In the American Grain

William Carlos Williams

• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781504065450
• Topic: Literatura
• Subtopic: Ensayos literarios

The celebrated poet behind such classics as "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "This Is Just to Say" presents a collection of essays about North American history.

In the American Grain is, as William Carlos Williams said, "a study to try to find out for myself what the land of my more or less accidental birth might signify." Although Williams wrote poetry and prose—and was a doctor—he was not a historian. In this book, he applies a fresh, lyrical perspective to moments in America's past. Beginning with the bloody Erik the Red, discoverer of Greenland and father of Leif Erikson, Williams revisits episodes from history like the destruction of Tenochtitlan, the Mayflower ship's journey to America, and the founding of Quebec, as well as the expeditions of explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de León, Hernando de Soto, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Samuel de Champlain. He then moves along to events like the Salem witch trials, Daniel Boone's discovery of Kentucky, and Aaron Burr's romance with Jacataqua. He also discusses important figures such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Edgar Allan Poe, and Abraham Lincoln.

By deconstructing America's history and rebuilding it with a poet's voice, Williams created "a fundamental book, essential if one proposes to come to terms with American literature" ( The Times Literary Supplement ).

Cotton Mather’s Wonders of the Invisible World

I

Enchantments Encountered

1

It was as long ago, as the year 1637, that a Faithful Minister of the Church of England, whose name was Mr. Edward Symons, did in a Sermon afterwards printed, thus express himself: At New England now the Sun of Comfort begins to appear, and the glorious Day-Star to show itself;—Sed Venient Annis Sæculæ Seris, there will come Times in after Ages, when the Clouds will overshadow and darken the Sky there. Many now promise to themselves nothing but successive Happiness there, which for a time through God’s Mercy they may enjoy; and I pray God, they may a long time; but in this World there is no Happiness perpetual. An Observation, or I had almost said an Inspiration, very dismally now verify’d upon us! It has been affirm’d by some who best knew New England, That the World will do New England a great piece of Injustice, if it acknowledge not a measure of Religion, Loyalty, Honesty and Industry, in the People there, beyond what is to be found with any other People for the number of them. When I did a few years ago, publish a Book, which mentioned a few memorable Witchcrafts, committed in this Country; the excellent Baxter, graced the second edition of that Book, with a kind Preface, wherein he sees cause to say, If any are scandalized, that New England, a place of as serious Piety, as any I can hear of, under Heaven, should be troubled so much with Witches; I think, ’tis na wonder; Where will the Devil show most malice, but where he is hated, and hateth most; and I hope, the Country will still deserve and answer the Charity so expressed by that Reverend man of God. Whosoever travels over this Wilderness, will see it richly bespangled with Evangelical Churches, whose Pastors are holy, able, and painful Overseers of their Flocks, lively Preachers, and vertuous Livers; … We are still so happy, that I suppose there is no Land in the Universe more free from the debauching, and the debasing Vices of Ungodliness. The Body of the People are hitherto so disposed, that Swearing, Sabbath-breaking, Whoring, Drunkenness, and the like, do not make a Gentleman, but a Monster, or a Goblin, in the vulgar Estimation. All this notwithstanding, we must humbly confess to our God, that we are miserably degenerated from the first Love of our Predecessors; however we boast ourselves a little, when Men would go to trample upon us, and we venture to say, whereinsoever any is bold (we speak foolishly) we are bold also. The first Planters of these Colonies were a chosen Generation of Men, who were first so pure, as to disrelish many things, which they thought wanted Reformation Elsewhere ; and yet withal so peaceable, that they embraced a voluntary Exile in a squallid, horrid American Desart, rather than to live in Contentions with their Brethren. Those good Men imagined that they should leave their Posterity in a place, where they should never see the Inroads of Profanity, or Superstition: And a famous Person returning hence, could in a Sermon before the Parliament, profess, I have now been seven Years in a Country, where I never saw one Man drunk, or heard one oath sworn, or beheld one Beggar in the Streets all the while. Such great Persons as Budaeus, and others, who mistook Sir Thomas More’s UTOPIA, for a Country really existent, and stirr’d up some Divines charitably to undertake a Voyage thither, might now have certainly found a Truth in their Mistake; New England was a true Utopia. But, alas, the Children and Servants of those old Planters must needs afford many, degenerate Plants, and there is now risen up a Number of People, otherwise inclined than our Joshua’s, and the Elders that out-liv’d them. Those two things our holy Progenitors, and our happy Advantages make Omissions of Duty, and such Spiritual Disorders as the whole World abroad is overwhelmed with, to be as provoking in us, as the most flagitious Wickedness committed in other places; and the Ministers of God are accordingly severe in their Testimonies: But in short, those Interests of the Gospel, which were the Errand of our Fathers into these Ends of the Earth, have been too much neglected and postponed, and the Attainments of an handsome Education, have been too much undervalued, by Multitudes that have not fallen into Exorbitances of wickedness; and some, especially of our young Ones, when they have got abroad from under the Restraints here laid upon them, have become extravagantly and abominably Vicious. Hence ’tis, that the Happiness of New England has been but for a time, as it was foretold, and not for a long time, as has been desir’d for us. A Variety of Calamity has long follow’d this Plantation; and we have all the Reason imaginable to ascribe it unto the Rebuke of Heaven upon us for our manifold Apostasies; we make no right use of our Disasters: If we do not, Remember whence we are fallen, and repent, and do the first Works. But yet our Afflictions may come under a further Consideration with us: There is a further Cause of our Afflictions, whose due must be given him.

