/H . /-• yr;xf Wsftj\ffl i O tj O IV PREFACE. could be found. References to printed authorities, where not otherwise specified, are generally to original editions. Anachronisms are believed to be best avoided, in history, by adhering to dates as originally written; and this course has been adopted in the present work. Every in- telligent reader understands the difference between the Julian and the Gregorian year, or the Old and New Style, and can readily make his own computation. The general plan of the work will be seen at a glance. In order that each volume may be complete in itself, — embracing the Governors of two or more of the Colo- nies, or States, in regular succession, — a chronological arrangement has been adopted; and for the conven- ience of the reader, a full and particular Index to all the names, places and events, mentioned in the work, is added- The author has been kindly and even liberally assisted by numerous individuals, to whom he has applied for in- formation. Years ago, when he first commenced the col- lection of materials for this work, the rich stores preserved in the archives at Plymouth, Boston," and Worcester, were freely opened to him. He has since derived much assistance from an examination of the books and manu- scripts of the New York Historical Society, of the Con- gress Library, and in particular of the valuable library of Peter Force, Esq., of Washington City, whose col- lection of manuscripts and books, in the department of American History, is unsurpassed in this country, Sepiem&er, 1846. CONTENTS. PART I. Governors of New Plymouth, from the Landing of the Pilgrims, in 1620, to the Union of the Colony with Massachusetts Bay, in 1692: I. *JOHN CARVER, First chosen in 1620, Page 11 II. *WILLIAM BRADFORD, 1621 49 III. *EDWARD WINSLOW, 1633, 93 IV. THOMAS PRENCE, 1634, 139 V. JOSIAS WINSLOW, 1673, 175 VI, THOMAS HINCKLEY, 1680, 201 PART II. Governors of Massachusetts Bay, from the first settlement of the Colony, in 1630, to the ex- pulsion of Andros, in 1689 : I. * JOHN WINTHROP, . . . First chosen in 1630, Page 237 II. THOMAS DUDLEY, 1634, 273 III. JOHN HAYNES, 1635, 297 IV. HENRY VANE, 1636, 313 V. RICHARD BELLINGHAM, 1641, 335 VI. JOHN ENDECOTT, 1644, 347 VII. JOHN LEVERETT, 1673 367 VIII. SIMON BRADSTREET, 1679, 377 IX. JOSEPH DUDLEY, appointed in 1686, 390 X. EDMUND ANDROS, 1687, 403 * From Original Sketches by Dr. Belknap, with additions and corrections. Succession of Governors of the Colonies of New Plymouth and Mas- sachusetts Bay, from 1620 to 1692. A. D. Reigns. New Plymouth. Massachusetts Bay. 1620 James I. John Carver. 1621 it William Bradford. 1625 Charles I. (C 1630 a Cf John Winthrop. 1633 tc Edward Winslow. ci 1634 " Thomas Prence. Thomas Dudley. 1635 " William Bradford. John Haynes. 1636 (< Edward Winslow. Henry Vane. 1637 it William Bradford. John Winthrop. 1638 11 Thomas Prence. (< 1639 11 William Bradford. ii 1640 (( a Thomas Dudley. 1641 <( a Richard Bellingham. 1642 (( a John Winthrop. 1644 11 Edward Winslow. John Endecott. 1645 11 William Bradford. Thomas Dudley. 1646 1648 ti it John Winthrop. it 1649 Commonwealth. (C John Endecott. 1650 tt (« Thomas Dudley. 1651 ft 11 John Endecott. 1653 Oliver Cromwell. It it 1654 tt If Richard Bellingham. 1655 it (1 John Endecott. 1657 a Thomas Prence. it 1658 Richard Cromwell. tt it 1660 Charles II. (c ft 1665 a a Richard Bellingham. 1673 ft Josias Winslow. John Leverett. 1679 it (c Simon Bradstreet. .1680 a Thomas Hinckley. u 1685 James II. tt ff 1686 tt E( Joseph Dudley. 1687 tt Edmund Andros. Edmund Andros. 1688 " a f i 1689 William IIL Thomas Hinckley. Simon Bradstreet. 1690 a u tt 1691 ft * 1692 New Plymouth united i vith Massachusetts Bay. PART I GOVERNORS OP NEW PLYMOUTH 1620—1692. INTRODUCTORY NOTE. At the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth, in 1603, one hun- dred and ten years after the discovery of America by Columbus, no nation except the Spanish had effected a settlement in the New World ; and in all the continent north of Mexico, not a single European family was to be found. The French, in 1606, began to make settlements in Canada and Acadie, and Spanish soldiers were stationed at several posts in Florida. Twenty years had elapsed since the first fruitless attempt of Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony in Virginia, and not an Englishman was now to be found in that country, and the grant to Raleigh had become void, in consequence of his attainder. In 1606, King James I., by an ordinance dated the 10th of April, divided all that portion of North America, which is embrac- ed within the 34th and 45th degrees of latitude, into two districts. The Southern, called the First Colony, he granted to the London Company; and the Northern, or Second Colony, he granted to the Plymouth Company. The general superintendence of the Colonies was vested in a Council, resident in England, named by the King, and subject to all orders and decrees under his sign manual ; and the local jurisdiction was entrusted to a Council, also named by the King, and subject to his instructions, which was to reside in the colonies. Under these auspices commenced, in 1607, the first permanent settlement of Virginia. On the third of November, 1620, forty noblemen, knights, and gentlemen of England, were incorporated by King James, under the name and style of " The Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling and governing New England in America." At the head of this corporation was the 2 10 INTRODUCTORY NOTE. Earl of Warwick. The territory subjected to its jurisdiction, ex- tended in breadth from the 40th to the 48th degree of north lati- tude, and in length from sea to sea — comprising all the present inhabited British possessions north of the United States, all New England and New York, half of New Jersey, nearly the whole of Pennsylvania, and the whole of the country west of these states to the Pacific ocean. Absolute property in this vast domain was con- ferred upon the corporation, and full powers of government were conceded, subject to the royal will. This patent is the basis of all the subsequent grants in New England. Before this charter had passed the seals, the Pilgrims were on their way to America. They had obtained permission from the London Company to settle within their limits. Their intention was to found their settlement upon the banks of the Hudson, but, after a perilous voyage, they arrived at Cape Cod, in the 42d de- gree of north latitude, beyond the limits of the grant to the Lon- don Company. It was too late in the season to retrace their steps, and they resolved, therefore, as they were without authority from the Plymouth Company, to establish for themselves a form of government, which was done by a written instrument subscribed on the 11th November, 1620, in the cabin of the Mayflower. Such was the beginning of the Colony of New Plymouth. Of the persecutions which drove the Puritans from England, and led them afterwards to seek an asylum in the New World, and of the perils which they encountered, upon the ocean and upon the land, ample accounts are given in the sketches which follow. GOVERNORS OF NEW PLYMOUTH I. JOHN CARVER. The first effectual settlements of the English in New England, were made by those, who, after the Reforma- tion, dissented from the Established Episcopal Church, who were persecuted on account of their dissent, and sought an asylum from their sufferings. Uniformity was insisted on with a rigor that disgusted many conscientious ministers and people of the Church of England, and caused that separation, which has ever since existed. Religious persons, who could not conform to the estab- lishment, but taught the necessity of a more complete and personal reformation, were at first distinguished by the name of Puritans — a name which they never dis- owned, though it was given in derision. Among these, the most rigid were the Brownists, so called from Robert Brown, " a fiery young clergyman," who in 1580-1586, headed a zealous party, and was vehement for a total separation. But his zeal, though violent, as is often the case with zealots, was not of a temper to resist persecu- tion, and in advanced life, he accepted a living offered by the Church he had reviled ; while others, who more deliberately withdrew, retained their separation, though they became more candid and moderate in their princi- ples.* Of these people, a congregation was formed *Neal'sN. E. i. 58, 64. 12 JOHN CARVER. about the year 1602, near the confines of the counties of Fork, Nottingham, and Lincoln, in England, who chose for, their ministers, Richard Clifton and John Robinson.* The reigning prince at that time was James the First, than whom a more contemptible character never sat on the British throne. Educated in the principles of Pres- byterianism in Scotland, he forgot them all on his ad- vancement to the throne of the three kingdoms. Flat- tered by the bishops, he gave all ecclesiastical power into their hands, and entrusted sycophants with the manage- ment of the state, while he indolently resigned himself to literary and sensual indulgences; in the former of which he was a pedant, in the latter an epicure. The prosecution of the Puritans was conducted with unre- lenting severity in the former part of his reign, when Bancroft was Archbishop of Canterbury. Abbot, who succeeded him, was more favorable to them ; but when Laud came into power, they were treated with every mark of insult and cruelty. Robinson's little congrega- tion did not escape persecution, by quietly separating from the establishment, and forming an independent church. They were still exposed to the penalties of the ecclesiastical law. They were harrassed with every species of intolerance ; some were thrown into prison ; some were confined to their own houses ; and others were obliged to leave their farms, and suspend their usual occupations.! Such was their distress and per- plexity, that an emigration to some foreign country, seemed at length the only means of personal safety. Their first views were directed to Holland, where the * Prince, i. 4, 20. t See the history of Puritan sufferings in Neal, and autho- rities there cited, or the graphic account in Bancroft, i. 288 — 290. JOHN CARVER. 13 spirit of commerce had dictated a free toleration of reli- gious opinions ; a blessing which neither the wisdom of politicians nor the charity of clergymen had admitted into any other of the European states. Mr. Robinson, and as many of his congregation as found it in their power, accordingly left England in the years 1607 and 1608, and settled in Amsterdam ; whence, in 1609, they removed to Leyden. John Carver, one of the most grave and honored of the Pilgrims, and first governor of the colony of New Plymouth, is supposed to have been a native of Lincoln- shire, England, where families of the name were known to exist ; and he is represented to have been one of the deacons of the English Congregational Church at Ley- den. Of his family, or personal history, prior to his connection with the Pilgrims, little is known. The record of the time and place of his birth, is nowhere found. The earliest account of him known to exist, refers to his appointment as one of the agents of the Leyden Church. At that time, he was in high esteem as a grave, pious, prudent and judicious man. The correspondence, be- tween Sir Edwin Sandys, Treasurer of the Virginia Company, and the Rev. John Robinson, pastor of the Pilgrim Church, and a letter from the latter to Mr. Carver, preserved in Governor Bradford's History, shew that he was a person of consideration and character as a philanthropist and christian. " I hope," said Mr. Robin- son, in his parting address to Carver, " that you, having always been able so plentifully to administer comfort unto others in their trials, are so well furnished for yourself, as that far greater difficulties than you have yet under- gone (though I conceive them to be great enough) cannot 14 JOHN CARVER. oppress you, though they press you, as the Apostle speaketh. c The spirit of a man (sustained by the Spirit of God) will sustain his infirmity.' I doubt not so will yours ; and the better much, when you shall enjoy the presence and help of so many goodly and wise brethren, for the bearing of part of your burden ; who also will not admit into their hearts the least thoughts of suspicion of any the least negligence, at least presumption to have been in you, whatever they think in others." Carver was one of the oldest of the Pilgrims, and the circum- stance that he was selected by Robinson as the individual to whom to address his parting letter, shows that he was a leading and trusted man.* After residing several years in Ley den, various causes influenced the congregation to entertain serious thoughts of a removal to America. These causes were the un- healthiness of the low country where they lived; the hard labor to which they were subjected; the dissipated manners of the Hollanders ; especially the lax observance of the Lord's Day;f the apprehension of a war at the conclusion of the truce between Spain and Holland, which was then near its close ; the fear, lest their young men would enter into the military and naval service ; the ten- dency of their little community to become absorbed and lost in a foreign nation ; their desire to live under the protection of England, and to retain the language and the name of Englishmen; their inability to give * Young's Chronicles, 90. t Sir Dudley Carleton, writing from the Hague, July 22, 1619, says, " It falls out in these towns of Holland, that Sunday, which is elsewhere the day of rest, proves the day of labour, for they never knew yet how to observe the Sabbath." This violation of the Sabbath attracted the attention of the Synod of Dort, which assembled in 1618. JOHN CARVER. 15 their children such an education as they had themselves received ; the natural and pious desire of perpetuating a church,, which they believed to be constituted after the simple and pure model of the primitive church of Christ ; and a commendable zeal to propagate the gospel in the regions of the New World. In 1617, having concluded to go to Virginia, and settle in a distinct body under the general government of that colony, they sent Mr. Robert Cushman, and Mr. John Carver, to England, to treat with the Virginia Com- pany, and ascertain whether the King would grant them liberty of conscience in that distant country. Though these agents found the Virginia Company very desirous of the projected settlement in their American territory, and willing to grant them a patent, with as ample priv- ileges as they had power to convey; yet they could prevail with the King no farther, than to engage that he would connive at them, and not molest them, provided they would conduct peaceably. Toleration in religious liberty by public authority, under his seal, was denied. * The business of the agency was for a long time de- layed, by discontents and factions in the company of Virginia, by the removal of their former treasurer, Sir Thomas Smith, and the enmity between him and Sir Edwin Sandys, his successor.! At length a patent was * Holmes, Am. Ann. i. 158. t Sir Edwin Sandys was the son of Archbishop Sandys, and the pupil of Hooker. Hume says that in Parliament he was " a member of great authority ;" and, for taking the popular side in 1614, was committed to the Tower. He suc- ceeded Sir Thomas Smith, as Treasurer of the Virginia Company, on the 2Sth of April, 1610. His election was brought about by the Earl of Warwick's hos- tility to Smith. The historians of Virginia say that he was a person of excel- lent endowments, great vigor and resolution. King James disliked him, on account of his liberal principles, and when the year came round, he objected to 16 JOHN CARVER. obtained under the company's seal ; but, by the advice of some friends, it was taken in the name of John Wincob, a religious gentleman belonging to the family of the Countess of Lincoln, who intended to accompany the ad- venturers to America.* This patent, and the proposals of Thomas Weston, of London, merchant, and other per- sons who appeared friendly to the design, were carried to Leyden, in the autumn of 1619, for the consideration of the people. At the same time, there was a plan forming for a new council in the west of England, to superintend the plantation and fishery of North Virginia, the name of which was changed to JY^w England. To this expected establishment Weston and the other mer- chants began to incline, chiefly from the hope of present gain by the fishery. This caused some embarrassment, and a variety of opinions ; but, considering that the coun- cil for New England was not yet incorporated, and that, if they should wait for that event, they might be detained another year, before which time the war between the Dutch and the Spaniards might be renewed,! the ma- jority concluded to take the patent, which had been ob- tained from the company of South Virginia, and emigrate to some place near Hudson's River, which was within their territory. his re-appointment as Treasurer. " Choose the devil, if you will, (said he) but not Sir Edwin Sandys." * Wincob never came to America; and all that is known of him is that he was never of the least service to those who had obtained the patent at such toil and cost. Bancroft, i. 305. The precise date of the patent is nowhere men- tioned. Young, in his Chronicles, 75, gives the probable reason why the patent was taken in the name of Wincob, that the Leyden people being out of the realm, the patent would not be granted in any of their names. t The truce, which, after a war of above thirty years, was concluded between Spain and the United Netherlands in 1609, was to expire by its own limitation in 1621. JOHN CARVER. 17 The next spring, ( 1 620, ) Weston himself went over to Leyden, where the people entered into articles of agree- ment with him, both for shipping and money, to assist in their transportation. Carver and Cushman were again sent to London, to receive the money and provide for the voyage. When they came there, they found the other merchants so very penurious and severe, that they were obliged to consent to some alteration in the articles, which, though not relished by their constituents, yet were so strongly insisted on, that without them the whole adven- ture must have been frustrated. The articles, with their amendments, were these :* " 1. The adventurers and planters do agree that every person that goeth, being sixteen years old and upward, be rated at ten pounds, and that ten pounds be accounted a single share." " 2. That he that goeth in person, and furnisheth him- self out with ten pounds, either in money or other pro- visions, be accounted as having twenty pounds in stock, and in the division shall receive a double share." " 3. The persons transported and the adventurers shall continue their joint stock and partnership the space of seven years, except some unexpected impediments do cause the whole company to agree otherwise, during which time all profits and benefits that are gotten by trade, traffic, trucking, working, fishing, or any other means, of any other person or persons, shall remain still in the common stock, until the division." " 4. That at their coming there they shall choose out such a number of fit persons as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing upon the sea, employing the * Hubbard's N. E. 48.— Hazard's Hist. Coll. i. 87. 3 18 JOHN CARVER. rest in their several faculties upon the land, as building houses, tilling and planting the land, and making such commodities as shall be most useful for the colony." " 5. That at the end of the seven years the capital and profits, viz., the houses, lands, goods, and chattels, be equally divided among the adventurers ; if any debt or detriment concerning this adventure" * " 6. Whosoever cometh to the colony hereafter, or putteth any thing into the stock, shall at the end of the seven years be allowed proportionally to the time of his so doing." " 7. He that shall carry his wife, or children, or servants, shall be allowed for every person now aged six- teen years and upwards, a single share in the division ; or, if he provide them necessaries, a double share; or, if they be between ten years old and sixteen, then two of them to be reckoned for a person, both in transportation and division." " 8. That such children as now go, and are under ten years of age, have no other share in the division than fifty acres of unmanured land." "9. That such persons as die before the seven years be expired, their executors to have their parts or shares at the division, proportionally to the time of their life in the colony." " 10. That all such persons as are of the colony are to have meat, drink, and apparel out of the common stock and goods of the said colony." The difference between the articles as first agreed upon, and as finally concluded, was in these two points : 1 . In the former, it was provided that " the houses * Here something seems to be wanting, which cannot now be supplied, JOHN CARVER. 19 and lands improved, especially gardens and home-fields, should remain undivided wholly to the planters at the end of the seven years," but in the latter, the houses and lands were to be equally divided. 2. In the former, the planters were " allowed two days in the week for their own private employment, for the comfort of themselves and families, especially such as had them to take care for." In the latter, this article was wholly omitted. On these hard conditions, and with this small encour- agement, the pilgrims of Leyden, supported by a pious confidence in the Supreme Disposer, and animated by a fortitude resulting from the steady principles of the reli- gion which they professed, determined to cast themselves on the care of Divine Providence, and embark for Amer- ica. With the proceeds of their own estates, now put into a common stock, and the assistance of the merchants, to whom they had mortgaged their labour and trade for seven years, two vessels were provided. One, in Hol- land, of sixty tons, called the Speedwell, commanded by a Captain Reynolds, which was intended to transport some of them to America, and there to remain in their service one year, for fishing and other uses. Another, of one hundred and eighty tons, called the Mayflower, was chartered by Mr. Cushman, in London, and sent round to Southampton, in Hampshire, whither Mr. Car- ver went to superintend her equipment. This vessel was commanded by a Captain Jones, and, after discharg- ing her passengers in America, was to return to Eng- land. Seven hundred pounds sterling were expended in provisions and stores, and other necessary prepara- tions, and the value of the trading venture which they car- 20 JOHN CARVER. ried was seventeen hundred pounds. Mr. Weston came from London to Southampton, to see them despatched.* The Speedwell, with the passengers, having arrived there from Leyden, and the necessary officers being chosen to govern the people and take care of the provi- sions and stores on the voyage, both ships, carrying one hundred and twenty passengers, sailed from Southamp- ton on the fifth day of August, 1620.f They had not sailed many leagues down the channel before Reynolds, master of the Speedwell, complained that his vessel was too leaky to proceed. J Both ships then put in at Dartmouth, where the Speedwell was searched and repaired; and the workmen judged her sufficient for the voyage. On the twenty first of August, * Weston continued to be an active promoter of the New Plymouth settlement until 1622. He then procured a patent, and commenced a plantation of his own at a place called Wessagussett, (Weymouth,) in Massachusetts. Winslow says, Weston "formerly deserved well of us;" and Bradford, in 1623, says he " has become our enemy on all occasions." Weston was at New Plymouth, in 1623, where he was liberally assisted ; visited that place again in 1624, and from thence went to Virginia. He died at Bristol, England, during the civil wars. Prince, 135, 144. t At the quay at Delfthaven, a multitude of people assembled, to witness the embarkation of the first company destined to people the New World, and to unite their sympathies and prayers for the safety and prosperity of the little band. At the moment of their going on board, Mr. Robinson fell on his knees, and with eyes overflowing with tears, in a most fervent and solemn prayer, committed them to their Divine Protector. " The winds and waves are roaring : The Pilgrims meet for prayer ; And here, their God adoring, They kneel in open air." Mr. Robinson never came to New England. He remained at Leyden until his death, which took place on the first of March, 1625, in the 56th year of his age. His widow and children afterwards came to New Plymouth, where his descendants are still found. At his death, the church over which he presided, and which his talents contributed to illustrate, was dissolved, some of its mem- bers remaining in Holland, others removing to America. Thacher, 15.— Bay- lies, i. 24. t Prince, 71.— Morton, 10. JOHN CARVER. 21 they put to sea again, and, having sailed in company about one hundred leagues, Reynolds renewed his com- plaints against his ship, declaring that, by constant pump- ing, he could scarcely keep her above water, on which both ships again put back to Plymouth. Another search was made, and, no defect appearing, the leaky condi- tion of the ship was judged to be owing to her general weakness, and she was pronounced unfit for the voyage. About twenty of the passengers went on shore. The others, with their provisions, were received on board the Mayflower, and on the sixth of September, the company, consisting of one hundred and one passengers, (besides the ship's officers and crew,) took their last leave of England, having consumed a whole month in these vexa- tious and expensive delays. The true causes of these mis-adventures did not then appear. One was, that the Speedwell was overmasted, which error being remedied, the vessel afterward made several safe and profitable voyages. But the principal cause was the deceit of the master and crew, who, having engaged to remain a whole year in the service of the colony, and apprehending hard fare in that employment, were glad of any excuse to rid themselves of the service. The Mayflower, Jones, proceeded with fair winds in the former part of her voyage, and then met with bad weather and contrary winds, so that for several days no sail could be carried. The ship labored so much in the sea that one of the main beams sprung, which renewed the fears and distresses of the passengers. They had then made about one half of their voyage, and the chief of the company began a consultation with the comman- der of the ship whether it were better to proceed or re- / 22 JOHN CARVER. turn. But one of the passengers having on board a large iron screw, it was applied to the beam, and forced it into its place. This successful effort determined them to proceed. No other particulars of this long and tedious voyage are preserved, but that the ship being leaky, and the people closely stowed, were continually wet; that one young man, a servant of Samuel Fuller, died at sea; and that one child was born, and called Oceanus — a son of Stephen Hopkins. On the ninth of November, at break of day, they made land, which proved to be the white sandy cliffs of Cape Cod.* This landfall being farther northward than they intended, they immediately put about the ship to the southward, and before noon found themselves among shoals and breakers. f Had they pursued their southern course, as the weather was fine, they might in a few hours more, have found an opening, and passed safely to the westward, agreeably to their original design, which was to go to Hudson's River. But, having been so long at sea, the sight of any land was welcome to women and * Cape Cod was discovered, 15th May, 1602, by Bartholomew Gosnold, an English navigator, who gave it the name, on account of the abundance of cod, which he caught in the neighborhood. It was afterwards called Cape James, by Smith. John Brereton, who was one of the companions of Gosnold, and wrote a journal of the voyage, says, " they first made land May 14, in lat. 40 degrees " — and " about three of the clock the same day in the afternoon, we weighed, and standing southerly off" into the sea the rest of that day and the night following, with a fresh gale of wind, in the morning we found ourselves embayed with a mighty headland. At length we perceived this headland to be a parcel of the main. In five or six hours we pestered our ship so with codfish, that we threw numbers of them over again. The places where we took these cods, (and might in a few days laden our ship,) were but in seven fathoms wa- ter." — Brereton's Account of Gosnold's Voyage, III Mass. Hist. Coll. viii. 86. t These shoals lie to the southeast extremity of the Cape, which was called by Gosnold Point Care, by the Dutch and French Malebarre, and is now known by the name of Sandy Point. JOHN CARVER. 23 children ; the new danger was formidable ; and the ea- gerness of the passengers to be set on shore was irresis- tible. These circumstances, coinciding with the secret views of the master, who had been promised a reward by some agents of the Dutch West India Company if he would not carry them to Hudson's River, induced him to put about to the northward.* Before night the ship was clear of the danger. The next day they doubled the northern extremity of the cape, (Race Point,) and, a storm coming on, the ship was brought to anchor in Cape Cod harbour, where she lay perfectly secure from winds and shoals. This harbour, being in the forty second degree of north latitude, was without the territory of the South Virginia Company. The charter which these emigrants had brought with them of course became useless. Some symptoms of faction, at the same time, appearing among * Of this plot between Jones and the Dutch, Secretary Morton says he had certain intelligence. Memorial, 12. Nearly all the historians have adopted without question the account of this affair given by Morton. Robertson and Bozman speak of it as a rumor; but the first doubt expressed of the truth of this account is in Moulton's unfinished History of New York. Moulton is fol- lowed by others, who consider the silence of Bradford and Winslow as to this plot, conclusive against the representation given by Morton. Young's Chroni- cles, 102. But there are also circumstances which go to sustain the generally received account. It is known that the Pilgrims intended to settle near the Hudson. Their patent did not authorize them to settle beyond the 40th parallel of latitude. They knew that North Virginia, or New England, had been de- scribed by Smith and others, as "a cold, barren, mountainous, rocky desart," " uninhabitable by Englishmen." They could not have been indifferent as to the coast upon which they were to land ; and when they found themselves at Cape Cod, they desired to return towards the South, but were prevented by the im- portunities of a portion of their number. It is well known, that the Dutch West India Company objected to English settlements on the Hudson, and would very naturally seek to prevent them. Until further light therefore is thrown upon the subject, the account given by Morton should not be hastily rejected, sustained as it is by his own declaration that he had " certain intelli- gence" of the fact. 24 JOHN CARVER. the servants, who had been received on board in Eng- land, purporting that when on shore they should be under no government, and that one man would be as good as another, it was thought proper, by the most judi- cious persons, to have recourse to natural law ; and that, before disembarcation, they should enter into an associa- tion, and combine themselves in a political body, to be governed by the majority.* To this they consented: * In Mourt's Relation, (I Mass. Hist. Coll. viii. 205,) is the following and earliest account of the origin of this Compact : " This day, before we are come to harbor, observing some not well affected to unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was thought good there should be an association and agreement, that we should combine together in one body, and to submit to SUCH GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNORS, AS WE SHOULD BY COMMON CONSENT AGREE to make and ciioose." A late writer questions the high motives usually at- tributed to the pilgrims in adopting this compact. He supposes that it was adopted to secure for the time the power of the orderly over the evil disposed, without any foresight of the vast political importance of the principles which it established. Hubbard's edit. Belknap's Biog. ii. 306. However this may have been, it is still beyond dispute, that the brief and comprehensive instru- ment subscribed in the cabin of the Mayflower, established a principle, which is the foundation of all the democratic institutions in America — the principle that the will of the majority shall govern. The proofs that these men were sincere in their professions, and that civil as well as religious liberty, was an object dear to their hearts, would seem to be conclusive, if we admit the testi- mony of their own lives, and the concurrent statements of Mourt, Winslow, Bradford, and Morton. So evidently thought King James, when, in 1604, the Puritans desired permission to assemble and to be allowed freedom of discus- sion. "You are aiming at a Scot's presbytery, (said he,) which agrees with monarchy as well as God with the devil ! — / will have none of that liberty as to ceremonies." So thought the Commons of England, who favored the Puritans as their natural allies in the struggle against despotism — when the lines were distinctly drawn — the established Church and the Monarch on one side, and the Puritan clergy and the People on the other. Neal, ii. 52. Bancroft, i. 298. The declaration of Robinson and Brewster, in their letter to Sir Edwin Sandys, of Dec. 15, 1617, is in exact accordance with the spirit of the compact on board the Mayflower : " We are knit together as a Body, in a most strict and sacred Bond and Covenant of the Lord ; of the violation whereof we make great con- science, and by virtue whereof, we hold ourselves straitly tied to all care of each other's good, and of the whole." Bradford, in Prince, 52. If further proof were wanting of the design of the pilgrims to establish independence, it may be found in that memorable Declaration, drawn up by the Associates at JOHN CARVER. 25 and, after solemn prayer and thanksgiving, a written in- strument being drawn, they subscribed it with* their own hands, and by a unanimous vote chose John Carver their governor for one year. The instrument was conceived in these terms : "In the name of God, Amen. We, whose Names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sove- reign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c, Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith, and Honour of our King and country, a Voyage, to Plant the first Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia; Do, by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God, and of one another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together unto a Civil body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; and, by Virtue hereof, to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitu- tions, and Offices, from Time to Time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General Good of the Colony ; unto which we Promise all due Submission and Obedience. In witness whereof, we have hereunder subscribed our Names, at Cape Cod, the eleventh of No- vember, in the year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the Eigh- teenth, and of Scotland the Fifty-Fourth, Anno Domini, 1620." [The names of the subscribers are placed in the fol- New Plymouth, and entered upon their records, on the 15th November, 1636, in which the authority of English laws, "at present, or to come," is expressly renounced, and Parliament denied the right of legislating for the Colony. See Hazard, i. 408. 4 26 JOHN CARVER. lowing order, by Secretary Morton ; but Prince, with his usual accuracy, compared the list with Governor Brad- ford's History, and added their titles, and the number of each one's family which came over at this time; observ- ing that some left the whole, and others a part, of their families, either in England or Holland, who came over afterward. He was also so curious as to note those who brought their wives, marked with a (f ), and those who died before the end of the next March, distinguished by an asterism (*).] 1. Mr. John Carver,t 2. Mr. William Bradford, t 3. Mr. Edward Winslow,t 4. Mr. William Brewster,t 5. Mr. Isaac Allerton,t 6. Capt. Miles Standish,t 7. John Alden, 8. Mr. Samuel Fuller, 9. *Mr. Christopher Martin,* 10. *Mr. William Mullins,t 11. "Mr. William White, t [1] 1.2. Mr. Richard Warren, 13. John Howland, [2] 14. Mr. Stephen Hopkins, t 15. "Edward Tilly,t 16. *John Tilly,t 17. Francis Cook, 18. *Thomas Roge'rs, 19. *Thomas Tinker,t 20. *John Ridgdale,t 21. *Edward Fuller,! 22. *John Turner, 23. Francis Eaton,t 3 24. * James Chilton, t 3 25. *John Crackston, [3] 2 26. John Billington,t 27. *Moses Fletcher, 28. "John Goodman, 29. *Degory Priest, [4] 30. *Thomas Williams, 31. Gilbert Winslow, 32. "Edmund Margeson, 33. Peter Brown, 34. "Richard Britterige, 35. George Soule, [5] 36. "Richard Clarke, 37. Richard Gardiner, 38. "John Allerton, 39. "Thomas English, 40. Edward Dotey, [6] 41. Edward Leister, [6] Total persons, . . . 101 Of whom were subscribers to the Compact, ... 41 [1] Besides a son, born in Cape Cod Harbor, named Peregrine. See page 31. [2] Of Governor Carver's family. [3] Morton writes his name Craxton. [4] In Morton, Digery Priest. [5] Of Governor Winslow's family. [6] Of Mr. Hopkins' family. Government being thus regularly established, on a truly republican principle, sixteen armed men were sent JOHN CARVER. 27 on shore, as soon as the weather would permit, to fetch wood and make discoveries.* They returned at night with a boat load of juniper wood, and made report "that they found the land to be a narrow neck, having the har- bour on one side, and the ocean on the other ; that the ground consisted of sandhills, like the Downs in Holland ; that in some places the soil was black earth # * See Appendix, No. I, Hutchinson's History of the Province of Massachu- setts Bay, p. 449 ; or Bradford's Hist, in Young's Chronicles, 26. