| “ | I don't recall ever arguing with my father. I certainly never raised my voice. It would have felt to me like striking him. | ” |
— Mr. Elliot to Cotton Mather
| ||
Thomas Elliot was a Bostonian Puritan Elder, as well as a spy on behalf of Countess Von Marburg. He was a guest character in the second season of Salem, and he was portrayed by actor Henry Lubatti.
Early Life
Mr Thomas Elliot was one of the members of the Council of Elder Puritan and, for a certain period of time, the servant of Countess Palatine Ingrid Von Marburg, with the task of spying on the Rev. Cotton Mather, in order to discover what the boy knew about the Grand Rite and the witch who was performing it.
Personality
Thomas Elliot was an arrogant and strict member of the Puritan Council of Elders in Boston. Despite this, he fell victim to the seductions of the Countess and as such, acted as his spy for an indefinite time. According to his conversation with Cotton Mather, Elliot had great respect for his father and, unlike Cotton, he would never have allowed himself to raise his voice or criticize an order. Despite or perhaps because of his subordination to the Countess, Elliot showed himself remarkably modest at the sight of the naked woman in her bathtub, immediately turning his eyes away from her.
Physical Appearance
A man in his thirties, with an angular face and black hair thinning at the temples. He had small black eyes, hooked nose, and used to wear black and chaste clothes as befits an important member of the Council of the Puritan.
Throughout the Salem Serie
Thomas Elliot questioned Reverend Cotton Mather in the presence of the Puritan Council of Elders in Boston, Massachusetts. The man briefly recounted the task of the Reverend, sent to Salem six weeks earlier to investigate the matter of alleged diabolical possession of Mercy Lewis. But after only six weeks, the Reverend had returned to Boston leaving behind a town in full witch-panic and thirteen people dead, including his own father, renowned Reverend Increase Mather. Accused of incompetence and ineptitude, Mr. Elliot and the rest of the Council forbade Cotton to return to Salem, confining him to his house.
Later, Mr. Elliot visited Cotton Mather at home and found him heavily drunk and in the company of a prostitute. The two men had a conversation about their respective relationships with their fathers, and Thomas Elliot accused Cotton of not being a respectful son.
Leaving Mother house, Elliot headed to a ship where he met with the Countess Von Marburg, thus revealing a much sinister plot. The woman was a powerful witch determined to discover the identity of the chief witch behind the Grand Rite performed in Salem. Mr. Elliot was acting as a spy on her behalf, trying to extract information from Cotton Mather. However, the Councilor informed his mistress that the Reverend did not have the slightest idea of what really happened in Salem.
The Countess decided that it was better to go to Salem and investigate in person. However, she no longer considered Thomas Elliot's services necessary, and as she left the bathtub, she used her powers to drown the man by magically transferring the draining water from the bathtub inside Elliot's body. In a matter of few minutes, fell dead to the ground. (Cry Havoc)
Gallery
Memorable Quotes
- Mr Eliot: "Cotton Mather. Sent to Salem to see to the matter of a single, disturbed girl, you return here to Boston six weeks later leaving in your wake a full-blown witch panic, more than a dozen hangings, and apparently unbeknownst to you, the murder of your own father. And even worse, these horrible deeds are all the work of the witch John Alden, according to some, your closest associate."
- Cotton Mather: "Indeed. I have much to answer for."
- — Cry Havoc
- __________________________________________
- Cotton Mather: "He [Increase Mather] sent me back to prepare for his own return."
- Mr Eliot: "I see. Though, of course, he never did."
- Cotton: "What?"
- Mr Eliot: "Return."
- — Cry Havoc
- __________________________________________
- Mr Eliot: "I don't recall ever arguing with my father. I certainly never raised my voice. It would have felt to me like striking him."
- Cotton Mather: "Trust me. If either of us was likely to bolster words with blows, it would have been my father, not me."
- Mr Eliot: "Are you saying that your father struck you?"
- Cotton Mather: "I'm sure no more than was necessary for my proper upbringing."
- — Cry Havoc
- __________________________________________
- Mr Eliot: "Well, to answer that, your Grace, I believe we must go to Salem ourselves."
- Countess Von Marburg: "I am sorry, Mr. Eliot, that you will not be accompanying me and my son to Salem. Your work for me is done. But in recompense, I invite you to stop averting your gaze... and stare directly. (Mr Eliot starts to drown from within)."
- — Cry Havoc
- _________________________________________
Name
- Thomas: Greek form of the Aramaic name תָּאוֹמָא (Ta'oma') which meant "twin". In the New Testament, this is the name of the apostle who initially doubts the resurrected Jesus. According to tradition, he was martyred in India. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world.
- Elliot: From an English surname which was derived from a diminutive of the medieval name Elias, cognate of Elijah, meaning "my God is YAHWEH". Elijah was a Hebrew prophet of the 9th century BC, during the reign of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel. In medieval England, it was usually spelt Elis. It died out there by the 16th century, but it was revived by the Puritan in the form Elijah after the Protestant Reformation. Common variations are Eliot, Elliot or Elliott.
Trivia
- The full name of this character was provided by credits as his first name wasn't mentioned during the episode.
- The name Benjamin Elliott is related to a work dedicated to women in the Puritanical Age and the Salem Witch Trials. He was publisher of the dissertation: "A Confession of Faith: or, A Summary of Divinity: Drawn up by a Young Gentle-Woman, in the Twenty-Fifth Year of Her Age: And Now Published For the Benefit of All, but More Especially of Young Persons: That They May Attain to a Competent Knowledge, in Saving and Divine Truths (1704)." The name Benjamin Elliot appears also in the List of booksellers in Boston.
See Also