“What Commandment is it?—­If I must tell you, I will tell: 
     it is a psalm.

     “What psalm?

     “(After a long time she muttered over some part of a psalm.)

     “Who do you serve?—­I serve God.

“What God do you serve?—­The God that made heaven and earth (though she was not willing to mention the word ’God’).  Her answers were in a very wicked, spiteful manner, reflecting and retorting against the authority with base and abusive words; and many lies she was taken in.  It was here said that her husband had said that he was afraid that she either was a witch or would be one very quickly.  The worshipful Mr. Hathorne, asked him his reason why he said so of her, whether he had ever seen any thing by her.  He answered ’No, not in this nature; but it was her bad carriage to him:  and indeed,’ said he, ’I may say with tears, that she is an enemy to all good.’”

The foregoing is in the handwriting of Ezekiel Cheever.  The following is in that of John Hathorne:—­

“Salem Village, March the 1st, 1692.—­Sarah Good, upon examination, denied the matter of fact (viz.) that she ever used any witchcraft, or hurt the abovesaid children, or any of them.

“The abovenamed children, being all present, positively accused her of hurting of them sundry times within this two months, and also that morning.  Sarah Good denied that she had been at their houses in said time or near them, or had done them any hurt.  All the abovesaid children then present accused her face to face; upon which they were all dreadfully tortured and tormented for a short space of time; and, the affliction and tortures being over, they charged said Sarah Good again that she had then so tortured them, and came to them and did it, although she was personally then kept at a considerable distance from them.

“Sarah Good being asked if that she did not then hurt them, who did it; and the children being again tortured, she looked upon them, and said that it was one of them we brought into the house with us.  We asked her who it was:  she then answered, and said it was Sarah Osburn, and Sarah Osburn was then under custody, and not in the house; and the children, being quickly after recovered out of their fit, said that it was Sarah Good and also Sarah Osburn that then did hurt and torment or afflict them, although both of them at the same time at a distance or remote from them personally.  There were also sundry other questions put to her, and answers given thereunto by her according as is also given in.”

It will be noticed that the examination was conducted in the form of questions put by the magistrate, Hathorne, based upon a foregone conclusion of the prisoner’s guilt, and expressive of a conviction, all along on his part, that the evidence of “the afflicted” against her amounted to, and was, absolute demonstration.  It will also be noticed, that, severe as was the opinion