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 53 After some time, Mr. Bradford succeeded in going over to Zealand, though he encountered many difficul- ties. He had no sooner sat his foot upon the shore, than a malicious person, who had come as passenger in the same vessel, accused him before the Dutch magistrates, as a fugitive from England. But the magistrates were not disposed to heed the tale of the slanderer, and when upon inquiry they came to understand the cause and cir- cumstances of Bradford's emigration, instead of putting him to further inconvenience, they gave him their pro- tection, and permission to join his friends at Amsterdam. Finding it impossible successfully to prosecute agri- culture in Holland, he was obliged to betake himself to some other occupation ; and, being then under age, he put himself as an apprentice to a French Protestant, who taught him the art of silk-dyeing. As soon as he at- tained the years of manhood, he sold his paternal estate in England, and entered on a commercial life, in which it appears that he was not successful. When the Church of Leyden contemplated a remo- val to America, Bradford zealously engaged in the undertaking, and came with the first company of emi- grants in 1620, to Cape Cod. While the ship lay in that harbour, he was one of the foremost in the several hazardous attempts to find a proper place for the seat of the colony, in one of which he, with others of the principal persons, narrowly escaped the destruction which threatened their shallop.* On his return from this excursion to the ship, with the joyful news of having found a safe harbour and a place for settlement, he was met by the unwelcome intelligence, that, during his * Prince, 76. See account in Life of Carver, pp. 33-35, of this volume. 54 WILLIAM BRADFORD. absence, his wife had accidentally fallen into the sea and was drowned.* After the sudden death of Governor Carver, in April, 1621, the eyes of the infant colony were turned to Mr. Bradford, as the proper person to succeed him; but, being so very ill at that time that his life was despaired of, they waited for his recovery, and then invested him with the chief magistracy. He was at this time in the thirty-third year of his age ; his wisdom, piety, fortitude, and goodness of heart, were so conspicuous as to merit the sincere esteem of the people. While Carver lived, he was the sole executive officer. No oath of office was required, and he entered upon his official duties without ceremony or parade. The legisla- tive and judicial power was in the whole body of the people, who had the most entire confidence, that he would not adventure on any matter of moment without their consent, or the advice of the wisest among them. When Mr. Bradford came to be governor, he requested that an assistant or deputy governor should be appointed, and the choice fell upon Isaac Allerton.f This measure * Mrs. B. was drowned on the 7th of December. Prince, 76. Of this lady, we learn from Prince, that her baptismal name was Dorothy ; and from a letter written at Leyden, by Roger White, addressed to Governor Bradford, it appears that her maiden name was May. I Mass. Hist. Coll. iii. 43. t Isaac Allerton came over in the Mayflower, with his wife and four chil- dren. His wife, Mary, died 25th February, 1621, and a few years afterwards he married Fear Brewster, daughter of Elder William Brewster. In point of property, he ranked first in the colony, and was a man of consideration in other respects. He was sent to England in the fall of 1626, to complete a negotiation which Standish had commenced with the adventurers there, but had been obliged to abandon on account of the plague then raging in London. Prince, 156, 162. He returned in the spring of 1627, having conditionally purchased for his asso- ciates the rights of the adventurers for the sum of £1800, to be paid in seven years. He also borrowed £200 at 30 per cent, interest, " to the great content of the plantation." Prince, 165. He took a second voyage as agent in 1627, during which he procured a patent for a trading place on the Kennebeck. He made two voyages to England in 1629, to procure a new and enlarged patent for the WILLIAM BRADFORD. 55 was deemed advisable from the precarious health of Governor Bradford, and also to avoid any interregnum in the government, in case of his death before his term of office expired, as had happened in the case of Gover- nor Carver.* They appointed but one assistant to the governor, because they were so reduced in number, that to have made a greater disproportion between rulers and people, would have been absurd, and they knew that it would be in their power to increase the number when- ever the circumstances of the colony should require it. Their voluntary combination was probably at this time considered only as a temporary expedient, until they should obtain a charter under the authority of the king. One of the first acts of Bradford's administration was, by advice of the company, to send Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins to Massasoit, with Squanto, for their guide. The design of this embassy was to explore the country ; to confirm the league with that sachem ; to learn the situation and strength of their new friend ; to carry him some presents ; to apologize for some misbe- haviour on the part of the settlers ; to regulate the inter- course between them and the Indians, and to procure seed-corn for the next planting season. These gentlemen found the sachem at Pokanoket,f colony. But he met with many difficulties ; " many locks (says Shirley) must be opened with the silver, nay, with the golden key." I Mass. Hist. Coll. iir. 70. He gave " great and just offence (says Prince) in bringing over Morton," the unruly leader at Merry Mount. But he was in the end successful in his difficult undertaking for the colony, although the expenses and misunderstand- ings growing out of the transaction, appear to have occasioned his final separa- tion from the colonists. He returned to England in 1631, and was " no mope employed by the plantation." He became an enterprising trader at Penobscot, and elsewhere, and afterwards removed to New-Haven, where he died in 165& * Hubbard's Hist. N. E. 61. t This was a general name for the northern shore of the Narragansett Bay, between- Providence and Taunton Rivers, and comprehending the present towrv 56 WILLIAM BRADFORD. distance about forty miles from Plymouth. They deliv- ered the presents, renewed the friendship, and satisfied themselves respecting the strength, of the natives, which did not appear to be formidable, nor was the entertain- ment which they received either liberal or splendid. The marks of desolation and death, by reason of the late pestilence, were very conspicuous in all the country through which they passed ; but they were informed that the Narragansetts, who resided on the western shore of the bay of that name, were very numerous, and that the pestilence had not reached them. After the return of this embassy, another was sent to Nauset,* to recover a boy who had strayed away from New Plymouth, and had been taken up by some of the Indians of that place. They were so fortunate as to re- cover the boy, and make peace with Aspinet, the sachem, whom they paid for the seed corn which they had taken out of the ground at Paomet, in the preceding autumn.f During this expedition, an old woman, who had never before seen any white people, burst into tears of grief and rage at the sight of them. She had lost three sons, by the perfidy of Thomas Hunt, who decoyed them, with others, on board his ship, and sold them for slaves. ships of Bristol, Warren, and Barrington, in the State of Rhode Island, and Swansey in Massachusetts. Its northern extent is unknown. The principal seats of the sachem were at Sowams and Keekamuit. The former is a neck of land, formed by the confluence of Barrington and Palmer's Rivers; the latter ia Mount Hope. See Callender's Century Discourse, pp. 30, 73. * Now Eastham, Mass. t Mourt's Relation, in Purchas, iv. 1853. " We sent Tisquantum to tell Aspinet, the sachem of Nauset, wherefore we came. After sunset, Aspinet came with a great train, and brought the boy with him, one bearing him through the water. He had not less than an hundred with him ; the half whereof came to the shallop side, unarmed with him ; the other stood aloof with their bows and arrows. There he delivered us the boy, behung with beads, and made peace with us, we bestowing a knife on him, and likewise on another that first entertained the boy and brought him thither. So they departed from us." WILLIAM BRADFORD. 57 Squanto, who was present, told her that he had been carried away at the same time ; that Hunt was a bad man ; that his countrymen disapproved of his conduct, and that the English at Plymouth would not offer them any injury. This declaration, accompanied by a small present, appeased her anger, though it was impossible to remove the cause of her grief. It was fortunate for the colonists, that they had secured the friendship of Massasoit, for his influence was found to be very great among all the surrounding tribes. He was regarded and reverenced by all the natives, from the Bay of Narragansett to that of Massachusetts. Though some of the petty sachems were disposed to be jealous of the new colony, and to disturb its peace, yet their mutual con- nection with and reliance upon the advice of Massasoit, proved the means of its preservation ; as a proof of which, nine of these sachems voluntarily came to Plymouth, and there subscribed an instrument of submission, in the following terms, viz : " September 13, Anno Bom. 1621. Know all men by these Presents, that we, whose Names are under written, do acknowledge ourselves to be the Loyal Subjects of King James, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, De- fender of the Faith, &c. In witness whereof, and as a Testimonial of the same, we have Subscribed our Names, or Marks, as followeth: Ohquamehud, Chikkatabak, Cawnacome, Quadaquina, Obbatinnua, Huttamoiden, Nattawahunt, Apannow."* Caunbatant, * Obbatinnua, or Obbatinowat, was one of the Massachusetts sachems ; his 58 WILLIAM BRADFORD. Hobbamock,* another of these subordinate chiefs, came and took up his residence at Plymouth, where he continued as a faithful guide and interpreter as long as he lived. The Indians of the Island of Capawock, which had now obtained the name of Martha's or Martin's Vine- yard, also sent messengers of peace. residence was on or near the Peninsula of Shawmut, (Boston.) Chikkatabak,or Gbicketawbut, was the sagamore of Neponset, (Dorchester,) and is frequently mentioned in the History of Massachusetts. [See especially the early part of Winthrop's Journal.] He died of the small pox in November, 1633. These Massachusetts sachems were not completely independent, but acknowledged a degree of subjection to Massasoit. Caunbatant, or Corbitant; his residence was at Mattapuyst, a neck of land in the township of Swansey. Mr. Winslow, who had frequent conferences with hiin at his wigwam and other places, represents him as a hollow-hearted friend to the Plymouth planters, 'a notable politician, yet full of merry jests and squibs, and never better pleased than when the like are returned again upon him.' Quadaquina, or Quindaquina, was a brother of Massasoit. Of the five other sachems, who signed the instrument of submission, no satisfactory account can be given. Davis' note, Morton's Mem. 67. Cawnacome, or Caunacum, was sachem of Manoinet, (Sandwich,) and died, it is said, in 1623. Prince, 126, 133. The name Apannow has a singular resem- blance to Epcnow, who was a native of the southern part of Cape Cod, sup- posed to have been carried to England by Captain Harlow, in 1611, and who returned from England with Captain Harley, in 1614. Prince, 41. "In Mourt's Relation, quoted by Prince (p. Ill,) it is said, ' Yea, Massasoit, in wri- ting, under his hand to Captain Standish, has owned the King of England to be his master, both he and many other kings under him, as of Pamet, [part of Truro,] Nauset, [part of Eastham,] Cummaquid, [Barnstable north harbor,] Nainasket, [part of Middleborougb,] with divers others, who dwell about the bays of Patuxet and Massachusetts; and all this by friendly usage, love and peace, just and honest carriage, good counsel," &c. * Now commonly written Hobomok. This true friend to the English de- serves a lasting remembrance. He was attached to them from the beginning, and no threats or danger, or enticements could seduce him from his faithful- ness. They were often indebted for much of their advantage and safety to the sagacity of his observation and of his counsels. He served them in every way, as guide, companion, counsellor, and friend, unmoved by the ridicule and scorn of those whom he had abandoned, and unawed by the sworn hatred of the savage and wily Corbitant. His services were acknowledged by a grant of lands in the colony. Gentle and guileless in his temper, he was easily won by the pure and simple truths of religion, and, spite of all temptation, professed himself a Christian. We are not informed of the date of his death, but we are told in a work published in 1642, (" New England's First Fruits,") that "he died amongst them, (the English,) leaving some good hopes in their hearts that his soul went to rest." Note to Davis' Morton. 212. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 59 Having heard much of the Bay of Massachusetts, both from the Indians and the English fishermen, Gover- nor Bradford appointed ten men. with Squanto, and two other Indians, to visit the place and trade with the natives. On the 18th of September, they sailed in a shallop, and the next day got to the bottom of the bay, where they landed under a cliff,* and were kindly received by Obbatinnua, the sachem who had subscribed the submis- sion at Plymouth a few days before. He renewed his submission, and received a promise of assistance and de- fence against the squaw sachem of Massachusetts, and other of his enemies. The appearance of the bay was pleasing. They saw the mouths of two rivers which emptied into it. The islands were cleared of wood, and had been planted, but most of the people who had inhabited them, were either dead or had removed. Those who remained were con- tinually in fear of the Tarratines, who frequently came from the eastward in a hostile manner, and robbed them of their corn. In one of these predatory invasions, Nanepashamet, a sachem, had been slain ; his body lay buried under a frame, surrounded by an intrenchment and palisade. A monument on the top of a hill desig- nated the place where he was killed. f Having explored the bay, and collected some beaver, the shallop returned to Plymouth, and brought so good a report of the place, that the people wished they had been seated there. But, having planted corn and built * Supposed to be Copp's Hill, in the town of Boston. t Shattuck, in the History of Concord, says this " was in Medford, near Mystic Pond." Lewis, in his History of Lynn, says Nanepashamet was killed about the year 1619, and that his widow, (the Squaw Sachem referred to by Obbatinnua,) continued the government. 60 WILLIAM BRADFORD. huts at Plymouth, and being there in security from the natives, they judged the motives for continuance to be stronger than for a removal. Most of their posterity have judged otherwise. In November, 1621, a ship arrived from England, with thirty-five passengers, to augment the colony.* Unhappily they were so short of provisions, that the people of Plymouth were obliged to victual the ship home, and then put themselves and the new-comers upon half allowance. Before the next spring, ( 1 622, ) the colony began to feel the rigors of famine. The Indians had in some way become apprised of their situation, and in the height of their distress, the governor received from Canonicus, sachem of the Narragansetts, a threat- ening message, in the emblematic style of the ancient Scythians — a bundle of arrows, bound up with the skin of a serpent. The governor sent an answer, in the same style — the skin of the serpent, filled with powder and ball. The Narragansetts, afraid of its contents, sent it back unopened, and here the correspondence ended. It was now judged proper to fortify the town. Ac- cordingly, it was surrounded with a stockade and four flankarts; a guard was kept by day and by night, the company being divided for that purpose into four squad- rons. A select number were appointed, in case of acci- dental fire, to mount guard with their backs to the fire, so as to prevent a surprise from the Indians. Within the stockade was enclosed the top of the hill, under which the town was built, and a sufficiency of land for a garden assigned to each family. The works were begun in February, and finished in March. * This ship was the Fortune, of fifty-five tons. She arrived November 9th. Prince, 114. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 61 At this time, the famine was beginning to be severe. Fish and spring-water were the only food upon which the people subsisted. The want of bread reduced their flesh ; yet they had so much health and spirit, that, on hearing of the massacre in Virginia, they erected an additional fort on the top of the hill, with a flat roof, on which their guns were mounted ; the lower story being used as a place of worship. Such was the character of these times and of these men. The temple of the Lord was defended by cannon, and his worshippers were armed men.* Sixty acres of ground were this year planted with corn ; and their gardens were sown with the seeds of other esculent vegetables in great plenty. The arrival of two shipsf in midsummer, with a new colonists, sent out by Thomas Weston, but without provis- ions, was an additional misfortune. Some of these peo- ple, being sick, were lodged in the hospital at New Ply- mouth, until they were so far recovered as to join their companions, who seated themselves at Wessagusset, since called Weymouth. The first supply of provisions was obtained from the fishing vessels, of which thirty-five came this spring from England to the coast. In August, two ships, arrived with trading goods, which the planters bought at a great disadvantage, giving beaver in exchange.J The sum- * Baylies, i. 93. t The Charity, of one hundred tons, and the Swan, of thirty. The Charity, having gone on to Virginia, returned to Weymouth, and thence to England, about the end of September, 1622. The Swan remained at Weymouth, for the use of the colonists. Prince, 122. t The Sparrow, (Weston's,) which had returned from a fishing voyage on the coast of Maine, and the Discovery, commanded by Jones, the former com- mander of the Mayflower. " This ship," says Morton, (p. 39,) speaking of the latter, " had store of English beads (which were then good trade) and some 62 WILLIAM BRADFORD. mer being dry, and the harvest short, it became necessary to make excursions among the natives to procure corn and beans, with the goods purchased from the ships. Captain Standis'h was to have commanded this expedition, but being driven back twice by violent winds, and falling ill of a fever, Governor Bradford took the command himself, and after encountering some hazard from the shoals, he made for a harbour at a place called Mannamoyck, [Chat- ham,] and, after sounding through a narrow and intricate channel, anchored. The governor, attended by Squanto, went on shore, but the natives were shy of intercourse for some time ; at length, understanding his intentions, they threw off their reserve, and welcomed him with much apparent joy, feasting him and his company on venison and other food, — yet so jealous were they, when they ascertained that the governor intended to remain on shore during the night, that they carefully removed their property from their habitations. Squanto having succeeded in persuading them that the intentions of the English were good, they were at length induced to sell them eight hogsheads of corn and beans. They intended to have proceeded farther down the Cape, being assured both by Squanto and the Indians of Mannamoyck that there was a safe passage, but their design was frustrated by the sudden sickness of Squanto, who was seized with a fever so violent, that it soon oc- casioned his death, to the great grief of the Governor. Although Squanto had discovered some traits of du- knives, but would sell none but at dear rates, and also a good quantity together ; yet they (the planters) were glad of the occasion, and fain to buy at any rate ; they were fain to give after the rate of cent, per cent., if not more, and yet pay away coat beaver at three shillings per pound," " which, (says Prince,) a few years after, yields twenty shillings a pound." WILLIAM BRADFORD. 63 plicity, yet his loss was justly deemed a public misfor- tune, as he had rendered the English much service. A short time previous to his death, he requested the gov- ernor to c pray that he might go to the Englishman's God in heaven,' and he bequeathed his little property to his English friends, as remembrances of his love. In these excursions, Mr. Bradford was treated by the natives with great respect, and the trade was conducted on both sides with justice and confidence. At Nauset, the shallop being stranded, it was necessary to put the corn which had been purchased in stack, and to leave it, covered with mats and sedge, in the care of the Indians. This was in November, and it remained there until Janu- ary, when another shallop was sent round, and it was found in perfect safety, and the stranded shallop was recovered.* Governor Bradford, having procured a guide, when his shallop was stranded, with his party, re- turned home through the wilderness fifty miles on foot. At Namasket, [Middleborough,] an inland place, he bought another quantity, which was brought home, partly by the people of the colony, and partly by the Indian women, their men disdaining to bear burdens. At Manomet, [Sandwich,] he bargained for more, which he was obliged to leave till March, when Captain Standish went and fetched it home, the Indian women bringing it down to the shallop. The whole quantity thus purchased, amounted to twenty-eight hogsheads of corn and beans, of which Weston's people had a share, as they had joined in the purchase. In the spring of 1623, the governor received a mes- sage from Massasoit, that he was sick, on which occasion it * Winslow, iu Purchas, iv. 1858. 64 WILLIAM BRADFORD. is usual for all the friends of the Indians to visit them, or send them presents. Mr. Winslow again went to visit the sachem, accompanied by Mr. John Hampden,* and they had Hobbamock for their guide and interpreter. The visit was very consolatory to their sick friend, and the more so as Winslow carried him some cordials, and made him broth after the English mode, which contributed to his recovery. In return for . this friendly attention, Massasoit communicated to Hobbamock, intelligence of a dangerous conspiracy, then in agitation among the In- dians, in which he had been solicited to join. Its object was nothing less than the total extirpation of the English, and it was occasioned by the imprudent conduct of Wes- ton's people in the Bay of Massachusetts. The Indians had in contemplation to make them the first victims, and then to fall on the people of Plymouth. Massasoit's advice was, that the English should seize and put to death the chief conspirators, whom he named, and said that this would prevent the execution of the plot. Hob- bamock communicated this secret to Winslow, as they were returning home, and it was reported to the governor. On this alarming occasion, the whole company were * In Winslow's Journal, Mr. Hampden is said to be " a gentleman of Lon- don, who then wintered with us, and desired much to see the country." Bel- knap supposed this person to be the same who distinguished himself by his opposition to the illegal and arbitrary demands of King Charles the First; and refers to the tradition that Hampden and Cromwell attempted to embark for New England, in 1638. But the evidence seems to be conclusive, that the great English patriot never was in America. Bancroft (i. 412,) thus disposes of the question : " A person who bore the same or nearly the same name, was undoubtedly there ; but the greatest patriot-statesman of his times, the man whom Charles I. would gladly have seen drawn and quartered, whom Claren- don paints as possessing beyond all his contemporaries, " a head to conceive, a tongue to persuade, and a hand to execute," and whom the fervent Baxter re- vered as able, by his presence and conversation, to give a new charm to the rest of the Saints in heaven, was never in America; nor did he ever embark for America." WILLIAM BRADFORD. 65 assembled in court, and the news was imparted to them. Such was their confidence in Governor Bradford, that they unanimously requested him, with Allerton, his as- sistant, to concert the best measures for their safety. The result was, a determination to strengthen the fortifications, to be vigilant at home, and to send such a force to the Bay of Massachusetts, under Captain Standish, as he should judge sufficient to crush the conspiracy. The people whom Weston had sent, to plant his colony at Wessagussett, were so disorderly and imprudent, that the Indians were not only disgusted with them, but des- pised them, and intended to make them their first victims. One of the settlers came to Plymouth with a lamentable account of their weak condition. He accidentally lost his way on the journey, and thus escaped the tomahawk of an Indian, who followed him. The Indian pursued him to Plymouth, where, being suspected as a spy, he was confined in irons. Standish, with eight chosen men, and the faithful Hobbamock, went in the shallop to Wes- ton's plantation, taking goods with him, as usual, to trade with the Indians. Here he met the persons who had been pointed out to him as the conspirators ; who per- sonally insulted and threatened him. A quarrel ensued, in which seven of the Indians were killed. The others were so struck with terror, that they forsook their houses and retreated to the swamps, where many of them died with cold and hunger. The survivors would have sued for peace, but were afraid to go to Plymouth. Weston's people were so apprehensive of the consequences of this affair, that they abandoned their plantation; and the peo- ple of Plymouth, who offered them protection, which they would not accept, were glad to be rid of such trou- 9 66 WILLIAM BRADFORD. blesome neighbors. Weston did not come in person to America, till after the dispersion of his people, some of whom he found among the eastern fishermen, and from them he first heard of the ruin of his enterprise. In a storm, he was cast away between the rivers Merrimack and Pascataqua, and was robbed by the natives of all he had saved from the wreck. Having borrowed a suit of clothes from some of the people at Pascataqua, he came to Plymouth, where, in consideration of his necessity, the government lent him two hundred weight of beaver, with which he sailed to the eastward, with such of his own people as were disposed to accompany him. It is ob- served, that he never repaid the debt but with enmity and reproach.* Thus, by the spirited conduct of a handful of brave men, in conformity to the advice of the friendly Mas- sasoit, a dangerous conspiracy was annihilated. But, when the report of this transaction was carried to their brethren in Holland, Mr. Robinson, in his next letter to the governor, lamented with great concern and tender- ness, " O that you had converted some, before you had killed any."f Much obloquy has been thrown on the character of the Pilgrims, for this attack upon the Indians. The ex- istence of the conspiracy is said to have been ideal, and it is confidently asserted in modern times, that the In- dians were disposed to friendship when they were as- sailed by Standish, and that the conspiracy was a mere pretence on the part of the English to rid themselves of troublesome neighbors, and to acquire their country ; but any one who examines the proofs with impartiality, will * Prince, 135. See note, on page 20. t Prince, 146. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 67 be convinced of its existence, and that the colonists were actuated neither by interest nor revenge, but only endea- voured to secure their own safety by attacking those, who, when their projects were matured, would have destroyed them.* In the autumn of 1623, Captain Standish proceeded to the little settlement, which had been commenced by David Thompson on the banks of the Pascataqua, where the settlers readily supplied him with such provisions as they could spare. The scarcity which the colonists had hitherto expe- rienced was partly owing to the increase of their num- bers, and the scantiness of their supplies from Europe ; but principally to their mode of laboring in common, and putting the fruits of their labor into the public store ; an error which had the same effect here as in Virginia. It will be remembered that the Fortune, which arrived from England, in November, 1621, brought thirty-five new settlers, and no supply of provisions. A thrilling narrative of the sufferings of the people at this period, may be gathered from Winslow and Bradford. " They never had any supply to any purpose after this time, but what the Lord helped them to raise by their own industry among themselves ; for all that came afterward was too short for the passengers that came with it."f "About the end of May, (1622,) our store of victuals was wholly spent, having lived long before with a bare and short allowance ; and, indeed, had we not been in a place where divers sorts of shellfish are, that may be taken with the hand, we must have perished, unless God had raised up some unknown or extraordinary * Baylies, i. 106. t Morton, 35. 68 WILLIAM BRADFORD. means for our preservation."* Winslow was sent to the fishing vessels at Monhiggon, on the coast of Maine, to seek supplies, and procure enough to give each per- son a quarter of a pound of bread a day till the har- vest. They had planted this year nearly sixty acres of corn, but the harvest proved a scanty year's supply for the colony, " partly by reason they were not yet well acquainted with the manner of the husbandry of Indian corn .... but chiefly their weakness for want of food."f In 1623, Governor Bradford says, J " By the time our corn is planted, our victuals are spent ; not knowing at night where to have a bit in the morning, and have neither bread nor corn for three or four months together, yet bear our wants with cheerfulness, and rest on Providence." Brewster, the ruling elder, lived for many months to- gether without bread, and frequently on fish alone. With nothing but oysters and clams before him, he, with his family, would give thanks that they could " suck of the abundance of the seas, and of the treasures hidden in the sands." It is said that they were once reduced to a pint of corn, which being equally divided, gave to each a proportion of five kernels, which was parched and eaten. § To remedy as far as possible the evils of scarcity, though it might not be in exact accordance with their engage- * Winslow's Relation, I Mass. Hist. Coll., viii. 245, 246. t Morton, 39. t Prince, 135. § At the centennial feast, Dec. 22, 1820, much of the beauty, fashion, wealth, and talent of Massachusetts had congregated at Plymouth. Orators spoke, and poets sang, the praises of their pilgrim fathers. The richest viands gratified the most fastidious epicure to satiety. Beside each plate, five grains of parched corn were placed, a simple but interesting and affecting memorial of the dis- tresses of those heroic and pious men who won this fair land of plenty, freedom and happiness, and yet, at times, were literally in want of a morsel of bread. Baylies, i. 121. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 69 ments,* it was agreed, in the spring of 1623, that every family should plant for themselves, on such ground as should be assigned to them by lot, without any division for inheritance ;f and that, in time of harvest, a competent portion should be brought into the common store, for the maintenance of the public officers, fishermen, and such other persons as could not be employed in agriculture. This regulation at once gave a- spring to industry; the women and children cheerfully went to work with the men in the fields, and much more corn was planted than ever before. Having but one boat, the men were divided into parties of six or seven, who took their turns to catch fish; the shore afforded them shellfish, and groundnuts served them for bread. Whenever a deer was killed, the flesh was divided among the whole colony. Water-fowl came in plenty, at the proper season, but the want of boats prevented them from being taken in great numbers. Thus they subsisted through the third sum- mer, in the latter end of which two vessels arrived with sixty more passengers. J But the harvest was plentiful, and, after this time, the people had no general want of food, because they had learned to depend on their own exertions, rather than on foreign supplies. The combination which they had made before their landing at Cape Cod, was the first foundation of their government ; but as they were driven to this expedient by necessity, it was intended to subsist no longer than * By their agreement with the adventurers in England, they were compelled to put the produce of their labors into a common stock. See page 17, ante. t Prince, 133. Purchas, iv. 1866. t "The best dish we could present them with, is a lobster or piece of fish, without bread or anything else but a cup of fair spring water." Bradford, in Prince, 140. 70 WILLIAM BRADFORD. until they could obtain legal authority from their sove- reign. As soon as they knew of the establishment of the Council of New England,* they applied for a patent, which was taken in the names of John Pierce and others, in trust for the colony.f When Pierce saw that the colonists were well seated, and that there was a prospect of success to their undertaking, he went, without their knowledge, but in their names, and solicited the Council for another patent of greater extent, intending to keep it to himself, and to allow them no more than he pleased, holding them as his tenants, to sue and be sued at his courts. In pursuance of this design, having obtained the patent, he bought a ship, which he named the Para- gon, loaded her with goods, took on board upwards of sixty passengers, and sailed from London for the colony of New Plymouth. In the Downs, he was overtaken by a tempest, which so damaged the ship, that he was obliged to put her into dock, where she lay seven weeks, and her repairs cost him one hundred pounds. In December, * Established by James the First, November 3, 1620, while the Pilgrims were on their passage ; and styled " The Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ordering, and governing of New England in America." Hazard, i. 103 — 118. t This patent, which Judge Davis supposes to have been sent over in the Fortune, in November, 1621, was some years since found among the old papers in the Land Office at Boston. It is dated 1st June, 1621, and bears the seals and signatures of the Duke of Lenox, the Marquis of Hamilton, the Earl of Warwick, and of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. There is another signature so ob- scurely written as to be illegible. It gave to the patentee and his associates one hundred acres of land each, and one hundred for each person settled in the proposed colony, to be taken in any place not inhabited by the English, and subject to a rent to the council of two shillings for every hundred acres ; a free fishery also was given, freedom of trade with England and the Indians, and authority to defend them by force of arms against all intruders. It does not appear what use was made of this patent by the Plymouth planters ; it was not long afterwards superseded by the second patent surreptitiously obtained by Pierce. Davis' Morton, 73, 363. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 71 1622, he sailed a second time, having on board one hun- dred and nine persons; but a series of tempestuous weather, which continued fourteen days, disabled his ship, and forced him back to Portsmouth. These re- peated disappointments proved so discouraging to Pierce, that he was easily prevailed upon by the company of adventurers to assign his patent to them for five hundred pounds. The passengers came over in other ships. Of Pierce, little is known, other than that he was one whose avarice and ambition made him false to others. An overruling Providence, however, which sooner or later stamps disaster upon every scheme of iniquity, over- whelmed this adventurer in calamities. For several years after this time, the settlers at New Plymouth were subjected to new difficulties, which threatened the overthrow of the colony. The company in England with which they were connected, did not supply them in plenty. Losses had been sustained at sea; the returns were not adequate to their expectations ; they became discouraged, threw many reflections on the planters, and finally refused them any farther supplies ;* but still demanded the debt due from them, and would not permit them to connect themselves in trade with any other persons. The planters complained to the Council of New England, but they could obtain no redress. In 1626, they sent Isaac Allerton to England, Governor Bradford and others of the principal men executing to him a power of attorney, to bind them in any contract he might deem it proper to make with the adventurers, on their behalf. He succeeded in obtaining an agree- ment from the forty-two share-holders in England, to. * Bradford's Letter Book, I Mass. Hist. Coll., iii. 29, 36, 60. 72 WILLIAM BRADFORD. relinquish all their rights in the colony for the sum of £1800 sterling. For the payment of this sum, eight of the principal persons in the colony, with four of their friends in London, became bound in the following year.* To indemnify them against pecuniary loss, the settlers in 1628, executed to the undertakers, a release of the entire trade of the colony for s.ix years. " We thought it our safest and best course, (says Governor Bradford,) to come to some agreement with the people, to have the whole trade consigned to us for some years, and so in that time to take upon us to pay all the debts and set them free."f These men were obliged to take up money at an ex- orbitant interest, and to go deeply into trade at Kennebeck, Penobscot, and Connecticut; by which means, and their own great industry and economy, they were in due time enabled to discharge the debt, and pay for the transpor- tation of thirty-five families of their friends from Ley den, who arrived in 1629. J In 1629, another patent, of larger extent than that which had been issued to Pierce in behalf of the colony, was solicited by Isaac Allerton, and taken out in the name of " William Bradford, his heirs, associates, and assigns. "§ This patent confirmed their title (as far as * The names of the undertakers were William Bradford, Miles Standish, Isaac Allerton, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, John Howland, John Alden, and Thomas Prence, of Nev; Plymouth, and James Shirley, John Beau- champ, Richard Andrews, and Timothy Hatherly, of London. t Bradford's Letter Book, in I Mass. Hist. Coll., iii. 59. X These thirty-five families, says Governor Bradford, " we were fain to keep eighteen months at our charge, ere they could reap any harvest to live upon ; all which together fell heavy upon us." I Mass. Hist. Coll., iii. 58, 74. § Hazard, i. 298—303. Prince, 196. This patent was dated January 13th, 1629. Besides confirming their title to their lands, this charter conferred on them liberty to fish, to trade with the natives, to make laws not contrary to those of England, and to " seize and make prize of all who attempt to inhabit WILLIAM BRADFORD. 