2

The New Englanders are a People of God settled in those, which were once the Devil’s Territories; and it may easily be supposed that the Devil was exceedingly disturbed, when he perceived such a People here accomplishing the Promise of old made unto our Blessed Jesus, That He should have the Utomost parts of the earth for his Possession. There was not a greater Uproar among the Ephesians, when the Gospel was first brought among them, than there was among, The Powers of the Air. (after whom those Ephesians walked) when first the Silver Trumpets of the Gospel here made the Joyful Sound. The Devil thus Irritated, immediately try’d all sorts of Methods to overturn this poor Plantation: and so much of the Church, as was Fled into this Wilderness, immediately found, The Serpent cast out of his Mouth a Flood for the carrying of it away. I believe, that never were more Satanical Devices used for the Unsetling of any People under the Sun, than what have been Employ’d for the Extirpation of the Vine which God has here Planted, Casting out the Heathen, and preparing a Room before it, and causing it to take deep root, and fill the Land, so that it sent its Boughs unto the Atlantic Sea Eastward, and its Branches unto the Connecticut River Westward, and the Hills were covered with the shadow thereof. But, All those Attempts of Hell, have hitherto been Abortive, many an Ebenezer has been Erected unto the Praise of God, by his Poor People here; and, Having obtained Help from God, we continue to this Day. Wherefore the Devil is now making one Attempt more upon us; an Attempt more Difficult, more Surprizing, more snarl’d with unintelligible Circumstances than any that we have Encountered; an Attempt so Critical, that if we get well through, we shall soon Enjoy Halcyon Days with all the Vultures of Hell Trodden under our Feet. He has wanted his Incarnate Legions to Persecute us, as the People of God have in the other Hemisphere been persecuted: he has therefore drawn forth his more Spiritual ones to make an attacque upon us. We have been advised by some Credible Christians yet alive, that a malefactor, accused of Witchcraft as well as Murder, and Executed in this place more than Forty Years ago, did then give Notice of, An Horrible PLOT against the Country by WITCHCRAFT, and a Foundation of WITCHCRAFT then laid, which if it were not seasonably discovered, would probably Blow up, and pull down all the Churches in the Country. And we have now with Horror seen the Discovery of such a Witchcraft! An Army of Devils is horribly broke in upon the place which is the Center, and after a sort, the First-born of our English Settlements : and the Houses of the Good People there are fill’d with the doleful Shrieks of their Children and Servants, Tormented by Invisible Hands, with Tortures altogether preternatural.

