Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book V Chapter VIII

In which the valiant Peter Stuyvesant fortifies New Amsterdam against the brawling border towns, whose quarrels are dampened by the principled refusal of Massachusetts and the ominous outbreak of witchcraft in New England, stirring a fearful and relentless panic. The narrative unfolds with a keen eye on the curious customs and stringent justice meted out to the supposed witches, revealing both the credulity and the severity of the times in this peculiar and sombre affair.