it in the Ashes, and give it to a Dog to eat.
Similar disgusting Practices appear to have been used to discover and
kill Witches, during the whole Period of the Delusion.
On the 27th of March, 1692, Mr. Parris called together his Church,
when he presented Testimony against the Error of sister Mary Sibley,
in giving direction to John Indian in an unwarrantable Way, to find
out Witches. Upon Mary Sibley's manifesting Sorrow and Grief for her
Conduct, the Brethren of the Church received Satisfaction. By the
diabolical Means thus used by Mary Sibley, Mr. Parris supposed the
Devil had been raised, and seeing the apparent distressed Condition
of his Family, and not knowing what Course to pursue, requested
some worthy Gentlemen of Salem, and some neighboring Ministers to
consult together at his House; who when they came, and had inquired
diligently into the Sufferings of the Afflicted, concluded they were
Preternatural, and feared the Hand of Satan was in them. The Advice
given to Parris by them was, that he should sit still and wait upon
the Providence of God, to see what Time might discover; and to be much
in Prayer for the Discovery of what was yet secret. They also examined
Tituba, who confessed the making a Cake, and said her Mistress in her
own Country was a Witch, and had taught her some Means to be used for
the Discovery of a Witch, and for the Prevention of being bewitched,
&c. But said she herself, was not a Witch. Soon after this, there were
two or three private Fasts at Parris's House, one of which was kept by
the neighboring Ministers, and another in Public at the Village. And
one general Fast, by Order of the General Court, observed throughout
the Colony, to seek the Lord, that he would rebuke Satan, and be a
Light unto his People in this Day of Darkness.
It is evident from the Account given by Rev. John Hale, who was an
Eye Witness to many of the Transactions at Salem Village, and one of
the Ministers called for Consultation, that Mr. Parris proceeded with
Caution at the Commencement of the Troubles, and was anxious to seek
Council and Advice. He likewise wished to inform himself on the Subject
of Witchcraft, and for that Purpose received as a Loan from Dea. Robert
Sanderson, of Boston, a Copy of Perkins' Works, which treated upon that
Subject.
We are among those who believe Mr. Parris was honest in his Belief
in Witchcraft, and that he was not moved in this Affair by personal
Malice, or the Desire to promote the Cause of Religion in his Parish,
as has been supposed by the Author of the History of Danvers. We have
not as yet, found a Particle of Evidence, that he entertained ill Will
against those who were accused and executed.
Mr. Parris, in common with his ministerial Brethren, appears to have
come, after the Confession of Tituba, to the full Conclusion, that
Witchcraft had broken out in his Parish, and that the Devil had
commenced his Operations in his own Family; and as a faithful Pastor,
he should not hesitate, for a Moment, to grapple with the Enemy.
It was in this Point of View, that we discover the Courage of the
People of Salem Village, who were engaged in opposing what they
considered the Machinations of the Devil--they supposing that he was
the Cause, operating through the Agency of Witches, of all the Torture
and Misery they beheld, and that, by their Opposition, they were liable
also to suffer from his Malignancy. They believed, also, that the Devil
was about to establish an Agency, or Kingdom in New England; and had
actually commenced Operations in Salem Village. This, Cotton Mather,
Parris, and others, were determined should not be done, at least if
they could help it. There was some very singular Evidence given at
the Courts on this Point. Ann Foster, of Andover, a confessing Witch,
testified at her Examination, July 21, 1692, "that she was at a Witch
Meeting at the Village, where there was a large Number of Witches
present, and that the principal Discourse at this Gathering, was in
regard to the setting up of the Devil's Kingdom at the Village, and
making it their Rendezvous!" And another confessing Witch testified, at
a subsequent Meeting, that they had, by an unanimous Vote, concluded
to set up the Devil's Kingdom at Salem Village--it being thought, all
Things considered, the most suitable Place to begin the Enterprise,
and, by so doing, they were in Hopes it would spread over New England.
This was solemnly and religiously believed by many, and it required
Courage and Pluck to stand up and resist the Designs of a powerful,
malicious Being, capable, as they supposed, of tormenting them in
various Ways, destroying their Cattle, &c.
