Episode Description
Episode Summary
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 didn't emerge from nowhere. They emerged from a library. This episode traces the centuries of theological and legal texts that shaped how Salem's magistrates understood witchcraft, the demonic pact, and the infamous Devil's book.
From a 15th-century inquisitor's manual to a Scottish king's royal obsession to a Boston minister's bestseller, Josh and Sarah open the books that made Salem possible.
Books and Sources Covered
Malleus Maleficarum (1486) — Heinrich Kramer's foundational witch-hunting manual codified the idea of a vast anti-Christian conspiracy sealed by a formal pact with the devil. It provided the theological and legal framework for prosecuting witchcraft across Europe for centuries.
Daemonologie (1597) — Written by King James VI of Scotland (later King James I of England), this royal text argued that witches entered the devil's service through a pact alone. The king's authority gave the work enormous cultural weight, and his framework for the devil's covenant shaped New England Puritan thought directly.
A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft (1608) — William Perkins detailed the diabolical compact in legal terms, distinguishing between explicit verbal pacts and implicit ones inferred through action. He also established seven grounds for suspicion of witchcraft. During the Salem crisis, Cotton Mather specifically recommended judges follow the guidelines of Perkins and his successor Richard Bernard.
A Guide to Grand Jury-men (1627) — Richard Bernard's practical manual for witch trial proceedings was among the texts Cotton Mather recommended to the Salem court.
The Discovery of Witches (1647) — Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witch Finder General, ran one of the most lethal witch-hunting campaigns in English history across East Anglia. His methods, his obsession with the witch's mark, and the confessions he extracted helped cement the Devil's book as a recognizable cultural image decades before Salem.
Hudibras (Samuel Butler, 17th century) — Butler's satirical poem mocked Hopkins by portraying him as a secret witch himself, hanged for possessing the very Devil's book he hunted. The satire is significant: it confirms the Devil's book was already deeply embedded in the popular imagination.
Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions (1689) — Cotton Mather's account of the Goodwin children's afflictions, attributed to an Irish woman named Goody Glover, circulated widely through New England. When Salem's afflictions began in 1692, the symptoms closely mirrored the Goodwin case.
The Devil's Book at Salem: First Appearances
February 27, 1692 — Ann Putnam Jr. claimed Sarah Good's specter tormented her and pressured her to sign the Devil's book. This is the first accusation involving the Devil's book in the Salem crisis. Elizabeth Hubbard named Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne as tormenters, alleging Osborne's specter urged her to write in the book.
March 2, 1692 — Tituba confessed to making her mark in the Devil's book with blood and stated the book was already signed by nine witches, including Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. Seven signers remained unidentified, located in Roxbury, Salem, and Boston.
March 14, 1692 — Abigail Williams claimed she was tempted to put her hand to the Devil's book and saw Martha Corey at a Devil's Sacrament. Mercy Lewis reported similar pressure to sign.
Links
Buy Book: The Hammer of Witches, ed. Christopher S MacKay
Daemonologie by King James VI/I
The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins
A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft by William Perkins
Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions by Cotton Mather
Salem Witch Trials Daily Videos & Course
The Thing About Witch Hunts YouTube
The Thing About Witch Hunts Website
Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project