r seven years. One book
disappeared entirely from his ken, but was recovered by his heirs. His
most important and largest work, the six folio volumes of his "Biblia
Americana," pursued by "Strange Frowns of Heaven" could not find a
publisher and still is unprinted. Cotton Mather survived his own era,
his congenial atmosphere, and, whether he was conscious of it or not,
was indeed, as Dexter called him, a literary dodo, an isolated relic of
early fantastic methods of composition. His work was not, as Prince
said, "agreeable to the Gust of his Age." Even the name of Mather,
all-powerful in New England, could not place the "Biblia Americana" in
the press.

There were no American novels in those early days. The first book
deserving the appellation that was printed in New England was
"intituled" "The Power of Sympathy, or the Triumph of Nature--A Novel
founded on truth and dedicated to the Young Ladies of America." It
appeared in 1789. Four years later came "The Helpless Orphan, or The
Innocent Victim of Revenge," and then "The Coquette, or the History of
Eliza Wharton."

The only book that was written by a woman and published in New England
during the first century of New England printing, was a collection of
the poems of Anne Bradstreet. A few--very few--pamphlets by women
authors of that date are also known: "The Confession of Faith--A Summary
of Divinity drawn up by a young Gentlewoman in the 25th year of her
Age;" Mrs. Elizabeth Cotton's "Peculiar Treasure of the Almighty King
Opened;" Elizabeth White's "Experience;" Mary Rowlandson's pathetic
account of her captivity--these are all. Hannah Adams was the first New
England woman to adopt literature as a profession.

Doubtless many Puritans shared Governor Winthrop's opinion of literary
women, which that tolerant and gentle man expressed thus:

"The Governor of Hartford upon Connecticut came to Boston, and
brought his wife with him (a godly young woman and of special
parts) who was fallen into a sad infirmity, the loss of her
understanding and reason which had been growing upon her divers
years by occasion of her giving herself wholly to reading and
writing, and had written many books. Her husband being very loving
and tender of her, was loath to grieve her; but he saw his error
when it was too late. For if she had attended her household
affairs, and such things as belong to women, and not gone out of
her way and call