to her; and to every question she answered, “I know nothing about it.”  Of Mary Easty it is grateful to have some account.  Her own declarations in vindication of her innocence are fortunately preserved; and her noble record is complete in the following documents.  The first appears to have been addressed to the Special Court, and was presented immediately before the trial of Mary Easty.  No explanation has come down to us why Sarah Cloyse was not then also brought to trial.  Circumstances to which we have no clew rescued her from the fate of her sisters.

“The Humble Request of Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyse to the Honored Court humbly showeth, that, whereas we two sisters, Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyse, stand now before the honored Court charged with the suspicion of witchcraft, our humble request is—­First, that, seeing we are neither able to plead our own cause, nor is counsel allowed to those in our condition, that you who are our judges would please to be of counsel to us, to direct us wherein we may stand in need.  Secondly, that, whereas we are not conscious to ourselves of any guilt in the least degree of that crime whereof we are now accused (in the presence of the living God we speak it, before whose awful tribunal we know we shall ere long appear), nor of any other scandalous evil or miscarriage inconsistent with Christianity, those who have had the longest and best knowledge of us, being persons of good report, may be suffered to testify upon oath what they know concerning each of us; viz., Mr. Capen, the pastor, and those of the town and church of Topsfield, who are ready to say something which we hope may be looked upon as very considerable in this matter, with the seven children of one of us; viz., Mary Easty:  and it may be produced of like nature in reference to the wife of Peter Cloyse, her sister.  Thirdly, that the testimony of witches, or such as are afflicted as is supposed by witches, may not be improved to condemn us without other legal evidence concurring.  We hope the honored Court and jury will be so tender of the lives of such as we are, who have for many years lived under the unblemished reputation of Christianity, as not to condemn them without a fair and equal hearing of what may be said for us as well as against us.  And your poor suppliants shall be bound always to pray, &c.”

The following was presented by Mary Easty to the judges after she had received sentence of death.  It would be hard to find, in all the records of human suffering and of Christian deportment under them, a more affecting production.  It is a most beautiful specimen of strong good-sense, pious fortitude and faith, genuine dignity of soul, noble benevolence, and the true eloquence of a pure heart; and was evidently composed by her own hand.  It may be said of her—­and there can be no higher eulogium—­that she felt for others more than for herself.