Wigglesworth, Michael, 1631–1705, American clergyman and poet, b. England, grad. Harvard, 1651. His family emigrated to New England in 1638. A devoted minister at Malden, Mass., he also practiced medicine and wrote didactic poetry. His Day of Doom (1662), a ballad of Puritan theology, was extremely popular and was followed by God's Controversy with New England (written c.1662; printed 1873), Meat out of the Eater (1670), and lesser writings. Replete with vivid biblical imagery, Wigglesworth's verse reflects his dedication to his austere faith.
See his Diary, 1653–57, ed. by E. S. Morgan (1951, repr. 1970); The Day of Doom (ed. by K. B. Murdock, 1929); memoir by J. W. Dean (2d ed. 1871); biography by R. Crowder (1962).
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