"Did the new charter allow the people all their former liberties?" inquired Laurence.
"No," replied Grandfather. "Under the first charter, the people had been the source of all power. Winthrop, Endicott, Bradstreet, and the rest of them, had been governors by the choice of the people, without any interference of the king. But henceforth the governor was to hold his station solely3 by the king's appointment, and during his pleasure; and the same was the case with the lieutenant-governor, and some other high officers. The people, however, were still allowed to choose representatives; and the governor's council was chosen by the general court."
[pg 083]
"Would the inhabitants have elected Sir William Phips," asked Laurence, "if the choice of governor had been left to them?"
"He might probably have been a successful candidate," answered Grandfather; "for his adventures and military enterprises had gained him a sort of renown4, which always goes a great way with the people. And he had many popular characteristics, being a kind, warm-hearted man, not ashamed of his low origin, nor haughty5 in his present elevation6. Soon after his arrival, he proved that he did not blush to recognize his former associates."
"How was that?" inquired Charley.
"He made a grand festival at his new brick house," said Grandfather, "and invited all the ship-carpenters of Boston to be his guests. At the head of the table, in our great chair, sat Sir William Phips himself, treating these hard handed men as his brethren, cracking jokes with them, and talking familiarly about old times. I know not whether he wore his embroidered7 dress, but I rather choose to imagine that he had on a suit of rough clothes, such as he used to labor8 in, while he was Phips the ship-carpenter."
"An aristocrat9 need not be ashamed of the trade," observed Laurence; "for the czar Peter the Great once served an apprenticeship10 to it."
"Did Sir William Phips make as good a governor as he was a ship-carpenter?" asked Charley.
[pg 084]
"History says but little about his merits as a ship-carpenter," answered Grandfather; "but, as a governor, a great deal of fault was found with him. Almost as soon as he assumed the government, he became engaged in a very frightful11 business, which might have perplexed12 a wiser and better cultivated head than his. This was the witchcraft13 delusion14."
And here Grandfather gave his auditors15 such details of this melancholy16 affair, as he thought it fit for them to know. They shuddered17 to hear that a frenzy18, which led to the death of many innocent persons, had originated in the wicked arts of a few children. They belonged to the Rev19. Mr. Parris, minister of Salem. These children complained of being pinched, and pricked20 with pins, and otherwise tormented21 by the shapes of men and women, who were supposed to have power to haunt them invisibly, both in darkness and daylight. Often, in the midst of their family and friends, the children would pretend to be seized with strange convulsions, and would cry out that the witches were afflicting22 them.
These stories spread abroad, and caused great tumult23 and alarm. From the foundation of New England, it had been the custom of the inhabitants, in all matters of doubt and difficulty, to look to their ministers for council. So they did now; but, unfortunately, the ministers and wise men were more deluded24 than the illiterate25 people. Cotton Mather, [pg 085] a very learned and eminent26 clergyman, believed that the whole country was full of witches and wizards, who had given up their hopes of heaven, and signed a covenant27 with the Evil One.
Nobody could be certain that his nearest neighbor, or most intimate friend, was not guilty of this imaginary crime. The number of those who pretended to be afflicted28 by witchcraft, grew daily more numerous; and they bore testimony29 against many of the best and worthiest30 people. A minister, named George Burroughs, was among the accused. In the months of August and September, 1692, he, and nineteen other innocent men and women, were put to death. The place of execution was a high hill, on the outskirts31 of Salem; so that many of the sufferers, as they stood beneath the gallows32, could discern their own habitations in the town.
The martyrdom of these guiltless persons seemed only to increase the madness. The afflicted now grew bolder in their accusations33. Many people of rank and wealth were either thrown into prison, or compelled to flee for their lives. Among these were two sons of old Simon Bradstreet, the last of the Puritan governors. Mr. Willard, a pious34 minister of Boston, was cried out upon as a wizard, in open court. Mrs. Hale, the wife of the minister of Beverly, was likewise accused. Philip English, a rich merchant of Salem, found it necessary to take flight, leaving his property and business in confusion. [pg 086] But a short time afterwards, the Salem people were glad to invite him back.
"The boldest thing that the accusers did," continued Grandfather, "was to cry out against the governor's own beloved wife. Yes; the lady of Sir William Phips was accused of being a witch, and of flying through the air to attend witch meetings. When the governor heard this, he probably trembled, so that our great chair shook beneath him."
"Dear Grandfather," cried little Alice, clinging closer to his knee, "is it true that witches ever come in the night-time to frighten little children?"
"No, no, dear little Alice," replied Grandfather. "Even if there were any witches, they would flee away from the presence of a pure-hearted child. But there are none; and our forefathers35 soon became convinced, that they had been led into a terrible delusion. All the prisoners on account of witchcraft were set free. But the innocent dead could not be restored to life; and the hill where they were executed, will always remind people of the saddest and most humiliating passage in our history."
Grandfather then said, that the next remarkable36 event, while Sir William Phips remained in the chair, was the arrival at Boston of an English fleet, in 1693. It brought an army, which was intended for the conquest of Canada. But a malignant37 disease, more fatal than the small-pox, broke out [pg 087] among the soldiers and sailors, and destroyed the greater part of them. The infection spread into the town of Boston, and made much havoc38 there. This dreadful sickness caused the governor, and Sir Francis Wheeler, who was commander of the British forces, to give up all thoughts of attacking Canada.
"Soon after this," said Grandfather, "Sir William Phips quarrelled with the captain of an English frigate39, and also with the Collector of Boston. Being a man of violent temper, he gave each of them a sound beating with his cane40."
"He was a bold fellow," observed Charley, who was himself somewhat addicted41 to a similar mode of settling disputes.
"More bold than wise," replied Grandfather; "for complaints were carried to the king, and Sir William Phips was summoned to England, to make the best answer he could. Accordingly he went to London, where, in 1695, he was seized with a malignant fever, of which he died. Had he lived longer, he would probably have gone again in search of sunken treasure. He had heard of a Spanish ship, which was cast away in 1502, during the lifetime of Columbus. Bovadilla, Roldan, and many other Spaniards, were lost in her, together with the immense wealth of which they had robbed the South American kings."
"Why, Grandfather," exclaimed Laurence, "what magnificent ideas the governor had! Only [pg 088] think of recovering all that old treasure, which had lain almost two centuries under the sea! Me thinks Sir William Phips ought to have been buried in the ocean, when he died; so that he might have gone down among the sunken ships, and cargoes42 of treasure, which he was always dreaming about in his lifetime."
"He was buried in one of the crowded cemeteries43 of London," said Grandfather. "As he left no children, his estate was inherited by his nephew, from whom is descended44 the present Marquis of Normandy. The noble Marquis is not aware, perhaps, that the prosperity of his family originated in the successful enterprise of a New England ship carpenter."
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1
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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4
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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5
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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7
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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8
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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aristocrat
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| n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物 | |
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apprenticeship
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| n.学徒身份；学徒期 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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12
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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14
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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17
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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afflicting
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| 痛苦的 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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30
worthiest
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| 应得某事物( worthy的最高级 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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33
accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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41
addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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42
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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cemeteries
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| n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 ) | |
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44
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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