ies ▁of ▁his ▁mind ." ▁No ▁pun ishment ▁was ▁met ed ▁out , ▁but ▁D aven port ▁was ▁sent ▁back ▁to ▁his ▁former ▁parish ▁of ▁South old . ▁ ▁On ▁March ▁ 7 , ▁ 1 7 4 3 , ▁D aven port ▁exhib ited ▁perhaps ▁his ▁most ▁b izar re ▁behavior ▁yet , ▁in ▁an ▁incident ▁which ▁g arn ished ▁him ▁last ing ▁fame — or ▁inf amy . ▁The ▁day ▁before , ▁he ▁had ▁led ▁a ▁crowd ▁to ▁burn ▁a ▁large ▁p ile ▁of ▁books ; ▁this ▁day ▁he ▁called ▁them ▁to ▁throw ▁their ▁expensive ▁and ▁fancy ▁cl othing ▁onto ▁the ▁fire , ▁so ▁as ▁to ▁prove ▁their ▁full ▁commit ment ▁to ▁God . ▁D aven port — leading ▁by ▁example — rem oved ▁his ▁p ants ▁and ▁cast ▁them ▁into ▁the ▁bon fire . ▁One ▁woman ▁in ▁the ▁crowd ▁quickly ▁gra bb ed ▁his ▁p ants ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁bla ze , ▁and ▁handed ▁them ▁back ▁to ▁D aven port , ▁entre ating ▁him ▁to ▁get ▁a ▁hold ▁of ▁himself . ▁" This ▁act ▁broke ▁D aven port ' s ▁spell ," ▁wrote ▁historian ▁Thomas ▁K idd . ▁D aven port ▁had ▁gone ▁too ▁far , ▁char is ma ▁or ▁no , ▁and ▁the ▁crowd ▁quickly ▁dispers ed . ▁ ▁In ▁July ▁ 1 7 4 4 ▁D aven port ▁published ▁a ▁retra ction ▁claim ing ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁been ▁possessed ▁by ▁" dem onic ▁spirits ." ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁Boston ▁Week ly ▁Post ▁Boy ▁of ▁ 2 8 ▁March