Parris appears to have been very desirous of preventing his Daughter,
Elizabeth, from participating in the Excitement at the Village. She was
sent by her Father, at the Commencement of the Delusion, to reside at
Salem with Capt. Stephen Sewall. While there, the Captain and his Wife
were much discouraged in effecting a Cure, as she continued to have
sore Fits. Elizabeth said that the great _black Man_, came to her, and
told her, if she would be ruled by him, she should have whatsoever she
desired, and go to a _Golden City_. She related this to Mrs. Sewall,
who immediately told the Child it was the Devil, and he was a Liar, and
bid her tell him so if he came to her again; which she did accordingly
the next Time the black Man came to her. The Devil, it would seem,
unaccustomed, in those Days, to experience such Resistance, and utterly
astonished at the cool Impudence of Betsy Parris, never troubled her
afterwards; and,--although this Girl was one of the first Originators
of the Witchcraft Delusion, in connection with her Cousin Abigail
Williams,--she appears to have had, afterwards, but little to do with
Witchcraft. This arose in Consequence of following the sage Advice of
Mrs. Sewall, in getting rid of the Devil; or, what was more probable,
in her Father taking her from the weekly Circle of accusing and
bewitching Girls, and placing her in a very respectable Family in Salem.
It has been said that Parris had a Rival in Rev. George Burroughs, who
had Friends in Salem Village, desirous of his Settlement; and that that
was a sufficient Reason why Parris should appear at the Courts against
him. We have never seen any Proof of this Rivalship between these
Clergymen. It is difficult now to ascertain the Cause of the Arrest of
Burroughs who was preaching at Wells, at the Time, in his Pulpit. The
Girl who accused him of bewitching her, was Mercy Lewis, who was then
living with Thomas Putnam. She formerly lived with Burroughs, when he
preached at the Village; and, upon one or more Occasions, he whipped
her severely. This we suspect was the true Cause of her crying out
against him.
It had been said that Rebecca Nurse was an Object of special Hatred
to Parris; but this we have failed to discover. We cannot imagine the
Cause of the alleged Complaint of Witchcraft against Rebecca Nurse. She
appears to have been an amiable and exemplary Woman, and well educated
for the Times in which she lived. We suspect, from an Examination
of the Charges brought against her at the Courts, that she had
several Times severely rebuked the accusing Girls for their Folly and
Wickedness, when meeting in their Circles. In this Way, she probably
incurred the Displeasure of Ann Putnam and her Mother--her principal
Accusers. Mr. Parris has often been accused of being over Officious,
and a swift Witness against the Accused at the Courts. Parris could
not be said to have been a chief Witness in the Prosecutions, although
he may be said to have been a frequent corroborating Witness with his
Neighbors. The chief Witnesses were the accusing Girls, as they were
called. At the preliminary Examinations before the Magistrates, Parris
and others were required to be present when the Depositions were taken
down, as related by the Girls, and afterwards made use of at the Trials
before the Courts.
These being given in and related by Children, and young Persons, the
Court required an Endorsement from some older Persons, who witnessed
their supposed Afflictions, and could attest to their Depositions. It
is in this Way Mr. Parris's Name, as well as his Neighbors, frequently
appear in the Court Documents. Parris appears to have been frequently
at the Examinations of those accused of Witchcraft, and put Questions
to those on Trial. He also acted as a Recorder to the Magistrates more
frequently than others. The Reason for his being often employed by the
Courts was simply because he was requested to do so, and was discovered
to be well qualified for that Purpose. We have seen the Records of
several Persons thus employed, and should say Parris's was the Best. It
was his Practice to take down the Examinations in short Hand,--he being
a good Stenographer,--and then write them out in full, in a plain,
legible Hand.
