recommendation from the Church at Newbury, October, 1684. She was the mother of four children, viz., James, born the fourteenth of October, 1685. Mr. Hale's third wife, was Mrs. Elizabeth Clark, of Newbury. The intention of marriage was published July 14th, 1698, and she was received into the Church, by recommendation from the church in Newbury, September 17th, 1699, so that the marriage took place between these two last dates. She survived Mr. Hale. The compensation which the Society agreed to give Mr. Hale, for his services amongst them, was settled two years before his ordination, as will appear by the following extract from the records, dated May 15th, 1665. "Whereas we do with one consent, invite Mr. John Hale to come amongst us, in order to settling with us in the work of the ministry; for his due encouragement in the work of the Lord among us, according to II. Chronicles, xxxi.—xxxiv. ; and that he may attend upon the work of the ministry, without distraction, we do promise and engage to pay unto him, £70 per annum, and his firewood: raised amongst us by a rate in equal portions, according to our former custom. And for the manner and time of payment, that he may not have to do with particular men's portion of allowance, the bill shall not be delivered unto him, nor shall he be troubled with gathering of it in ; but two men shall be chosen year by year, to take the care of bringing it into his house, and to make up the account at the appointed time. Nehemiah x. 34. Also, whereas we have built a house for the ministry, wherein it is defective, to be furnished by us; and there are two acres of home lot (to be fenced in by us), and as much meadow land belonging to it, as commonly bears about four loads of hay. We do agree that he shall have the use of that, so long as he continues in the work of the ministry with us. Yet because it is his duty to provide for wife and children, that he may leave behind him, and our duty to have a care of him in that respect, we do therefore promise and engage, that in the case he die in the ministry with us, that either the house and two acre home lot aforementioned, shall be his, or that which is equivalent, to be paid (according to his last will and testament), within the compass of one year after his decease. It is also agreed by all of us, that Mr. Hale shall have the use and benefit of pasturing, the time he lives with us." The first persons chosen to make the rate for Mr. Hale's maintenance, for the year 1665, were Captain Thomas Lothrop, who was slain in the battle of Bloody Brook, September 13th, 1675, (old style), Mr. Thorndike, Roger Conant, the first settler of Salem, in 1626, and in 1665, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, Samuel Corning and Joseph Rootes. At another meeting, Lieutenant William Dixy and Humphrey Woodberry, have power to appoint the time, and to give notice to the inhabitants, when they shall come together to build the house for Mr. Hale's cattle, and whoever doth not come, shall pay 3s. The house to be 18 feet long, 10 feet wide, and seven or eight feet stud. William Dixy arrived from England, at Cape Ann, in 1629, settled in Beverly, was admitted a freeman in 1634, and died in 1690, aged 82. There is a tradition, that the first child born on the north or Beverly side of Bass-river, was his. Humphrey Woodberry was the son of John Woodberry, the companion of Roger Conant, in effecting the settlement at Salem. Humphrey was chosen the first deacon of the Beverly Church, February 24th, 1667-8, and died about 1685. Dixy, on the death of Captain Lothrop in 1675, and at the age of 67, succeeded Lothrop as Captain of the Beverly militia company. "It is agreed, that farmer Dodge shall be paid for his ground which is bought for the ministry, either two cows or ten pounds. Humphrey Woodberry is to have after the rate of 20s. an acre, for his ground, and he is to have free liberty to pass through with a cart, when he hath occassion.' November 9th, 1667. In order that Mr. Hale should be supplied with wood, four men were appointed to determine how much every one should cut and haul, and see to the delivery of it. This method of supply was not long found convenient, and in 1671, they agreed with two persons to deliver thirty cords, corded up in Mr. Hale's yard, at 6s. per cord. And if that was not sufficient to com plete the year, to bring enough more at the same rate. The year for this mode of supply, was to begin in November, 1671. November 5th, 1677. It was voted "that the wood for Mr. Hale should be bought out of the rate or tax assessed. June 11th, 1669. Mr. Hale's salary was reduced to £60, but a piece of land was granted him, in lieu of the £10 taken from his salary. His wood was to be brought home to him, by the last Monday in October. This arrangement probably was not acceded to by Mr. Hale, as it appears to be inconsistent with subsequent votes. August 5th, 1684. It was voted, that from this time forward, the town will pay to Mr. Hale, £64 in money, instead of the £70 and firewood as formerly. This was acceded to by Mr. Hale. The salary of £70 was payable in produce, at a regulated price. This was called Rate Pay, which, with the wood, perhaps was not more valuable, than £64 per annum, payable quarterly in money. By a record in the town's book, of December 1681, in regard to building a new meeting-house for the town, the sum agreed to be given, was £370 in silver money, or in lieu thereof, £550 in produce, being a difference of forty-nine per cent. between the payment in silver money, and the payment in produce at the current prices. This last agreement with Mr. Hale, was not to affect