Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions.

in English, written by Cotton Mather, 1689

This lengthy tract serves as Mather's warning to the people of New England that the Devil waited at every turn to tempt them into damnation. The degradation of the colonists' faith is lamented throughout, and Mather continually decries the ongoing secularization of Colonial Society. Mather then launches into a long description of the damnation the devil has planned for the Puritans, and of his chief soldiers in his battle against goodness; witches. The magical powers and infernal practices of witches are described in shocking detail. Although Mather probably intended the work to only serve as a criticism of the changing society around him, the pamphlet fanned the flames of the mounting witch hysteria, which would explode in Salem soon after. The copy held at Orne Library originally belonged to Ward Phillips the Elder, and was a cornerstone of the old Arkham College library. (Johnson, Sam, and Sandy Antunes. "Miskatonic University: A Handbook to the Pride of Arkham." Chaosium, Oct. 2005.)