He entered Harvard at the age of eleven, and took
the bachelor's degree at fifteen. His life shows such an overemphasis of
certain Puritan traits as almost to presage the coming decline of clerical
influence. He says that at the age of only seven or eight he not only
composed forms of prayer for his schoolmates, but also obliged them to
pray, although some of them cuffed him for his pains. At fourteen he began
a series of fasts to crucify the flesh, increase his holiness, and bring
him nearer to God.
He endeavored never to waste a minute. In his study, where he often worked
sixteen hours a day, he had in large letters the sign, "BE SHORT," to greet
the eyes of visitors. The amount of writing which he did almost baffles
belief. His published works, numbering about four hundred, include sermons,
essays, and books. During all of his adult life, he also preached in the
North Church of Boston.
He was a religious "fantastic" (p. 40), that is, he made far-fetched
applications of religious truth. A tall man suggested to him high
attainments in Christianity; washing his hands, the desirability of a clean
heart.
Although Cotton Mather became the most famous clergyman of colonial New
England, he was disappointed in two of his life's ambitions.
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