I. Mather's _Prevalency of Prayer_, published in Connection with his

_Relation_. See _Early Hist. New England_, 275. [145] Many, no Doubt, will think it strange that the Author did not count himself in. Had he done so he assuredly would have lost no Credit with his Readers now, nor probably by those in future. [146] This Mr. Beacon does not appear to have belonged to Boston. He was probably a casual Resident at that Time. [147] We are told by Bishop Burnet (the Father of our Governor Burnet), that Judge Hale was born at Alderly in Gloucestershire, the first of November, 1609, and died on the 25th of December, 1676. In the Life of Sir Matthew, appended to his _Contemplations_, is given one of the most interesting Pieces of Biography extant. In Accordance with one of his Sayings he was buried in the Church-yard of Alderly, and not in the Church, as was in his Time the prevailing Custom--that Saying was: "The Churches were for the Living, and the Church-yards for the Dead." In the Bishop's Life of him will be found a particular Account of his Family. After the great Fire of London he was one of the principal Judges that sat in Clifford's Inn, to regulate the Affairs between Landlord and Tenant, growing out of that Desolation. And with Sir Orlando Bridgman he rendered great Service in accommodating Differences which otherwise would long have retarded the rebuilding of the City. Whereas its "sudden and quiet building is justly reconed one of the Wonders of the Age." He was made "Lord Chief Justice of England," May 18th, 1671, which Office he resigned but a few Months previous to his Death, owing to his Infirmity. He lamented the rigorous Proceedings against the Nonconformists, though the adherent to the established Church; and used to say, "Those of the Separation were good Men, but they had _narrow Souls_, who would break the Peace of the Church, about such _inconsiderable Matters_, as the Points in Difference were." There does not appear to be taken any Notice of the Trials of Witches by Burnet in his Life of the Judge. It may be sufficient to say, that, like our Judges, Sewall and Stoughton, he was a Believer in Witchcraft, because there was Evidence of its Existence in the Bible! He was a timid Man, and this Timidity would not allow him so much as "to sum up the Evidence" in the Trial above given, and thus was the Case submitted to the Jury, who speedily gave in their Verdict of Guilty. There can be no Doubt but if Sir Matthew Hale had lived until the End of the New England Trials, he would, like Judge Sewall, have repented of his Course. [148] Spelt Keyling in the _Life of Hale_, whom he (Hale) succeeded as Lord Chief Justice, without taking his good Sense with him. [149] There is different, and somewhat more of a common Sense Account of this Trial in Hutchinson's _Essay_, Pp. 139-157, Chap. viii. I. THE TRYAL OF G. B. _At a Court of_ OYER _and_ TERMINER, HELD IN SALEM, 1692. GLAD should I have been, if I had never known the Name of this Man; or never had this occasion to mention so much as the first Letters of his Name. But the Government requiring some Account of his [61] Trial to be inserted in this Book, it becomes me with all Obedience to submit unto the Order.