We have not been able to discover the Cause of the alleged Complaint
of Witchcraft, against those three excellent Women, viz: Rebecca
Nurse, Mary Easty, and Sarah Cloyce. They were Sisters, of a good
Education, and fair Reputation. It is not to be denied, that the Part
Parris took in the Trials of these Women, was the chief Cause of the
Opposition towards him, and led at last to his Dismission from the
People at the Village. His principal Opposers were the Relatives of
these three unfortunate Sisters. Samuel Nurse, a Son of Rebecca Nurse,
John Tarbell, who had married her Daughter, and Peter Cloyce, who had
married Sarah Cloyce. These three Persons, together with one Thomas
Williams, after the Execution of Rebecca Nurse and Mary Easty, and the
Imprisonment of Sarah Cloyce, became much dissatisfied with Parris,
and sought Advice of the Elders in some of the neighboring Churches,
as to the best Mode of bringing him before a Council to answer for his
Conduct in the Witchcraft Delusion. They were Members of the Village
Church, and had for some Time neglected Public Worship on the Sabbath,
and absented themselves from the Communion. While these discontented
Brethren were considering what Course to pursue against their Pastor,
Parris, either in order to divert their Proceedings from himself, or to
administer Discipline, on the 14th of August, 1692, caused the Church
to be stayed, and entered a Complaint against Samuel Nurse and Wife,
John Tarbell and Wife, and Peter Cloyce, for absenting themselves from
the Communion. This Complaint was entered by the Church, and Brother
Nathaniel Putnam, and the two Deacons were chosen to be joined with the
Pastor to discourse with the Absentees. Much Time was spent by this
Committee, in endeavoring to obtain Satisfaction from the offending
Brethren;--while on the other Hand, they were striving by all the Means
in their Power, to bring Parris before a Council. At last, on the
16th of February, 1693, at a Meeting of the Committee of the Church,
the Dissenting Brethren gave their Reasons for withdrawing from the
Communion.
"Whereas we, Thomas Williams, and John Tarbell, and Samuel Nurse,
having a long Time gone under the Burden of great Grievances, by Reason
of some unwarrantable Actings of Mr. Parris, as we esteem them, and
were proceeding in an orderly Way, to obtain Satisfaction from him,
and had taken some Steps thereunto, according to the Advice of some
neighboring Elders. But obstructive to our Proceedings therein, Mr.
Parris and some Brethren of the Church, were appointed by the Church,
to demand a Reason of us, of our withdrawing from Communion. The
Regularity of which Proceeding, we do not understand, because in this
Case, we esteem ourselves to be Plaintiffs and Parties offended, and in
an orderly Way, seeking Satisfaction, tho' hitherto denied. Our Answer
to the Church is, that we esteem ourselves hereby prevented in our
Duty, which we account a Grievance, seeing we were first in Prosecution
of the Rule of our Lord Jesus Christ, laid down in Mathew 18 C., 15,
16 vs. Wherefore, if the Church give us the Liberty and Freedom of
attending our Duty, as according to Rule bound, possibly then further
Trouble may be prevented, or otherwise, the Case will necessarily and
regularly come before them. But if they deny us the Request, we shall,
as in Duty bound, give the Reasons of our Proceedings to the Church, or
any others, when orderly demanded."
Parris says, in the Records of the Church, "that these displeased
Brethren were told in Reply to their Communication, that they did
ill to reflect on the Church, who, as also the Pastor, were ignorant
of their Methods, and that they should have spoken with the Pastor
himself, before they went to consult neighboring Elders. But to this
Last they pleaded Ignorance. So we gave Way to their Request of
proceeding orderly."
On the 27th of March, 1693, the dissenting Brethren handed to the
Pastor the following Document:--
"To our Pastor and Minister, Mr. Samuel Parris, of Salem Village, and
to some others of the Plantation. We, whose Names are underwritten,
being deeply sensible, that those uncomfortable Differences that are
amongst us, are very dishonorable to God, and a Scandal to Religion,
and very uncomfortable to ourselves, and an ill Example to those, who
may come after us. And by our maintaining and upholding Differences,
that are amongst us, we do but gratify the Devil, the great Adversary
to our Souls. For the Removal of which we have thought meet to proffer
our present Thoughts to your serious Consideration, hoping, that
there may be such Methods propounded, as may be for the settling and
confirming Peace and Unity amongst us, both at the Present and for the
Future. And our Desires are, that such a Foundation may be laid for
Peace and Truth, that the Gates of Hell may not prevail against it. And
in Order thereunto, Solomon adviseth Counsel; and our Desires are, that
a Council of Elders may be chosen, to hear all our Grievances between
Mr. Parris and us, and determine where the blameable Cause is. And we
hope, that their Wisdom and Prudence may direct us to such a Method, as
may be for our Comfort for both Present and Future."
