just man, is apparent through the whole course of his action in all the affairs of life.  His uprightness, freedom from unworthy prejudice, and clear and transparent conscientiousness, appear in all documents, depositions, and records that proceeded from him.  He was often called to give evidence in land causes and other trials at law; and his testimony is always straightforward, fair, and lucid.  You can tell from the style, temper, or tone of other witnesses, which side of the controversy they espoused, but not from his.  In the great and protracted conflict in the courts, relating to the Townsend Bishop farm, he and all his most intimate connections and relatives were parties of adverse interest; but Zerubabel Endicott paid homage, and left it on record, to the truthfulness and uprightness of the testimony and the fairness of the course of Nathaniel Ingersoll.  We shall meet other illustrations to the same effect in the course of our narrative.

Although it is anticipating the course of events, it may be well to trace the outlines of the life of this man to its distant close.  Partaking of the general views of his age, he participated in the proceedings that led to the witchcraft prosecutions.  He believed in what was regarded as decisive evidence against the accused, and acted accordingly.  But no one ever felt that there was any vindictiveness in his course.

He lived to see the storm that desolated his beloved village pass away, and to enjoy the restoration of reason, peace, and good-will among a people who had so long been torn by strife, and subjected to untold horrors,—­horrors that have never yet been fully described, and which I despair of being able adequately to depict.  He did all that a good and true man could do to eradicate the causes of the mischief.  He participated in the exercises of a day of Thanksgiving, set apart for the purpose, in 1700, to express the devout and contrite gratitude of the people to a merciful God for deliverance from the errors and passions that had overwhelmed them with such awful judgments.  The removal of Mr. Parris having been effected, Joseph Green was settled near the close of the year 1697.  He was a wise and prudent man.  By kind, cautious, and well-timed measures, he gradually succeeded in extracting every root of bitterness, healing all the breaches, and restoring harmony to a long-distracted people.  In this work, Deacon Ingersoll and his good associate, Edward Putnam, aided him to the utmost.  When, by their united counsels and labors, the difficult work was about accomplished, Mr. Green was taken to his reward, in 1715.  Greatly was he lamented; but Nathaniel Ingersoll had realized all his best wishes at last.  The prayers he had poured forth for fifty years had been answered.  He had seen the completed service of a pastor who had fulfilled his highest estimate of what a Christian minister should be.  He lived to witness and share in the warm and unanimous welcome of Peter Clark to a useful,