The life and times of Cotton Mather

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This comprehensive biography of CottonMather (1663-1728), known to history asthe Arch-Puritan and an enthusiastic sup-porter of the Salem witch trials and execu-tions, is the first in nearly a century, and itpresents a fascinating individual who bothmirrored and influenced his times.

The man whom Kenneth Silvermanbrings to life so vividly in this book was acomplex personality of many contradic-tions, talents, and weaknesses. Driven byambition and envy to outrageous acts andsometimes ludicrous outbursts, desperatelyanxious for recognition and fame outside ofBoston, he was at the same time the victimin adolescence of a humiliating stammer; adoting if demanding husband to three wivesand father of fifteen children—thirteen ofwhom died in his lifetime; by far the mostprolific author yet produced by the NewWorld (some 388 publications); and a manof surprisingly eclectic interests and an au-thority on many subjects, including scienceand medicine. Well ahead of his time, hestrongly advocated inoculation againstsmallpox, a stand for which he was ridiculedand made the target of an assassination at-tempt. Together with his influential father,Increase Mather, he served as the clergy ofBostons North Church, dominated the re-ligious scene, argued with many of his peers,and even clashed with some of the Gover-nors of the colony.

As the author makes clear, Mather's rolein the witch trials was far less clear-cut thanis generally believed. He was not specificallyinvolved, and he wrote and preached am-bivalently about the trials and their victims.As he grew older, Mather mellowed, sorelytested by his worldly third wife, by his reck-less son Creasy, and by the public disgrace of(continued on back flap)