73 the crown of England could confirm it) to a tract of land bounded on the east and south by the Atlantic Ocean, and by lines drawn west from the Rivulet of Conohasset, and north from the River of Narragansett, which lines meet in a point, comprehending all the country called Pokanoket. To this tract they supposed they had a prior title, from the depopulation of a great part of it by a pestilence, from the gift of Massasoit, his voluntary subjection to the crown of England, and his having taken protection of them. In a declaration, published by them in 1636, they asserted their " lawful right in respect of vacancy, donation, and purchase of the natives,"* which together with their patent from the crown, through the Council of New England, formed " the warrantable ground and foundation of their gov- ernment, of making laws and disposing of lands."f In the same patent, was granted a large tract border- ing on the River Kennebeck, where they had carried on or trade with the natives within the limits of their plantation, or attempt their detriment or annoyance." The original patent, signed by the Earl of War- wick, as President of the Council, is preserved in the office of the Recorder at Plymouth. It is written upon parchment, and has appended the Seal of the Plymouth Company. * Hazard, i. 404. t In 1639, after the termination of the Pequot war, Massasoit, who had then changed his name to Woosamequen, brought his son Mooanam to Plymouth, and desired that the league which he had formerly made might be renewed and made inviolable. The sachem and his son voluntarily promised, "for them- selves, and their successors, that they would not needlessly nor unjustly raise any quarrels or do any wrong to other natives to provoke them to war against the colony ; and that they would not give, sell, or convey any of their lands, territories, or possessions whatever, to any person or persons whomsoever, without the privity or consent of the government of Plymouth, other than to such as the said government should send or appoint The whole court did then ratify and confirm the aforesaid league, and premise to the said Woosame- quen, his son and successors, that they would defend them against all such as should unjustly rise up against them, to wrong or oppress them." Morton, 112, 113. 10 74 WILLIAM BRADFORD. a traffic with the natives for furs, as they did also at Con- necticut River, which was not equally beneficial, be- cause they there had the Dutch for rivals.* The fur trade was found to be much more advantageous than the fishery. Sometimes they exchanged corn of their own growth for furs; but European coarse cloths, hardware, and ornaments, were good articles of trade, when they could command them. The patent had been taken in the name of Mr. Brad- ford, in trust for the colony ; and the event proved that their confidence was not misplaced. When the num- ber of people was increased, and new townships were erected, the General Court, in 1640, requested that he would surrender the patent into their hands. To this he readily consented ; and, by a written instrument, under his hand and seal, surrendered it to them, reserving for himself no more than his proportion, by previous agree- ment. This was done in open court, on the 2d March, 1640, and the patent was immediately replaced in his hands for safe keeping. f While they were few in number, the whole body of associates or freemen assembled together for legislative, executive, and judicial business. In 1634, the governor * The patent gave to the colonists at Plymouth, a tract of fifteen miles on each side of the Kennebeck. About the same time Mr. Shirley and others took out a patent for lands on the Penobscot, and sent out Edward Ashley, one of their number, to superintend their operations there. In this enterprise, those of Plymouth were induced, though reluctantly, to join, and a trading house was built. I Mass. Hist. Coll., iii. 70—74. Winthrop, i. 166. This establish- ment was soon after taken by the French, who retained it, in spite of all efforts to dislodge them, till 1654. The trade to the Kennebeck seems to have been quite profitable. "Our neighbors of Plymouth," says Governor Winthrop, (Journal, i. 138,) " had great trade this year (1634) at Kennebeck, so as Mr. Winslow carried with him to England about twenty hogsheads of beaver." t Hazard, i. 468. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 75 and assistants were constituted a Judicial Court, and after- wards the Supreme Judiciary of the Colony.* Petty offences, and actions of debt, trespass, and damage, not exceeding forty shillings, were tried by the selectmen of each town, with liberty of appeal to the next Court of Assistants. The first Assembly of Representatives was held in 1639, when four deputies were sent from Ply- mouth, and two from each of the other towns. In 1649, Plymouth was restricted to the same num- ber with the other towns. These deputies were chosen by the freemen ; and none were admitted to the privilege of freemen but such as were twenty-one years of age, of sober and peaceable conversation, orthodox in the fun- damentals of religion, and possessed of twenty pounds rateable estate. By the former patent, the colony of Plymouth was empowered " to enact such laws as should most befit a state in its nonage, not rejecting or omitting to observe such of the laws of their native country as would conduce to their good."f In the second patent, the power of government was granted to William Bradford and his associates in the following terms. J " To frame and make orders, ordinances, and constitutions, as well for the better government of their affairs here [in England,] and the receiving or admitting any to his or their society, as also for the better government of his or their people at sea, in going thither or returning from thence ; and the same to be put in execution by such officers and minis- ters as he or they shall authorize and depute ; provided that the said laws be not repugnant to the laws of Eng- * Plymouth Laws. I Preface to Plymouth Laws, by Secretary Morton. t Hazard, i. 302. 76 WILLIAM BRADFORD. land, or the frame of government by the said president and council hereafter to be established." From the first planting of the colonies, a general gov- ernment over the whole territory of New-England, had been a favourite object with the council which granted these several patents; but, after several attempts, it finally miscarried, to the no small joy of the planters, who were then at liberty to govern themselves.* In June, 1635, the Council of Plymouth surrendered the Great Charter of New England to King Charles. The cry of monopoly had been raised in parliament against the council, and the high church party inflamed the growing prejudice, because the council had encouraged the settlement of those who had fled from persecution. This event created great apprehension in the colony, and we accordingly find, soon afterwards, that the people of New Plymouth met in a body, and drew up a Declara- tion of Rights, styled " The General Fundamentals," which was adopted on the 15th November, 1636. This Declaration was accompanied by a statement drawn up with signal ability, entitled " The Warrantable Grounds * The first essay for the establishment of a general government was in 1623, when a ship commanded by Captain Francis West came to New Plymouth. West " had a commission to be Admiral of New England, to restrain interlopers, and such fishing ships as came to fish and trade without license"; but, finding the fishermen "stubborn fellows," he sailed away to Virginia. Prince, 137. These "stubborn fellows" complained to Parliament of this attempt to extort money from them, and finally procured an order that fishing should be free. Morton, 47. In September, 1623, a second attempt was made to establish a government over all the New England settlements. Capt. Robert Gorges, son of Sir Ferdinando, arrived with a commission to be " Governor-general of the country." Admiral West, Christopher Levit, and others, were of his Council. But, "finding the state of things not to answer to his quality and condition," he abandoned the enterprise, and early in 1624, returned to England. Morton, 52. Baylies, i. 125. Sir F. Gorges was appointed in 1637, governor-general of New England, but never entered upon the government. See Life of Gorges, in Belknap's Biog. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 77 and Proceedings of the first Associates of New Plymouth, in their laying the first Foundation of this Govern- ment," which prefaces the printed Laws. In the formation of the laws of New Plymouth, regard was had, " primarily and principally, to the ancient platform of God's law." For, though some parts of that system were peculiar to the circumstances of the sons of Jacob, yet, "the whole being grounded on principles of moral equity," it was the opinion of the first planters, not at Plymouth only, but in Massachusetts, New Haven, and Connecticut, that "all men, especially Christians, ought to have an eye to it in the framing of their politi- cal constitutions."* A secondary regard was had to the liberties granted to them by their sovereign, and the laws of England, which they supposed " any impartial person might discern, in the perusal of the book of the laws of the colony." At first they had some doubt concerning their right to inflict capital punishment. A murder which happened in 1630, made it necessary to decide this question. It was decided by the divine law against shedding human blood, which was deemed indispensable. In 1636, their Code of Laws was revised, and capital crimes were enu- merated and defined. In 1671, it was again revised, and the next year printed, with this title : " The Book of the General Laws of the Inhabitants of the Jurisdiction of New Plymouth ;" a title very similar to the codes of Massachusetts and Connecticut, which were printed at the same time, by Samuel Green, at Cambridge. The piety, wisdom, and integrity of Mr. Bradford were such prominent features in his character, that he * Preface to Plymouth Laws. 78 WILLIAM BRADFORD. was annually chosen governor as long as he lived, except during three years, when Mr. Winslow, and two years, when Mr. Prence, was chosen to that office ; and even then Mr. Bradford was appointed the first or senior as- sistant, which gave him the rank of deputy-governor. In the year 1624, the number of assistants was in- creased to five, ancyn 1633 to seven, the governor having a double vote. These augmentations were made at the earnest request of Governor Bradford, who also earnestly recommended a more frequent rotation in the office of governor. He repeatedly sought to be relieved from the office, but could obtain a release for no more than five in a period of thirty-five years, and never for more than two years in succession. His argument was, " that if it were any honor or benefit, others beside himself should par- take of it; if it were a burden, others beside himself should help to bear it."* Notwithstanding the reasona- bleness and equity of his plea, the people had such a strong attachment to him, and confidence in him, that they could not be persuaded to leave him out of the government. For the last twelve years of his life, Mr. Bradford was annually chosen without interruption, and served in the office of governor. His health continued good until the autumn of the year 1656, when it began to decline, and as the next spring advanced, he became weaker, but felt not any acute illness until the beginning of May. On the 8th of that month, after great suffering at its close, he became so elevated with the idea of futurity, that * Morton, p. 53. In 1632, a law was passed, imposing a penalty of £20, on any person who should refuse the office of governor, unless chosen two years in succession, and £10 upon any person who refused to serve as a magistrate or counsellor. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 79 he exclaimed to his friends, in the following morning, " God has given me a pledge of my happiness in another world, and the first fruits of eternal glory !" The next day, being the ninth of May, 1657, he was removed from this world by death, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, to the great loss and grief of the people, not only of Ply- mouth, but the neighboring colonies, four of which he lived to see established, beside that of which he was one of the principal founders.* In addition to what has been said of Governor Brad- ford's character, it may be observed that he was emi- nently a practical man, of a strong mind, a sound judg- ment, and a good memory. Though not favoured with a liberal education, he was* much inclined to study and investigation. The French and Dutch languages were familiar to him, and he obtained a considerable knowledge of the Latin and Greek ; but he more assiduously studied the Hebrew, " because," he said, " he would see with his own eyes the ancient oracles of God in their native beauty."f He had read much of history and philosophy, but theology was his favorite study. He was able to man- age the polemic part of it with much dexterity, and was particularly vigilant against the sectaries which infested the colonies, though by no means severe or intolerant, as long as they continued peaceable ; wishing rather to foil them by argument, and guard the people against receiv- ing their tenets, than to suppress them by violence, or cu-t them off by the sword of the magistracy. Mr. Hub- * These four colonies were Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Haven and Rhode Island. t Mather's Magnalia, b. ii. c. 1. 80 WILLIAM BRADFORD. bard's character of him is, that he was "a person of great gravity and prudence, of sober principles, and, for one of that persuasion, (Brownists,) very pliable, gentle, and condescending." Governor Bradford wrote " A History of Plymouth People and Colony," beginning with the first formation of the church in 1602, and ending in 1646. It was con- tained in a folio volume of 270 pages. Morton's Me- morial is an abridgment of it. Prince and Hutchinson had the use of it, and the manuscript was carefully de- posited, with Mr. Prince's valuable Collection of Papers, in the library of the Old South Church in Boston, which fell a sacrifice to the fury of the British army in the year 1775.* He also had a large book of copies of letters relative to the affairs of the colony, a fragment of which was, a few years ago, recovered by accident,! and pub- lished by the Historical Society of Massachusetts.! To this fragment is subjoined another, being a " Descriptive and Historical Account of New England," written in verse, which, if it be not graced with the charms of poetry, yet is a just and affecting narrative, intermixed with pious and useful reflections. * "The most important part of this lost History, I have had the good for- tune to recover. On a visit to Plymouth a few years since, I found in the Re- cords of the First Church, a narrative, in the handwriting of Secretary Morton, which, on comparing it with the large extracts in Hutchinson and Prince, I recognized as the identical History of Governor Bradford; a fact put beyond all doubt by a marginal note of Morton, in which he says " This was originally penned by Mr. William Bradford, governor of Ncid Plymouth." This fact of the real authorship of the document seems to have escaped the observation of all who had preceded me in examining the records." Rev. A. Young, Pref. to Chronicles of the Pilgrims, published in 1841. t This Letter Book was accidentally seen in a grocer's shop at Halifax, Nova Scotia, by James Clark, Esq., a corresponding member of the Massachusetts. Historical Society, and by him transmitted to Boston. t I Mass. Hist. Coll., iii. 27—76. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 1 In Morton's Memorial; 144, are preserved " Certain Verses, left by Governor Bradford, declaring the gracious dispensation of God's Providence towards him in the time of his Life, and his preparation and fittedness for Death." They may be of interest to the curious in such matters : " From my years young in dayes of Youth, God did make known to me his Truth, And call'd me from my Native place For to enjoy the Means of Grace. In Wilderness he did me guide, And in strange Lands for me provide. In Fears and Wants, through Weal and Woe, As Pilgrim pass'd I to and fro ; Oft left of them whom I did trust — How vain it is to rest on Dust ! A Man of Sorrows I have been, And many Changes I have seen. Wars, Wants, Peace, Plenty, have I known ; And some advanc'd, others thrown down. The humble, poor, cheerful, and glad, Rich, discontent, sower and sad : When Fears with Sorrows have been mixt, Consolations came betwixt. Faint not, poor Soul, in God still trust, Fear not the things thou suffer must; For whom he loves, he doth chastise, And then all Tears wipes from their eyes. Farewell, dear Children, whom I love, Your better Father is above : When I am gone, he can supply ; To him I leave you when I dye. Fear him in Truth, walk in his Wayes, And he will bless you all your dayes. My days are spent, Old Age is come, My Strength it fails, my Glass near run ; Now I will wait, when work is done, Until my happy Change shall come, When from my labors I shall rest WHh Christ above, for to be blest." Of a like strain are the lines referred to in the follow- ing extract from Gov. Bradford's will : " I commend unto your wisdom and discretion, some small bookes written by 11 82 WILLIAM BRADFORD. my own hand, to be improved as you shall see meet. In special, I commend to you a little booke with a blacke cover, wherein there is A Word to Plymouth, A Word to Boston, and a Word to New England, with sundry useful verses."* Besides these, he wrote, as Dr. Mather says, u some significant things, for the confutation of the errors of the time, by which it appears that he was a person of a good temper, and free from that rigid spirit of separation which broke the Separatists to pieces." Young, in his Chronicles of the Pilgrims, supposes that the invaluable historical work, usually cited as Mourt's Relation, printed in 1622, and containing a mi- nute diary of events from the arrival of the Mayflower at Cape Cod, Nov. 9, 1620, to the return of the Fortune, Dec. 11, 1621 — was in fact the production of Bradford and Winslow, chiefly of the former. Young has also published in his Chronicles, copied from the Plymouth Church Records, into which it was transcribed by Secre- tary Morton, "A Dialogue, or the Sum of a Conference between some Young Men, born in New England, and sundry Ancient Men, that came out of Holland and Old England, anno domini, 1648." It is an interesting docu- ment, and is probably one of those " significant" papers above referred to by Cotton Mather. f In his executive office, Governor Bradford was pru- dent, temperate, and firm. He would suffer no person to trample on the laws, or disturb the peace. During his administration, there were frequent accessions of * These verses, published from the original MS., may be found in IIT Mass. Hist. Coll., vii. 37. t See Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims, 7, 113, 115, 409. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 83 new inhabitants, some of whom were at first refractory, but his wisdom and fortitude obliged them to pay a decent respect to the laws and customs of the country. One particular instance is mentioned. A company of young men, newly arrived, were very unwilling to comply with the governor's order for working on the public account. On a Christmas day, they excused themselves under the pretence, " that it was against their consciences to work." The governor gave them no other answer, than that he would let them alone till they should be better informed. In the course of the day, he found them at play in the street, and, commanding the instru- ments of their game to be taken from them, he told them that it was against his conscience to suffer them to play, while others were at work, and that, if they had any religious regard for the day, they should show it in the exercise of devotion at home. This gentle reproof had the desired effect, and prevented the necessity of a repe- tition. The first offence punished in the colony, was that of John Billington, who was charged with contempt of the captain^s lawful commands, while on board the Mayflower. He was tried by the whole company, and was sentenced to have his neck and heels tied together; but on hum- bling himself, and craving pardon, he was released. This same Billington, however, in 1630, waylaid and murdered one John Newcomen, for some affront, and was tried and executed in October of that year. Gover- nor Bradford says — " We took all due means about his trial; he was found guilty, both by grand and petit jury; and we took advice of Mr. Winthrop and others, the ablest gentlemen in the Massachusetts Bay, who all con- 84 WILLIAM BRADFORD. curred with us ; that he ought to die, and the land be purged from blood."* * A prior execution for felony, took place at Wessagusset, (Weymouth,) in 1622. This rival settlement, which was commenced at that place under the auspices of Thomas Weston, a London merchant, was composed in part of out- casts and profligates, who being soon reduced to a state of starvation, com- menced thieving among the Indians. The natives complained to the governor of Plymouth, and at length became so exasperated by repeated outrages, that the authorities were obliged to interfere in earnest, to appease the Indians ; and one of the most notorious offenders was arrested and hung. A waggish report became current soon after, that the real offender was spared, and that a poor decrepid old man, who could no longer be of service to the colony, was hung in his stead ! " Upon this story," says Hubbard, " the merry gentleman that wrote the poem called Hudibras, did, in his poetical fancy, make so much sport." 'Though nice and dark the point appear, (Quoth Ralph,) it may hold up, and clear. That Sinners may supply the place Of suffering Saints, is a plain Case. Justice gives Sentence, many times, On one Man for another's crimes. Our Brethren of New-England use Choice Malefactors to excuse, And hang the Guiltless in their stead, Of whom the Churches have Ie9s need : As lately 't happened: In a town There lived a Cobbler, and hut one, That out of Doctrine could cut, Use, And mend Men's Lives, as well as Shoes. This precious Brother having slain In time of Peace, an Indian, (Not out of Malice, but mere Zeal, Because he was an infidel,) The mighty Totlipottymoy Sent to our Elders an Envoy, Complaining sorely of the Breach Of League, held forth by brother Patch, Against the Articles in force, Between both churches, his and ours; For which he craved the Saints to render Into his Hands, or hang th' Offender: But they, maturely having weigh'd, They had no more but him o' th' trade ; (A Man that served them in a double Capacity, to Teach and Cobble,) Resolv'd to spare him ; yet to do The Indian Hoghan Moghan, too, Impartial Justice, in his stead, did Hang an Old Weaver that was bedrid." Vide Hudibras, Part II.) canto 2. The story is here most ridiculously caricatured, as a slur upon the churches of New England. Neal says, " that he [Weston] obtained a patent under pretence of propagating the discipline of the Church of England in America." Hist. N. E., ch. iii. p. 102. But it does not appear that the people of Weston's plantation had any church at all; they were a set of needy adventurers, intent only on gaining a subsistence. Hubbard seriously undertakes to contradict the story, and yet does so with a qualification, that would not have deprived the poet of an illusion so conge- nial to his purpose ; for he admits that " it is possible, that justice might be executed, not on him that most deserved it, but on him that could best be spared, or who was not likely to live long, if he had been let alone." Davis' Morton. This story was first put in circulation by Thomas Morton, author of the " New English Canaan ;" but he mentions the fact only as a proposal, which was not agreed to, and adds, that the guilty man, in fact, was the one who was finally executed. See New English Canaan, p. 74, in Force's Historical Tracts, vol. 2. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 85 The first duel and second offence that took place in the colony, was between two servants of Stephen Hop- kins. They fought with sword and dagger, and were both slightly wounded. — They were arraigned for the of- fence, on the 18th June, 1621, before the governor and company for trial, and were sentenced to have their heads and feet tied together, and to remain in that position for twenty-four hours. After an hour's endurance of this novel punishment, these men of valour begged for a re- lease, and the governor set them at liberty. His conduct towards intruders and false friends was equally moderate, but firm and decisive. John Lyford had imposed himself upon the colony as a minister of the gospel, having been recommended by some of the adventurers in England. At first his behaviour was plau- sible, and he was treated with respect; but it was not long before he began, in concert with John Oldham, to organize a faction. Governor Bradford's suspicions of these men were first aroused by the marked servility of their conduct. He had admitted them to the councils of the colony, and treated them with high consideration, while they were plotting mischief, and concocting false- hoods against the government. Governor Bradford, nar- rowly watching their proceedings, at the very moment when they had got their letters on board a vessel just ready to sail, and, as they supposed, had successfully ar- ranged the scheme which was to place them at the head of affairs in the colony — took the decisive step which exposed their perfidy. He followed the ship to sea in a boat, and by favor of the master, who was a friend of the colony, he intercepted their letters, and, on opening, found them filled with the most base and calumnious S6 WILLIAM BRADFORD. charges against both church and state in the new colony. These men, unaware of the secret in possession of the governor, soon began to put on new airs. Lyford, in open defiance of the authorities, set up a separate meet- ing on the Sabbath, and undertook to administer the sacrament. Oldham became obstreperous — derided the existing magistrates — and when summoned to take his turn at the customary military watch, he insolently re- fused compliance, and, getting into some dispute with Capt. Standish, drew his knife upon him. For this outrage, Oldham was immediately seized and placed in confinement. Governor Bradford now summoned a court of the whole body of freemen, to consider the conduct of these offenders. He charged Lyford and Oldham with plot- ting the overthrow of the colony, and with having sent home the most cruel and unmanly accusations against rulers and people. They boldly denied the charge, and demanded the proof. Governor Bradford then rose and addressed them, before the assembly, on the origin and objects of the pilgrims in coming to the New World — adverting with emphasis and feeling to the perfidy of those, who, having since arrived and shared the hospital- ity and privileges of the little community, were now en- gaged in plotting their destruction. Lyford persisted in denying the charge. On this, the governor, who could refrain no longer, produced the letters, which established the overwhelming truth of the accusations he had made The offenders were forthwith tried, convicted, made a full confession of their misconduct, and were expelled the plantation. After much importunity, Lyford was allowed six months for probation ; but his pretences WILLIAM BRADFORD. 87 proved hypocritical, and he was ultimately obliged to de- part. After several removals., he died in Virginia.* Oldham having returned after banishment, his second expulsion was conducted in this singular manner : u A guard of musketeers was appointed, through which he was obliged to pass ; every one was ordered to give him a blow on the hinder parts with the butt end of his mus- ket; then he was conveyed to the water side, where a boat was ready to carry him away, with this farewell, Go, and mend your- manners." This discipline had a good effect on him ; he made his submission, and was afterwards freely allowed to come and go on trading voyages. f * This man came to New England in 1624. Bradford says he was " sent by a faction of the adventurers to hinder Mr. Robinson." Prince, 148. Mr. Cushman, in a letter dated at London, January 24th, speaks of him as " a preacher, though not the most eminent, for whose going Mr. Winslow and I gave way, to give content to some at London." Complaint having been made in England of the proceedings against Lyford, Mr. Winslow made such dis- closures of his conduct while in Ireland, "for which he had been forced to leave that kingdom, as struck all his friends mute." Prince, 153. He was finally condemned by the adventurers as unfit for the ministry. He went from Plymouth to Nantasket, thence to Cape Ann, and afterwards to Virginia, where he died. t Morton, 59. It cannot be doubted that the faults of Oldham were some- what exaggerated. The accounts given by Bradford and others, shew that he had rendered himself very obnoxious. He is represented to have been a man of enterprise and courage, but of an ungovernable temper. Savage, in a note to Winthrop, i. 80, says he was probably " less disposed to overlook this world,, in his regard for the next, than most of his neighbors." He went to Nantas- ket, where he remained until his sentence of banishment was in effect remitted. And we find that he was so far restored to the affections of the first colonists, as to be entrusted with their letters to England, in June, 1628, when Thomas Mor- ion was sent home a prisoner. I Mass. Hist. Coll., iii. 63. After the settle- ment of Massachusetts, Oldham removed to Watertown, and was till his death, held in high respect by a people whose standard of morals was graduated by a more rigid rule than that of their Plymouth neighbors, and who subjected the- characters of men to severer tests than were practised in the elder colony. Oldham was the deputy from Watertown in 1632, in the first general court of Massachusetts, to which deputies from the towns were summoned. He was a: daring trader amongst the Indians, and so great was the attachment of the Narragansetts to him, that they gave him an island in the bay, (now called 88 WILLIAM BRADFORD. Governor Bradford was twice married. His first wife was Dorothy May, who came with him in the May- flower, and on the 7th of December, 1620, accidentally fell from the vessel into the sea, and was drowned. By her Mr. Bradford had one son, John, who lived at Dux- bury in 1662, and of whom there is only the traditionary account, that he perished at sea. The maiden name of Governor Bradford's second wife, was Alice Carpenter, a lady of extraordinary ca- pacity and worth. It is said that an early attachment existed between Mr. Bradford and this lady, and that their marriage was prevented by her parents, on account of his inferior circumstances and rank. Being now a widower, Governor Bradford, by letters to England, made overtures of marriage to Mrs. Southworth, who was then a widow. She accepted his proposal, and with a generous resolution, she embarked in 1623, to meet her intended partner, — knowing that he could not well leave his responsible station in the new settlement. Her two sons, Thomas and Constant Southworth, the younger of whom was only six years of age, came over with her, and she brought a handsome estate into the country. Her marriage with Governor Bradford took place on the 14th of August, 1623. She died in March, 1670, aged 80 years. Their children were, 1. William, born 17th June, 1624, who was represen- tative in 1657, assistant in 1658, and deputy governor of Plymouth colony for many years. He was chief mili- tary commander, with the title of major, and was an Prudence) to induce him to settle near them. Sometime after, while on a trad- ing voyage to Manisses, (Block Island,) he was killed in a quarrel with the Indians, which act was one of the causes of the Pequot war. Baylies, i. 133. WILLIAM BRADFORD. 89 active officer in Philip's war. He was one of the coun- cil of Andros, in 1687. He was thrice married. His first wife was Alice Richards, who died in 1671, at the age of 44, by whom he had four sons, John, William, Thomas, and Samuel. His second wife was a Wiswell, by whom he had one son, Joseph, who removed to Con- necticut. His third wife was Mrs. Mary Holmes, widow of Rev. John Holmes, of Duxbury, by whom he had four sons, Israel, Ephraim, David, and Hezekiah. She died the year after Major Bradford. By his will, it ap- pears that he left nine sons and six daughters — a noble legacy for a new territory. 2. Mercy, the only daughter of Governor Bradford, married Benjamin Vermaes, of whom I find no other notice than that he was admitted a freeman, 18th of May, 1642. 3. Joseph, who married a daughter of the Rev. Peter Hobart, of Hingham, lived near Jones' River in Ply- mouth, and died 10th July, 1715, in the 85th year of his age, leaving one son by the name of Elisha. A grand-daughter of his married a Mr. Waters, of Sharon, and one of her descendants, Asa Waters, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, possesses the Governor's family Bible, printed in 1592, which contains a written list of the family of Elisha Bradford, son of Joseph, and grandson of Governor Bradford. Thomas Southworth, step-son of Governor Bradford, was chosen an assistant in 1652, was one of the commis- sioners of the United Colonies in 1659, 1662, and 1664. He died at Plymouth, 8 Nov. 1669, aged 53. He mar- ried his cousin Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. John Reyner, the minister of Plymouth. 12 90 WILLIAM BRADFORD. Constant Southworth, the other step-son of Governor Bradford, was the elder of the two brothers, although the younger took precedence in public employment. He married a daughter of William Collier, of Plymouth, in 1637. He was a deputy from Duxbury, in 1649, and in several other years; treasurer of the colony from 1659 to 1678, and often one of the assistants. In the early part of Philip's war, he was commissary-general, and accom- panied the army. The famous warrior Church was his son-in-law. He died at Duxbury, in 1678. The name of Bradford, has long been distinguished in the annals of New England. Samuel Bradford, the third son of William, and grandson of Governor Brad- ford, settled at Duxbury. He had three sons, Perez, Gershom, and Gamaliel. Gamaliel was a colonel of mi- litia, representative, a counsellor from 1763 to 1771, and for many years judge of the common pleas for the county of Plymouth. His second son, Gamaliel, was a captain in the French wars under Shirley and Pepperell, and a colonel in the continental army from 1776 to 1783. He was the father of the Hon. Alden Bradford, late Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and author of some highly valuable publications illustrating the history of New England. Alden Bradford, LL. D. was born at Duxbury, in 1765, He graduated at Har- vard College, in 1786, and was Tutor in that institution three years. He then studied theology, and in 1793, was settled in the ministry at Wiscasset, Maine. In Sep- tember, 1801, his health failing, he was compelled to resign his charge, and he returned to Massachusetts. He was soon after appointed Clerk of the Supreme Ju- dicial Court, which office he held for ten years. He was WILLIAM BRADFORD. 91 elected Secretary of the Commonwealth, in 1812, and continued in that office until 1824. He died in Boston, on the 26th October, 1843, aged 78. John, the eldest son of the deputy governor, is fre- quently mentioned in the Plymouth records, as selectman and on various committees; and in 1692, he was deputy, or representative from Plymouth to the general court. He married Mercy Warren, daughter of Joseph Warren. Their children were John, Alice, Abigail, Mercy, Samuel, Priscilla, and William. He died December 8th, 1736, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. Mercy, his widow, died 1747, in her ninety-fourth year. Lieut. Samuel Bradford, son of the first mentioned John Bradford, married Sarah Gray, daughter of Edward Gray of Tiv- erton, Rhode Island, and grand-daughter of Edward Gray of Plymouth. Their issue were John, Gideon, William, who died young, Mary, Sarah, William, Mercy, who died young, Abigail, Phebe, and Samuel. The aforesaid Lieut. Samuel Bradford, lived and died in Plympton, 1740, aged fifty-six years. His widow mar- ried William Hunt, of Martha's Vineyard, and died in 1770. The Hon. William Bradford, late of Bristol, Rhode Island, was a son of the above Samuel Bradford. He was born at Plympton, Nov. 4th, 1729, and died 6th July, 1808. In the revolutionary contest, he took a decided part in favour of the rights of the colonies. In the cannonade of Bristol, on the evening of Oct. 7, 1775, by the British vessels of war, the Rose, Glasgow, and Swan, he went on board the Rose, and negotiated for the inhabitants. About this time, his own house was de- stroyed by the enemy. He was afterwards deputy gov- ernor of Rhode Island, speaker of the house of representa~ 92 WILLIAM BRADFORD. tives, and a senator in Congress. His eldest son, Major William Bradford., was aid to Gen. Charles Lee, of the revolutionary army. His residence was near the cele- brated Mount Hope, and the story of King Philip, the aboriginal proprietor, was familiar to his mind. His de- scendants are numerous. Dr. Dwight, after visiting the old cemetery upon Burial Hill in Plymouth, in 1800, and finding there no monument marking the resting-places of Governors Brad- ford and Carver, and no grave-stone of an earlier date than 1681, laments that the precise spot where either was buried cannot be ascertained. The grave of Carver remains without a monument; but over the spot where Bradford is supposed to have been buried, a suitable monument was erected in May, 1825, by some of his worthy descendants. Among the puritan relics which have been preserved, and are now regarded as objects of great curiosity, are several antique arm chairs; one belonging to Governor Winslow, and preserved in the Hall of the Massachusetts Historical Society at Boston, a second belonging to Gov- ernor Carver, and a third belonging to Elder Brewster, preserved in Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth, and the fourth belonging to Governor Bradford. Of the three first, engravings are given by Young in the Chronicles of the Pilgrims. Governor Bradford's chair was used by the presiding officer of the Old Colony Club, established at Plymouth, in 1769. It reverted to the heirs of Dr. L. Le Baron, on the dissolution of the Club, and is now pre- served by the family of N. Russell, Esq., of Plymouth, 93 III. EDWARD WINSLOW. This eminently useful person was the eldest son of a gentleman of the same name, of Droitwich, in Worces- tershire, England, where he was born on the 19th Oc- tober, 1595.