I NOW lay before you a very Entertaining Story,[19] a Story which relates yet more Wonders of the Invisible World, a Story which tells the Remarkable Afflictions and Deliverance of one that had been Prodigiously handled by the Evil Angels. I was myself a daily Eye Witness to a large part of these Occurrences, and there may be produced Scores of Substantial Witnesses to the most of them; yea, I know not of any one Passage of the Story but what may be sufficiently attested. I do not Write it with a design of throwing it presently into the Press, but only to preserve the Memory of such Memorable things, the forgetting whereof would neither be pleasing to God, nor useful to Men; as also to give you, with some others of peculiar and obliging Friends, a sight of some Curiosities, and I hope this Apology will serve to Excuse me, if I mention, as perhaps I may, when I come to a tenth Paragraph in my Writing, some things which I would have omitted in a farther Publication.
Cotton Mather.
FOOTNOTES:
[19] This singular "Story" does not appear to have been published by its Author, nor have I any other History of it than is found in these Pages. Nor do I find anything of a Family of the Name of Rule. Neither Farmer nor Savage have it in their genealogical Works. Yet there was a Family living for some Time at the North End of the Name of Rule. They may not have been long resident. See Note 33.