Who makes the following statement The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen but merciful overmuch At the very least they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead?

This statement is made by John Wilson, one of the puritan ministers in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter". Wilson is criticizing the leniency shown by the magistrates towards Hester Prynne, arguing that they should have punished her more severely for her perceived sin of adultery.