“We whose names are underwritten, being in the year 1692 called to serve as jurors in court at Salem, on trial of many who were by some suspected guilty of doing acts of witchcraft upon the bodies of sundry persons,—­we confess that we ourselves were not capable to understand, nor able to withstand, the mysterious delusions of the powers of darkness and Prince of the air, but were, for want of knowledge in ourselves and better information from others, prevailed with to take up with such evidence against the accused as, on further consideration and better information, we justly fear was insufficient for the touching the lives of any (Deut. xvii. 6), whereby we fear we have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon ourselves and this people of the Lord the guilt of innocent blood; which sin the Lord saith in Scripture he would not pardon (2 Kings xxiv. 4),—­that is, we suppose, in regard of his temporal judgments.  We do therefore hereby signify to all in general, and to the surviving sufferers in special, our deep sense of, and sorrow for, our errors in acting on such evidence to the condemning of any person; and do hereby declare, that we justly fear that we were sadly deluded and mistaken,—­for which we are much disquieted and distressed in our minds, and do therefore humbly beg forgiveness, first, of God, for Christ’s sake, for this our error, and pray that God would not impute the guilt of it to ourselves nor others:  and we also pray that we may be considered candidly and aright by the living sufferers, as being then under the power of a strong and general delusion, utterly unacquainted with, and not experienced in, matters of that nature.

“We do heartily ask forgiveness of you all, whom we have justly offended; and do declare, according to our present minds, we would none of us do such things again, on such grounds, for the whole world,—­praying you to accept of this in way of satisfaction for our offence, and that you would bless the inheritance of the Lord, that he may be entreated for the land.

“THOMAS FISK, Foreman.          THOMAS PEARLY, Sr. 
WILLIAM FISK.                    JOHN PEABODY. 
JOHN BACHELER.                   THOMAS PERKINS. 
THOMAS FISK, Jr.                 SAMUEL SAYER. 
JOHN DANE.                       ANDREW ELIOT. 
JOSEPH EVELITH.                  HENRY HERRICK, Sr.”

In 1697, Rev. John Hale, of Beverly, published a work on the subject of the witchcraft persecutions, in which he gives the reasons which led him to the conclusion that there was error at the foundation of the proceedings.  The following extract shows that he took a rational view of the subject:—­

     “It may be queried then, How doth it appear that there was a
     going too far in this affair?