Free True Stories From History and Biography by Nathaniel Hawthorne Page A

we
can make pictures of all that you tell us, among the glowing embers and
white ashes."
    Our friend Charley, too, thought the evening the best time to hear
Grandfather's stories, because he could not then be playing out of doors.
So, finding his young auditors unanimous in their petition, the good old
gentleman took up the narrative of the historic chair, at the point where
he had dropt it.

Chapter II
*
    "You recollect, my dear children," said Grandfather, "that we took leave
of the chair in 1692, while it was occupied by Sir William Phips. This
fortunate treasure-seeker, you will remember, had come over from England,
with King William's commission to be Governor of Massachusetts. Within the
limits of this province were now included the old colony of Plymouth, and
the territories of Maine and Nova Scotia. Sir William Phips had likewise
brought a new charter from the king, which served instead of a
constitution, and set forth the method in which the province was to be
governed."
    "Did the new charter allow the people all their former liberties?"
inquired Laurence.
    "No," replied Grandfather. "Under the first charter, the people had been
the source of all power. Winthrop, Endicott, Bradstreet, and the rest of
them, had been governors by the choice of the people, without any
interference of the king. But henceforth the governor was to hold his
station solely by the king's appointment, and during his pleasure; and the
same was the case with the lieutenant-governor, and some other high
officers. The people, however, were still allowed to choose
representatives; and the governor's council was chosen by the general
court."
    "Would the inhabitants have elected Sir William Phips," asked Laurence,
"if the choice of governor had been left to them?"
    "He might probably have been a successful candidate," answered
Grandfather; "for his adventures and military enterprises had gained him a
sort of renown, which always goes a great way with the people. And he had
many popular characteristics, being a kind, warm-hearted man, not ashamed
of his low origin, nor haughty in his present elevation. Soon after his
arrival, he proved that he did not blush to recognize his former
associates."
    "How was that?" inquired Charley.
    "He made a grand festival at his new brick house," said Grandfather, "and
invited all the ship-carpenters of Boston to be his guests. At the head of
the table, in our great chair, sat Sir William Phips himself, treating
these hard handed men as his brethren, cracking jokes with them, and
talking familiarly about old times. I know not whether he wore his
embroidered dress, but I rather choose to imagine that he had on a suit of
rough clothes, such as he used to labor in, while he was Phips the
ship-carpenter."
    "An aristocrat need not be ashamed of the trade," observed Laurence; "for
the czar Peter the Great once served an apprenticeship to it."
    "Did Sir William Phips make as good a governor as he was a
ship-carpenter?" asked Charley.
    "History says but little about his merits as a ship-carpenter," answered
Grandfather; "but, as a governor, a great deal of fault was found with
him. Almost as soon as he assumed the government, he became engaged in a
very frightful business, which might have perplexed a wiser and better
cultivated head than his. This was the witchcraft delusion."
    And here Grandfather gave his auditors such details of this melancholy
affair, as he thought it fit for them to know. They shuddered to hear that
a frenzy, which led to the death of many innocent persons, had originated
in the wicked arts of a few children. They belonged to the Rev. Mr.
Parris, minister of Salem. These children complained of being pinched, and
pricked with pins, and otherwise tormented by the shapes of men and women,
who were supposed to have power to haunt them invisibly, both in darkness
and daylight. Often, in the midst of their family and friends, the
children would pretend to be seized with strange convulsions, and would
cry out