Notes on The Wonders of the
Invisible World
Here we see the Puritan ideology of the city on a hill, the idea that
God is establishing his kingdom in the new world, which has formerly
been dominated by Satan.
An interesting aspect of Martha Carrier's trial is the use of spectral
evidence. Carrier could have an iron-clad alibi but still
be guilty of her shape or specter was somewhere else. There is no
way to establish your innocence against it. The basic idea is
that Satan can't use our image if we don't let him,
so if I had a bad dream about her, I could accuse her of assaulting me
in my sleep.
Here is
one artist's version of the witch trial of George
Jacobs, August 5, 1692. The image was produced by T. H. Matteson in 1855, so it reflects the insights of
that period much later than the trials themselves.