Thomas Maule (Quaker)

Thomas Maule, was a Quaker who publicly criticized the handling of the Salem Witch Trials by the Puritan leaders in his book, "New-England Pesecutors [sic] Mauled With their own Weapons. Giving some Account of the bloody Laws made at Boston against the Kings Subjects that dissented from their way of Worship. Together with a brief Account of the Imprisonment and Tryal of Thomas Maule of Salem, for publishing a Book, entituled, Truth held forth and maintained, and c." He wrote, "it were better than one hundred Witches should live, than that one person be put to death for a witch, which is not a Witch".^[1] For publishing this book, Maule was imprisoned twelve months before he was tried and found not guilty.^[2]

A short biography of Thomas Maule of Salem can be found at http://www.maulefamily.com/maule50.htm under the first item.

A much more extensive biography of Thomas Maule of Salem is contained in Better That 100 Witches Should Live, on which information is available at http://www.jembook.com. This book also includes extensive legal analysis of the trial and acquittal, along with republications of Thomas Maule's writings that have survived.

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