Much Time was spent by the Committee of the Church, in endeavoring to
obtain Satisfaction from the dissenting Brethren, while the Latter
were striving by all the Means in their Power, to bring Parris before
a Council. At last, on the 16th of February, 1693, at a Meeting of the
Committee, the dissenting Brethren gave their Reasons for withdrawing
from the Ministry at the Village. They are the following.[196]
After the Pastor had read the Charges against him, he brought forward
his "Meditations for Peace." This Paper, having been considered at the
Time as an Acknowledgment of his Mistakes in the Witchcraft Delusion,
we have given it entire. It is as follows.[197]
Notwithstanding the discontented Brethren continued to press the
Acceptance of their Petition, for a mutual Council. Parris refused to
notice it, and says, "I put it up in my Pocket, and told them I would
consider it." It appears, by the Records, that the Acknowledgment of
Mr. Parris was first read before the Church, November, 18, 1694, in the
Presence of the dissenting Brethren, when Tarbell remarked, that if
the Pastor had formerly made but _half the Acknowledgment he now had_,
it had never come to this. It would seem that the Acknowledgment of
the Pastor was not satisfactory to the Brethren, and they continued to
persist in the calling of a Council. In the Meantime, Parris brought
sundry Objections, as he called them, against Tarbell and his Friends,
which were read before the Church, November 13th. These Objections,
were as follows:--"Their precipitant, schismatical and total
withdrawing from the Church; Their bringing forward a factious Libel to
the Pastor, consisting of Calumnies, or Reflections on said Minister,
and others of the Plantation; their impetuous Pursuit of the Minister
at his House, for Answer to said Libel to his great Disquietude;
there restless Pursuit of the Minister, on the 14th of April, 1693,
for an Answer to said Libel; their persisting with great Heat, that
their Charge might be read, yea loudly and fiercely before the whole
Brotherhood, clamouring against the Church, and their publishing under
their own Hands, in divers Places of the Country, sundry Obloquies
against the Church; their ensnaring several to join them in a Petition
to his Excellency and General Court, scandalizing the Church and
Minister, as unpeaceable with their Neighbors; their withdrawing their
Purses, as well as their Persons from upholding the Lord's Table, and
the Ministry; their gross Mistake in their Letter to the Church at
Malden, wherein they profess so much Dissatisfaction with the Doctrine,
Practice and Administration of their Pastor, for above a Year, before
the Date of said Letter, as that they were forced to withdraw from
all public Worship; whereas it is most notorious, that they were not
wanting as to a Profession of much Respect to their Pastor, all along
before, yea, and a considerable while after the breaking out of the
late horrid Witchcraft." These are some of the Charges brought against
the three Brethren by Parris, and he informs us, "as soon as the public
Reading of these Articles was ended, Brother Thomas Wilkins, in a
scoffing and contemptuous Way, said openly, 'this is a large Epistle.'"
It would seem by the Records, that the dissenting Brethren continued to
make strenuous Efforts to bring Parris before a Council, which was at
last recommended by the Pastors of the Churches in the Neighborhood,
when Parris in his last Attempt to evade it, proposed to give the
discontented Brethren, a Dismission to some other orthodox Church,
to which Tarbell replied, "Aye, if we could find a Way to remove our
Living too." After a Delay of more than two Years, the Church consented
to call a Council, who met at the Village, April 3d, 1695. Dr. Increase
Mather was chosen Moderator, and offered the following Report, which
was accepted by the Council, and presented to the Church:--1st, They
unanimously declared that "we judge that altho' in the late and dark
Time of the Confusions, wherein Satan had obtained a more than ordinary
Liberty to sift this Plantation, there were sundry unwarrantable
and uncomfortable Steps taken, by Mr. Samuel Parris, the Pastor of
the Church in Salem Village, then under the hurrying Distractions of
amazing Afflictions; yet the said Mr. Parris, by the good Hand of God,
brought unto a better Sense of Things, hath so fully expressed it, that
a Christian Charity may, and should, receive Satisfaction therewith. 2,
They advised the dissenting Brethren to accept the Satisfaction, which
he had tendered in his Christian Acknowledgment of the Errors therein
committed, and in case Mr. Parris finds after all, that he can not with
any Comfort and Service, continue in his present Station, his Removal
from thence, will not expose him to any hard Character with us. Having
observed that there is, in Salem Village, a Spirit full of Contention
and Animosity, too sadly verifying the Blemish, which hath heretofore
lain upon them; and that some Complaints against Mr. Parris have been
either causeless or groundless, or unduly aggravated, we do, in the
Name and Fear of the Lord, solemnly warn them to consider whether, if
they continue to devoure one another, it will not be Bitterness in the
latter End."
