that Mr. P.irris pi'cscntcd to his church, upon his settlement, 

 ;i new covenant und form of admission for its members, togeth- 

 er with the question, who were the proper subjects of baptism. 

 These caused some debate in the Church, but none opposed the 

 final action upon them. Some singular and unusual cases of 

 discipline came before them, but they appeared to have been dis- 

 posed of peaceably. It was not until the 8th of October, 1691, 

 that Ave discover any unfriendly feeling, existing between Mr. 

 Parris and his people. It was on that day, he says in his 

 church records,— " Being my Lecture day after public service 

 ■was ended, I was so bare of fire wood, that I was forced pub- 

 licly to desire the inhabitants to take care that I might be pro- 

 vided for, telling them, had it not been for Mr. Corwin (who 

 had brought wood, being here at my house). I should 

 hardly have had any to burn. Upon the pastor's inform- 

 ing the church of his destitution of fire wood, the breth- 

 ren raised a committee, Avho were instructed to see the town 

 committee, and desire them to make a rate for the minister. 

 The committee on rates met November 10th, 1691, and report- 

 ed that they did not see good cause to take notice of the church 

 committee, without they had a letter to show, under the church 

 and pastor's hand. Upon this, Mr. Parris complained of the 

 treatment of the committee towards him, but more especially 

 the church, whom he said manifested an indifference in this 

 affair. The committeee, whose business it was to raise a tax to 

 procure the pastor's wood, still continuing to refuse to do it, on 

 the 27th of December, 1691, a petition was sent to the Quarter 

 Sessions, wherein the petitioners complain, that "no repara- 

 tions of the Village Meeting House has been for a great while 

 regarded, so that broken v/indows, stopt up some of them by 

 boards or otherwise, and others wide open, and is sometimes so 

 dark, that it is almost iiiu/sefiil.^^ The Court, upon this peti- 

 tion, appointed a meeting of the inhabitants of the Village, to 

 choose a new committee to meet on the 25th of January, 1692, 

 tor the purpose of assessing rates to repair the meeting house, 

 and procure the pastor's wood. The inhabitants of the Village 

 met on that day, and made choice of Joseph Pope, Joseph 

 Holten, jr., John Tarbell, Thomas Preston, and James Smith, 

 as their committee. 



This is the last we hear about this affair of procuring wood, 

 &c., probably all further considerations of it was absorbed in 

 the great witchcraft delusion, which was now close at hand, and 

 about to break forth. 



We are now brought to the period of the commencement of 

 Salem Witchcraft, as it first developed itself in the family of 

 Samuel Parris. Minister at Salem A^illage in 1692. 