II

The Trial of Bridget Bishop, Alias Oliver, At The Court of Oyer and Terminer, Held at Salem, June 2, 1692.

1. She was Indicted for Bewitching of several Persons in the Neighbourhood, the Indictment being drawn up, according to the Form in such Cases usual. And pleading, Not Guilty, there were brought in several persons, who had long undergone many kinds of Miseries, which were preternaturally inflicted, and generally ascribed unto an horrible Witchcraft. There was little occasion to prove the Witchcraft, it being evident and notorious to all beholders. Now to fix the Witchcraft on the Prisoner at the Bar, the first thing used was the Testimony of the Bewitched; whereof several testifi’d That the Shape of the Prisoner did oftentimes very grievously Pinch them, Choak them, Bite them, and afflict them; urging them to write their Names in a Book, which the said Spectre called Ours. One of them did further testifie, that it was the Shape of this Prisoner, with another, which one day took her from her wheel, and carrying her to the Riverside, threatened there to Drown her, if she did not Sign to the Book mentioned; which yet she refused. Others of them did also testifie, that the said Shape did in her Threats brag to them that she had been the Death of sundry Persons, then by her named; that she had Ridden a Man then likewise named. Another testifi’d, the Apparition of Ghosts unto the Spectre of Bishop, crying out, You Murdered us! About the Truth whereof there was in the Matter of Fact but too much Suspicion.

2. It was testifi’d, That at the Examination of the Prisoner before the Magistrates, the Bewitched were extremely tortured. If she did but cast her Eyes on them, they were presently struck down; and this in such a manner as there could be no collusion in the Business. But upon the Touch of her Hand upon them, when they lay in their Swoons, they would immediately Revive; and not upon the Touch of any ones Else. Moreover, upon some Special Actions of her Body, as the shaking of her Head, or the turning of her Eyes, they presently and painfully fell into the like postures. And many of the like Accidents now fell out, while she was at the Bar, One at the same time testifying, That she said, She could not be troubled to see the afflicted thus tormented.

3. There was Testimony likewise brought in, that a Man Striking once at the place, where a bewitched person said, the Shape of this Bishop stood, the bewitched cried out, That he had tore her Coat, in the place then particularly specifi’d; and the Woman’s Coat was found to be Torn in that very place.

4. One Deliverance Hobbs, who had confessed her being a Witch, was now tormented by the Spectres, for her Confession. And she now testifi’d, That this Bishop tempted her to Sign the Book again, and to deny what she had confess’d. She affirm’d, That it was the Shape of this Prisoner, which whipped her with Iron Rods, to compel her thereunto. And she affirmed, that this Bishop was at a General Meeting of the Witches, in a Field at Salem-Village, and there partook of a Diabolical Sacrament in Bread and Wine then administered.

5. To render it further unquestionable, that the Prisoner at the Bar, was the Person truly charged in THIS Witchcraft there were produced many Evidences of OTHER Witchcrafts, by her perpetrated. For Instance, John Cook testifi’d, That about five or six Years ago, one Morning, about Sun-Rise, he was in his Chamber assaulted by the Shape of this Prisoner; which look’d on him, grinn’d at him, and very much hurt him with a Blow on the Side of the Head; and that on the same day, about Noon, the same Shape walked in the Room where he was, and an Apple Strangely flew out of his Hand, into the Lap of his Mother, six or eight Foot from him.

6. Samuel Gray testifi’d, That about fourteen Years ago, he wak’d on a Night, and saw the Room where he lay full of Light; and that he then saw plainly a Woman between the Cradle, and the Bed-side, which look’d upon him. He rose, and it vanished; tho’ he found the Doors all fast. Looking out at the Entry-door, he saw the same Woman in the same Garb again; and said, In God’s N...