The Recommendation of the Council appears to have been satisfactory
to the Friends of Mr. Parris and the Pastor was resolved to continue
in the Ministry. At the same Time, the Report of the Council was
unsatisfactory to those Persons opposed to Mr. Parris, as it did
not recommend his Dismission; accordingly, on the 3d Day of May,
1695, a Paper, signed by 16 young Men, 52 Householders and 18 Church
Members, was handed to the Rev. Elders, composing the late Council
at the Village, requesting them to give Parris's Case a rehearing,
and more plainly advise the Pastor to cease his Labors, and seek to
dispose himself elsewhere, &c. On the 6th of May, 1695, in Answer to
the Opponents of Mr. Parris, the Council sent a Letter to the Pastor,
informing him of the Extent of the Opposition to his Ministry, and
advising him to come away from his present Station, and unite in
calling another Minister, and forgiving and forgetting all former
Grievances.
Mr. Parris appears to have been nettled with the last Recommendation
of the Council for him to leave his Parish, and says, in the Church
Records, under his own Hand, that the Paper (in Answer to the
Instrument and _classical_ Letter from Cambridge) was brought by Deacon
Putnam to the Elders, assembled at Boston, at Mr. Willard's, May 29th,
1695, being the Day of Election after Dinner, when was assembled the
Body of Elders, belonging to this Province. This Paper was addressed
to the Rev. Mr. Increase Mather and others of the Rev. Elders, which
lately met at Cambridge, under Date of May 20th, 1695, and signed by 53
Householders and 52 Church members, all belonging to Salem Village. In
this Letter, they say, that the Removing of Mr. Parris from his present
Station will not unite us in calling another Minister. That they justly
fear, should he be removed, they would be left, as a Sheep, without a
Shepherd. Therefore they desire, that Mr. Parris may continue in his
present Station.
The Council appear to have been at last fully satisfied that Mr. Parris
should leave Salem Village, and they therefore procured a Parish for
him in Suffield, and sent two Messengers from that Church, to persuade
the Church at Salem Village to dismiss their Pastor. Parris informs us,
in his Church Records, that at a Meeting of the Church, held at his
House, June 3d, 1695, he acquainted the Brethren, that here were two
Messengers from Suffield, who were looking out for a Minister, and by
the Desire of some Elders in Boston, made application to him, and was
willing to go with them, if the Brethren pleased, and in his Absence
for a few Months, they might try if they could (with others who now
dissented,) unite in some other Minister. But, after several Hours
debate, both with the Brethren, and some other Christian Neighbors,
they all declared an Averseness to his Motion. Thereupon thanking them
for their professed Love to him, he told them, he was not free to go,
without their Consent, and seeing they would not let him go, he prayed
for them _to keep him, and make much of him_. The same Day, June 3d,
1695, the Church sent the following decisive Letter to Rev. Increase
and Cotton Mather, saying, "we cannot fault ye Intendment of our
Brethren Sergent David Winchell, and Corporal Victory Sikes, Messengers
from Suffield, sent by yourselves to obtain the Ministry of our Pastor
if we were so minded, as to part with him. But upon maturing together,
this Day both of Church and others, to consult that Affair, do hereby
signify at the Desire of the above Suffield Messengers, with unanimous
Agreement, not one excepted--(save the Four known Dissenters) we are
resolved--_God helping against such a Separation during our ability to
prevent it_. And our Pastor tho' otherwise inclined, yet as unwilling
to leave so many of his Flock, as testify so strong Affections towards
him. So earnestly requesting the constant Helps of your Prayers, and as
much otherwise as you can, we rest, worthy and much esteemed Sirs, your
needy Brethren.
