currences of 1692. The laws
of England in those days, all the authorities of New England, and,
with but rare exceptions, all the people everywhere throughout the
civilized world, recognized witchcraft as a fact and believed it to
be a crime. The most learned men in England and in other countries
believed fully in witchcraft. Sir Matthew Hale had given a legal
opinion on the subject; Lord Bacon believed in witchcraft; and there
are strong reasons for thinking that Shakspeare and other great men
of the time of Queen Elizabeth and still later believed in it fully.
Cotton Mather, Judge Sewall, Peter Sargent, Lieutenant-Governor
Stoughton, all belonging to Boston, were the leaders in the
proceedings against the witches of 1692.

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HUNG IN CHAINS.

In the papers that we have examined we have not found any instances
recorded of the old English law of hanging the remains of executed
criminals in chains as having been carried into effect in our country.
But from some investigations of Mr. James E. Mauran, of Newport, R.I.,
we learn that on March 12, 1715, one Mecum of that town was executed
for murder and his body was hung in chains on Miantonomy Hill, where
the remains of an Indian were then hanging, who had been executed
Sept. 12, 1712. Mecum was a Scotchman, and lived at the head of Broad
Street. A negro was hanged in Newport in 1679, and his remains were
exposed on the same hill.

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A BOOK ORDERED TO BE BURNED BY THE COUNCIL IN 1695.

The "Salem Observer" of Feb. 14, 1829, quotes from the Rev. Dr.
Bentley's "Diary" as follows:--

Tho's Maule, shopkeeper of Salem, is brought before the Council
to answer for his printing and publishing a pamphlet of 260
pages, entitled "Truth held forth and maintained," owns the book
but will not own all, till he sees his copy which is at New-York
with Bradford, who printed it. Saith he writt to ye Gov'r of N.
York before he could get it printed. Book is ordered to be
burnt--being stuff'd with notorious lyes and scandals, and he
recognizes to answer it next Court of Assize and gen'l gaol
delivery to be held for the County of Essex. He acknowledges that
what was written concerning the circumstance of Major Gen.
Atherton's death was a mistake (p. 112 and 113), was chiefly
insisted on against him, which I believe was a surprize to him,
he expecting to be examined in