* Of his education and first appearance in life, we have no certain knowledge. He appears, how- ever, to have been an educated and accomplished man. In the course of his travels on the continent of Europe, he went to Leyden, and there became acquainted with Mr. Robinson, and the church under his pastoral charge. To this church he joined himself as early as the year 1617; married about the same time, and settled in that city, where he remained until the church had decided upon a removal to America. He resolved to share their for- tunes, and accordingly came hither with the first company of emigrants in 1620. His name is the third on the list of those who subscribed the Covenant or voluntary compact, before their disembarcation at Cape Cod. He was one of those who, in the little shallop or pinnace, made the adventurous and perilous examinations of the coast and bay of the Cape, and one of the first who came on shore, to seek out the most eligible place for founding a settlement in this then wild and unknown land. In all the initiatory labours for establishing their little colony, the nucleus of a great nation, he was ever active and influential. Possessing a sound and well disciplined * Extract from the records of St. Peter's church at Droitwich : " 1595, Oct. 20, baptized Edward, son of Edward Winslow, born the previous Friday" — which was the 19th. His mother's name was Magdalen, surname unknown, and she was married 3 Nov. 1594. — Young's Chron. 274. 94 EDWARD WINSLOW. mind, a pious hearty and a happy address, he was emi- nently useful, in mitigating the sufferings, and promoting the welfare of the pilgrims ; who, either on account of the respectability of his family, or the excellent qualities of his mind and heart, appear to have regarded him with more than ordinary respect, and with a confidence which was certainly never misplaced. When the great sachem of the Wampanoags, Massa- soit, first made his appearance, and through a messen- ger invited an interview with the settlers, Mr. Winslow was deputed by Governor Carver to meet him; and he voluntarily placed himself as a hostage in the hands of the Indians, while their chief, Massasoit, held his con- ference with the Governor.* When Mr. Winslow arrived, his family consisted of his wife Elizabeth, and three other persons. His wife died on the 24th of March, 1621,f and on the 12th of May following he married Susanna, the widow of Wil- liam White, and mother of Peregrine, the first English child born in New England. This was the first mar- riage solemnized in the colony. J In July,§ 1621, Mr. Winslow went, in company with Stephen Hopkins, to visit the sachem Massasoit at Po- kanoket. The design of this visit is related in Brad- ford's life.H The particular circumstances of the visit * See an account ofthis first interview, and the treaty between the English and the Indians of New Plymouth, in the life of Carver, page 44, ante. t Bradford, in Prince, 103. $ Bradford, in Prince, 105. See note p. 31, of this volume. § Morton says, "The second of July this year (1621,) they sent Mr. Edward Winslow and Mr. Stephen Hopkins unto the great sachem, Massasoit, with a gratuity, to congratulate with him," &c. — Memorial, p. 31. IT See Life of Bradford, p. 55, ante. EDWARD WINSLOW. 95 may be properly detailed here, in the very words of the original narrative, supposed to have been written by Winslow. " We set forward the 10th of June,* about nine o'clock in the morning, our guide [Tisquantum] resolving that night to rest at Namaschet,f a town under Massasoyt, and conceived by us to be very near, because the inhabitants nocked so thick upon every slight occasion amongst us; but we found it to be some fifteen English miles. On the way we found some ten or twelve men, women, and chil- dren, which had pestered us till we were weary of them ; perceiving that (as the manner of them all is) where victual is easiest to be got, there they live, especially in the sum- mer ; by reason whereof, our bay affording many lobsters, they resort every spring-tide thither, and now returned with us to Namaschet. Thither we came about three o'clock in the afternoon, the inhabitants entertaining us with joy, in the best manner they could, giving us a kind of bread, called by them Mazium, and the spawn of shads, which then they got in abundance, insomuch as they gave us spoons to eat them; with these they boiled musty acorns, but of the shads we eat heartily. After this they desired one of our men to shoot at a crow, complaining what damage they sustained in their corn by them ; who shooting some four-score off, and killing, they much admired at it, as other shots on other occasions. "After this, Tisquantum told us we should hardly in one day reach Packanokick,J moving us to go some * Mr. Prince thinks this is a mistake, and that it ought to have been the 3d of July. Prince, 105. t Part of Middleborough, Mass. X The same with Pokanoket. Indians words are spelled differently by dif- ferent writers. I here follow the author from whom I copy. 96 EDWARD WINSLOW. eight miles further, where we should find more store and better victuals than there. Being willing to hasten our journey, we went, and came thither at sunsetting, where we found many of the Namascheucks, (they so calling the men of Namaschet, ) fishing upon a ware which they had made on a river* which belonged to them, where they caught abundance of bass. These welcomed us also, gave us of their fish, and we them of our vic- tuals, not doubting but we should have enough wher- e'er we came. There we lodged in the open fields, for houses they had none, though they spent the most of the summer there. The head of this river is reported to be not far from the place of our abode ; upon it are and have been many towns, it being a good length. The ground is very good on both sides, it being for the most part cleared. Thousands of men have lived there, which died in a great plague not long since ; and pity it was and is to see so many goodly fields and so well seated without men to dress and manure the same. " The next morning we brake our fast, took our leave and departed, being then accompanied with some six salvages. Having gone about six miles by the river's side, at a known shoal place, it being low water, they spake to us to put off our breeches, for we must wade through. Here let me not forget the valour and courage of some of the salvages on the opposite side of the river; for there were remaining alive only two men, both aged. These two, espying a company of men entering the river, ran very swiftly, and low in the grass, to meet us at the bank, where, with shrill voices and great courage, stand- ing charged upon us with their bows, they demanded * Taunton River. EDWARD WINSL0W. 97 what we were, supposing us to be enemies, and thinking to take advantage of us in the water ; but, seeing we were friends, they welcomed us with such food as they had, and we bestowed a small bracelet of beads on them. Thus far we are sure the tide ebbs and flows. (i Having here again refreshed ourselves, we proceed- ed in our journey, the weather being very hot for travel, yet the country so well watered that a man could scarce be dry, but he should have a spring at hand to cool his thirst, besides small rivers in abundance. The salvages will not willingly drink but at a spring-head. When we came to any small brook where no bridge was, two of them desired to carry us through of their own accords ; also, fearing we were or would be weary, offered to carry our pieces [guns]; also, if we would lay off any of our clothes, w r e should have them carried ; and as the one of them had found more special kindness from one of the messengers, and the other salvage from the other, so they showed their thankfulness accordingly in affording us all help and furtherance in the journey. u As we passed along, we observed that there were few places by the river but had been inhabited, by reason whereof much ground was clear, save of weeds, which grew higher than our heads. There is much good tim- ber, both oak, walnut tree, fir, beech, and exceeding great chestnut-trees. "After we came to a town of Massasoyt's, where we eat oysters and other fish. From thence we went to Packanokick, but Massasoyt was not at home. There we stayed, he being sent for. When news was brought of his coming, our guide, Tisquantum, requested that at our meeting we should discharge our pieces. But one of 13 98 EDWARD WINSL0W. us going about to charge his piece, the women and children, through fear, to see him take up his piece, ran away, and could not be pacified till he laid it down again, who afterward were better informed by our interpreter. " Massasoyt being come, we discharged our pieces and saluted him, who, after their manner, kindly wel- comed us, and took us into his house, and set us down by him, where, having delivered our message and pre- sents, and having put the coat on his back and the chain about his neck, he was not a little proud to behold him- self, and his men also to see their king, so bravely attired. "For answer to our message, he told us we were welcome, and he would gladly continue that peace and friendship which was between him and us; and for his men, they should no more pester us as they had done; also, that he would send to Paomet, and would help us with corn for seed, according to our request. "This being done, his men gathered near to him, to whom he turned himself and made a great speech ; they sometimes interposing, and, as it were, confirming and applauding him in that he said. The meaning whereof was (as far as we could learn) thus: Was not he, Massasoyt, commander of the country about them ? Was not such a town his, and the people of it ? And should not they bring their skins unto us? To which they answered, they were his, and would be at peace with us, and bring their skins to us. After this manner, he named at least thirty places; and their answer was as aforesaid to every one ; so that, as it was delightful, it was tedious unto us. "This being ended, he lighted tobacco for us, and fell to discoursing of England and of the King's Majesty, mar- EDWARD WINSL0W. 99 veiling that he would live without a wife. Also he talked of the Frenchmen, bidding us not to suffer them to come to Narroghiganset, for it was King James's country, and he also was King James's man. Late it grew, but vic- tuals he offered none ; for, indeed, he had not any, being he came so newly home. So we desired to go to rest. He laid us on the bed with himself and his wife; they at the one end, and we at the other ; it being only planks, laid a foot from the ground, and a thin mat upon them. Two more of his chief men, for want of room, pressed by and upon us, so that we were worse weary of our lodging than of our journey. "The next day, being Thursday, many of their sachims or petty governors came to see us, and many of their men also. There they went to their manner of games for skins and knives. There we challenged them to shoot with them for skins, but they durst not, only they desired to see one of us shoot at a mark ; who, shooting with hail-shot, they wondered to see the mark so full of holes. "About one o'clock Massasoyt brought two fishes that he had shot ; they were like bream, but three times so big, and better meat. [Probably the fish called Tataug.] These being boiled, there were at least forty looked for share in them ; the most eat of them. This meal only we had in two nights and a day ; and had not one of us bought a partridge, we had taken our journey fasting. Very importunate he was to have us stay with him longer ; but we desired to keep the Sab- bath at home, and feared we should either be light-headed for want of sleep ; for what with bad lodging, the savages' barbarous singing, ( for they use to sing themselves asleep, ) 100 EDWARD WINSLOW. lice, and fleas within doors, and mosquitoes without, we could hardly sleep all the time of our being there ; we much fearing that, if we should stay any longer, we should not be able to recover home for want of strength. " On Friday morning, before sunrising, we took our leave and departed, Massasoyt being both grieved and ashamed that he could no better entertain us; and retain- ing Tisquantum to sand from place to place to procure truck for us, and appointed another [guide], Tokamaha- mon, in his place, whom we had found faithful before and after upon all occasions." This narrative gives us a just idea of the hospitality, and also of the poverty of the Indians. They gladly entertain strangers, with the best they can afford ; but it is familiar to them to endure long abstinence. Those who visit them must be content to fare as they do, or carry their own provisions and be willing to share it with them. Mr. Winslow's next excursion was by sea to Mona- higon (or, as the name is now written, Monhegon,) an island a few leagues east of the mouth of the Kennebeck river, to procure a supply of bread from the fishing vessels, which resorted to the eastern coast in the spring of 1622. He obtained a supply, which, though not large, was readily given to the suffering colony, and, being prudently man- aged in the distribution, amounted to one quarter of a pound a day for each person till the next harvest. By means of this excursion, the people of New Plymouth ob- tained a knowledge of the eastern coast, of which they afterwards availed themselves in the establishment of a beneficial traffic with the natives.* * Prince, 119. Purchas, iv. 1836. EDWARD WINSLOW. 101 In the spring of the following year, ( 1623,) Mr. Wins- low made a second visit to Massasoit, on account of his sickness,* the particular circumstances of which are thus given in his own words :f "News came to Plymouth that MassassowatJ was like to die, and that, at the same time, there was a Dutch ship driven so high on the shore, by stress of weather, right before his dwelling, that, till the tides increased, she could not be got off. Now it being a commendable manner of the Indians, when any, especially of note, are dangerously sick, for all that profess friendship to them to visit them in their extremity, either in their persons, or else to send some acceptable persons to them ; therefore, it was thought meet, being a good and warrantable action, that, as we had ever professed friendship, so we should now maintain the same by observing this their laudable cus- tom ; and the rather, because we desired to have some conference with the Dutch, not knowing when we should have so fit an opportunity. " To that end, myself having formerly been there, and understanding in some measure the Dutch tongue, the governor [Bradford] again laid this service upon myself, and fitted me with some cordials to administer to him ; having one Master John Hampden,§ a gentleman of London, who then wintered with us, and desired much to see the country, for my consort, and Hobbamock for our guide. So we set forward, and lodged the first night at Namasket, where we had friendly entertainment. * This visit was in March. Prince, 129. t From the copy of Winslow's " Good Newes from New England," reprint- ed in Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims. % Thus spelled in Winslow's narrative. § See note, page 64, ante. 102 EDWARD WINSLOW. " The next day, about one of the clock, we came to a ferry in Conbatant's * country, where, upon discharge of my piece, divers Indians came to us from a house not far off. They told us that Massassowat was dead and that day buried, and that the Dutch would be gone before we could get thither, having hove off their ship already. This news struck us blank, but especially Hobbamock, who desired we might return with all speed. I told him I would, first think of it, considering now, that he being dead, Conbatant was the most like to succeed him, and that we were not above three miles from Mat- tapuyst,f his dwelling-place. Although he were but a hollow-hearted friend towards us, I thought no time so fit as this to enter into more friendly terms with him and the rest of the sachims thereabout ; hoping, through the blessing of God, it would be a means in that unsettled state, to settle their affections towards us ; and though it were somewhat dangerous, in respect of our personal safety, because myself and Hobbamock had been em- ployed upon a service against him, which he might now fitly revenge ; yet esteeming it the best means, leaving the event to God in his mercy, I resolved to put it in practice, if Master Hampden and Hobbamock durst at- tempt it with me, whom I found willing to that or any other course might tend to the general good. So we went towards Mattapuyst. " In the way, Hobbamock, manifesting a troubled spirit, brake forth into these speeches. ' JYeen womasu Sagimus,' &c. : l My loving sachem ! many have I known, * His name is spelled Corbitant, Caunbitant, Conbatant, and Conbutant. This ferry is probably the same which is now called Slade's Ferry, in Swansey. 1 A neck of land in the township of Swansey, commonly pronounced Mat- tapoiset. EDWARD WINSL0W. 103 but never any like thee!' And turning to him, said, whilst I lived, I should never see his like amongst the In- dians ; saying he was no liar, he was not bloody and cruel like other Indians ; in anger and passion he was soon reclaimed ; easy to be reconciled towards such as had offended him; ruled by reason, in such measure as he would not scorn the advice of mean men ; and that he governed his men better with few strokes than others did with many ; truly loving where he loved ; yea, he feared we had not a faithful friend left among the In- dians, showing how he oftimes restrained their malice &c, continuing a long speech, with such signs of lamen- tation and unfeigned sorrow, as it would have made the hardest heart relent. " At length we came to Mattapuyst, and went to the Sachimo comaco, for so they call the sachim's place, though they call an ordinary house witeo ; but Conbatant, the sachim, was not at home, but at Puckanokick, which was some five or six miles off. The squa-sachim, for so they call the sachim's wife, gave us friendly entertainment. Here we inquired again concerning Massassowat ; they thought him dead, but knew no certainty. Whereupon I hired one to go with all expedition to Puckanokick, that we might know the certainty thereof, and, withal, to acquaint Conbatant with our there being. About half an hour before sunsetting the messenger returned, and told us he was not yet dead, though there was no hope we should find him living. Upon this we were much revived, and set forward with all speed, though it was late within night we got thither. About two of the clock that afternoon, the Dutchman departed; so that in that respect our journey was frustrate. 104 EDWARD WINSLOW. "When we came thither, we found the house so full of men as we could scarce get in, though they used their best diligence to make way for us. There were they in the midst of their charms for him, making such a hellish noise, as it distempered us that were well, and therefore unlike to ease him that was sick. About him were six or eight women, who chafed his arms, legs, and thighs, to keep heat in him. When they had made an end of their charming, one told him that his friends the English were come to see him. Having understanding left, but his sight was wholly gone, he asked who was come? They told him Winsnow, (for they cannot pro- nounce the letter /, but ordinarily n in the place thereof. ) He desired to speak with me. When I came to him and they told him of it, he put forth his hand to me, which I took ; then he said twice, though very inwardly, ( Keen Winsnow V i art thou Winslow V I answered c (tithe/ that is, 'yes.' Then he doubled these words, c Matta neen wonckanet namen, JVinsnoio P that is to say, c O Winslow, I shall never see thee again !' Then I called Hobbamock, and desired him to tell Massassowat that the governor, hearing of his sickness was sorry for the same ; and though, by reason of many businesses, he could not come himself, yet he sent me, with such things for him as he thought most likely to do him good in this his extremity; and whereof, if he please to take, I would presently give him ; which he desired ; and, having a confection of many comfortable conserves, &c. on the point of my knife, I gave him some, which I could scarce get through his teeth. When it was dissolved in his mouth, he swallowed the juice of it, whereat those that were about him much rejoiced, saying he had not EDWARD WINSLOW. 105 swallowed any thing in two days before. Then I de- sired to see his mouth, which was exceedingly furred, and his tongue swelled in such a manner, as it was not possible for him to eat such meat as they had. Then I washed his mouth, and scraped his tongue, after which I gave him more of the confection, which he swallowed with more readiness. Then, he desiring to drink, I dissolved some of it in water, and gave him thereof. Within half an hour this wrought a great alteration in him, in the eyes of all that beheld him. Presently after his sight began to come to him. Then I gave him more, and told him of a mishap we had by the way, in break- ing a bottle of drink which the governor also sent him, saying, if he would send any of his men to Patuxet, I would send for more of the same ; also for chickens to make him broth, and for other things which I knew were good for him, and would stay the return of his messen- ger if he desired. This he took marvellous kindly, and appointed some who were ready to go by two of the clock in the morning, against which time I made ready a letter, declaring therein our good success, and desi- ring such things as were proper. He requested me that the day following I would take my piece and kill him some fowl, and make him some English pottage, such as he had eaten at Plymouth,, which I promised ; after his stomach coming to him, I must needs make him some without fowl before I went abroad. I caused a woman to bruise some corn and take the flower from it, and set over the grit or broken corn in a pipkin (for they have earthen pots of all sizes.) When the day broke, we went out, it being now March, to seek herbs, but could not find any but strawberry leaves, of which I gathered 14 106 EDWARD WINSLOW. a handful and put into the same, and, because I had noth- ing to relish it, I went forth again and pulled up a sassa- fras root, and sliced a piece thereof and boiled it, till it had a good relish. Of this broth I gave him a pint, which he drank and liked it very well; after this his sight mended, more and more, and he took some rest. That morning he caused me to spend in going from one to another amongst those that were sick in the town, requesting me to wash their mouths also and give to each of them some of the same I gave him, saying they were good folk. This pains I took with willingness, though it were much offensive to me. " The messengers were now returned, but finding his stomach come to him, he would not have the chickens killed, but kept them for breed. Neither durst we give him any physic, because his body was so much altered, not doubting now of his recovery if he were careful. Upon his recovery, he brake forth into these speeches : c Now I see the English are my friends, and love me ; and whilst I live, I will never forget this kindness they have showed me.' At our coming away, he called Hob- bamock to him, and privately revealed the plot of the Massacheuseucks against Master Weston's colony, and so against us. But he would neither join therein nor give way to any of his. With this he charged him to ac- quaint me by the way, that I might inform the governor. Being fitted for our return, we took leave of him, who returned many thanks to our governor, and also to our- selves, for our labour and love ; the like did all that were about him. So we departed." In the autumn of the same year, ( 1623,) Mr. Wins- low went to England, in the ship Ann, which sailed on EDWARD WINSLOW. 107 the 10th September, as agent for the colony, to give an account of their proceedings, and of their condition and prospects, to the adventurers, and to procure such sup- plies as were necessary. While he was in England, he prepared for publication a narrative of the settlement and transactions of the colony at New Plymouth, under this title : li Good JYeives from New E?igland : or a true Relation of tilings very remarkable at the Plantation of Plimoth in New England. Shelving the wondrous Provi- dence and goodness of God, in their preservation and continuance, being delivered from many apparent deaths and dangers, Sfc. Written by E. W. who hath borne a part in the fore-named troubles, and there lived since their first Arrwatt." This narrative, which was first printed at London, in 1624, in 66 small quarto pages, embraces the history of the colony from the return of the ship Fortune, in December, 1621, to the 10th September, 1623, when the author sailed for England. The book, in an abridged and mutilated form, was re-printed, in 1625, by Purchas, in the fourth volume of his Pilgrims, and has been of great service to succeeding historians. This abridgment was again published in 1802, in I Mass. Hist. Coll., viii. 239 — 276, and the omitted passages were sup- plied twenty years afterwards, in II Mass. Hist. Coll., ix. Young, in his Chronicles, reprints the work, " for the first time entire and in a legible form, from the original London edition." Mr. Winslow was induced to pub- lish this work, in order that the friends of the colony in England might have a continuation of the narrative from the point where Mourt's Relation ends, and also, to cor- rect the misrepresentations which had grown out of the 108 EDWARD WINSLOW. breaking up and dispersion, a short time before, of Wes- ton's colony at Wessagusset, composed in chief of idle and vicious persons, " who as they were a stain to Old England that bred them, in respect of their lives and manners amongst the Indians, so, it is to be feared, will be no less to New England, in their vile and clamorous reports, because she would not foster them in their desir- ed idle courses." Appended to this work, is a " Rela- tion of such religious and civill Lawes and Customes, as are in practice amongst the Indians, adjoyning to them at this day. As also what Commodities are there to be raysed for the maintenance of that and other Plantations in the said Country." This memoir excited great atten- tion at the time it was first published, and is even now, when the manners and customs of the aboriginals of New England are better understood, read with interest. In concluding, after speaking of the soil and productions of the country, he alludes to the extravagant hopes which too often influence the emigrant, and gives a salutary warning to all such as " with too great lightness undertake such courses ; who peradventure strain themselves and their friends for their passage thither, and are no sooner there than seeing their foolish imaginations made void, are at their wit's end, and would give ten times so much for their return. And can any be so simple as to con- ceive that the fountains should stream forth wine or beer, or the woods and rivers be like butchers' shops, or fishmongers' stalls, where they might have things taken to their hands? If thou canst not live without such things, and hast no means to procure the one, and wilt not take pains for the other, nor hast ability to employ others for thee, rest where thou art ; for as a proud heart, a EDWARD WINSLOW. 109 dainty tooth, a beggar's purse, and an idle hand, be here intolerable, so that person that hath these qualities there, is much more abominable." In the following spring, (March, 1624,) Mr. Winslow returned in the ship Charity from England having been absent six months, bringing a good supply of clothing and other necessaries, and, what was of more value than any other supply, the first neat cattle ever brought into New England.* The colonists learned from Mr. Wins- low, that a strong party had been raised up against them amongst the adventurers, who were extremely anxious to prevent Robinson and the remainder of his church from emigrating to America. He brought letters from Robinson and Cushman. A carpenter came over for the purpose of building two ketches, a lighter, and six or seven shallops, and a person also to make salt. The carpenter built his craft faithfully and speedily, but soon died. The other was ignorant, and did not bring his undertaking to any successful issue. f During the summer of 1624, Mr. Winslow again went to England, where he had an opportunity of cor- recting a mistake which had been made in his former voyage. The adventurers had in the former vessel sent * This fixes the date of the first importation of neat cattle, three heifers and a bull being brought over at this time. Bradford, in Prince, 146. The set- tlers were destitute of milk the first four years. The first notice of horses, is in 1644. Before their introduction, (says Thaeher,) it was not uncommon for peo- ple to ride on bulls; and there is a tradition in the Old Colony, that when John Alden went to the Cape to be married to Priscilla Mullins, he covered his bull with a handsome piece of broadcloth, and rode on his back. On his return he seated his wife on the bull, and led the uneouth animal by a rope fixed in the nose ring. This sample of primitive gallantry would ill compare with that of Abraham's servant, when, by proxy, he gallanted Rebekah on her journey, with a splendid retinue of damsels and servants seated on camels, Isaac going out to meet her. Gen. xxiv. t Prince, 146, 148. 1]0 EDWARD WINSLOW. over John Lyford, a preacher, much against the wishes of some of their number, who suspected him of being unfit for the office. Mr. Winslow and others reluctantly consented to his coming. His worthless character was soon discovered, and Mr. Winslow now imparted his suspicions to the adventurers in London. A meeting was had, and Mr. Lyford's friends employed counsel to defend him ; but upon the examination it appeared, that Lyford had been a minister in Ireland, where his conduct had been so unprincipled and base, that he was compelled to quit the Kingdom, and that the adventurers had been imposed upon by false testimony concerning his character. With this discovery, Mr. Winslow came back to New Plymouth in the spring of 1625, happening to arrive while the court was sitting on the affair of Old- ham, who had returned after banishment. The true characters of these impostors being thus discovered, they were both expelled from the plantation.* At the annual election in 1624, Governor Bradford having prevailed on the people of Plymouth, to increase the number of assistants to five, Mr. Winslow was first elected to this office, in which he was continued by successive appointments until 1633, when, by the same influence, he was chosen governor.f At the close of the year 1624, the number of souls in the colony was one hundred and eighty, who were * See account of the proceedings in relation to Oldham and Lyford, in pp. 85—87, of this volume. t Governor Winthrop, in his Journal, under date of Jan. 1, 163|, says, « Mr. Edward Winslow was chosen governor of Plymouth, Mr. Bradford having been governor about ten [twelve] years, and now by importunity got off." Savage s Winthrop, 98. This remark sufficiently invalidates an insinuate of Hutchin- son, that Window's "employment abroad prevented a competition between Bradford and him for the governor's place." Hutchinson's History of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, 457. EDWARD WINSLOW. Ill then all dwelling within the town. Thirty two dwelling houses had been erected. The town was impaled for half a mile in circumference. A well built fort was on the hill, surmounted by a watch tower. For the last three years the health of the colony had been remarka- ble, and not one of the first planters had died. At Cape Anne, a plantation had been commenced by people from Dorchester in England, which they held of the Plymouth people, and a fishing stage had been erected there.* The harvest of 1625, was plenteous, insomuch that the planters were overstocked, and wished to dispose of some portion of it to the Indians. They had no other vessels than two shallops built by the carpenter sent out to them in the preceding year, on one of which they laid a deck, and sent her, laden with corn, to the Kenne- beck. They disposed of the corn to advantage, and re- turned with seven hundred pounds of beaver, beside other furs, having also opened a profitable trade for fu- ture occasions. "This voyage (says Gov. Bradford) was made by Mr. Winslow and some old standards, for seamen we have none." The plantation at Monhiggon being broken up in 1626, and the commodities belonging to it being offered for sale, Mr. Winslow accompanied Governor Bradford to that place, on behalf of the company, where they unit- ed with Mr. Thompson of Pascataqua in purchasing the goods. They also purchased a quantity of French goods, being part of the cargo of a ship cast away at Sagade- hock.f Mr. Winslow appears to have had the principal over- sight of the commercial operations of the infant colony. * Prince, 151. t Prince, 161. 112 EDWARD WINSLOW. He was well qualified to conduct the many difficult and sometimes perilous enterprises, which it became neces- sary to take, for the benefit of the colony. He fre- quently went to the Penobscot, Kennebeck, and Connec- ticut rivers, on trading expeditions, and rendered him- self useful and agreeable to the settlers on those rivers. Governor Winthrop notices the following narrow es- cape of Governor Winslow while on one of these expe- ditions to the settlement on the Kennebeck, in the year 1642: "The Indians at Kennebeck hearing of the general conspiracy against the English, determined to begin there, and one of them knowing that Mr. Edward Winslow did use to walk within the palisadoes, pre- pared his piece to shoot him, but as he was about it, Mr. Winslow not seeing him nor suspecting anything, but thinking he had walked enough, went suddenly into the house, and so God preserved him."* Upon coming to the chief magistracy in 1633, Gover- nor Winslow found that disputes had commenced with the Dutch of New Netherlands, respecting the trade upon Connecticut river. A friendly correspondence had been established in 1627, between the Dutch authorities and those of New Plymouth, and during their intercourse, the Dutch had given information of a fine river, extend- ing far into the country, to which they had given the name of Fresh river, but which the natives called Quo- nektacut. They extolled the lands bordering the stream, and the river as convenient for trade, and urgently pressed the people of Plymouth to open a trade with the natives. But their advice was neglected at the time. Soon after, some of the Indians living upon the river, * Savage's Winthrop, ii., 60. EDWARD WINSLOW. 113 who had been driven from their homes by the Pequots, came to Plymouth, and entreated the English to es- tablish a trading house on the river, in the hope that through their assistance they might ultimately be re- stored to their possessions. Mr. Winslow had himself been to the Connecticut^ or Fresh River, and found the representations of the Dutch and Indians to be true. But the people of Plymouth still declined to venture upon the establishment of a trading house. The In- dians renewing their requests both to the governments of Plymouth and Massachusetts, Governor Winslow and Mr. Bradford proceeded to Boston, and proposed to Governor Winthrop and his council to join with Ply- mouth in a trade to Connecticut for hemp and beaver, and in the erection of a house for the purposes of com- merce. It being reported that the Dutch were about to build on Connecticut river, Winslow and Bradford rep- resented it as necessary to prevent them from taking pos- session of that fine country; but Winthrop objected to the making of a plantation there, because there were 3000 or 4000 warlike Indians on the river; because the bar at the mouth was such, that small pinnaces only could enter it at high water; and because, seven months in the year, no vessel could go in, on account of the ice and the vio- lence of the stream. This proposal being declined, the people of Plymouth determined to undertake the enter- prise at their own risk. The materials for a house, en- tirely prepared, were put on board a vessel, and commit- ted to a chosen company, which sailed for Connecticut. The Dutch of New Netherlands hearing of the design, had just taken a station on that river, at the place where Hartford now stands ; made a light fort, and planted two 15 114 EDWARD WINSLOW. pieces of cannon. On the approach of the Plymouth adventurers, the Dutch forbade them to proceed up the river, ordered them to strike their colours, and threatened to fire on them. But the commander of the enterprise, disregarding the prohibition and the menaces, went reso- lutely forward, and, landing on the west side of the river, set up his house at some distance above the Dutch fort, and soon after fortified it with palisadoes. This was the first house erected in Connecticut. The place where this house was erected was a little below the mouth of Little River, in Windsor. It was called by the natives JYata- wanute. The sachems, who were the original owners of the soil, having been driven from this part of the country by the Pequots, William Holmes, who con- ducted the enterprise from Plymouth, took them with him to their homes, and restored them to their rights. Of these sachems the Plymouth people purchased the land, where they erected their house. The conquering Indians were offended at the restoration of the original proprietors of the country ; and the proximity of two such neighbors, as the irritated Dutch, and the fero- cious Pequots, rendered it difficult and hazardous for the English to retain their new purchase.* Mr. Winslow, in 1634, on returning from a trading expedition to the Dutch at New York, left his vessel in Narragansett Bay, and thence went by land to Plymouth. He called on his old friend Massasoit, who promised to accompany him home. Before he set off, the sportive sachem despatched a messenger before them to Ply- mouth, to tell the inhabitants that Winslow was dead. * Morton, 89; Savage's Wiuthrop, i. 105; Trumbull, i. 29, 30; I. Mass. Hist. Coll., v. 167. EDWARD WINSLOW. 115 This report filled the whole colony with grief and lamen- tation. The sorrow and mourning of the people, how- ever, were of but short duration ; for the next day Massasoit (or, as he was now called, Ousamequen,) ap- peared, conducting the lamented Winslow into the town. On being enquired of, why he sent such a message, he answered by saying, that he might be the more welcome when he came home.