Mather, Cotton (1663-1728) American writer and theologian. The son of
Increase Mather and the grandson of Richard Mather, Cotton entered
Harvard at the age of twelve and, like his father and grandfather
before him, went on to become a clergyman. Cotton Mather is often
regarded as the epitome of Puritan fanaticism; his reputation as an
egoist has outlasted his reputation as a scholar. He was a prolific
writer who wrote on a great number of subjects.
A City Helped of the Lord (1702) A number of excerpts from Mather's
history of the church in New England known as the "Magnalia Christi
Americana." The "Magnalia" is considered by many historians to be the
only Mather work worthy of posterity. The book stresses the virtues of
early New England's religious life and presents a good picture of life
in colonial New England from the perspective of one who wishes to extol
the "achievements of Christ in America."
