“A Modest Enquiry”: When a Community Leader Reconsiders Witchcraft
When:
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025 2:00p -
3:00p
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025 2:00p -
3:00p
Where:
Cabot House
117 Cabot St.
Beverly, MA 01915
Admission:
$10
Hosted by:
Categories:
History, Seasonal
What happens when a community leader changes his mind in public? Reverend John Hale’s "A Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft" (1702) offers a rare, candid window into that transformation. Serving as a minister during the Salem witchcraft crisis, Hale later wrote a measured treatise that scrutinized evidentiary standards, pastoral duty, and the dangers of moral panic.
This lecture places "A Modest Enquiry" in its full context while guiding attendees through key chapters and lesser-known passages. We’ll consider how Hale framed temptation, possession, and providence; how he weighed neighborly testimony; and how his text helped shift New England memory from certainty to conscience. Along the way, we’ll explore Beverly connections, surviving editions, and how the book has been interpreted by scholars and the public.
$10 In-person ticket
$5 Virtual link
Tickets available at the attached link
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