Petition in support of John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor

The Humble, & Sincere Declaration of us, Subscribers, Inhabitants, in Ipswich, on ye Behalf of oe Neighbes Jno Procter & his wife now in Trouble & unde Suspition of Witchcraft. To the Honable Court of Assistants now Sitting In Boston. [illegible] Honeed, & Right Worshipfull [illegible]! The foresd John Procter: may have Greate Reason [illegible] to Justifie the Divine Sovereigntie of God unde thes Severe Remarques of Providenc upon his Peac & Hone; unde A due Reflection upon his Life Past; And so the Best of us have Reason to Adoar the Great Pittie & Indulgenc of Gods Providenc, that we are not as Exposed to the utmost Shame, yt the Divell Can Invent unde the pemissions of Sovereigntie, tho not for yt Sin fore Named; yet for oe many Transgretions; for we Do at present Suppose that it may be A Method wthin the Seveerer, But Just Transactions of the Infinite Majestie of God; yt he Some times may pemitte Sathan to pesonate, Dissemble, & therby abuse Inocents, & Such as Do in the fear of God Defie the Devill & all his works. The Great Rage he is pemitted to attempt holy Job wth The Abuse he Does the famous Samuell, In Disquieting his Silent Dust, by Shaddowing his venerable Peson in Answer to the Charmes of witch Craft, & other Instances from Good hands; may be Argts Besides the unsearcheable footstepps of Gods Judgments yt are brought to Light Every Morning yt Astonish oe weaker Reasons, To teach us Adoration, Trembling, & Dependanc, &ca But We must not Trouble ye Honres by being Tedious, Therfore we being Smitten with the Notice of what hath happened, we Recoon it wthin the Duties of oe Charitie, that Teacheth us to do, as we would be done by; to offer thus much for the Clearing of oe Neighboes Inocencie; viz That we never had the Least Knowledge of Such a Nefandous wickedness in oe Said Neighbours, Sinc they have been wthin our acquaintanc; Neither do we remember any Such Thoughts in us Concerning them; or Any Action by them or either of them Directly tending hat way; no more than might be in the lives of any other pesons