Formal Apologies for the Salem Trials
Bill drafted by Judge Samuel Sewall and presented Dec.
17, 1696, proclaiming a Fast Day for Massachusetts (Jan. 14, 1697)
By
the Honorable the Lieutenant-Governor, Council, and Assembly of His Majesty's
Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in General Court Assembled.
Whereas the anger of God is not yet
turned away, but his hand is still stretched out against his people in manifold
judgments, particularly in drawing out to such a length the troubles of Europe
by a perplexing war; and more especially respecting ourselves in this province
in that God is pleased still to go on in diminishing our substance, cutting
short our harvest, blasting our most promising undertakings, more ways than one
unsettling of us, and by his more immediate hand snatching away many out of our
embraces by sudden and violent deaths even at this time when the sword is
devouring so many both at home and abroad, and that after many days of public
and solemn addressing of him, and although considering the many sins prevailing
in the midst of us we cannot but wonder at the patience and mercy moderating
these rebukes, yet we cannot but also fear that there is something still
wanting to accompany our supplications. And doubtless there are some particular
sins which God is angry with our Israel for, that have not been duly seen and
resented by us, about which God expects
to be sought if ever he turn again our captivity.
Wherefore it is commanded and appointed
that Thursday the fourteenth of January next be observed as a day of prayer
with fasting throughout this province, strictly forbidding all servile labor
thereon, that so all God's People
may offer up fervent supplications unto Him for the preservation and prosperity
of His Majesty's Royal Person and Government and success to attend his affairs
both at home and abroad; that all iniquity may be put away which hath stirred
God's Holy jealousy against this land; that He would show us what we know not
and help us wherein we have done amiss to do so no more; and especially that
whatever mistakes on either hand have been fallen into, either by the body of
this people or any orders of men, referring to the late tragedy raised among us
by Satan and his instruments through the awful Judgment of God, He would humble us
therefore and pardon all the errors of His Servants and People that desire to
love His Name and be atoned to His Land; that He would remove the rod of the
wicked from off the lot of the righteous; that He would bring the American
heathen and cause them to hear and obey His Voice.
Given at Boston, December 17. 1696, in the eighth year
of His Majesty's Reign. Isaac
Addington, Secretary (reprinted in Hansen 207-08)
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The apology of Samuel
Sewall, submitted by him for reading before his congregation while he stood
before them on the Fast Day, Jan. 14, 1697.
Samuel Sewall, sensible of the
reiterated strokes of God upon himself and family, and beoing sensible that as
to the guild contracted upon the opening of the late Commission of Oyer and
Tenniner at Salem (to which the order for this day relates) he is upon many
accounts more concerned than any that he knows of, desires to take the blame
and shame of it, asking pardon of men especially desiring prayers at God, who
has an unlimited authority, would pardon that sin and all other his sins,
personal and relative, and according to His Infinite Benignity and Sovereignty
not visit the sin of him or of any other upon himself or any of his, nor upon
the land, but that He would powerfully defend him against all temptations to
sin for the future, and vouchsafe him the efficacious saving conduct of his
Word and Spirit. (From Sewall’s Diary,
reprinted in Hansen 209-10).
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Apology of the twelve men who served on the jury at
the Salem trials (1697)
We
whose names are underwritten, being in the year 1692 called to serve as jurors
in court at Salem, on trial of many who were by some suspected guilty of doing
acts of witchcraft upon the bodies of sundry persons,
We
confess that we ourselves were not capable to understand nor able to withstand
the mysterious delusions of the Powers of Darkness and Prince of the Air, but
were, for want of knowledge in ourselves and better information from others,
prevailed with to take up with such evidence against the accused as on further
consideration and better information we justly fear was insufficient for the
touching the lives of any (Deuteronomy 17.6), whereby we fear we have been
instrumental with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon
ourselves and this People of the Lord the guilt of innocent blood, which sin
the Lord saith in scripture he would not pardon (2 Kings 24.4), that is, we
suppose, in regard of his temporal judgments.
We do therefore hereby signify to all in
general (and to the surviving sufferers in especial) our deep sense of and
sorrow for our errors in acting on such evidence to the condemning of any
person, and do hereby declare that we justly fear that we were sadly deluded
and mistaken, for which we are much disquieted and distressed in our minds, and
do therefore humbly beg forgiveness, first of God for Christ's sake for this
our error, and pray that God would not impute the guilt of it to ourselves nor
others. And we also 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, utterly unacquainted with and not experienced in matters of that
nature.
We do heartily ask forgiveness of you
all, whom we have justly offended, and do declare according to our present
minds, we would none of us do such things again on such grounds for the whole
world, praying you to accept of this in way of satisfaction for our offense,
and that you would bless the inheritance of the Lord, that He may be entreated
for the Land.
FOREMAN, Thomas Fisk; Thomas Perly, Senior; William
Fisk; John Peabody; ,John Batcheler; Thomas Perkins; Thomas Fisk, Junior;
Samuel Sayer; John Dane; Andrew Eliot; Joseph Evelith; Henry Herrick, Senior. (reprinted Hansen 210-11).
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Apology of Anne Putnam, Jr., an accuser at Salem, read
by her from the pulpit at Salem Village church in 1706
I desire to be humbled before God for
that sad and humbling Providence that befell my father's family in the year
about '92; that I, then being in my childhood, should by such a Providence of
God be made an instrument for the accusing of several persons of a grievous
crime, whereby their lives were taken away from them, whom now I have just
grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons; and that it was
a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly
fear that I have been instrumental with others, though ignorantly and
unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though
what was said or done by me against any person I can truly and uprightly say
before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill-will to any
person, for I had no such thing against any of them; but what I did was
ignorantly, being deluded by Satan.
(reprinted in Hansen 215)