* In 1635, Mr. Winslow undertook another agency in England, for the colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts, partly on occasion of the intrusions which had been made on the territory of New England, by the French on the east, and by the Dutch on the west, and partly to answer complaints which had been made to the gov- ernment against the Massachusetts colony, by Thomas Morton, who had been twice expelled for his misbeha- viour, and was labouring in England with great zeal against the colonies. A special commission had been issued in 1634, to Archbishop Laud and eleven others, with the most ex- traordinary powers. f It menaced the complete subver- sion of the colonies, and the most absolute tyranny both in civil and ecclesiastical affairs. The favorite scheme of a general governor for all the colonies was again revived, and Sir Ferdinando Gorges was the person selected. Morton, whose efforts had been unceasing to effect this result, in a letter to one of his friends, dated May 1, 1634, exultingly writes : " When I was first sent to England, to make complaint, — I effected the business but superficially. I have this time taken deliberation, and brought the matter * Savage's Winthrop, i. 138. t Hazard, i. 344—347. See also I Mass. Hist. Coll., iv. 119. 116 EDWARD WINSLOW. to a better pass : and it is thus brought about that the King hath taken the matter into his own hands, appointed a Committee of the Board, and given order for a General Governor for the whole territory to be sent over." But this boast of the inveterate enemy of New England was never realised. Owing to the troubles in Scotland and Ireland, and the subsequent decline of the influence of Laud and others of the council, the whole project failed, the apprehensions of the people of New Plymouth and Massachusetts were allayed, and both Winthrop and Morton have recorded the event as a special interposition of Providence. Governor Winslow found his situation at this time very critical, and his treatment was severe. He pre- sented a memorial in writing to the commissioners, in which he set forth the encroachments of the French and Dutch, and prayed for " a special warrant to the English colonies to defend themselves against all foreign ene- mies."* Governor Winthrop censured this petition as ill-advised, "for such precedents might endanger our liberty, that they should do nothing hereafter but by commission out of England."! The petition, however, was favorably received by some of the board. J Winslow was heard several times in support of it, and pointed out a way in which the ob-* ject might have been attained without any charge to the .crown, by furnishing some of the chief men of the colo- nies with authority, which they would exercise at their (Own expense, and without any public disturbances. This * See Appendix No. I. Hutchinson's Hist. Prov. Massachusetts Bay. t Savage's Winthrop, i. 172. t Morton, 94. EDWARD WINSLOW. 117 proposal crossed the design of Gorges and Mason, whose aim was to establish a general government ; and the arch- bishop, who was engaged in their interest, put a check to Winslow's proposals, by questioning him upon Mor- ton's accusations respecting his own personal conduct in America. The grave offences alledged against him were, that he, not being in holy orders, but a mere layman, had taught publicly in the church, and had officiated in the celebration of marriages. To the former charge, Wins- low answered, " that sometimes, when the church was destitute of a minister, he had exercised his gift for the edification of the brethren." To the latter he replied, "that, though he had officiated as a magistrate in the solemnizing of marriage, yet he regarded it only as a civil contract;* that the people of New Plymouth had for a long time been destitute of a minister, and were com- pelled by necessity to have recourse to the magistrate in that solemnity ; that this was not to them a novelty, hav- ing been accustomed to it in Holland, where he himself had been married by a Dutch magistrate in the State House." On this honest confession, the archbishop pro- nounced him guilty of the crime of separation from the National Church, and prevailed upon the board to con- sent to his imprisonment. He was thereupon commit- ted to the Fleet prison, where he remained for seventeen weeks in confinement. But after that time, on petitioning the board, he obtained a release. * Ministers were never licensed to solemnize marriages in New Plymouth ; and in Massachusetts, previous to the union in 1692, the magistrates retained this office in their own hands with peculiar jealousy. " We are not willing (says Winthrop) to bring in the English custom of ministers performing the solemni- ty of marriage."— Sav. Winthrop, ii. 313. 118 EDWARD WINSLOW. On his return to New Plymouth, the colony again declared their confidence and respect by choosing him to the office of governor for the succeeding year, (1636.) This was an important period in the history of the colony. The surrender of the Patent by the council of Plymouth, the arbitrary, though fruitless commission to Laud and others, and the treatment which Governor Winslow had himself experienced in England, all served to convince the settlers of the necessity of adopting and declaring the fundamental laws of the colony. Hitherto no laws defining the powers of the government had been adopt- ed, and the governor and assistants maintained their au- thority rather by common consent, than any delegated power. The laws of England were considered in force, unless changed by colonial statutes; but there were no lawyers in the colony, and but few persons who had any practical knowledge of the science of law. The clergy only understood its elementary principles, and they were more disposed to follow the laws of Moses, than the laws of England. The period had now arrived, when all perceived the necessity of defining the limits of the powers and the du- ties of the magistrates, of establishing fundamental and organic laws, civil and criminal, and of placing the gov- ernment on a stable foundation. This was done, by the court of associates, in November, 1636, after which the affairs of the colony appear to have been regularly and faithfully administered upon the basis of a written code of laws. The Plymouth colonists in religious matters were more tolerant than their neighbours of Massachusetts. When Roger Williams, the apostle of liberty in New EDWARD WINSLOW. 119 England, had been driven from Massachusetts for his opinions, and was reduced to circumstances of extreme indigence, Governor Winslow extended to him the hand of charity, and afforded relief by advice and money. " It pleased the Father of Mercies/ 5 said Mr. Williams, " to touch many hearts with relentings, among whom that great and pious soul, Mr. Winslow, melted, and he kindly furnished me at Providence, and put a piece of gold into the hands of my wife for our supply." The year 1643, is memorable in the history of the New England colonies. Since the establishment of New Plymouth, the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut,. New Haven and Rhode Island had sprung into existence, and while the concerns of each were well and safely man- aged by their local councils and assemblies, all felt the necessity of some general authority to protect the common interests of the whole. Governor Winslow seems to have looked to the establishment of such a power, when, in 1635, he petitioned the royal commissioners in Lon- don for a special warrant to the colonies to defend them- selves against their enemies. Certain it is, that the sub- ject was discussed, from time to time, until the want of concert on the breaking out of the Pequot war, satis- fied the people of the importance and necessity of some general union for mutual defence against the Indians. In 1643, Governor Winslow went to Boston, as one of the commissioners from Plymouth, where articles of Confederation were drawn up and signed on the 19th of May, by the commissioners of all the colonies present, excepting those from Plymouth, who, for want of power from their general court, deferred signing until the next meeting; and then, (Sept. 7,) they also signed them. 120 EDWARD WINSLOW. Governor Winslow continued to act as one of the Com- missioners until he left the colony in 1646. The Commissioners declared, that, as in nation and religion, so in other respects they be and continue as one, and henceforth be called and known by the name of The United Colonies of New England. The features of this confederacy, the prototype of the American Union, are thus described in Pitkin's Civil and Political History of the United States : 6i By the articles of confederation, as they were called, these colonies entered into a firm and perpetual league of friendship and amity, for offence and defence, mutual advice and succor, upon all just occasions, both for pre- serving and propagating the truth and liberties of the Gospel, and for their own mutual safety and welfare. Each colony was to retain its own peculiar jurisdiction and government, and no other plantation or colony was to be received as a confederate, nor any two of the confederates to be united into one jurisdiction, without the consent of the rest. The affairs of the united colo- nies were to be managed by a legislature to consist of two persons, styled commissioners, chosen from each colony. These commissioners had power to hear, ex- amine, weigh, and determine all affairs of war or peace, leagues, aids, charges, and number of men for war, — di- vision of spoils, and whatsoever is gotten by conquest — receiving of more confederates for plantations into combi- nation with any of the confederates ; and all things of a like nature, which are the proper concomitants and con- sequences of such a confederation for amity, offence, and defence; not intermeddling with the government of any of the jurisdictions, which, by the third article, is EDWARD WINSL0W. 121 reserved entirely to themselves. The commissioners were to meet annually, in each colony, in succession, and when met, to choose a president, and the determination of any six to be binding on all. " The expenses of all just wars to be borne by each colony, in proportion to its number of male inhabitants, of whatever quality or condition, between the ages of sixteen and sixty. " In case any colony should be suddenly invaded, on motion and request of three magistrates of such colony, the other confederates were immediately to send aid to the colony invaded in men, Massachusetts one hundred, and the other colonies forty-five each, or for a less num- ber, in the same proportion. The commissioners, how- ever, were very properly directed, afterwards, to take into consideration the cause of such war or invasion, and if it should appear that the fault was in the colony in- vaded, such colony was not only to make satisfaction to the invaders, but to bear all the expenses of the war. " The commissioners were also authorised to frame and establish agreements and orders in general cases of a civil nature, wherein all the plantations were interested, for preserving peace among themselves, and preventing as much as may be all occasions of war, or difference with others, as about the free and speedy passage of jus- tice, in every jurisdiction, to all the confederates equally as to their own, receiving those that remove from one plantation to another, without due certificates. "It was also very wisely provided in the articles, that runaway servants, and fugitives from justice, should be returned to the colonies where they belonged, or from which they had fled. 16 122 EDWARD WINSLOW. " If any of the confederates should violate any of the articles, or, in any way injure any one of the other colo- nies, such breach of agreement or injury ; was to be considered and ordered by the commissioners of the other colonies."* This confederacy, which was declared to be perpet- ual, continued without any essential alteration, until the New England colonies were deprived of their charters by the arbitrary proceedings of James II. In the year 1648, some of the inhabitants of Rhode Island request- ed to be admitted into the confederacy, but they were informed that the Island was within the patent granted to New Plymouth, and therefore their request was de- nied. The plantations at Providence were also denied admission, and those beyond the Pascataqua were not admitted, because " they ran a different course" from the Puritans. Mr. Winslow was for the last time chosen to the chief magistracy in 1644, having since he last filled that office, been first on the list of magistrates. He was soon after engaged in the public service abroad, and never returned to New England. In 1646, the colony of Massachusetts Bay prevail- ed upon Governor Winslow to proceed to England in their behalf, to answer complaints which had been pre- ferred by Samuel Gorton and others, charging the Mas- sachusetts authorities with religious intolerance and per- secution.! Governor Winthrop remarks, that Mr. Wins- low was "a fit man to be employed in our affairs in * Pitkin's History of the U. S., i. 50, 51. The Articles of Union are in Winthrop, Hubbard, Neal, &c. i Hutchinson's Hist, of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 145 — 149. EDWARD WINSLOW. 123 England, both in regard to his abilities of presence, speech, courage and understanding, as also being well known to the commissioners."* He set sail about the middle of October, 1646. Gorton was an enthusiast of more than common ability, who gave the colonists much trouble. He came to Boston in 1636; went thence to New Plymouth, where he caused some uneasiness; from whence he went to Newport, and there behaved so that they inflicted cor- poral punishment upon him. He very soon got into difficulty with the authorities of Massachusetts, was ar- rested and imprisoned, was afterwards liberated, and in 1644, proceeded to England. On arriving there, he published an account of the proceedings against himself and others in New England, under the title of "Simpli- cities Defence against Seven-Headed Policy. Or, Inno- cency Vindicated, being unjustly accused, and sorely Cen- sured, by that Seven-headed Church- Government united in New England," &,c. Printed in London, in 1646, in 111 small quarto pages. f Governor Winslow, on reaching London, found it incumbent upon him to answer the publication of Gor- * Winthrop, ii. 283, (Savage's edit.) t Gorton's book is reprinted entire, from the original edition, in Force's Collection of Tracts, Vol. IV, No. 6 ; together with the entire Letter of Gorton to Secretary Morton, written in June, 1669, vindicating himself from the charges contained in the Memorial — a portion of which letter was published by Hutchinson in the Appendix to his History of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. There is no doubt that the zealot,- Gorton, was cruelly persecuted for his singular theological opinions, expressed with a freedom that sometimes de- generated into insolence. He was arrested by order of court, and in 1643, con- demned to be " confined at Charlestown, and there set on work, and to wear such bolts or irons as may hinder his escape," with the further condition, that if he maintain " any of his abominable heresies," he should be, on conviction, put to death. Seven of his associates were also confined in separate towna. Savage's Winthrop, ii. 147. 124 EDWARD WINSLOW. ton, and he accordingly published a reply, covering 103 small quarto pages, entitled " Hypocrisie Unmasked : By a true Relation of the Proceedings of the Governor and, Company of the Massachusetts against Samuel Gor- ton, a notorious disturber of the Peace," &c. Appended to this work, which has never been reprinted in America, and of which Young supposes, that no copy exists in this country, is a chapter entitled, U JL Brief e JYarration of the true grounds or cause of the first Planting of JYew England" &c. This portion of the book is reprinted by Young, as " Chap, xxv," of his Chronicles. The same book was afterwards published in London, in 1649, with the following title : " The danger of tolerating Level- lers, in a Civil State ; or a Historical JYarration of the dangerous practises and opinions wherewith Samuel Gor- ton and his levelling accomplices so much disturbed and molested the several plantations in JYew England : By Edward Winslow, of Plymouth, in JYew England." Besides the complaints of Gorton and his company, Governor Winslow was especially instructed to answer the charges of a want of religious freedom in Massa- chusetts, and denial of civil privileges to such as were not church-members, preferred against that colony, by Robert Child,* William Vassall, and others. In answer to the charge, that the Massachusetts government was intolerant and arbitrary, he was specially instructed to " Robert Child was a physician, and had taken his degree at the University of Padua, in Italy. He came to this country partly with the view of exploring the mines ; purchased the patent of Richard Vines of Saco, in 1645 ; was un- successful in his mining speculations ; afterwards became embroiled in political controversy, in Massachusetts, and was fined and imprisoned for sedition. He went to England in 1647, and never returned. Major John Child, who accom- panied Vassall to England, was his brother. Winthrop says, " he was major of a regiment in Kent." See page ]26. EDWARD WINSLOW. 125 say, that " we have four or five hundred express laws, as near the laws of England as may be ; and where we have no law, we judge by the word of God as near as we can." And in reference to the well known objections in Massachusetts to the scheme of a general govern- ment for New England, he was instructed to assert for that colony their absolute power of government, as given to them by their charter.* Governor Winslow had several hearings before the commissioners for the affairs of New England, among whom were the Earl of Warwick and Sir Henry Vane, both zealous Puritans, and friendly to New England, by whose influence, doubtless, the colony escaped censure. The times had greatly changed, and the Puritans being in power in England, Mr. Winslow had great advantage in this business, from the credit and esteem which he enjoyed with that party. We have no account of the particulars of this agency, but only in general, that "by his prudent management he prevented any damage, and cleared the colony from any blame or dis- honour." But Massachusetts was not alone in her dread of the advance of sectarism. Rhode Island had been excluded from the league on account of her toleration of what was deemed to be heresy, and a better understanding of the true principles of liberty was at the same time struggling manfully for a foothold in New Plymouth. Governor Winslow, in a letter to Governor Winthrop, dated " 24 (9th) 1645," laments in the following strain the pre- valence of a spirit of toleration in New Plymouth, which had already gained over a majority of the deputies, and * Savage's Winthrop, ii. 300. 1 26 EDWARD WINSLOW. three of the assistants: "The sum of it was, (says he,) to allow and maintain full and free tolerance of religion to all men that would preserve the civil peace, and sub- mit unto government ; and there was no limitation or exception against Turk, Jew, Papist, Arian, Socinian, Nicolaitan, Familist, or any other, &c. But our Gov- ernor and several of us having expressed the sad consequences would follow, especially myself and Mr. Prence, yet .notwithstanding it was required, according to order, to be voted. But the Governor would not suf- fer it to come to the vote, as being that indeed would eat out the power of godliness, Slc. By this you may see that all the troubles of N. E. are not at the Massa- chusetts."* William Vassall, mentioned above, was of Scituate ; a man somewhat in advance of the age in which he lived, in his views of civil and religious liberty. f He was one of the agents sent to England in 1646, with complaints against the Massachusetts colony. Soon after his arrival there, a pamphlet, purporting to have been written by Major John Child, and no doubt prepared with the con- currence if not assistance of Vassall, was published, under the quaint title of "New England's Jonas cast up at London," &c. — a small quarto, of 22 pages, printed in London, in 1647. In a postscript to this pamphlet, * Hutchinson's Coll. relative to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 154. t William Vassall was one of the first assistants of Massachusetts, chosen in England in 1629, and came over in 1630, in the fleet with Winthrop. He soon after returned to England ; but came back in 1635, and settled in Scituate in the colony of New Plymouth, where he remained until about 1650, when, having laid the foundation of several large estates in the West Indies, he re- moved to Barbadoes, and died there in 1655. Hutchinson says he was a man of pleasant and affable manners, but always in opposition to government both in Massachusetts and Plymouth. EDWARD WINSLOW. 127 Major Child attacks the book published by Winslow against Gorton, ("Hypocrisie Unmasked/') and charac- terises him as " a principal opposer of the laws of Eng- land in New England."* Winthrop characterises Vassall as " a man never at rest but when he was in the fire of contention." Mr. Winslow, who held the pen of an able controversialist, was of course not long in preparing a keen and pungent answer, vindicating the colony, and repelling the accu- sations of his assailant ; and, as if the remark of Gov- ernor Winthrop respecting Vassall had suggested it, he gives his pamphlet the title of "New England's Sala- mander, discovered by an irreligious and scornful Pam- * The title to Major Child's pamphlet, was probably suggested by the follow- ing circumstances. The Rev. Mr. Cotton, at his Thursday lecture in Boston before the sailing of the ship, in which Major Child and Mr. Vassall had taken passage to London, preached from Cant. ii. 15 : " Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines," &c. ; and in his uses took occasion to say, that he advised the shipmaster, that if storms did arise, to search if they had not in any chest or trunk any Jonas on board, which if you find, I do not advise you to throw the persons overboard, but the writings. Storms did arise : and some of the pas- sengers remembering Mr. Cotton's sermon, a woman from among them came from between decks about midnight, to Mr. William Vassall, who lay in the great cabin, (but for the present was in the steerage doorway looking abroad,) and earnestly desired him, if there were any Jonas in the ship it might be thrown overboard. He asked her why she came to him ? and she said, because it was thought he had some writings against the people of God. But he answered her that he had nothing except a petition to Parliament that they might enjoy the liberty of Eng- lish subjects, and that could be no Jonas. After this she went into the great cabin to Mr. Thomas Fowle, in a like distracted manner, who told her he had nothing but a copy of the petition, which himself and others had presented to the Court at Boston ; but that if she and others thought that to be the cause of the storm, she and they might do what they would with it. So she took and carried it between decks, to them from whom she came, and they agreed to throw it overboard ; but they had many great storms after that. After their arrival at London, the report of an astonishing miracle was spread abroad, viz : the saving of the ship and passengers by throwing the petition to Parliament overboard ; whereas " it was only the copy of a petition to their own Court at Boston ; and the petition to Parliament was still in the ship, together with another copy of that which was thrown overboard, and were as well saved as their lives and other goods, and are here to be seen and made use of in convenient time." [See tract (imperfect) in II Mass. Hist. Coll. iv. 107.] 128 EDWARD WINSLOW. phlet, called New England's Jonas cast up at London, Sec, owned by Major John Childe, bat not probable to be written by him," fyc. London, 1647, 29 pp. sm. 4to.* The civilization of the Indians, and their conversion to the Christian religion, were objects which the people of the colonies never lost sight of; and in this great and good work, Mr. Winslow was, from principle, very zeal- ously engaged. While in England, he employed his in- terest with the members of Parliament, and other gen- tlemen of quality and fortune, to erect a corporation there for the prosecution of the design. For this pur- pose an act of Parliament was passed, incorporating a society in England " for propagating the Gospel in New England."* The commissioners of the United Colonies were constituted a board of correspondents, and distri- butors of the money, which was supplied in England by charitable donations from all the cities, towns, and pa- rishes, in the kingdom, f By the influence and exer- tions of both these respectable bodies, missions were supported among the Indians of New England; the Bible and other books of piety were translated into the Indian tongue, and printed for their use; and great pains were taken by several worthy ministers and other gentlemen to instruct the Indians, and reduce them to a * See tract in III Mass. Hist. Coll. ii. 110. * Hazard, ii. 146. The charter of this Society bears date July 27, 1649. In aid of the formation of the Society, a tract was published by Governor Winslow, in London, in that year, entitled "The Glorious Progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New England," &c. It was dedicated by Winslow to the Parlia- ment, and contained some introductory remarks from his pen. The rest of the pamphlet consisted of three letters from Eliot, and one from Mayhew, with an appendix by J. D. [John Downam or John Drury.] This tract is reprinted in III Mass. Hist. Coll., iv. 69. t Hazard's Collection, i. 636. EDWARD WINSLOW. 129 civilized state. Under the auspices of this Society, the celebrated John Eliot undertook his apostolic and suc- cessful labors among the Indians of Massachusetts, aided in the great work by the two Mayhews, the younger Cotton, and others. Of this corporation, which he had done much to establish, Mr. Winslow continued during life to be an active and successful member in the promo- tion of its interests in England. The various employments of Governor Winslow in England, on behalf of the colonies, and his own high character, had given him a standing such as no other New England man enjoyed at this time. His abilities were acknowledged by the party then paramount in England, and he found so much employment there and elsewhere, that he never returned to New Plymouth. Judge Davis, in a note to Morton, (p. 261,) says: Mr. Winslow was one of the commissioners appointed to de- termine the value of the English ships seized and de- stroyed by the King of Denmark, and for which resti- tution was to be made, according to the treaty of peace made with the Protector, April 5, 1654. The com- missioners were required to meet at Goldsmith's Hall, in London, in the month of June; and, in case they should not agree by a certain day in August, were to be shut up in a chamber, without fire, candles, meat, or drink, or any other refreshment, until they should agree. Of course, an order so peremptory and so characteristic of the times as this, would be likely to be effectual, and accordingly we do not find that the commissioners had any difficulty in coming to an agreement. When Oliver Cromwell (1655) planned an expedi- tion against the Spaniards in the West Indies, and sent 17 130 EDWARD WINSLOW. § Admiral Penn and General Venables to execute it, he appointed three commissioners to superintend and di- rect their operations, of which number Winslow was the chief; the other two being Richard Holdrip and Ed- ward Blagge.* Their object was to attack St. Domingo, the only place of strength which the Spaniards at that time had in Hispaniola. It has been remarked, that Cromwell well understood the character of Mr. Wins- low, when he placed him at the head of this commission; for both commanders and many of the officers employed in the expedition, were strongly suspected of cherish- ing a loyal attachment to the House of Stuart, and of nourishing a secret dislike to the Protector. He there- fore placed in this responsible situation, one whom he could trust. f The commanders disagreed in their tempers and views, and the control of the commissioners was of no avail. The troops, ill-appointed and badly provided, were landed at too great a distance from the city, and lost their way in the woods. Worn out with hunger and thirst, heat and fatigue, they were routed by an incon- siderable number of Spaniards : six hundred were slain, and the remnant took refuge on board their vessels. To compensate as far as possible for this unfortunate event, the fleet sailed for Jamaica, which surrendered without any resistance. But Mr. Winslow, who par- * Hume, chap. lxi. Two interesting letters of Winslow, written from Bar- badoes, March 16 and 30, 1654-5, are preserved in Thurloe's State Papers, iii. 249, 325. In the first, his opinion of oaths is thus expressed : " Our want of com- missioners is very great I beseech you, in case any be sent, let us have men of such principles as will neither scruple to give or take an oath. For my part, I look upon an oath as an ordinance of God, and as an essential part of government, the very bond of society, yea, so necessary, as without it, the magis- trate will not be able to determine between man and man." t Baylies, ii. 20. EDWARD WINSLOW. 131 took of the chagrin of the defeat, did not live to enjoy the pleasures of victory. In the passage between His- paniola and Jamaica, the heat of the climate threw him into a fever, which, operating with the dejection of his mind, put an end to his life, on the eighth of May, 1655, in the sixty-first year of his age. His body was com- mitted to the deep, with the honors of war, forty-two guns being fired by the fleet on that occasion. The following well meant but inelegant verses, were written by one of the passengers on board the ship in which he died : " The Eighth of May, West from 'Spaniola shore, God took from us our Grand Commissioner, Winslow by Name ; a man in Chiefest Trust, Whose Life was sweet, and Conversation just ; Whose Parts and wisdom most men did excel ; An honor to his place, as all can tell."* Before his departure from New England, Governor Winslow had made a settlement on a valuable tract of land in Marshfield, to which he gave the name of Cares- well, probably from an ancient castle of that name, nine miles from Stafford, in Staffordshire, a family seat of the Vanes, ancestors of the Earls of Darlington and West- moreland. f Governor Winslow was twice married. His first wife, Elizabeth, as has already been stated, died in March, 1621. His son, Edward, who came over with him, is supposed to have died about the same time. By his second wife, Susanna, who was the widow of William * Morton's Memorial, 143. 1 In Speed's Great Britain, (b. i. ch. 35,) Carswall is named as one of the thirteen ancient castles in Staffordshire ; and Bowen (Univ. Geog., i. 225,) places Careswell among the chief seats of the nobility of the county. The Marshfield estate, which for many years remained in the Winslow family, bas recently passed into the possession of the Hon. Daniel Webstbr. 132 EDWARD WINSLOW. White, and to whom he was married in May, 1621, he had a daughter Susanna, and probably others. His only son by this marriage, Josiah Winslow, became a distin- guished man in the colony; was a magistrate, governor, and commander in chief of the forces of all the colonies of New England, in the war of 1675 with the Indians. He died in 1680, at the age of 51.* Edward Winslow was the eldest of a family of five sons and three daughters, the children of Edward and Magdalen Winslow, of Droitwitch, in England. Ed- ward was born 19 Oct. 1595, John in April, 1597, Ely- nor in April, 1598, Kenelm 29 April, 1599, Gilbert in Oct., 1600, Elizabeth in March, 1601, Magdalen 26 Dec. 1604, and Josiah in Feb. 1605. John, the eldest brother of Edward, came over in 1621, in the ship Fortune, and was married at New Ply- mouth, sometime prior to 1627, to Mary Chilton, daugh- ter of James Chilton, one of the first emigrants in the Mayflower. The tradition in the family, confirmed by a writing left at her death by Mrs. Ann Taylor, in 1773, the last grand-child of John Winslow, is, that Mary Chilton " was the first female who set her foot on the American shore." This may refer either to the landing at Cape Cod, where, as is mentioned by Belknap, " the women went ashore to wash their clothes;" or, to the landing at Plymouth. The descendants of John Alden claim for him the honor of having been the first to leap upon Plymouth Rock; but the tradition is best received, which accords that feat to the adventurous maiden. John Winslow resided in Plymouth till about 1656. His children were mostly, if not all, born there. His oct- * See Memoir of Josiah Winslow. EDWARD WINSLOW. 133 cupation was that of a merchant ; and he held different municipal offices in Plymouth. In 1661, with Antipas Boies, Edward Tyng, and Thomas Brattle, he purchas- ed the colony lands on the Kennebeck river, for .£400 sterling, and they were afterwards well known as the "Plymouth Company in Maine." His place of resi- dence was in the north part of ancient Plymouth, called " Plain Dealing." This estate was sold to his son-in-law, Edward Gray, about the time of his removal to Boston, and was, by the latter, disposed of to the Ply- mouth colony in 1662, who purchased it as a residence for Governor Prence. John Winslow died in Boston in 1674, aged 78 years; his wife, Mary Winslow, died in Boston in 1678. Their children were, six sons — John; Isaac, who married a Parnell ; Benjamin ; Edward ; Jo- seph; and Samuel, who died at Boston in 1680; and five daughters — Sarah, whose first husband was Miles Standish, Jr., second, Tobias Payne, ancestor of the Paines of Boston, and third, a Mr. Middlecot ; Susanna, who married Robert Latham ; Mercy, who married Ar- thur Harris ; Ann, who married a Le Blond, of Boston ; and Mary, who married Edward Gray, of Plymouth, died in 1663, leaving two or three daughters and one son. One of these daughters married Nathaniel South- worth in 1671. Mr. South worth bought the estate of "Plain Dealing" in 1677, but in after years removed to Middleborough, and there died, leaving three sons and several daughters. It is said that John Winslow, eldest son of John, brought the Prince of Orange's declaration from Nevis to New England, in Feb. 1*689, for which he was im-- prisoned by Sir Edmund Andros. From the eldest son 134 EDWARD WINSLOW. John, (through John, son of the latter,) it is supposed that the family of the late General John Winslow, of Boston, is descended.* Edward, the fourth son, it is thought, had a first wife in Plymouth before he left that place. His second wife was Elizabeth Hutchinson, daughter of Anne Hutch- inson, celebrated in the history of Massachusetts for her religious zeal, persecution, banishment, and tragical death in 1643, (being slain by the Indians on Long-Island with her family of sixteen persons, except one daugh- ter.) Edward Winslow died in Boston in 1682, aged 48 years; his wife Elizabeth, in 1728, aged 89. The deaths of the other children of John Winslow, except Samuel, who died in 1680, are not known. The chil- dren of Edward and Elizabeth were, Edward and four daughters, of whom Susanna married an Alden, supposed to be a son of John Alden, commander of the Province * Brig. Gen. John Winslow was born in Boston, 29 Sept. 1753, and bred a merchant. At the age of twenty-two, he entered the Revolutionary Army, as Deputy Paymaster General, with the rank of Lieutenant, in the Northern Depart- ment. He joined the army at Quebec, under Gen. Montgomery, and was in the battle. June 8th, 1777, he received a commission as Captain of Artillery and was placed under the command of Maj. Ebenezer Stevens, late a Major General in New York. He was in the battle which resulted in the capture of Burgoyne, and one of those who took the account of the stores, &c, found in his camp; and also had the charge of many prisoners. He was afterwards sta- tioned at West Point, and White Plains. When the American Army was re- treating, under Gen. Wooster, from Quebec, and the enemy close upon their heels, he saved the public chest, and lost his own baggage, and wardrobe, as val- uable as those of any officer in the line. He was thus left destitute of clothing, not having sufficient to change his linen for thirty-five days. He received, on the settlement of his accounts as Paymaster — the footing of which was $865,700 — a certificate from the Paymaster General, wherein his conduct was highly ap- proved ; and, it was said, he was almost the only Paymaster who had faithfully accounted for the public money. He was at the battle of Ticonderoga, and when the army, under Gen. St. Clair, retreated from that place, he again saved the books and property entrusted to his care, and lost most of his own. He ob- tained an honorable discharge, in Nov. 1778 ; was afterwards a brigadier general of militia and held various civil trusts. He died 29 Nov. 1819. EDWARD WINSLOW. 135 Sloop, who, being accused of witchcraft during the witch mania of 1692, suffered imprisonment fifteen weeks in Boston. Another daughter, Mrs. Ann Taylor, died in Milton, in 1773, aged 94 — and was the last surviving grand-child of John Winslow and Mary Chilton. Edward, son of Edward, and grandson of John, was born in 1669; married Hannah Moodey, daughter of Rev. Joshua Moodey, minister of the first church in Boston, a zealous opponent of the witch mania, and who suffered for it by being obliged to leave his church. Edward Winslow had a' family of nine sons and two daughters. His eldest son Joshua, and youngest, Isaac, were two of the principal merchants in Boston, from 1730 to 1768. One of his sons, John, also lived in Bos- ton till 1775, and removed to Dunstable, where he died in 1778, aged 88. Two of his sons, William and Samuel, were in the commissariat department at the siege of Louisburg in 1745, and both died there. The youngest daughter of Edward Winslow, by a second wife, Elizabeth, married Richard Clark, an eminent merchant of Boston ; and a daughter of the latter married John S. Copley, the cele- brated painter. Their descendants are" in England, Canada, and Boston. Edward Winslow was a gold- smith; he was a Colonel of the Boston Regiment, and first sheriff of the County of Suffolk ; from about 1722 to 1742, his residence was in State street, the estate since the site of the Tremont Bank. He died in Boston in 1753, aged 84. Joshua Winslow, great grandson of John Winslow and Mary Chilton, married Elizabeth Savage, and had a family of sixteen children. He died in October, 1767. 