at which the following ministers, with their delegates, were present:  Samuel Checkley of the New South Church, James Allen of the First Church, Samuel Willard of the Old South, Increase and Cotton Mather of the North Church,—­all of Boston; Samuel Torrey of Weymouth; Samuel Phillips of Rowley, and Edward Payson, also of Rowley.  Among the delegates were many of the leading public men of the province.  The result was essentially damaging to Mr. Parris.  The tide was now strongly set against him.  The Boston ministers advised him to withdraw from the contest.  They provided a settlement for him in Connecticut, and urged him to quit the village, and go there.  But he refused, and prolonged the struggle.  In the course of it, papers were drawn up and signed, one by his friends, another by his opponents, together embracing nearly all the men and women of the village.  Those who did not sign either paper were understood to sympathize with the disaffected brethren.  Many who signed the paper favorable to him acted undoubtedly from the motive stated in the heading; viz., that the removal of Mr. Parris could do no good, “for we have had three ministers removed already, and by every removal our differences have been rather aggravated.”  Another removal, they thought, would utterly ruin them.  They do not express any particular interest in Mr. Parris, but merely dread another change.  They preferred to bear the ills they had, rather than fly to others that they knew not of.  It is a very significant fact, that neither Mrs. Ann Putnam nor the widow Sarah Houlton signed either paper (the Sarah Houlton whose name appears was the wife of Joseph Houlton, Sr.).  There is reason to believe that they regretted the part they had taken, particularly against Rebecca Nurse, and probably did not feel over favorably to the person who had led them into their dreadful responsibility.

In the mean time, the controversy continued to wax warm among the people.  Mr. Parris was determined to hold his place, and, with it, the parsonage and ministry lands.  The opposition was active, unappeasable, and effective.  The following paper, handed about, illustrates the methods by which they assailed him:—­

“As to the contest between Mr. Parris and his hearers, &c., it may be composed by a satisfactory answer to Lev. xx. 6:  ’And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a-whoring after them, I will set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.’ 1 Chron. x. 13, 14:  ’So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord,—­even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not,—­and also for asking counsel of one who had a familiar to inquire of it, and inquired not of the Lord:  therefore he slew him,’” &c.

Mr. Parris mirrored, or rather daguerrotyped, his inmost thoughts upon the page of his church record-book.  Whatever feeling happened to exercise his spirit, found expression there.  This gives it a truly rare and singular interest.  Among a variety of scraps variegating the record, and thrown in with other notices of deaths, he has the following:—­