How does the Salem witch-hunt compare with witch-hunts in Europe?
Ray: I wish I was more of a European historian. In New England, the accusations were very local, only two or three people, and the judges and the clergy were most concerned to control the accusations and to dampen down this avenue of social redress. Even in the prelude to Salem, some girls in Boston were going through physical gyrations and verbal abuse, and accusing people, and Cotton Mather was most concerned that they did not begin to attract others to make similar accusations. There was a general attitude of damping down accusations when they occurred and not acting on them so that it would inflame others. In Europe, you have larger numbers accused, and it is much more tied up with state and church–political institutions–until Salem. In Salem, there were more accused than ever had been in the history of New England, and even more executed. That is what has attracted scholars, what happened in Salem. The accusations started at the end of February 1692, and before they were stopped