136 EDWARD WINSLOW. Isaac Winslow, brother of the aforesaid, married Lucy Waldo, daughter of Brigadier General Samuel Waldo ; his second wife was Jemima Dubuc. He had by the first wife eleven children, and two by the last. He was a loyalist, having been appointed a mandamus counsellor in 1774. He died in New York, in 1777. — His descend- ants are principally in Boston, but many are also in England. Edward, the eldest son of Joshua, and great-great- grandson of John Winslow and Mary Chilton, became a clergyman of the Episcopal church, after some opposi- tion from his friends, (having by them been destined for the Congregational ministry, and to escape from whose control he betook himself for a while to commerce,) and succeeded Dr. Samuel Johnson at Stratford, Ct. From 1764 to 1777, he was Rector of Quincy; but as, on the Revolution opening, he could neither con- sent to omit, nor yet safely read, the prayers for the King, he resigned, and removed to New York city. Here he died suddenly, while ascending the steps of his house, on his return from a funeral, Oct. 31, 1780, aged 59, and was buried under the altar of St. George's church. From him are descended those of that name in North Carolina. Joshua, a younger brother, was a mer- chant, married a daughter of Commodore Loring, and died in Boston in 1775. His descendants are all in Eng- land. Margaret married Colonel Benjamin Pollard, Sheriff of Suffolk, and many of their descendants are now living in Boston. Isaac, the youngest, born in 1743, was edu- cated for a profession, but abandoned this and became a merchant. His first wife was a daughter of the Rev. EDWARD WINSLOW. 137 John Sparhawk, of Salem, ancestor of the Sparhawks of New Hampshire ; his second wife was Mary Davis, daughter of Benjamin Davis, of Boston, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. He died in Boston in 1793. His descendants are in Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina.* Keneim Winslow, the second brother of Governor Winslow, was at Plymouth before 1633. He married Helen, daughter of John Adams, of Plymouth, in 1634; he had lands in Yarmouth, in 1640, died whilst on a visit at Salem, and was buried Sept. 13, 1672, at the age of 73. f From him are descended the families settled in Yarmouth, and in Maine. Oliver Winslow, who set- tled at Scituate, in 1730, was of the third generation from Keneim Winslow, and had a son Oliver, who was killed in the French war of 1758, a son who settled at Nobleborough, Maine, and a son Nathaniel, who inherit- ed the bold spirit of his distinguished ancestors. He entered the revolutionary army in 1776, rose to the rank of major, and distinguished himself in the southern ex- peditions.]; Gilbert Winslow, third brother of the governor, came over in the Mayflower; went to Pascataqua, after the set- tlement was commenced there ; and the tradition is, that he went from thence to England, and never returned. It does not appear that he left any family in New Hampshire. The only taxable person bearing the name of Winslow, resident in that province in 1732, was Sam- uel Winslow of Kingston, probably a son of Samuel * Thacher's Hist. Plymouth, 94. t Marshfield Records. X Deane's Scituate, 390 18 138 EDWARD WINSLOW. Winslow, who was killed by the Indians at that place in 1710. Josiah, the youngest brother of the first Governor Winslow, resided in Scituate in 1637, and was after- wards of Marshfield. He died in 1674, aged 69. Of the sisters of Governor Winslow, Elizabeth died in January, 1604, and neither of them ever came to New England.* A fine portrait of Governor Edward Winslow is in possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society, where other family pictures have been deposited by one of his descendants. The picture of Governor Winslow was painted in London, in 1651, when he was in the 57th year of his age. The device on the seal used by Governor Winslow, represents a pelican feeding its young. As an emblem of paternal affection, it is placed in connection with the names of some of the most distinguished of the pilgrims, whose regard for posterity prompted to their great en- terprise, and influenced them to a firm endurance of many hardships, dangers and sorrows. f * For additional genealogical notes, see Memoir of Josiah Winslow, in the subsequent pages of this volume. 1 Davis' note to Morton, 468. 139 IV. THOMAS PRENCE. The fourth governor of the colony of New Plymouth; was Thomas Prence, who was a native of Lechlade, a small parish in Gloucestershire, England, on the north side of the river Thames, where his father and grand- father resided. He was born in the year 1600. His father was of the proscribed sect of the puritans, or sepa- ratists from the Church of England, and to avoid the per- secution which every where followed the non-conform- ists, in his native land, he is supposed to have gone with the early emigrants to Leyden. We have no accounts of the family after reaching that city, or of the education, or early pursuits of Mr. Prence. But from the fact that he brought a respectable patrimony to America, we are led to infer that his family were in easy circumstances, and that they were voluntary exiles, on account of a faith which was dear to them, rather than needy adventurers, seeking to mend their fortunes in a strange land. Mr. Prence came to America in 1621, in the ship Fortune, which arrived at New Plymouth in November, being at that time in the twenty-second year of his age. In the same ship, beside others of note in their day, came Robert Cushman, the distinguished and always effi- cient friend of the colony; John Winslow, the elder brother of Governor Winslow ; and William Hilton, who afterwards commenced the settlement of New Hamp- shire, and who wrote by the return of the Fortune a glowing account of New Plymouth, in which he says, exultingly, " We are all freeholders ; the rent-day doth 140 THOMAS PRENCE. not trouble us; and all those good blessings we have, of which and what we list in their seasons for taking."* In a short time after his arrival, Mr. Prence was chosen one of the assistants, and became an active and ulti- mately an influential man in the affairs of the colony. Public office in the days of the pilgrims, was little sought after. It presented neither a prize to tempt the cupidity of the unworthy, nor a source of corruption from any patronage attached to it. The unworthy were thus kept from seeking it, and the people were unwil- ling to trust any but the wisest and best men. Governor Bradford, who had served the colony from 1621 to 1632, esteemed it a mark of the popular favor to be relieved in the following year, and when Winslow, who suc- ceeded him, declined a re-election in 1634, he again urged the choice of another than himself. But who should be the man ? Carver, and Bradford, and Winslow, had successively filled the office. The next upon the list of the first-comers by the Mayflower, was the venerable William Brewster; but he was the ruling elder of the church, and civil and ecclesiastical offices were among the puritans deemed incompatible. Isaac Allerton, who by his character and standing was well fitted for the chief magistracy, had left the colony. The excellent Samuel Fuller, their first physician, with twenty-three more of the forty-one who signed the Compact of 1620, had fallen before the pestilence; and of those who remained, Stephen Hopkins, Miles Stan- dish, and John Alden, were the most prominent individuals. Hopkins was then one of the principal * See Hilton's Letter, in Smith's "New England's Trials," No. 2, Vol. II, Force's Collection of Tracts. THOMAS PRENCE. 14 F magistrates; and Alden seems, like him, to have been content with the burthens of the same office, which he shared for more than forty years, outliving all the other signers of the compact. Captain Standish, the hero of the settlement, was beginning to feel the infirmities of age, and possessed a temper too natural to his profession to fit him for the duties of the chief magistracy. The Fortune had brought a new accession of esti- mable men to the colony, who were received with wel- come, and the standing and qualifications of Mr. Prence, caused him to be selected from among their number, as the successor of Governor Winslow, in 1634. Previous to this time, settlements had been formed at Duxbury, to which the families of Alden, Standish, and Collier, had removed; and before the year 1635, Mr. Prence appears to have removed to the same place. The regulation existing at this time required that the Governor should reside in Plymouth, and the people, when the next election took place, returned to their old favorite, Governor Bradford. Mr. Prence was however at the same time chosen assistant, and served as such during twenty years, when not filling other and more im- portant offices. The colony of New Plymouth at this time possessed trading establishments upon the Connecticut and Kenne- beck, which were sources of profit, but they not unfre- quently caused embarrassment and collision. A short time after Governor Prence entered upon his office, he was annoyed by intelligence of violent proceedings at both these points. A man of the name of Stone, a West Indian of St. Christopher's, by intoxicating the Gover- nor of the Dutch fort on Connecticut river, obtained his 142 THOMAS PRENCE. leave to take a Plymouth bark, which was lying there at anchor. The master and most of the men being on shore, he succeeded, and after weighing her anchor set sail for Virginia, but some Dutch sailors, who had received kind treatment at Plymouth, discovering his design, pursued him with two vessels, and soon after recaptured the bark. Stone afterwards going to Massachusetts, was served with a process, and for the purpose of a compromise, he went to Plymouth. In a dispute with the governor, he was so transported with rage that he attempted to stab him, but was prevented by the vigilance of the gov- ernor's attendants. An act of violence was also perpetrated at Kennebeck, within the limits of the Plymouth patent. A pinnace belonging to Lord Say and Sele, and commanded by one Hocking, sailed from Pascataqua into the Kennebeck, and he attempted to pass up the river for the purpose of trading with the natives. Two of the magistrates of Ply- mouth being there, forbade him ; he persisted, and declaring that " he would go up and trade with the natives in despite of them, and lye there as long as he pleased," went on. The Plymouth men pursued him in a boat, and after entreating him to depart, and receiving nothing but " ill words " and positive refusals, finding his pinnace at anchor, two of them went in a canoe, cut one of the ca- bles, and attempted to cut the other; Hocking threatened to shoot them; they defied him, and persisted; he fired, and killed one. The pinnace having come up, with five or six men on board, they fired on Hocking and killed him. THOMAS PREJVCE. 143 At the general court at Boston, (May 15, 1634,) up- on complaint of a kinsman of Hocking, John Alden, one of the Plymouth magistrates, who was present at this transaction, but at that time in Boston, was arrested an d held to bail, "and withal (says Governor Winthrop) we wrote to Plymouth to certify them what we had done, and to know whether they would do justice in the cause, (as belonging to their jurisdiction,) and to have a speedy answer," &c. This was a high handed transaction on the part of the authorities of Massachusetts, and naturally caused much excitement among the people of Plymouth. Gov- ernors Bradford and Winslow, Mr. Collier, and the pastor of the church, were obliged to go to Boston and hold conferences with the authorities there, before the diffi- culty could be adjusted. Governors Winthrop and Dudley appear to have interested themselves in the exculpation of Plymouth, and the indignity offered to this colony by the illegal arrest of one of her magistrates, was overlooked, and soon forgotten. The power of the younger colony, which was destined ulti- mately to swallow up the older, was already beginning to be felt. Prior to the year 1634, although the governor and assistants were the only magistrates in the colony, it does not appear that they possessed the power of a judicial court. They had no jurisdiction in civil actions, and in criminal offences, they could only * bind over' the accused to appear at the general court. In 1633, a few laws, such only as appeared to be of the most urgent necessity, were established. But as the settlements expanded, it soon became obvious, that a code of laws must be adopt- 144 THOMAS PRENCE. ed; and the year 1636, may be considered the date of the establishment of a body of organic laws in New Plymouth. On the 15th of November, at a court of Associates, the following declaration was ordered : " We, the associates of New Plymouth, coming hither as free-born subjects of the State of England, and en- dowed with all and singular the privileges belonging to such, being assembled, do ordain that no act, imposition, law, or ordinance, be made or imposed upon us, at the present, or to come, but such as shall be made and im- posed by consent of the body of the associates, or their representatives legally assembled, which is according to the liberties of the state of England." Whether the laws of England which preceded this order were renounced, is equivocal ; but the authority of English laws, " at present, or to come," was by this de- claration renounced by the whole body of the associates, and Parliament was denied the right of legislating for New Plymouth. This order, (says Baylies,) is the first American Declaration of Rights, if not of Independence, and the laws which followed, became necessary for the protection of the people and the preservation of the gov- ernment.* The time of the annual election was fixed for the first Tuesday of June, when a governor and seven as- sistants should be chosen, " to rule and govern the plan- tation within the limits of this corporation," and the election was confined to those who had been admitted as freemen. The qualifications required to constitute a freeman, were, to be twenty-one years of age, of sober * Baylies' Hist. New Plymouth, i. 229- THOMAS PRENCE. 145 and peaceable conversation, orthodox in the fundamen- tals of religion,, and to possess a rateable estate of the value of twenty pounds. All these were pre-requisites, before any person could be admitted to the oath pre- scribed to be taken by freemen. The duties and powers of the governor, were de- fined by law ; but the office seems to have given to the incumbent little more than the privilege of acting as chairman of the court of assistants, or of the general court — the honorary station of being the official head of political society. He was destitute of the power of appointing any of the officers of the government, or even of nominating them; and of course he had no patronage, or any mode of securing influence, excepting what arose from the weight of his personal character. He could call the assistants together, for the purpose of advising with them in council, and in voting his voice was double; but the assistants could refer all matters to the general court, which the governor was obliged to summon if they required it, and his duty in that court was confined to the statement of the questions upon which they were to act. The power of arrest was giv- en to him, but no further than to restrain the offender, until his offence could be investigated, either by the court of assistants, or the general court. The power of examining suspicious persons, and of intercepting letters, was given, probably in consequence of the memorable attempt of Lyford and others to subvert the government of the colony in 1624.* It can scarcely be conceived, at this day, how a government could be ad- ministered with such limited authority in the executive. * See page 85, of this volume. 19 146 THOMAS PRENCE. The personal influence of the governor must have sup- plied the want of legal power. The want of power in the governor, was not sup- plied by the greater powers of the assistants. They were to advise the governor, and were restrained from c betraying council.' They presided in the examina- tion of offenders in public court, ' and had a voice in censuring.' One of them, by the consent of the others, on the nomination of the governor, could discharge the executive duties in his absence, and their power of arrest was similar to that of the governor. Within this narrow circle was confined the authority of the assistants. In a factious society, this power would have been constantly defied and contemned ; but the col- onists were a sober, moral, and religious, in fact, a well regulated family, loving and obeying their magistrates, with an affection and reverence like that which children render to their parents ; and the influence of the clergy was a powerful support to this paternal government, which depended so little on physical strength, and so much on the moral force of opinion.* Prior to the year 1636, there appears to have been no secretary to the colony, and the records were kept by the governor. The code adopted at that period was preceded by the declaration, before referred to,f styled " General Fundamentals" in the records. A certi- ficate signed in Dec. 1775, by John Cotton, the recorder at Plymouth, referring to this declaration, says — " The above act stands in front of three manuscript law books, in 1636, 1658, and 1660, and of two printed ones, in 1671 * See Baylies, i. 229—235. t See pages 76 and 118, oi this volume. THOMAS PRENCE. 147 and 1685. In the year 1636, Plymouth colony first formed or perfected their body or code of laws, they being, before governed by transient regulations or oc- casional laws."* To the manuscript book of 1636, other laws were added from time to time ; and when any of the former were altered or repealed, this was done by the simple process of making interlineations or erasures, instead of passing additional acts ! In 1658, the laws were revised, and entered in another book, and they were published, not by printing, but by the preparation of copies in manuscript by the secretary, equal in number to the number of towns in the colony. Into this book the laws passed afterwards were copied, until 1664, when there appears to have been another revision, and a third book of laws was made, similar to the former. This contains all the laws passed from that time till 1682. The laws, which thus existed in three separate manu- script volumes, have been bound in one, and are preserv- ed. When the first printed edition was ordered in 1671, another revision was made, but the manuscript of this no longer exists. f In 1637, Governor Prence was particularly active in raising a corps of volunteers to assist Connecticut and Massachusetts in the expedition against the Pequot In- dians, which resulted in the utter overthrow and exter- mination of that tribe. The names of thirty-nine men, who offered to go on that service, are on record, and the document has the following caption : " The names of the soldiers that willingly offer to go upon the service * Baldwin's sermon at Plymouth, Dec. 22, 1775. Hazard's Coll. of Pam- phlets, in Force's Library, Washington, D. C. t III Mass. Hist. Coll., ii. 265. 148 THOMAS PRENCE. with Mr. Prence and the Lieutenant, voluntaries."* The Pequots were a warlike tribe, not inferior in courage to any in the New World. They inhabited the territory now occupied by the towns of New-London, Groton and Stonington, in Connecticut. Foreseeing the ultiinate extinction of their race, from the advance of the English, this tribe, heretofore hostile to the Narragansetts, now proposed to join them in an effort to exterminate the whites. Fortunately for the colonists, the Narragansetts refused the alliance, and the Pequots, more exasperated than discouraged by their refusal, commenced hostilities alone. They surprised stragglers, and scalped them, and plundered and burnt the neighboring settlements — until the infant colonies, particularly Connecticut and Massa- chusetts, by a vigorous effort, succeeded in overpowering and destroying the tribe. The troops raised in Plymouth, fifty-six in number, were placed under the immediate command of Capt. Standish, but the war was over before they reached the scene of action. The Pequot nation had ceased to exist. In 1638, Mr. Prence was again elected to the office of governor. It appears that he accepted the office with considerable reluctance, and made it a condition that he should not be compelled to remove from Duxbury. Dur- ing his administration, in that year, a severe and exem- * By " the Lieutenant," William Holmes is intended, afterwards promoted to the rank of major, who became a freeman of the colony in 1633, and was appointed in 1635, with Capt. Standish, to teach the Train bands of Plymouth and Duxbury. Major Holmes lived at Scituate, and died in 1649, without a family. He was the leader of the Plymouth party, who, in defiance of the Dutch authorities of New Amsterdam, took possession of the territory on Con- necticut river, and erected the first house in Connecticut, at Windsor, in Octo- ber, 1633. See page 113, of this volume; compare also Holmes, i. 228, and Trumbull, i. 35. THOMAS PRENCE. 149 plary act of justice was exhibited, in the condemnation of three colonists, for robbing and mortally wounding an Indian. It appears that four young men of Plymouth, who were servants, absconding from their masters, attacked a solitary Indian at Pawtucket, near Providence, but with- in the limits of New Plymouth, and after inflicting upon him a mortal wound, robbed him of a quantity of wam- pum, and fled to Providence. Complaint was made to Roger Williams, by the Indians, who were greatly alarm- ed, and he called upon the authorities to have " justice done." Roger Williams was particularly anxious that the natives should behold in the prompt and signal pun- ishment of these offenders, an example of the justice of the English, and Gov. Winthrop of Massachusetts, whose advice had been solicited, considered it a matter in which the whole country was interested. Governor Prence and the authorities of New Plymouth promptly institut- ed the necessary investigation. One of the criminals fled to Pascataqua, where he was protected, and finally escaped out of the country. The others were tried, con- demned, and executed, in presence of many of the natives, who had assembled at New Plymouth. This execution has been cited as an undeniable proof of the stern sense of duty- which was cherished by the Pilgrims. To put three Englishmen to death for the murder of an Indian, without compulsion, or without any apprehension of con- sequences, (for it does not appear that any application was made on the part of the Indians for the punishment of the murderers,) denotes a rigor in the administration of justice, unusual in new settlements, especially in con- troversies with the natives. It stands in our annals with- 150 THOMAS PRENCE. out a parallel instance ; the truth of the fact is vouched by all our early historians, and it was probably not with- out its reward; for the Indians, convinced of the justice of -the English, abstained from all attempts to avenge their personal wrongs, by their own acts ; for many years. In 1643, we find Mr. Prence actively engaged in pro- moting a new settlement at Nauset, or Eastham. Eight towns had been settled within the limits of the colony during the first twenty years, but Nauset, now thought to be a very favorable spot, had been overlooked. The people of Plymouth became alarmed at these frequent removals from among them. Many persons had already left the town, and now, when others of the most respecta- ble among them desired to remove, it became a serious question with the church, whether it were not better for the whole body to remove at once to another place, than thus to be weakened and insensibly dissolved. Meet- ing after meeting was held, and, after much controversy, it was finally agreed by the whole body that they would remove together, on condition that they could find a place sufficient for their accommodation. A committee, at the head of which was Mr. Prence, was now sent to Nauset, to make examination. Their report was against the feasibility of removing to that place. They purchased, however, the contiguous lands, belong- ing to the natives ; and the Plymouth people finally gave up the project of removing the seat of government, and consented that those who desired to begin a plantation at Nauset, should be permitted to do so. Mr. Prence and his associates now obtained a grant of lands at Nau- set, and went resolutely forward with their new planta- THOMAS PRENCE. 151 tion. These persons were among the most respectable inhabitants of Plymouth. The church regretted their departure, viewing herself as a mother grown old and for- saken by her children, if not in their affections, yet in their company and personal assistance.* But however the emigration might have been lamented at that time, it was productive of good to the colony ; and eventually led to the settlement of all the lower part of the county of Barnstable ; in consequence of which the Indians there, who from their numbers were a formidable body, were overawed and their good will obtained, and they were prevented from joining in hostilities against the Eng- lish, in the wars which afterward occurred. In 1654, Mr. Prence, then one of the board of assist- ants, went to the settlement which had been formed on theKennebeck patent, and, under authority of parliament,, pursuant to directions of the court at New Plymouth, organized a government, Thomas Southworth, son-in- law of Governor Bradford, being appointed agent or governor. He summoned a meeting of the inhabitants at Merry-Meeting Bay, and some sixteen persons attend- ed and subscribed the oath of fidelity to the government of New Plymouth. f Seven years afterwards, the colony disposed of this patent to a private company for four hun- dred pounds sterling. | * " And thus was this poor Church left like an ancient mother, grown old and forsaken of her children, though not in their affections, yet in regard of their bodily presence and personal helpfulness, her ancient members being most of them worn away by death, and those of latter times being like children translated into other families, and she like a widow left alone to trust in God. Thus she that had made many rich became herself poor." — Plymouth Churcfei Records, i. 45. t Hazard's Coll. i. 583—586. t See p. 133, of this volumtv 152 THOMAS PRENCE. On the death of Governor Bradford, in 1657, Mr, Prence was chosen his successor. There seemed to be an obvious propriety in this selection. Mr. Prence had held that office as early as 1634, and once afterwards, and had been constantly in public employment. No one stood before him in the public estimation, excepting per- haps, Bradford and Edward Winslow, and with them he certainly appears to have shared the confidence of the peo- ple, and the highest offices of the government. As both these respectable men were now deceased, there could have been but little hesitation in giving him the station of which he was not deemed unworthy, when they were living. He was accordingly annually chosen to the chief magistracy, from this time forward, for sixteen years, until his death, which occurred in 1673. The law, as has already been stated, required the gov- ernor to reside at Plymouth ; but there was a special dis- pensation made in favor of Governor Prence until the year 1665. In October of that year, "the country saw reason to desire and request his removal into the town, for the more convenient administration of justice." Gov. Prence now removed to Plymouth, and took possession of a place, provided for him by the government, which he occupied until his death. It was nearly two miles from the centre of the town, on the road leading towards Boston — and was called Plain- Dealing, the former resi- dence of John Winslow, and afterwards of Edward Gray, of whom it had been purchased by the colony. The governor's salary was at the same time established at fifty pounds per annum, and it was stipulated that he should receive that sum annually as long as he continued to be governor of the colony. THOMAS PRENCE. 153 Governor Prence was not altogether happy in his administration of the government. The severe proceed- ings against sectaries, especially against the Quakers, which were favored by him, and in which his conduct was intolerant, and in some instances overbearing, creat- ed dissatisfaction even amongst those who were hostile to the introduction of new sects. Governor Prence himself, in temper and spirit, more closely resembled the stern puritans who settled upon the Bay of Massa- chusetts, than his predecessors in the government of Plymouth. He saw with dread and misgiving the in- creasing indifference of the people to the support of the clergy. He knew that before the death of Governor Bradford, that venerable man had spoken of it with apprehension. He had endeavored, with Winslow, ten years before, to check the growing influence of the new sects among the deputies, and the people. Men began to doubt the benefit of stated preaching, and chose to exercise their own spiritual gifts ; and so inadequate was the support given to the clergy, that many left the colony. Gorton's extravagances had excited disgust; and now when the Quakers, whose tenets and practices bore some resemblance to his, began to appear, a large majority of the people were ready to adopt the severe policy pursued in Massachusetts, which was now advo- cated by Governor Prence. There were still influential men in the colony who were open friends of toleration, and had the nerve to op- pose the popular current. James Cudworth and Thomas Hatherly, two of the assistants, whose views were in advance of the age, objected to the persecution of the Quakers. They were at once proscribed and omitted 20 154 THOMAS PRENCE. from the magistracy; and in 1659, when the people of Scituate returned General Cudworth as a deputy to the general court, such was the bigotry of the majority, that they unceremoniously denied him a seat.* In a letter, written in 1658, General Cudworth thus describes the state of public feeling at that time exist- ing in the colony: "The state and condition of things amongst us is sad, and so like to continue. The anti- christian, persecuting spirit is very active, and that in the powers of this world. He that will not lash, punish and persecute men that differ in matters of religion, must not sit on the bench, nor sustain any office in the commonwealth. Last election, Mr. Hatherly and my- self were left off the bench, and myself discharged of my Captainship, because I had entertained some of the Quakers at my house, thereby that I might be better * acquainted with their principles. I thought it better to * Gen. Cudworth, who was one of the most estimable men in the colony, came from England in 1632, settled at Scituate, where he was chosen a deputy in 1649, and for several succeeding years. In 1656, he was chosen assistant, in which office he continued until displaced as above stated. On the election of Governor Josiah Winslow, in 1673, he endeavored and with success, to make honorable amends for the abuse and neglect which Cudworth had suffered from his predecessor, Gov. Prence. In the colony records, July 1673, is an entry, that 11 Capt. Cudworth, by a full and clear vote, is accepted and re-established, in the association and body of this Commonwealth." He was chosen an assistant again from 1674, to 1680, inclusively. In 1675, he was chosen " General and Commander in Chief of all the forces that are or may be sent forth against the enemy," and he continued in that place until Philip's war was ended. In 1681, he was appointed an agent for the colony to England. He was also Deputy Governor the same year. On his arrival in London in the autumn of 1682, he unfortunately took the small pox, of which he died. Mr. Hatherly was originally from Devonshire, afterwards a merchant of London, and came to Plymouth in the ship Anne in 1623. He became a great landholder, was one of the founders of Scituate, and was among the most enter- prising men of the Colony. He was an assistant thirteen years, treasurer of the colony, and one of the commissioners of the United Colonies. He died in 1666, without issue. THOMAS PRENCE. 155 do so, than with the bfind world to censure, condemn, rail at, and revile them, when they neither saw their persons, nor knew any of their principles. But the Qua- kers and myself cannot close, in divers things, and so I signified to the Court; but told them withal, that as I was no Quaker, so I would be no persecutor." The Quakers, who had endured persecution in Eng- land, appeared in this country in 1656, and immediately attracted the notice of the authorities. The leaders of the sect in New Plymouth were Humphrey Norton and John Rouse. They were turbulent men, violent in all their proceedings, and in a very short time provoked a persecution, which might not have followed, had their conduct been as wise and discreet as that of Penn and his followers in Pennsylvania. Severe laws were enacted against them, and enforced with the rigor characteristic of the times. In October, 1657, Norton was summoned before the court of magistrates, and being convicted of "divers horrid errors," was ordered to depart from the jurisdic- tion, and he was conducted by a marshal to the boundary of Rhode Island. But the spirit of these enthusiasts was not thus to be subdued. Norton returned not long afterwards, and was imprisoned. When arraigned before the governor, and charged with his offences against the laws, he said to the governor, "Thomas, thou liest! thou art a malicious man !" His companion Rouse being equally turbulent, they were both sentenced to be whip- ped. The punishment was inflicted, when, after another short imprisonment, they left the colony. Others of the sect were banished, but no one suffered death, as in the neighboring colony of Massachusetts. 156 THOMAS PRENCE. Norton had offered a written paper to the governor, which he refused to receive. Smarting under a sense of the severity and cruelty with which he had been treated, he addressed letters to Governor Prence and to Mr. Alden, who was one of the assistants, in which he vented his resentment, in strains approaching to elo- quence, and claimed to be a prophet, a delusion which he probably cherished in all sincerity. A portion of the letter to the governor, here follows : " Thomas Prence, thou who hast bent thy heart to work wickedness, and with thy tongue hast set forth deceit; thou imaginest mischief upon thy bed, and hatchest thy hatred in thy secret chamber ; the strength of darkness is over thee, and a malicious mouth hast thou opened against God and his anointed, and with thy tongue and lips hast thou uttered perverse things ; thou hast slandered the innocent by railing, lying, and false accusations, and with thv barbarous heart hast thou caused their blood to be shed. Thou hast through these things broken and transgressed the laws and ways of God, and equity is not before thy eyes ; the curse causeless can- not come upon thee, nor the vengeance of God unjustly cannot fetch thee up ; thou makest thyself merry with thy secret malice, and when thou actest or executest it, it is in derision and scorn. The deadly drink of the cup of indignation thou cannot escape, and the grief and cause of travail will not be greater than thine. Since first I saw thee, and before, thy false and lying tongue hath been forged against me. I shall not write nor speak this without ground, as thou hast done by me, but plainly shall present thy doings before thy face ; as firstly, thy former warrant was forged upon a filthy lie, and THOMAS PRENCE. 157 therein thou titlest me an extravagant person; thy sec- ond had helping hand in causing me to be recorded for several errors, and like a shameless man would neither acknowledge nor deny ; thy third, that John Rouse and I were inordinate fellows, and never in the least made it ap- pear wherein ; thy fourth that I intended within two days after the time thou spake it, to make a preachment, as thou in thy derision called it thereaways ; thy fifth, thy promise that I should have the law, and afterwards went about to deny it, so as from thee I never had it yet ; thy sixth, popish and Jesuitical names, withal thy lying slan- ders and false aspersions cast upon us from thy clamor- ous tongue ; thy seventh, acting contrary to law, equity and justice, and judgment, according to the evil of thine own heart, — all these art thou guilty of, besides the de- nying of my paper, which was presented to thee, contain- ing part of my grounds of my coming ; thy eighth, thy striving to dash my words back upon me, and to hinder me to speak in the people's hearing, striving what thou could to stain the truth of God with thy envious tongue, all which things are charged upon thy head, and as a peal of hail stones will pelt upon thy heart; thou hast perverted justice and true judgment, and hast defrauded the poor and needy ; thou hast caused to defraud the righteous owner of his goods, and art heaping it up as upon a hill, wherewith thou wilt purchase to thyself and others a field of blood, wherein to bury your dead. John Alden is to thee like unto a packhorse, whereupon thou layest thy beastly bag ; cursed are all they that have a hand therein ; the cry of vengeance will pursue thee day and night, for other men's goods, hard speeches, unrighteous actions, which thou hast done and spoken against others 158 THOMAS PRENCE. and us, without and contrary to the righteous law; so shall rest upon thee as frontlets upon thy head, and as we have suffered without law, so shalt thou perish with- out law, if thou repent not. The days of thy wailing will be like unto that of a woman that murthers the fruit of her womb ; the anguish and pain that will enter thy reins will be like gnawing worms lodging betwixt thy heart and liv 4 er. When these things come upon thee, and thy back bowed down with pain, in that day and hour thou shalt know to thy grief that prophets of the Lord God we are, and the God of vengeance is our God. " Humphrey Norton." Language of extreme bitterness like this, however it may have been provoked by persecution, was not likely to soften the hearts of those in power; and during the year 1658, several disfranchising laws were passed against the Quakers. u No Quaker, Ranter, or any such corrupt person," was permitted to be a freeman of the corporation. All such as were opposers to the good and wholesome laws of the colony, or manifest opposers of the true worship of God, or such as refused to do the country service, being called thereunto, on conviction, were denied the privileges of freemen. Any freemen of the corporation being Quakers, or such as were mani- fest encouragers of them, and so judged by the court; and such as spoke contemptuously of the court and the laws; and such as were adjudged by the court, "grossly scandalous, as lyers, drunkards, and swearers," &c. were to lose the freedom of the corporation. All such as re- fused to take the oath of fidelity, as Quakers, and their abettors, were denied a vote in the choice of public offi- cers, and were restricted from holding offices of trust. THOMAS PRENCE. 