“While women are sorcerers in greater numbers than men, as was shown in Part One of the work, men are more often affected by sorcery. The reason for this is the following. God gives more permission about the sexual act, through which the first sin is spread, than about the other human acts.” This is one of the many beliefs of the people of Salem, Massachusetts. Many factors, such as these beliefs, contributed to many witch trials, such as the one in Salem. The social, cultural, religious, and economic state of Salem during the 1690s contributed to the Salem Witch Trials, and as the trials went on, these factors intensified and prolonged the hysteria. In the 1680s in Salem, there was Salem town and Salem village. Salem village was a poorer counterpart …show more content…
They do this in goodness when they are ruled by a good spirit, and as a result of this they become excellent. They also do this in evil when they are ruled by an evil spirit, and as a result of this they are rendered very bad,” this passage being found in question 6 of part one, “why a larger number of sorcerers are found among the delicate female sex than among men; what sort of women are more often to be found to be superstitious and sorceresses.” This belief affected the Salem witch trials through the means that women were more often accused than men, especially as the first three accused were all women. Another belief shared by the Puritans of Salem was that if a crop or harvest failed, the Devil or witches played a role, and that Satan could not take the form of any unwilling person. The latter is especially important in the trials, as this led the judges to accept “spectral evidence,” which included testimony about dreams and