SAMUEL PARRIS, Pastor,
in the Name of the Church and other Christian
Neighbors.
To the Rev. Mr. Increase Mather
and Mr. Cotton Mather, Jun., Boston."
It does not appear that there were any more Efforts made by the Boston
Elders, to bring about a Reconciliation; and it seems that there was
always a Majority of the Parish in Favor of Mr. Parris, remaining with
them; and there appears to have been a very general Mistake, with many
Authors, in Regard to his Dismission from his People, they, supposing
that he was hastily driven away from the Village. Whereas he continued
and maintained himself through a ministerial Quarrel of five Years,
until he saw fit to discontinue it, when he informed his Church of his
Intentions.
There were three distinct Matters of Dispute between Parris and his
People at Salem Village. The First arose previous to the Breaking
out of the Witchcraft Delusion, in Consequence of the Neglect of his
Parish to furnish him with the stipulated Supply of 30 Cords of Wood
per Annum. The second Dispute with the four Dissenting Brethren of
the Church, arose in Consequence of the Course pursued by Parris in
Regard to Witchcraft. The Third, was in Consequence of his claiming the
Parsonage and Lands, under a vote of the Inhabitants of the Village,
and their Refusing to pay him his Arrears due him, on his old Lists
of Rates. These three Disputes, caused a long and continued Quarrel,
which at last attracted the People far and near--was a grave Matter
for learned Councils, was brought before the County Courts, and was
a Subject for Petition before the great and General Court at Boston.
After it was understood that Parris was to leave the People at the
Village, and that he claimed the Parsonage, a fierce Quarrel arose
between him and the Inhabitants, which was carried before the Court at
Ipswich.
The Matter, without being settled, was taken from the Courts, and
given to Wait Winthrop, Elisha Cook, and Samuel Sewall, Esqrs., and
they decided "that Mr. Parris should have some of his Arrears paid him,
also a sum of Money for his Repairs of the ministerial House, and be
dismissed from Salem Village."
It was during his greatest Difficulties with his People, that he lost
his Wife by Death. This occurred on the 14th of July, 1696. She was
buried in the Wadsworth burial Ground, in Danvers, where can be seen
a gray Slate Stone,--a fine Specimen of the lapidary Art,--with its
Lines as sharp as on the Day when they were first cut, erected over
her Grave, on which is the following Inscription, with the Initials of
Samuel Parris at the Bottom:--
"Sleep precious Dust, no stranger now to Rest,
Thou hast thy longed wish, within Abraham's Brest--
Farwell Best Wife, Choice Mother, Neighbor, Friend,
We'll wail the less, for hopes of the in the end." S. P.
After his Dismission from Salem Village he removed to Concord,
Massachusetts, where he lived in 1705; and 1711, preached six Months
in Dunstable. He died at Sudbury, February 27th, 1720; Mrs. Dorothy
Parris, his second Wife, died there on the 6th of September, 1719. The
following are the Children of Mr. Parris:--Elizabeth, who was married
to Benj. Barnes, at Concord, January 13th, 1710; Dorothy, married
Hopestill Brown, of Sudbury, 1718, and died March 4th, 1725; Samuel,
who was a Deacon of a Church in Sudbury, died November 22d, 1792, aged
91 Years; Noyes, graduated at Harvard College, 1721, was deranged, and
supported by the Town; Mary, married Peter Bent, of Sudbury, April
18th, 1727.
[Eleven Years after the Death of Mr. Parris, the following
Advertisement appeared. Whether his Descendants acted upon the
Suggestion contained in it, the Editor is not informed.]
"Any Person, who knew Mr. Samuel Parris, formerly of Barbadoes,
afterwards of Boston, in New-England, Merchant, and after that,
Minister at Salem Village, &c., deceas'd, to be a Son of Thomas
Parris, of the Island afore said, Esqr,--who deceased 1673, or sole
Heir by Will to his Estate in said Island,--are desired to give or
send Notice thereof to the Printer of this Paper; and it shall be
for their Advantage."
[_Boston News-Letter, No. 1433, July_ 15_th_, 1731.
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