President of the College, who
did not reside at Cambridge." This decided the matter. Increase Mather
resigned, on the sixth of September following; and, the same day, the
Rev. Samuel Willard took charge of the College, under the title of
Vice-president, and acted as President, to the acceptance of the people
and with the support of the Government of the Province, to his death, in
1707--all the while allowed to retain the pastoral connection with his
Church, in Boston.

Joseph Dudley arrived from England, on the eleventh of June, 1702, with
his Commission, as Captain-general and Governor of the Province. On the
sixteenth, he made a call upon Cotton Mather, who relates the interview
in his Diary. It seems that Mather made quite a speech to the new
Governor, urging him "to carry an indifferent hand toward all parties,"
and explaining his meaning thus: "By no means, let any people have cause
to say that you take all your measures from the two Mr. Mathers." He
then added: "By the same rule, I may say without offence, by no means
let any people say that you go by no measures in your conduct but Mr.
Byfield's and Mr. Leverett's. This I speak, not from any personal
prejudice against the gentlemen, but from a due consideration of the
disposition of the people, and as a service to your Excellency."

Dudley--whether judging rightly or not is to be determined by taking
into view his position, the then state of parties, and the principles of
human nature--evidently regarded this as a trap. If he had followed the
advice, and kept aloof from Byfield and Leverett, they would have been
placed at a distance from him, and he would necessarily have fallen into
the hands of the Mathers. He may have thought that the only way to avoid
such a result, was for him to explain to those gentlemen his avoidance
of them, by mentioning to them what Mather had said to him, thereby
signifying to them, that, as a matter of policy, he thought it best to
adopt the suggestion and stand aloof from both sides. Whether acting
from this consideration or from resentment, he informed them of it;
whereupon Mather inserted this in his Diary: "The WRETCH went unto those
men and told them that I had advised him to be no ways directed by them,
and inflamed them into implacable rage against me."

After this, the relations between Dudley and the Mathers must have been
sufficiently awkward and uncomfortable; but no particular public
demonstrations appear to have been m