159 The court also passed another law, with this pregnant preamble: " Whereas sundry persons, both Quakers and others, wander up and down in this jurisdiction, and fol- low no lawful calling, to earn their bread, and also do use all endeavours to subvert the civil state, and pull down all churches and ordinances of God, to thrust us out of the ways of God, notwithstanding all former laws provided for the contrary :" The court therefore directed, that a work-house or house of correction should be erected, " for the restraint of all such vagabonds as wander up and down without any lawful calling, and also all idle persons, or rebellious children, or servants that are stubborn and will not work, to earn their own bread, and yet have not wherewith to maintain themselves," &c. Much censure has been thrown upon the govern- ment of Plymouth, for the severity of these laws, and the cruelty of the punishments which were inflicted on the Quakers- They were severe beyond what the necessity of the case required, and were enforced With rigor. But the task of palliation, in this case, is not very difficult, however difficult it might be to find grounds for a full justification. The circumstances of the times, and the spirit of the age, should be considered in pronouncing judgment upon these dark passages in the history of New Plymouth. The Quakers who first appeared in the colony, were not inhabitants of the country. They ^ame from abroad, originally from England, but immediately from Barba- does. Although they professed to inculcate the principles of peace and benevo.ci^e, they waged a most furious war against a religion, which- was much endeared to the 160 THOMAS PRENCE. people whom they were endeavoring to proselyte ; for which that people had suffered much, and who were ready to suffer much more, if necessary, to attest their strong conviction of its truth. Their laws, their govern- ment, their forms of worship, all which they had been taught to venerate, and were accustomed to love, were denounced in harsh and vulgar terms, by utter stran- gers. Their magistrates were operrly insulted, and their ministers were reviled, in language of insolent abuse. It is not surprising, therefore, that they should have attempted to check what appeared to them to be blas- phemy and impiety. Although these new expounders of the scriptures styled themselves the Prophets of God, yet it was not an unnatural nor strange result in that day, that they should have been regarded by those among whom they came, as men " possessed with demons." It is very probable, that the deportment of Gov- ernor Prence towards Norton, was domineering and arrogant ; for he was a man who detested schismatics of every shade, and had no particular sympathy for those who affected to despise and deride all " human learn- ing." Yet one far more indulgent than he was, placed in the same situation, would have been himself possessed of uncommon self-command, if he could have tolerated personal insult, and tamely suffered himself to be charged with falsehood and malice, while in the very exercise of his high authority on the judgment seat, and presiding in court. Even in our own times, under a much more tolerant system, and with a mitigated penal code, " con- tempt of court," is deemed a high offence, and is pun- ished accordingly. Still it is better that the hands of power should fall gently on all enthusiasts in morals or THOMAS PREJVC£. 161 religion, and on any who make pretence — even if it be nothing but pretence — of acting under the strong impulses of religious feeling. The Pope of Rome, when he dis- missed the too zealous Quaker without injury, who even within the walls of the Vatican denounced him as the " Man of Sin," and as' " the Antichrist," acted wisely, by choosing to consider this effusion of zeal, as an out- pouring of insanity ; and, intolerant as he was to reli- gious heresy, he could be charged with no want of in- dulgence to human infirmity. It has been observed, that the tolerant spirit which ruled in the councils of Rhode Island, gave offence to the other colonies. It was, beyond a doubt, the main cause of her exclusion from the league of 1643. After the Quakers had begun to flee to that colony, as a " city of refuge," the commissioners of the United Colonies requested the government of Rhode Island to prohibit the Quakers coming into that colony, and to expel those who were already there. Governor Prence, at that time a commissioner, joined in this arrogant request, the only commissioner who refused his assent being General Cudworth oi Scituate. The answer of the government of Rhode Island, is in admirable spirit. "As concerning these Quakers, (say they,) which are now among us, we have no law among us whereby to punish any for only declaring by words, &c, their minds and under- standings concerning the things and ways of God, as to salvation and an eternal condition. And we moreover find, that in those places where these people in this colony are most of all suffered to declare themselves freely, and are only opposad by arguments in discourse, there they least of all desire to come." 21 162 THOMAS PRENCE. In 1658; the exasperation had increased to such a degree, that the commissioners recommended to the colo- nies the punishment of death against all of that "cursed set of heretics/' who should be found in the country after sentence of banishment. A panic seized the good people of the colony, and further oppressive laws were enacted against the Quakers; but fortunately the manda- mus of Charles II. , in 1661, finally put an end to their persecutions in New England. The most obnoxious laws against them were soon afterwards repealed. Public prejudice during all this time had prevailed to such a degree in New Plymouth as to exclude from her councils some of the best citizens in the colony, who had been honest and bold enough to encounter it; but upon the accession of the second Governor Winslow, these men were promptly restored to public trusts, and regained the general confidence. The Quakers them- selves, hitherto so turbulent, when left unmolested by penal regulations, settled down into a quiet, orderly life, and became the most peaceful, industrious and moral of all religious sects. Beside the difficulties already stated, which Governor Prence had to encounter, he also met with serious em- barrassments from the hostile feeling, which was increas- ing among the Indians. The demise of the great and good sachem Massasoit; the accession of his son Alex- ander, and his early death, under circumstances causing great excitement and apprehension ; the movements of the warlike and resolute Philip, and the decisive meas- ures, which it became necessary to take with the Squaw Sachem of Pocasset, and the heads of other Indian tribes, more or less under the influence of Philip, required the THOMAS PRENCE. 163 most constant vigilance and attention, on the part of the government. After the death of Massasoit, his two sons, Wamsutta and Metacomet, appeared before the court at Plymouth, and requested that English names might be given them. Governor Prence gave to Wamsutta the name of Alex- ander, and to Metacomet, that of Philip. In 1662, Gov- ernor Prence received information, by letters, from Bos- ton, that Alexander was contriving mischief against the English, and that he had solicited the Narragansetts to engage in his hostile enterprises, denominated, by the writers of that period, " a designated rebellion." Capt. Willett, who lived near Mount Hope, was appointed to confer with Alexander, and to request his attendance at the next court at Plymouth, to explain his proceedings. From his conversation with Capt. Willett, his appearance at court was expected. He did not attend, however, but still continuing his intercourse with .the Narragan- setts, the government of Plymouth directed Major Josiah Winslow, to bring him before them by force. Major Winslow immediately proceeded, with ten men, to exe- cute his instructions. On his way from Marshfield to Mount Hope, he unexpectedly found Alexander at his hunting house, about half way between Plymouth and Bridgewater. He had with him a number of his men, (Hubbard says, eighty,) well armed. Major Winslow, it appears, came upon the party by surprise, and having secured their arms, which were without doors, entered the wigwam, and communicated his instructions. "The proud Sachem," says Dr. I. Mather, " fell into a raging passion, at this surprise, saying that the Governor had no reason to credit rumors, or to send for him in such a 164 THOMAS PRENCE. way, nor would he go to Plymouth but when he saw cause." By the advice of his interpreter, a brother of John Sausaman, he was prevailed upon to submit. It was a warm summer day, and the Major kindly offered his prisoner the use of a horse ; but his squaw and sever- al other Indian women, being of the party, who could not be furnished with horses, Alexander politely declin- ed the offer, observing, that he could go on foot as well as they, only entreating that they might march with a slow pace, to accommodate the women. In this request he- was indulged ; and Major Winslow treated his royal prisoner with every attention, consistent with the object he was required to accomplish. It was necessary to wait, until Governor Prence could be informed of the circumstances, and should arrive at Plymouth, from Eastham, where he then resided. The prisoner in the mean time was taken to the Major's house, at Marshfield, and was there, courteously entertained. But the high spirit of the savage king could not brook the affront. " Vexing and fretting in his spirit," says Dr. Mather, " that such a check was given him, he suddenly fell sick of a fever." Every proper humane attention appears to have been afforded him in his sickness. He was nursed as a choice friend, and Dr. Fuller, a neighboring physi- cian, prescribed for his relief. His disease continuing, the Indians, in his train, en- treated that he might be dismissed ; and their request was finally granted, upon his engagement to appear at the next court ; but he soon after died, Hubbard says, " be- fore he got half way home." There can be no doubt that the surprisal of Alexan- der, followed as it was by his sudden death, greatly THOMAS PRENCE. 165 incensed the Indians ; and an examination of all the facts disclosed in the case, will justify the received opin- ion, that, from the hour of Alexander's death, the hearts of his warriors were steeled against the English. The account of the transaction which we have here given, is almost in the words of Mather and Hubbard, who wrote at the same time. It presents the conduct of the Ply- mouth authorities in an unenviable light; for at the time there seems to have been no evidence whatever of the hos- tile designs attributed to the successor of the great sachem of the Wampanoags, who had been so true a friend to the English. The seizure of Alexander was therefore an outrage, that might well wound the spirit of the savage king, and animate his successor with the purposes of revenge. Judge Davis, in his edition of Morton, presents a different view of the case, and one which would go to relieve the government of Plymouth from the harsh judgment to which previous accounts had given rise. It is contained in a letter from the Rev. John Cotton of Plymouth, to Dr. Increase Mather, without date, but probably written in 1677, and refers to the account which had been drawn up by the authorities of Ply- mouth, styled " Narrative de Alexandra."* The letter begins, " Major Bradford [who was with Mr. Winslow when Alexander was surprised] confi- dently assures me, that in the Narrative de Jllexandro, there are many mistakes, and, fearing lest you should, through information, print some mistakes on that subject, from his mouth I this write. Reports being here that Alexander was plotting, or privy to plots, against the English, authority sent to him to come down. He * This Narrative, in manuscript, is in the library of the Mass. Hist. Society. 166 THOMAS PRENCE. came not. Whereupon Major Winslow was sent to fetch him. Major Bradford with some others, went with him. At Munponset River, a place not many miles hence, they found Alexander with about eight men and sundry squaws. He was there about getting canoes. He and his men were at breakfast under their shelter, their guns being without. They saw the English coming, but con- tinued eating; and Mr. Winslow telling their business, Alexander, freely and readily, without the least hesitancy, consented to go, giving his reason why he came not to the court before, viz : because he waited for Capt. Willett's return from the Dutch, being desirous to speak with him first.* They brought him to Mr. Collier's that day, and Governor Prence living remote at Eastham, those few magistrates who were at hand issued the matter peacea- bly, and immediately dismissed Alexander to return home, which he did part of the way ; but, in two or three days after, he returned and went to Major Wins- low's house, intending thence to travel into the bay and so home ; but, at the major's house, he was taken very sick, and was, by water, conveyed to Mr. Bradford's, and thence carried upon the shoulders of his men to Tetehquet River, and thence in canoes home, and, about two or three days after, died."f * Capt. Thomas Willett, who is here referred to, was one of the Leyden Pil- grims ; came over in 1629; was an assistant from 1651 to 1665, when he re- moved to New York, and became the first English mayor of that city. Owning lands in the Narragansett country, he afterwards settled near Mount Hope, where he had much intercourse and influence with the Indians. He died at Barrington, R. I., 4 Aug. 1674, aged 64. Francis Willett, distinguished in Rhode Island, was his grandson, and Colonel Marinus Willett, of New York, a distinguished officer of the revolutionary war, and mayor of the city, was his descendant. t Davis' Morton, Appendix A. A. p. 425. See also Drake's Book of the Indians, b iii. c. 1. THOMAS PRENCE. 167 After the death of Alexander, Philip his successor appeared at Plymouth, and renewed his professions of peace. But the great chieftain, foreseeing the inevitable fate of his race, unless the march of the white population could be arrested, was secretly nourishing his schemes of vengeance, which precipitated the terrible war of 1675. A conviction on the part of Governor Prence,, that such was in fact the deliberate purpose of the wily Philip, caused him to adopt the rigorous measures which have been noticed, and for which his wisdom and humanity have sometimes been called in question. In his belief, however, they were necessary to guard the colony from sudden war ; and we know that the terrible struggle did not ensue until after his death. The visit from the Royal Commissioners, Nicolls, Carr, and others, in 1665, was also productive of much uneasiness in the colony, and not a little embarrassment to the authorities. New Plymouth was at this time the weakest of all the colonies ; but she nevertheless con- trived to hold on to her independence. The Com- missioners promised them a. charter, if they would set an example of compliance, by allowing the King to select their governors; but the general court, after due deliber- ation, "with many thanks to the Commissioners, and great protestations of loyalty to the King, chose to be as they were." Governor Prence extended to these Commissioners a most cordial reception, as the authorized agents of the King, and so managed, by a little skillful courtesy, as to avoid giving them the offence which the proceedings in Massachusetts had occasioned. In the reports of the Commissioners, New Plymouth was consequently com- 168 THOMAS PRENCE. plimented for her loyalty, and was, not long after, pro- mised the especial favour of the King.* It appears from the report of the Commissioners to the King, that but " one plaint" was made to them at Plymouth, and that was, that "the governor would not let a man enjoy a farm of four miles square, which he had bought of an Indian." The fact, that no complaint should have been preferred, except this one against the governor, for exercising his power to prevent a wrong, discovers a degree of public confidence in the local government of this little jurisdiction, which has rarely been equalled. To understand the grounds of the inter- ference of Governor Prence, in this case, it should be remembered, that in the treaty made with Massasoit in 1621, and renewed with that sachem and his son Alexan- der, in 1639, the government of New Plymouth took the precaution to prevent the Indians from disposing of their lands to individuals. They foresaw that the practice, if * The King was so well pleased with the loyal tone of the people of New Plymouth, at this period, that he addressed them a letter couched in the follow- ing o-racious terms: "Charles R. Trusty and well beloved, we greet you well. Having received so lull and satisfactory an account from our commis- sioners, both of the good reception you have given them, and also of your du- tifulness and obedience to us : We cannot but let you know how much we are p'eised therewith ; judging that respect of yours towards our officers, to be the true and natural fruit which demonstrates what fidelity and affection towards us is rooted in your hearts. And although your carriage doth of itself, most justly deserve our praise and approbation, yet it seems to be set off with the more lustre, by the contrary deportment of the colony of Massachusetts, as if, by their refractoriness, they had designed to recommend and heighten the merit of your compliance with our directions, for the peaceable and good government of our subjects in those parts. You may therefore assure yourselves, that we shall never be unmindful of this your loyal and dutiful behavior, but shall, upon all occasions, take notice of it to your advantage ; promising you our con- stant protection and royal favor, in all that may concern your safety, peace and re. And so we bid you farewell. Given at our court at Whitehall, the tOth day of April, 1666, in the 18th year of our reign. By his Majesty's com- mand. Will. Morrice." THOMAS PRENCE. 169 allowed, would be attended with the most pernicious consequences; that it would lay the foundations for end- less lawsuits., and the Indians themselves would be eventually stripped of all their lands, by the deceptions and intrigues of individuals. They therefore determined to consider all sales by the Indians to individuals, without the assent of the government, as invalid, and the chiefs, father and son, agreed to the stipulation that none such should be made. The wisdom of this policy can scarcely be doubted. Amidst various perplexities, during the long adminis- tration of Governor Prence, the government at New Plymouth appears on the whole to have pursued a firm and steady course, in the promotion of the substantial interests of the people; and if we except a lamentable departure from a just and prudent toleration on religious topics, during the sixteen successive years of his magis- tracy, it is believed, that little will be found to reprehend, and much to approve. The bigotry which stained some portions of his career, was common to the age. His integrity was never questioned, save by the enthusiasts whom he looked upon as scoffers, and whose claim to liberty of conscience, appeared to him but a claim to reject the law of the gospel altogether. When Roger Williams, in 1670, bold in his defence of the great prin- ciples of religious freedom, proposed to Gov. Prence, to u dispute these and other points of difference," before the public, at Boston, Hartford, and Plymouth,* — Governor Prence replied, declining the proposition, but in terms which proved that no opposition would be offered to him, and no restraint imposed upon any persons who might * See I Mass. Hist. Coll. i. 275, letter of Roger Williams. 22 170 THOMAS PRENCE. desire to hear him. He denies that the Plymouth govern- ment had any design to oppress a neighboring colony, or to deprive them of "that which is by some cried up above all you call New England's gods, viz. liberty for every one to worship God as he lists, or liketh best; and why not what God he liketh best also ?" He declines a public discussion with Roger Williams, " not because we have not some, through the grace of God, both able and willing to maintain what truth we profess against gain- sayers; but who would expect to be any whit perfected or completed in matters appertaining to God's worship, by such as close not with any public worship upon earth, that is known ? Not I. Such worship," continues Gov- ernor Prence, "and a Samaritan religion, are much alike to me."* The administration of Governor Prence is rendered illustrious, by his zealous efforts to introduce a regular system of free schools into the colony. It has been inti- mated that a keen sense of his own deficiency in educa- tion, compared with the ability and learning of his im- mediate predecessors, first led him to espouse the cause of free schools. If such was the fact, it is still more to his credit; as a sense of personal deficiency oftener pro- duces exactly the contrary result — a desire to' pull down, rather than to build up, the institutions of learning. It is certain that he met with earnest, and for a time suc- cessful opposition, and that at first he succeeded only so far as to effect the establishment of a free school at Ply- mouth, which was supported by the profits of the fishery at Cape Cod. Previous to his death, however, he had the satisfaction to behold the system which he had so * See I Mass. Hist. Coll. vi. 203, reply of Gov. Prence. THOMAS PRENCE. 171 earnestly advocated, and which was destined to work out incalculable benefits to posterity, in successful operation in most of the towns of the colony, and sustained, as he knew it must be, to be extensively beneficial, at the pub- lic expense. In the inventory of the library of Governor Prence, after his decease, 44 school books are mentioned. " This shews, he was a scholar," says the late John Cot- ton, Esq., in a manuscript quoted by Judge Davis. The inference, however, is somewhat questionable, when other indications are considered. But though he was not a scholar, he was impressed with the importance of learn- ing in the community, and indulged a generous zeal in promoting literary acquisitions, which he did net himself possess. The school books, in his possession were proba- bly intended for distribution in the schools, which he had succeeded in having established at the public expense.* Governor Prence was often employed in other public services of importance. He was a member of the coun- cil of war, and treasurer of the colony ; was for twelve years one of the Commissioners of the United Colonies, and in 1672, was chosen the first president of the Board of Commissioners, under the new articles of Confedera- tion, adopted in September of that year.f The integrity of Governor Prence was proverbial among the people. As a magistrate, it is observed of him, that he so scrupulously rejected every thing which * Davis' Morton, 423. - t See account of the first union of the Colonies, page 120. The confederation of the four colonies in 1643, was re-organized in 1672, in consequence of the union of the New Haven colony with Connecticut, in 1665, and other changes in the relative condition of the colonies. The power of the Commissioners was now somewhat restricted, and instead of being executive, it was made in most cases merely advisory. — Baylies, ii. 191. 172 THOMAS PRENCE. had even the appearance of a bribe, that if any person, who had a cause in court, sent a present of any kind to his family during his absence, he immediately on being informed of it, returned the value in money — sometimes signifying to the party concerned that such a course of conduct was more likely to operate to his injury than to advance his cause. His industry, energy, and sound judgment, rendered him a very useful instrument in conducting the affairs of the rising colony, and would have made him a very respectable public character in a far more considerable community. During his administration, there were two revisals of the laws of the colony : one in 1658, the other in 1671. The last digest is said to have been the work of his hands.* Among the good deeds of Governor Prence, we should not omit to mention his exertions for a fixed and * The revision made in 1671, was printed in 1672, by Samuel Green, at Cam- bridge, in a folio of 50 pages. Thomas' Hist. Print, i. 260. Baylies says " that not a single copy of the printed laws is now extant.-" Hist. New Plymouth, ii. 73. He is however in error, as a copy of the edition of 1671, is in the Libra- ry of the Massachusetts Historical Society. These laws were re-printed for the Colony in 1685, by Green, at Boston, in a folio of 90 pages, with the following title : " The Book of the General Laws of the Inhabitants of the Jurisdiction of New-Plymouth, collected out of the records of the General Court, and lately revised: and with some Emendations and Additions Established and Disposed into such Order as they may readily Conduce to General Use and Benefit. And by the Order and Authority of the General Court of New-Plymouth, held at Plymouth, June 2d, Anno Dom. 1685. Reprinted and Published. Nathaniel Clerk, Secrt. Be subject to every Ordinance of Mini for the Lord's sake. I Pet. 2. 13. Boston in New England : Printed by Samuel Green, 1685." A fine copy of this edition of the Laws of New Plymouth, is preserved in the library of Hon. Peter Force, of Washington City; appended to which are thirteen pages of manuscript, containing copies of sundry Orders made by Governor Andros and his Council, in 1687, respecting the courts of law, jurisdiction of justices of the peace, &c. apparently copied from the original record, and certified by what appears to be the genuine signature of" John West, D. Secretary." THOMAS PRENCE. 173 competent support of an able and learned ministry. In many of the scattered settlements, a disposition prevailed to neglect this important branch of public instruction, and to employ incompetent lay exhorters — practices which he uniformly discountenanced. The Plymouth Church records, in noticing the char- acter of Governor Prence, depart from their usual course, by an indication of his personal appearance, from which it may be supposed that it was peculiarly digni- fied and striking : " He was excellently qualifyed for the office of governour. He had a countenance full of majesty, and therein, as well as otherwise, a terror to evil doers." Governor Prence died at his residence in Eastham, 29 March, 1673,* in the 73d year of his age. His re- mains were brought to Plymouth, and, on the 8th of April following, honorably interred among the fathers on Burial Hill. Governor Prence was twice married. His only son Thomas, went to England young, married there, and soon after died, leaving an only daughter, whose name was Susanna. The governor was anxious that she should come to America, but this was prevented by the fond- ness of her mother. His eldest daughter Rebecca, was married to Edmund Freeman, Jr. of Sandwich. These were the children of Patience Brewster, a daughter of * "Thomas Prence, Esq. Governor of the Jurisdiction of New Plymouth, died 29th March, 1673, and was interred the 8th of April following, after hee had served God in the office of Governor 16 yeares, or neare thereunto. He finished his course in the 73 yeare of his life ; hee was a worthy gentleman, very pious, and very able for his office, and faithful in the discharge thereof, studious of peace, a well-wisher to all that feared God, and a terror to the wicked ; his death was much lamented, and his body honorably buried at Plymouth the day and yeare above mentioned." Plymouth Colony Records. 174 THOMAS PRENCE. the venerable William Brewster, to whom Governor Prence was married in 1624. By his second wife, Mary, who was the daughter of William Collier, one of the assistants, formerly a London merchant, and to whom he was married in 1635, he was the father of seven daugh- ters, viz: Mary, married to John Tracy of Duxbury; Elizabeth, to Arthur Howland of Duxbury; Judith, to Isaac Barker of Duxbury ; Hannah, to Nathaniel Mayo, of Eastham ; Jane, to Mark Snow of Eastham ; Sarah, to Jeremiah Howes of Yarmouth ; Mercy, to John Free- man of Eastham. The Governor uniformly wrote his name Preivce, as given in this memoir. The common orthography is sup- posed to be in conformity to the pronunciation, and ac- cording to the mode of spelling adopted by the families of Prince, who settled at Nantasket and Hull. Gov- ernor Prence having left no male descendants, those of the name in Boston, and other parts of the country, are not of his family ; many of them are known to be de- scended from John Prince of Hull, son of Rev. John Prince, of East Shefford, in Berkshire, England, who came to this country in 1633, settled first at Watertown or Cambridge, was admitted freeman in 1635, removed to Hull, and died there in 1676. Rev. Mr. Prince, the chronologist, a grandson of John Prince, remarks, that Governor Prence highly valued him, and claimed a re- mote relationship. 175 V. JOSIAS WINSLOW. • Josias Winslow, the fifth governor of the colony of New Plymouth, was the son of Edward Winslow, of whose life and public services some account has been given in the preceding pages. He was born at Marsh- field, in the year 1629.* In his early education he enjoyed neither the discipline nor advantages of a school or college, as there was no school in the colony at that period ; but he had the benefit of his father's immediate care and instruction, as well as of the counsels and assis- tance of the excellent Mr. Brewster and of Governor Bradford ; and his public career served to shew that he had profited by their examples of steady virtue, ener- getic spirit, and disinterested public action. He was the first native of* the country who held the office of gover- nor, and has been pronounced "the most accomplished man of his day in New England." Mr. Winslow was introduced into public life at a very early age. In 1643, probably as soon as he was eligible to that post, he was chosen one of the deputies to the general court from the settlement at Marshfield, and was elected to the same trust in several subsequent years. In 1657, soon after the death of his father, he was ap- pointed one of the assistants, and was annually re-elected until chosen governor. Two years afterwards, in 1659, he was appointed to a still more responsible station, in the * Some writers give the English termination to the christian name of Mr. Winslow, Josiah; but in this memoir, the name is given as I find it uniformly written by himself, in all the manuscripts which I have seen, containing his signature. 176 JOSIAS WIJYSLOW. existing condition of the colony, that of major, or chief military commander of the colony — a post hitherto held by the warlike Miles Standish. In the early periods of the colonial government, the- highest military office was that of captain; but in 1653, the military force was placed under the command of a major, who was appointed by the council of war, con- sisting of eleven men, to whom in that year had been transferred the whole power of military legislation for the colony, and the appointment of all military officers. The major was the chief officer over all the forces of the colony, subject only to the instructions of the council of war. During the memorable Indian war of 1675, Governor Winslow had the command of the forces of the confeder- ated colonies, as general-in-chief. He was first chosen one of the commissioners from Plymouth colony under the confederation, in 165S, and was re-elected to the same office annually for thirteen successive years. A brief survey of the principles and objects of this celebrated confederation of the New England colonies — the germ of our present happy union of independent States — has been given in the memoir of the first Gover- nor Winslow.* In all the deliberations of the Commissioners, after he became a member of that body, Mr. Winslow bore a conspicuous part, and exercised a salutary influence. It was an age of severe religious discipline. The tolera- tion of any sect but one's own, was almost universally considered at that time as absolutely heretical, and sub- versive of all religious faith and discipline, and dangerous * See pp. 120—122, of this volume. JOSIAS WINSLOW. 177 to the community.* The persecuted had in turn become the persecutors. The laws against the anabaptists, and more especially those against the Quakers, not then so orderly a people as at present, were severe in the ex- treme, and were executed to the very letter: fully de- monstrating the truth of the remark of Montesquieu, that iC every religion which is persecuted, becomes itself per- secuting; for as soon as by some accidental turn it arises from persecution, it attacks the religion that persecu- ted it." It should be mentioned as a circumstance honorable to the character of Governor Winslow, that he opposed the rigorous measures adopted in New Plymouth against the Quakers. When the Commissioners of the United Colonies, in 1658, exasperated by the obstinacy and vio- lence of the new sect, issued to the several colonies the recommendation that they should be put to death, " unless they publicly renounced their cursed errors " — he had the moral courage to oppose this horrible edict, and he opposed it in every form. It is not often that public men have the nerve to stand up in opposition to the great body of the people whom they serve ; le.^s often are they found to possess the strength of character * The early writers of New England are seldom found to touch upon this subject, otherwise than in terms of bitterness. Ward, in " The Simple Cobler of Agawam," says — " That state that will give Liberty of Conscience in matters of Religion, must give Liberty of Conscience and Conversation in their Moral Laws, or else the Fiddle will be out of Tune, and some of the strings crack. * * * It is said, That Men ought to have Liberty of their Conscience, and that it is' Persecution to debar them of it : I can rather stand amazed than reply to this :• it is an astonishment to think that the brains of men should be parboyl'd in such impious ignorance : Let all the wits under the Heavens lay their heads to- o-ether and find an assertion worse than this, (one excepted,) I will petition to be chosen the universal Ideot of the World." — See "The Simple Cobler," in Force's Tracts, Vol. Ill, No. 8. 23 178 JOSIAS WINSLOW. and capacity necessary to enable them to stem the tor- rent of a general public delusion. This independence of the popular sentiment, under the preceding adminis- tration of Governor Prence, had caused General Cud- worth, Isaac Robinson, and other excellent men to be proscribed, and driven from public employment; but Mr. Winslow's popularity was such, that he was enabled to sustain himself in the attitude he had assumed. He was in advance of the times ; and the people soon began to see ,t; so that in the end, when the popular delusion had passed away, he was the more admired, and his influence became the stronger, for his firmness in maintaining his opinions. Governor Prence died in the spring of 1673, and at the next general court, which was held in June, Mr. Winslow was chosen his successor. He had now an op- portunity to make a further exhibition of his tolerant principles. We accordingly find that he immediately determined upon the restoration of a most valuable citi- zen, then in retirement, to his rights as a freeman, in order that he might avail himself of the benefit of his abilities and integrity in the public service. This per- son was General James Cudworth, an assistant from Scituate, in 1657, who had been left out of office, and disfranchised, under the administration of Governor Prence, in consequence of his opposition to the harsh proceedings against the Quakers.* Other persons, also proscribed for their opposition to the persecution of that sect, were soon after restored to their rights as freemen by Governor Winslow. One of these was Isaac Robin- son, son of the venerable puritan founder, John Robin- * See pp. 154, of this volume. J0SIAS WIN SLOW. 179 son, who seems to have inherited the liberal and tolerant spirit of his father. For some years previous to 1675, the people of the colony had lived in general harmony with their Indian neighbors. The treaty of 1621 with Massasoit had been scrupulously observed, and while he lived, the Indians were faithful to his promises. After his death, his son and successor, Alexander, who was understood to be conspiring with the Narragansetts against the English, was summoned before the governor and council at Ply- mouth, to answer to the charge. Hesitating about a com- pliance with this abrupt summons, he was surprised by a party under the command of Major Winslow, and finally persuaded by one of his own counsellors to go to the house of the governor at Plymouth. His indigna- tion was so great at his surprisal, that it threw him into a fever. He had leave to depart, on leaving his son as a hostage, but he died before reaching home.* Metacomet, of Pokanoket, better known as King Philrf), succeeded his brother Alexander. He affected to renew the treaty of peace, but he was at the same time secretly meditating the overthrow of the English. Far more intelligent than most of his race, he beheld with dismay the tokens which announced the falling for- tunes of his country. He saw his people wasting away, and that they must ultimately become extinct. He had also family wrongs to redress, and personal enmities to avenge. He had been subjected to ignominious treaties. The expressions of reverence and respect which he had * See particulars in relation to the surprisal and death of the sachem Alex- ander, pp. 163 — 166, ante. Compare also accounts in Drake's Book of the In- dians, b. iii. and authorities spread the King's colors even in the fort, on account of the Cross in them. (See p. 318, of this volume.) Hence, it has been observed, that Endecott's assent to Roger Williams' heresy may have had some influence in subjecting him to the censure above mentioned. Felt, than whom no one has more carefully studied the character of the first settlers of Massachusetts, in his Annals of Salem, says most of the principal men of the colony thought as Endecott did on the subject of the cross. " The difference between them was, that he manifested his opinion in deed, and they retained theirs in secret." Annals of Salem, 77. 1 Savage's Winthrop, i. 166. JOHN ENDECOTT. 