arrearages, but they were to be settled upon the former principle. In the year before this, they had agreed to collect Mr. Hale's salary by contribution, and make up the deficiency by a rate. Each person to be allowed what he contributes, and not to be burdened with the delinquency of others. About the time of Mr. Hale's last marriage, £10 was added to his salary, so that it was £74 from thence to his decease. March 5th, 1694. The dwelling-house, and about two acres of land whereon he lived, was granted to him and his heirs for ever. Mr. Hale appears to have taken an active part in the examination of those accused of witchcraft in 1692. March 24th, 1692, he made the prayer at the meeting-house in Salem village [now Danvers], when Goodwife Nurse, was examined before the magistrates, Hathorne and Curwen, and was also present on the 14th of May following, at the examination of Mrs. Cary. Both of these persons were tried, condemned and executed for the alleged crime of witchcraft. Four of his parishioners were among those who were arrested, viz. Dorcas Hoar, who was condemned but not executed, Sarah Murrel, Sussanna Rootes and Job Tookey. In October of the same year, a person belonging to Wenham, accused his beloved wife, who was then enceinte of a son, who was born on the 24th December following, of the crime of witchcraft. This brought him to a stand; he knew the virtuous character of his wife; he was perfectly satisfied of the sincerity of her piety, and of the correctness of her religious views. Her religious character had won for her a reputation among her friends and neighbors, which was an effectual security against the malignity or the superstition of her accuser. It had then become a stated controversy among the New England divines, whether the devil could afflict any one, in the shape of a good man or woman. Until this complaint against his wife, Mr. Hale held to the opinion, that the devil could not so use the shape of a sincere christian; that when through the instrumentality of any one, the devil afflicted others, it was conclusive evidence, that the person thus made use of to gratify his malignity, was in league with him, and so no longer to be permitted to live among a christian people. But after the accusation of his wife, instead of suspecting the truth and sincerity of her accusers, he adopted the opposite opinion, which would reconcile the fidelity of her accuser, with the entire innocence of his wife, and throw the whole blame upon the devil. He however contended, that the devil might and did make use of the true christian, in afflicting others, who would accuse the instrument which he made use of against their will, of his own diabolical acts. This opinion prevailed extensively, and gave a new turn to the prosecutions. Mr. Hale's natural good sense afterwards predominated, and in 1697, he wrote a book upon the subject of witchcraft, which was soon afterwards published. In this work, he maintained, that the true evidences of witchcraft, had not been insisted upon in the late trials and examinations, and that great errors had been committed, by both magistrates and ministers. Though Mrs. Carey was tried and imprisoned for witchcraft, yet she was not executed. Her name was probably mistaken for Martha Cory, who was hung on similar charge. Pub. Com.] March 23d, 1697. John Higginson, minister of the First Church in Salem, aged 82 years, speaking of Mr. Hale's book on Witchcraft, says: "As for myself, being under the infirmities of a decrepit old age, I stirred little abroad, and was much disenabled (both in body and mind) from knowing and judging of occurrents and transactions of that time but my Reverend brother, Mr. Hale, having for above thirty years, been pastor of the Church at Beverly (but two miles from Salem, where the trials were), was frequently present, and was a diligent observer of all that passed, and being one of o singular prudence and sagacity, in searching into the narrows of things: he hath (after much deliberation) in this treatise, related the substance of the case as it was, and given reasons from scripture against some of the principles and practices, then used in the trials of witchcraft; and said something also in a positive way, and shewing the right application, that is to be made of the whole, and all this in such a pious and modest manner, as cannot be offensive to any, but may be generally acceptable to all the lovers of truth and peace." Mr. Hale, in the preface to his book, says, "I have been present at several examinations and trials, and knew sundry of those that suffered upon that account in former years, and in this last affair, and so have more advantages than a stranger, to give account of these proceedings. I have been from my youth, trained up in the knowledge and belief of most of those principles, I here question, as unsafe to be used. The first person that suffered on this account in New England, about fifty years since, was my neighbor, and I heard much of what was charged upon her, and others in those times; and the reverence I bore to aged, learned and judicious persons, caused me to drink in their principles in these things, with a kind of implicit faith. But observing the events of that sad catastrophe in the year 1692, I was brought to a more strict scanning of the principles I had imbibed, and by scanning, to question, and by questioning at length to reject many of them, upon the reasons shewed in the ensuing discourse. No truth is more certain to a man, than that which he had formerly doubted or denied, and is recovered from his error, by the convincing Margaret Jones of Charlestown, executed, 1648. |