ht to reserved
seats shall have had the first chance to enter.

The Reverend Master Lawson, a visiting elder, was the officiating
minister on the Sunday to which we have referred. The psalm had been
sung after the opening prayer and the minister was about to come forward
to give his sermon, when, before he could rise from his seat, Abigail
Williams, the niece of the Reverend Master Parris, only twelve years
old, and one of the "circle" cried out loudly:--"Now stand up and name
your text!"

When he had read the text, she exclaimed insolently, "It's a long text."
And then when he was referring to his doctrine, she said:--"I know no
doctrine you mentioned. If you named any, I have forgotten it."

And then when he had concluded, she cried out, "Look! there sits Goody
Osburn upon the beam, suckling her yellow-bird betwixt her fingers."

Then Ann Putnam, that other child of twelve, joined in; "There flies the
yellow-bird to the minister's hat, hanging on the pin in the pulpit."

Of course such disorderly proceedings produced a great excitement in the
congregation; but the two children do not appear to have been rebuked by
either of the ministers, or by any of the officers of the church; it
seeming to have been the general conclusion that they were not
responsible for what they said, but were constrained by an irresistible
and diabolical influence. In truth, the children were regarded with awe
and pity instead of reproof and blame, and therefore naturally felt
encouraged to further efforts in the same direction.

I have said that this was the general feeling, but that feeling was not
universal. Several of the members, notably young Joseph Putnam, Francis
Nurse and Peter Cloyse were very much displeased at the toleration shown
to such disorderly doings, and began to absent themselves from public
worship, with the result of incurring the anger of the children, who
were rapidly assuming the role of destroying angels to the people of
Salem village and its vicinity.

As fasting and prayer were the usual resources of our Puritan fathers in
difficulties, these were naturally resorted to at once upon this
occasion. The families to which the "afflicted children" belonged
assembled the neighbors--who had also fasted--and, under the guidance of
the Reverend Master Parris, besought the Lord to deliver them from the
power of the Evil One. These were exciting occasions, for, whenever
there was a pause in the proceedings, such of the