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John Hale (June 3, 1636 – May 15, 1700) was the Puritan pastor of Beverly, Massachusetts, and took part in the Salem witch trials in 1692. He was one of the most prominent and influential ministers associated with the witch trials, being noted as having initially supported the trials and then changing his mind and publishing a critique of them.
J. A. Sharpe, The bewitching of Anne Gunter: a horrible and true story of deception, witchcraft, murder, and the King of England, Taylor & Francis, 2000, ISBN 0-415-92692-0, p. 148 Keith Thomas , Religion and the Decline of Magic (Penguin Books: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1973 [1971]), pp. 576–580 and passim
Gifford was a moderate in the witchcraft debate, although he still believed in the existence of witches, and that they should be severely punished. His main concern in the Dialogue was to ensure more care was taken in witchcraft prosecutions, and to attempt to restrain the persecuting fervour with which witches were sought out and indicted.
William Perkins (1558–1602) was an influential English cleric and Cambridge theologian, receiving a B.A. and M.A. from the university in 1581 and 1584 respectively, and also one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England during the Elizabethan era.
Cotton Mather FRS (/ ˈ m æ ð ər /; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects.
They were the parents of seven children: Elizabeth, Thomas, John, Nathaniel, Sara, Phoebe, and John. Their eldest son, Thomas, was the father of Thomas Putnam and Deacon Edward Putnam, who were involved in the Salem witch trials and were partially responsible for the executions of those convicted of witchcraft. [1]
Gaule himself followed the position of William Perkins on witchcraft. [8] He objected to the " swimming test " for witches, used by Hopkins and Stearne in the first half of 1645. [ 9 ] Unusually for the time, Gaule engaged with the question of the imp or familiar spirit thought to accompany a witch.
John Webster (1610–1682), also known as Johannes Hyphastes, was an English cleric, physician and chemist with occult interests, a proponent of astrology and a sceptic about witchcraft. He is known for controversial works.