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was not a true minister, that he had not been ordained, CHAP. that the fair show he made was no proof of his innocence, for Satan himself sometimes appeared as an angel of light. 1692. Many of the accused confessed they were witches, and by that means purchased their lives and some, to make their own safety doubly sure, accused others: thus the delusion continued. Then, again, others who had confessed, repented that they had acknowledged themselves to be what they were not, denied their confession, and died with the rest. The accusations were at first made against those in the humbler walks of life; now others were accused. Hale, the minister at Beverly, was a believer in witchcraft, till his own wife was accused; then he was convinced it was all a delusion.

Some months elapsed before the General Court held its regular session; in the mean time twenty persons had fallen victims, and fifty more were in prison with the same fate hanging over them. Now a great revulsion took place in public opinion. This was brought about by a citizen of Boston, Robert Calef, who wrote a pamphlet, first circulated in manuscript. He exposed the manner in which the trials had been conducted, as well as proved the absurdity of witchcraft itself. Cotton Mather, in his reply, sneered at Calef as "a weaver who pretended to be a merchant." Calef, not intimidated by this abuse, continued to write with great effect, and presently the book was published in London. Increase Mather, the President of Harvard College, to avenge his son, had the "weaver's" book publicly burned in the college yard.

In the first case brought before the court, the jury promptly brought in a verdict of not guilty. When news came to Salem of the reprieve of those under sentence, the fanatical Stoughton, in a rage, left the bench, exclaiming, "Who it is that obstructs the course of justice I know not; the Lord have mercy on the country."

Jan.,

Not long after, the indignant inhabitants of Salem 1693

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CHAP. drove Parris from their village. Many of those who had participated in the delusion, and given their influence in 1693. favor of extreme measures, deeply repented and publicly asked forgiveness of their fellow-citizens. But Cotton Mather expressed no regret for the part he had taken, or the influence he exerted in increasing the delusion; his vanity never would admit that he could possibly have been in error. Instead of being humbled on account of the sorrows he had brought upon innocent persons, he labored to convince the world that, after all, he had not been so very active in promoting the delusion. Stoughton passed the remainder of his days the same cold, proud, and heartless man; nor did he ever manifest the least sorrow, that on such trifling and contradictory evidence, he had sentenced to death some of the best of men and

women.

It is a pleasure to record that, thirty years after this melancholy delusion, Cotton Mather with fearless energy advocated the use of inoculation for the prevention of 1721. small-pox. He had learned that it was successful in Turkey, in arresting or modifying that terrible disease, and he persuaded Dr. Boylston to make the experiment. Mather stood firm, amid the clamors of the ignorant mob, who even threw a lighted grenade filled with combustibles into his house, and paraded the streets of Boston, with halters in their hands, threatening to hang the inoculators. The majority of the physicians opposed inoculation on theological grounds, contending, "it was presumptuous for men to inflict disease on man, that being the prerogative of the Most High." "It was denounced as an infusion of malignity into the blood; a species of poisoning; an attempt to thwart God, who had sent the small-pox as a punishment for sins, and whose vengeance would thus be only provoked the more." Nearly all the ministers were in favor of the system, and they replied with arguments drawn from medical science. An embittered war of pam

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phlets ensued. The town authorities took decided ground CHAP. against the innovation, while the General Court passed

a bill prohibiting the practice, but the Council wisely 1721. refused to give it their sanction. At length science and common sense prevailed, and the inoculists completely triumphed.

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1634.

CHAPTER XIX.

MISSIONS AND SETTLEMENTS IN NEW FRANCE,

The Emigrants few in number.-The Jesuits; their zeal as Teachers and Explorers.-Missions among the Hurons-Ahasistari.—The Five Na tions, or Iroquois.-Father Jogues.-The Abenakis; Dreuilettes.-The Dangers of the Missions.-French Settlers at Oswego.-James Marquette. The Mississippi.-La Salle; his Enterprise; his Failure and tragical End.

CHAP WE have already given an account of the discoveries made in New France, and the settlements founded under the direction of Samuel Champlain. We now intend to trace the history of these settlements and missions, from that period till the time when the Lilies of France were supplanted by the Banner of St. George.

The climate offered but few inducements to cultivators of the soil, and emigrants came but slowly; they established trading houses, rather than agricultural settlements. To accumulate wealth their main resource was in the peltries of the wilderness, and these could be obtained only from the Indians, who roamed over the vast regions west and north of the lakes.

A partial knowledge of the country had been obtained from a priest, Father Le Caron, the friend and companion of Champlain. He had, by groping through the woods, and paddling over the waters his birch-bark canoe, penetrated far up the St. Lawrence, explored the south shore of Lake Ontario, and even found his way to Lake Huron.

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Three years before the death of Champlain, Louis CHAP. XIII. gave a charter to a company, granting them the control of the valley of the St. Lawrence and all its trib- 1634. utaries. An interest was felt for the poor savages, and it was resolved to convert them to the religion of Rome ;not only convert them, but make them the allies of France. Worldly policy had as much influence as religious zeal. It was plain, the only way to found a French empire in the New World, was by making the native tribes subjects, and not by transplanting Frenchmen.

The missions to the Indians were transferred to the

supervision of the Jesuits. This order of priests was founded expressly to. counteract the influence of the Reformation under Luther. As the Reformers favored 1534. education and the diffusion of general intelligence, so the Jesuit became the advocate of education-provided it was under his own control. He resolved to rule the world by influencing its rulers; he would govern by intellectual power and the force of opinion, rather than by superstitious fears. He endeavored to turn the principles of the Reformation against itself. His vows enjoined upon him perfect obedience to the will of his superior,-to go on any mission to which he might be ordered. No clime so deadly that he would not brave its danger; no people so savage that he would not attempt their conversion.

With their usual energy and zeal, the Jesuits began to explore the wilds of New France, and to bring its wilder inhabitants under the influence of the Catholic faith. To the convert was offered the privileges of a subject of France. From this sprang a social equality, friendly relations were established, and intermarriages took place between the traders and the Indian women.

Companies of Hurons, who dwelt on the shores of the lake which bears their name, were on a trading expedition to Quebec. On their return home the Jesuits Brebeuf and Daniel accompanied them. They went up the Ot