355 quots terms of peace, on condition of their surrendering the murderers and forbearing further acts of hostility, or else war. When the military force arrived, the Pequots fled where pursuit became impracticable, and little was effected by the expedition. Winter was approaching, and Capt. Endecott deemed it prudent to return. He did not escape censure for the ill success of his expedition. The enemy was indeed emboldened by the result — and in the following year committed further aggressions, which were finally avenged, by the extinction of their tribe by the English under the warlike Captain Mason, aided by the friendly Narragansetts.* In 1644, Mr, Endecott was chosen governor of Mas- sachusetts. He was again elected to that office in 1649, and also from 1651 to 1653, and from 1655 to 1664, in the whole fifteen years — being at the head of the administra- tion of the colony for a longer period than any other governor under the old charter. His administration was of course marked by the en- ergy, as well as by the faults, of his character. A stern magistrate, fired by an intense zeal against all heresy, he was ready to apply the sword of the civil power for its extinction. When the enthusiast, Anne Hutchinson, be- gan to disturb the churches by her preaching, Endecott was found by the side of Dudley and the fiery Hugh Peters in opposition to her heresy. The elders and ma- gistrates were shocked by the boldness of her teachings, and alarmed at the progress of her doctrines among the people of Boston. Endecott assumed a high preroga- tive against all dissenting sects, and history records that as a magistrate he did not bear the sword in vain. Mrs. * See pp. 143 and 302, of this volume. 356 JOHN ENDECOTT. Hutchinson, after a formal trial, was banished, and the most conspicuous of her adherents, or rather those who were opposed to her persecution, were disarmed. Sever- al persons at Salem were disgraced, or excommunicated. Others, suspected of being friendly to the anabaptists, were deprived of personal liberty, or restricted to pre- scribed bounds; and in 1644, banishment was decreed against the whole sect. The spirit of this law was re- tained in the act of 1646, against heresy — and ten years after, when the Quakers made their appearance in Mas- sachusetts, an act of banishment was passed upon the entire sect, with the penalty of death, if disregarded. The rumor of the coming of the Quakers, filled the colonists with alarm. A fast was ordered on account of it in June, 1656. In October, the hated sect had made their appearance. The Court of Assistants thereupon pass an order, forbidding masters of vessels bringing them over, under a penalty of ,£100. They next order that if any Quaker comes into Massachusetts, he shall be con- fined, whipped, kept at work, and not suffered to speak. Any person bringing a Quaker book into the colony, was to be fined £5 for every book ; any one defending their doctrines, 40s. for the first offence, £4 for the second, and if persisting, then to be imprisoned and banished. 1657. October. The Court order a fine for every hour's entertainment or concealment of a Quaker, of 40s. They further order that if any male of that sect return after banishment, he shall have one of his ears cut off; and for a second return, shall have the other ear cut off, and be kept at the house of correction. Any female so doing, to be whipped, and kept at the house of correction. If any of either sex come back a third JOHN ENDECOTT. 357 time, they were to have their tongues bored through with a hot iron. And any colonists siding with them were to be treated with equal severity. 1658. May. The Court order that any person at- tending a Quaker meeting shall pay 10s. , and £5 for speaking where it may be held. In October of this year, the Quakers increasing, notwithstanding their persecu- tions, the Court order them to be banished on pain of death. 1661. May. The Court order that Quakers when discovered, shall be made bare from the middle upwards, tied to a cart, and whipped through the town to the boundary of the colony, and if returning a second time, to be similarly punished and branded on the shoulder, if a third time, to be banished on pain of death. On the 27th November, 1661, the General Court assembled to consider the order of the King, forbidding the further persecution of the Quakers, and voted to comply with the order. Sanguinary as these laws were, they were executed in many cases, and in all the forms enumerated, except- ing those of boring the tongue and cutting off the ears. Heavy fines were imposed, and imprisonment and stripes, chains and the dungeon, and even death were inflicted. In all these rigorous measures, Governor Endecott con- curred, with the hearty zeal of an honest but misguided man. In 1659, two men and one woman, (Quakers,*) were tried before the general court of Massachusetts, and sen- tenced to death. The two men were executed, but the * Their names were William Robinson, Marmaduke Stephenson, and Mary Dyer. Another, William Leddra, was executed, in March, 1660. 358 JOHN ENDECOTT. woman was reprieved, on condition of her departure from the jurisdiction in forty-eight hours; and if she re- turned, to suffer the sentence. She was carried, how- ever, to the gallows, and stood with a rope about her neck until the others were executed. " The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" — and many of these enthusiastic people actually courted persecution. The infatuated woman above mentioned returned, and was executed in 1660. Charles II. was restored in 1660, and in the following year issued a mandamus forbidding the further persecution of the Quakers.* The bloody laws were repealed, and the dawn of that glorious tolera- tion appeared, which has since redeemed and elevated the character of the country. Dr. Robertson styles Governor Endecott " a deep en- thusiast," and it is certain that his energetic mind was not unfrequently directed to the rigorous enforcement of frivolous observances. Well might the historian Hutch- * The Mandamus of King Charles is dated at Whitehall, the 9th day of September, 1661, and is directed "To our trusty and well-beloved John Ende- cott, esquire, and to all and every other the governor or governors of our plan- tations of New-England, and of all the colonies thereunto belonging, that now are or hereafter shall be, and to all and every the ministers and officers of our plantations and colonies whatsoever within the continent of New-England." There is a copy of it in Hazard's Collections, ii. 595, in Sewell's History of the Quakers, i. 475, and in the Journal of George Fox, pp. 326, 327. Fox gives the following account of its being presented to the governor. It was brought over in 1661, by Samuel Shattock, who had been banished by the government ot Massachusetts for being a Quaker. He and Ralph Goldsmith, the com- mander of the ship in which they came, " went through the town [of Boston] to the governor's, John Endecott's door, and knocked. He sent out a man to know their business. They sent him word their business was from the king of England, and they would deliver their message to none but the governor him- self. Thereupon they were admitted in, and the governor came to them ; and having received the deputation and the Mandamus, he put off his hat and looked upon them." Then going out, he bid the friends follow. He went to the deputy governor, and after a short consultation, came out to the friends, and said • We shall obey his majesty's commands.' " George Fox, Journal, folio p. 326. JOHN ENDECOTT. 359 inson remark, that the scrupulosity of the good people of the colony must have been at its height, when Gov- ernor Endecott, the most rigid of any of the magistrates, joined in an association against the custom of wearing long hair.* It is observed by Mather, in the Magnalia, that after the death of Mr. Dudley, the notice and respect of the colony fell chiefly on Mr. Endecott. He was at the head * Harvard College Records, under date of 3d mo. 10th day, 1649, contain the following paper, drawn up by the governor and magistrates against the cus- tom of wearing long hair : " Forasmuch as the wearing of long hair, after the manner of Ruffians and Barbarous Indians, has begun to invade New England, contrary to the rule of God's word, which sa3 r s it is a shame to wear long hair, as also the com- mendable custom generally of all the godly of our nation, until within these few years : " We the magistrates, who have subscribed this paper, (for the shewing of our own innocency in this behalf,) do declare and manifest our dislike and de- testation against the wearing of such long hair, as against a thing uncivil and unmanly, whereby men doe deforme themselves, and offend sober and modest men, and doe corrupt good manners. We doe therefore earnestly entreat all the elders of the jurisdiction (as often as they shall see cause) to manifest their zeal against it in their public administrations, and to take care that the mem- bers of their respective churches be not defiled therewith, that so such as shall prove obstinate and will not reform themselves, may have God and man to witness against them. The third month, 10th day, 1649. Jo. Endecott, governor. William Hibbins, Tiio. Dudley, dep. gov. Thomas Flint, Rich. Bellingham, Rob. Bridges, Richard Saltonstall, Simon Bkadstreet." Increase Nowell, A like absurdity in former days pricked the consciences of prelates, kings and courtiers. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, pronounced an anathema of excommunication on all who wore long hair. Serlo, a Norman bishop, ac- quired great honor by a sermon which he preached before Henry I. in 1104, against long curled hair, with which the king and his courtiers were so much affected, that they consented to resign their flowing ringlets, whereupon the prudent prelate, determining to give them no time to change their minds, pulled a pair of shears out of his sleeve, and performed the operation with his own hand. A canon is still extant, of the date of 10C6, importing that such as wore long hair should be excluded from the church whilst living, or being prayed for when dead. Now, the very curates rejoice in ringlets and macas- sar. — Black. Ediii. Mag. lvi. 460. 360 JOHN ENDECOTT. of the colony, during the difficult and critical period of the great political dissensions and civil wars in Eng- land. Mr. Endecott's bias in that controversy was ap- parent, and corresponded with that of the country, but the public proceedings were temperate and wise. On the restoration of Charles II., the English statesmen could not fail to perceive that the spirit of liberty was every where prevalent in the colonies. The Earl of Clarendon, in framing his plan for their government by commissioners, remarked, that " they were already har- dened into republics." In 1664, the royal commission was established, over-riding the existing charters, and in April of the following year, they began to execute their trust in Massachusetts. Governor Endecott was at this time in the chair, and when the commissioners pro- ceeded to sit in judgment upon the governor and gen- eral court of the colony, the spirit of the puritans was kindled, and the general court " published by sound of trumpet their disapprobation of this proceeding, and pro- hibited every one from abetting a conduct so inconsist- ent with their duty to their God, and allegiance to the King." The crest-fallen commissioners departed, threat- ening against the authorities of Massachusetts u the pun- ishment which many in England concerned in the late rebellion had met with." Thus early appeared in the fathers of Massachusetts the unyielding spirit of liberty, which a century afterwards was found to be invincible in their descendants. The famous stamp act was passed just a century after this abortive essay of the royal com- missioners. The firmness of Governor Endecott in these pro- ceedings was noted in England, and instructions were JOHN ENDECOTT. 361 given to the end that another person more acceptable to the King should be chosen governor at the next election. Governor Endecott died, however, before the effect of this recommendation could be ascertained. But as his integrity and firmness in the great agitations through which they had already passed, had gained the confi- dence of the people, there can be no doubt that the royal intimation to his prejudice would have been altogether disregarded. Governor Endecott, before his election to that office, removed from Salem to Boston, where he died in office on the 15th March, 1665, in the 77th year of his age. His will, dated at Boston, 2d May, 1659, mentions the house he lived in, which was on the lot formerly the re- sidence of Gardiner Greene. The house, a part of which was lately standing at the corner of Court and Church streets in Salem, occupied by Governor Ende- cott during his residence there, was first erected by the Dorchester company at Cape Ann, and removed from thence to Salem in 1628, by Walter Knight and others, for the Governor's use. The Rev. John Sparhawk oc- cupied this house in 1736, and Timothy Orne, Sen., afterwards. It was afterwards known as the iC Ship Tavern." Governor Endecott was a large landholder in different parts of the country. The first grant ever made in the interior of New Hampshire, was of 500 acres selected for Governor Endecott of the finest inter- val land on the Merrimack, in Concord. It was granted in 1657, and is now known as the Endecott, or Sewall farm. The farm cultivated by Governor Endecott near Salem, is said to remain in possession of a descendant. There is a good portrait of Endecott in one of the apart- 46 362 JOHN ENDECOTT. ments of the State House at Boston ; and another, said to be an original, in possession of W. P. Endicott, Esq., of Salem.* Governor Endecott has not unfrequently been repre- sented as rude and uncultivated, inexperienced in the passions of men, and untouched by any of the finer feel- ings and sympathies of our nature. Stern, inflexible, and uncompromising, particularly towards those who differed from him in religious matters ; his great firm- ness and decision have often been construed into grovel- ling wilfulness and unbending obstinacy. That he was a man of good intellectual endowments, and mental cul- ture, and that he possessed a fearless and independent spirit, which well fitted him for the various duties he was called upon to perform, is very certain. But his highest claim to distinction rests upon the fact that he was a successful leader of the Pilgrims, and his name is so closely associated with the first settlement of the coun- try, and with whose early history his own is so closely interwoven, that the learned and Rev. Dr. Bentley, of Salem, in a letter to the elder Adams, says, " above all others, he deserves the name of the Father of New England." The principal charge against Governor Endecott is his want of liberality in religious matters. "But where was liberality to be found in the seventeenth century ? Governor Endecott's integrity and firmness in all the po- litical questions which were agitated in his day with the mother country, merited the confidence and gratitude of his own. His was no temporizing policy. He was a *This gentleman is also said to possess the small sword used by Governor Endecott, and some of his Manuscripts. JOHJV ENDECOTT. 363 faithful sentinel upon the watch-towers of his country's interests, ever jealous of her rights, and ever zealous for her welfare. He fulfilled all the trusts committed to his care with an honesty of purpose, and a fidelity that knew no fear ; having for his reward, far above all earthly distinctions, the approval of his own conscience in a life well and usefully spent." From Prince, we learn that Governor Endecott brought a wife from England, of whose death no ac- count is given. Her name was Anna Gover. His second wife was Elizabeth Gibson, whom he married 18th August, 1630. She survived her husband.* Gov- ernor Endecott had two sons — John, the eldest, was born about the year 1 632, re- moved with his father to Boston in 1644, was married, Nov. 9, 1653, to Elizabeth, daughter of Jeremy Hou- chin, of Boston, admitted freeman in 1665, and died in 1667, leaving no children. Zerubabel, the second son, was born in 1635, was a physician, and lived in Salem ; and from him have de- scended all the Endecotts who have lived in Salem and its immediate vicinity. He was father of six sons and seven daughters. His first wife was Mary , the mother of most, if not all, of his children. His second wife was Elizabeth, widow of Rev. Antipas Newman, of Wenham, and daughter of Governor John Winthrop, of Connecticut, to whom he was married some time sub- sequent to the year 1672. He was admitted a freeman in 1665, and died March 27, 1684. The names of his * The property of Governor Endectt's widow not being sufficient for her support, the general court, in 1671, granted her an annuity of £30 during her widowhood. This act was an indication of the public respect both for her and her deceased husband. Felt's Annals of Salem, 239. 364 JOHN ENDECOTT. children, which are here mentioned in the order of their births, were Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Zerubabel, John, Samuel, Zerubabel, Benjamin, Joseph, Mary, Sarah, (who married Nathaniel Gilbert of Boston,) Elizabeth, Hannah and Mehitable. The three first died in infancy, and the others survived their father. By his will, dated Nov. 23, 1683, he bequeathed to his two eldest surviv- ing sons, John and Samuel, the old homestead of his father in Salem, (now Danvers,) called the " Orchard." To Zerubabel, Benjamin and Joseph, he left a tract of land of 555 acres, granted by the General Court to the Governor, and bequeathed by the Governor to him, on the Ipswich river in Topsfield, (now Boxford,) to be equally divided between them, with a proviso that if either died without heirs, his part was to revert to the survivors. The five daughters inherited an island of about two acres near Marblehead, called Cotta Island, and other legacies. John, eldest son of Zerubabel, and grandson of the Governor, was born about 1662; was, like his father, a physician, and some time in London, England, complet- ing his education. He married Ann , had one son, Robert Edwards, who died without issue, and one daughter, Anna, who married her cousin Samuel, Dec. 20, 1711. He died at Salem, probably on the " Or- chard'' farm, in May, 1 7 00. Felt, in his Annals of Salem, says he was " active, useful and respected." Samuel, second son of Zerubabel, was born about the year 1664, lived at the " Orchard " in Salem, married Hannah , and had two sons, John and Samuel. Until within a few years, the " Orchard farm " has been cultivated by, and has been the residence of, some one JOHN ENDECOTT. 365 of the descendants of Samuel, many of whom have led peaceful and quiet lives, cultivating the soil for a liveli- hood, without entering public life, any further than oc- casionally representing the town in which they resided, either in the legislature or in municipal trusts ; while some of the fifth and many of the sixth generation turned their attention to commerce, and were successful mer- chants, fulfilling all their obligations with fidelity. There are one or two families living in Worcester county, Mas- sachusetts, but Salem and vicinity has been, and still is, their " home." Some have been sea captains, generally in the China trade, and having " had enough of the sea," are now filling responsible and honorable stations in society. Zerubabel, third son of Zerubabel, was born Feb. 14, 1664, married Grace , by whom he had one son, named Zerubabel, and five daughters, Grace, Mehita- ble, Elizabeth, Phebe and Hannah. In 1715, he was living on his inheritance in Topsfield, as a farmer, where he died. The son Zerubabel dying without heirs, sub- sequently to the father, the five sisters finally possessed the family estate. Benjamin, fourth son of Zerubabel, was born in 1687, and in 1715 was living on the Topsfield farm as a farmer, where he died in 1735, without heirs. Joseph, fifth son of Zerubabel, was born at Salem (the birth place of all his father's children) in 1669, mar- ried Hannah , and left at his death, according to his will, recorded in the office of the Secretary of State, at Trenton, New Jersey, two sons, John and Joseph, and two daughters, Ann Gillam, and Elizabeth Delavane. A grandson, Joseph Bishop, is also mentioned. In a 366 JOHN EJVDECOTT. deed executed by him, and recorded in what is now Boxford, Massachusetts, he styles himself " Joseph En- decott, of North Hampton, county of Burlington, in West Jersey, in the government of New York, yeoman." He died in May, 1747, at North Hampton. Benjamin, son of John, and grandson of Joseph En- decott, of North Hampton, was a soldier of the Revolu- tion. John, his son, was lately living, at an advanced age, in Port Republic, New Jersey, where others of the family reside. About the year 1700, there were living in Boston three brothers, John, William and Gilbert Endecott, the elder of which appears to have been a man of some note, if owning lands and houses, and holding the office of church warden in King's Chapel would make him so. Where these brothers were born, or whence they came to Boston, is uncertain. John, the eldest, was father of about ten children, none of which survived him; Wil- liam, of about as many more, of which no account can be given, and Gilbert, of two only, whose descendants are numerous in Norfolk county, Massachusetts, where he died, Oct. 18, 1716. The families of that name in Boston, are supposed to be derived from Governor En- decott, and those residing in New York are descended from Gilbert, of Boston. The Governor spelt his name Endecott, and this mode of spelling was retained as late as 1724, as the records show. Since that time, it has been variously written, Endicott, Indecott, and Endicot, and few names have suf- fered more from distortion in spelling than this. 367 VII. JOHN LEVERETT. John Leverett was a native of England, and came over with his father. Elder Thomas Leverett, in compa- ny with the Rev. John Cotton and others, in 1633, Thomas Leverett lived at Boston, in Lincolnshire, Eng- land, where all his children, sixteen in number, were born and baptized, the youngest of which was baptized 12th April, 1632. Mr. Leverett, being disposed to aid the emigration of settlers to Massachusetts, advanced fifty pounds sterling, for the purpose of transporting poor families, building churches and fortifications, maintaining ministers, and other public charges of the plantation.* He came over in 1633, in company with the Rev. Mr. Cotton and others, became a member of the Boston church in October of that year, at which time his wife Anne also joined, and on the 5th November following, was admitted to the freeman's oath. Dr. Cotton Mather ascribes to the vigilance and discretion of Mr. Leverett, while in England, the defeat of many designs to molest his friend Mr. Cotton for non-conformity; and says, that " quickly after Mr. Cotton's ordination in Boston, the church called and settled Mr. Leverett as their ruling elder, which office he sustained till his death." * The general court of Massachusetts, 19 Oct. 1652, acknowledged the obli- , gations of the colony to Elder Leverett, by the following vote : " Whereas the father of Captain John Leverett, deceased, was an adventurer with the first into these parts, by adventuring money for the forwarding the plantation, who never had any allowance of land or otherwise for the same : This Court doth hereby grant to Capt. John Leverett, his son, all those small Islands lying within the Bay between Allerton's Point, and Nehenot, not heretofore granted." Mass, Colony Records. 368 JOHN LEVERETT. John Leverett was born in July, 1616, and, notwith- standing the numerous family of his father, is said to have been his only son and heir at the time of Eider Leverett's decease.* He was admitted to the Boston church, 14th July, 1639, and made a freeman in 1640. Soon after his establishment in Boston, he engaged in extensive business as a merchant, and was concerned in hazardous commercial adventures with Edward Gibbons, by which he impaired his fortune. He also became a distinguished military officer, and in 1663, was chosen major general of the colony, and again in 1666. He was an active member of the Ancient and Honorable Artil- lery Company of Boston for more than thirty-two years; and, besides other offices in the company, was commander in 1652, 1663, and 1670. Mr. Leverett spent a considerable portion of his life in the service of the colony. In 1642, he was sent with Edward Hutchinson, on an embassy to Miantonomoh, the sachem of the Narragansetts, the object of which was to ascertain the truth of the current rumors, that the In- dians all over the country had combined to cut off the English settlements. It was a period of great alarm. A constant watch was kept in the several plantations from sunset to sunrise, and places of retreat provided for the women and children in case of attack. The Indians within the colony were disarmed ; but after all, there seems to have been no sufficient grounds for the general alarm. Mr. Leverett informed the sachem of the rea- sons of his coming, and that the governor required of him an explanation. * See Appendix to Waldo's Defence of the Title of John Leverett to the Muscongus Lands, &c, folio, 1736, p. 41. JOHN LEVERETT. 369 His reception by the great chief, is thus described by Winthrop : " Miantonomoh carried them apart into the woods, taking only one of his chief men with him, and gave them very rational answers to all their propositions. He visited Boston according to his promise. Being cal- led in, and mutual salutations passed, he was set down at the lower end of the table over against the governor, and had only two or three of his counsellors, and two or three of our neighboring Indians, such as he desired, but would not speak of any business at any time, before some of his counsellors were present, that they might bear witness with him at his return home of all his sayings. "In all his answers, he was very deliberate, and showed good understanding in the principles of justice and equity and ingenuity withal. He demanded to have his accu- sers produced. The English answered, the accusers were not in their power; that they did not intend to give any credit to their charges, until they had informed him of them, and given him an opportunity to deny them. He then asked, why they disarmed their Indians, if they had not credited these charges? They answered, they had done it for their own security, some of the Indians at Saco having robbed some of the whites; and with this answer he was satisfied. He gave many reasons why they should hold him free of any such conspiracy, al- ledging it to be a fabrication of his enemy, Uncas. He said that, being innocent, he trusted to the justice of the English, and that he would come to them any time they requested, if they would only send him some Indians he liked. The greater part of two days were spent in making arrangements, and all things were accommodated. Only some difficulty we had to bring him to desert the 47 370 JOHN LEVERETT. Nyariticks, if we had just cause of war with them. They were, he said, his own flesh, being allied by continual intermarriages. But at last he agreed, if he could not bring them to make satisfaction, he would leave them to the English. When we should go to dinner, there was a table provided for the Indians to dine by themselves, and Miantonomoh was left to sit with them. This he was discontented at, and would eat nothing until the gov- ernor sent meat for him from his own table. When he departed, we gave him and his counsellors, coats and to- bacco, and when he came to take leave of the governor, and such of the magistrates as were present, he returned and gave his hand to the governor, saying that was for the rest of the magistrates who were absent."* Mr. Leverett spent some time in England, in 1644-5, and while there, was appointed a captain in Rainsborrow's regiment, in the service of parliament, but soon after re- turned to Massachusetts. He was first chosen represen- tative from Boston, in 1651, and during a portion of the year was Speaker of the House. He was re-elected in 1652 and '3, and again in 1663, '4 and '5. In July, 1652, Mr. Leverett was one of the commis- sioners appointed to visit the settlements in Maine, and declare them to be under the jurisdiction of Massachu- setts. Soon after, a county called Yorkshire was estab- lished in Maine, and sent deputies to the general court at Boston. In 1653, the public mind having become impressed with the idea that a plot had been concerted by the Dutch Governor Stuy vesant and the Indians, for the destruction of the English colonies, Mr. Leverett was appointed one * Savage's Winthrop, ii. 81. JOHN LEVERETT. 371 of the commissioners of Massachusetts, to the Dutch gov- ernment of New York, and was made commander of the forces contemplated to be raised in case of war. In 1654, he had a military command under General Sedgwick, in expelling the French from Penobscot, an enterprise in which they succeeded with very little difficulty.* In 1655, Mr. Leverett again went to England, and was employed in the public service there for some time until his return in 1662. Immediately after his return he was re-elected to the assembly of the colony, and was chosen speaker in 1663 and in 1664. He went with Lusher and Danforth, in 1665, to Portsmouth and Dover, as one of the commissioners to enquire into the distur- bances there, which had been created by a faction head- ed by one Abraham Corbett, inimical to the government of Massachusetts. Corbett was in the end arrested, tak- en to Boston, and fined and otherwise punished for sedi- tious behavior, f He was one of the four persons, in 1664, to whom the patent or first charter was delivered by the general court, to be kept safe and secret, together with a dupli- cate, which they were directed to dispose of as might be most safe for the country. Governor Bellingham, Thomas Clark, and Edward Johnson were the others. J In 1665, Mr. Leverett was chosen an Assistant, and continued in that office until 1670. In 1671 and 1672, he was elected deputy governor. At the election in 1673, he was chosen governor to succeed Mr. Bellingham, and was annually re-elected without opposition until his death, in 1679. * All the country from the Penobscot to Port Royal was conquered with very little resistance. Hutchinson's Colony Mass. Bay, 183. t Farmer's Belknap, 60. t See p. 341, of this volume. 372 JOHN LEVERETT. As has already been stated, the authority of Massa- chusetts had been extended over the settlements in Maine, and Governor Leverett had visited that territory in 1652, and several times afterwards, to arrange the terms of sub- mission. The inhabitants in some cases resisted the claim of Massachusetts, regarding it as a usurpation ;.* and to put an end to the troublesome controversy, the gov- ernment of Massachusetts, in 1677, purchased of Gorges the province of Maine for the sum of £1,250 sterling.f In February, 1680, the General Court of Massachusetts assumed the charter granted to Gorges, under their right of purchase, and proceeded to frame a civil administra- tion for the province. The delay of nearly three years after the purchase to assume the patent of Gorges, may be accounted for from the disagreeing opinions as to the best mode of governing the newly acquired territory, and from the known hostility of the King to the purchase by Massachusetts. Charles II. had intended, with the pro- vinces of Maine and New Hampshire, to make provision for his son, the Duke of Monmouth, and had been for some time in treaty with the proprietor of Maine, but was outwitted by the agents of Massachusetts. He was so deeply affronted when he heard of the transfer, that he reprimanded the agents for their disloyal interference, and required them to assign their purchase to the crown, upon payment of the sum they had given. This they refused to do, and Massachusetts, with the usual resolute steadfastness which actuated her people whenever the royal prerogative bore hard upon them, determined to make the most of her purchase. * See Folsom, Hist. Saco and Biddeford, pp. 84—90. t Hutchinson's Hist. Col. Mass. Bay, 312. JOHN LEVERETT. 373 In 1678, Edward Randolph, who had been appointed collector of Boston, came over, bringing a commission, empowering certain persons to administer an oath to the governor that he would faithfully execute the Royal Acts of Trade. The colony were determined to evade these acts, and Governor Leverett refused to take the oath required. The people considered the navigation acts as an invasion of their rights, as they were not repre- sented in parliament; and the controversy ended only with the subversion of their charter. Governor Leverett is described by Cotton Mather, as "one to whom the affections of the freemen were signal- ised his quick advances through the lesser stages of honor and office, unto the highest in the country ; and one whose courage had been as much recommended by martial actions abroad in his younger years, as his wis- dom and justice were now at home in his elder."* He received the order of knighthood from Charles II. in 1676 ; but he suppressed the title, or knowledge of it, during his life, probably on account of his republican employments, and the genius of the colonial government. He was in England at the time of the restoration, attend- ing to the interests of the colony, which brought the King acquainted with his talents and influence, and led to the bestowal of subsequent honors. "The Governor under the old charter," says Hutch- inson, " although he carried great port, yet his share in the administration was little more than any one of the Assistants. The weighty affairs of the war, and the agency, during his administration, conducted with pru- dence and steadiness, caused him to be greatly respect- * Magnalia, b. 2. c. 5. 374 JOHN LEVERETT. ed."* " Great military talents/' says Savage, "fitted him for the place of sergeant-major-generalf several years, and in the higher station of governor, in the most peril- ous period Massachusetts ever knew, Philip's war, they were fully exerted." In this great struggle, Massachu- setts furnished her full proportion of men and means; and many of her bravest sons fell, before the Indians were conquered. The command of the forces raised by the United Colonies devolved upon General Winslow, the governor of New Plymouth, and a summary of the events of that sanguinary war will be found in the memoir of Josias Winslow. | Governor Leverett died on 16th March, 1679. His funeral was made a pageant, not unlike that of royalty in England. § The disease of which Governor Leverett died was the gravel, as appears by Mather, and also an interleaved * The general court of Massachusetts, 7th May, 1662, " Ordered, that Ma- jor General John Leverett have granted to him 500 acres of hand, referring to his services in the country, both in England and here ; which 500 acres shall be laid out to him together, with 500 more, formerly granted to him in refer- ence to his father's adventure of the sum of £50 put into the public stock, in consideration whereof, Brewster's Islands were formerly granted to the said Major John Leverett, but since adjudged by this court to belong to the town of Hull, whereupon the court granted the 500 acres last mentioned." Mass. Col. Records. i The first regular organization of militia in the country, was in 1644, when great exertions were made to render the militia efficient, and the emulation of the people was excited to provide for emergencies that might happen. All males were enrolled at sixteen— none being exempt, except" timorous persons" and there were but few who would permit themselves to be thus classed. The sol- diers were required to do duty eight days in a year under a penalty of 5s. a day— and a day's duty was the whole day spent in laborious drill, not a few hours of showy parade. The general court labored to avoid all high titles, and therefore ordered one general officer for the colony, whose title was Ser- geant Major General, to be chosen annually. $ See pp. 179—192, of this volume. § See Whitman's Hist. Anc. and Hon. Art., p. 95. JOHN LEVERETT. 375 Almanack of 1679. His picture, in the military costume of that day, his sword, collar, and gloves, &c, are pre- served in the Essex Historical Rooms, at Salem. He wore long hair, but is the first colonial governor painted without a long beard. He is said to have laid it aside in Cromwell's court. Governor Leverett was married, in 1639, to Hannah Hudson, daughter of Ralph Hudson, deceased, who by his will had bequeathed to this daughter "<£100 upon her marriage, and after his and his wife's decease, his new house in Boston with the yard adjoining, which then stood close to the market, on the south of the old Town House, and also his great lot of forty-six acres at Pullen Point." To match this respectable endowment, Elder Leverett at the same time settled upon his son various tracts of land and other property, and upon the decease of himself and wife, "his dwelling house in Boston, with the houses and gardens adjoining, and a hundred acres of land at Muddy River." The time of the death of the first wife of Governor Leverett is uncertain. The death of his second wife ? Sarah, who survived him twenty-five years, is mentioned as having occurred at Boston, 2d January, 1705, when she was at the age of 74. Mary, daughter of Governor Leverett, married Paul Dudley, son of the first Governor Dudley. He died in 1681, at the age of 31. Hudson Leverett, only son of Governor Leverett, was born in 1640. Hutchinson says, he did not support the reputation of his father ; but John Leverett, his son, in the presidency of Harvard College, gave a character to that institution which it had never before attained.* He * Savage's Winthrop, ii. 245. 376 JOHN LEVERETT. ■ graduated in 1680, was afterwards a tutor, became a mem- ber of the legislature, speaker of the assembly, counsellor, judge of the superior court, and of the court of probate. He was one of the founders of Brattle street church in Boston. In 1708, he was chosen President of Harvard College, in which station he continued until his death, which was sudden, 3d May, 1724. He was endowed with great powers of mind, and was conspicuous for his learning. His talents were eminently practical. He knew better than most men what course to shape in diffi- cult times, and how political and religious factions were to be managed or controlled. To these characteristics the College owed much of the prosperity it enjoyed at that period ; and these conferred the reputation for suc- cess, which has ever since rested upon his administration. In all his official relations, his industry, vigor, and fideli- ty were conspicuous and exemplary. Flynt's Funeral Oration ascribes to him Aristotle's words to Plato — u Hic jacet homo, quern non licet, non decet, impiis vel ignoran- tibus laudare" His literary merits procured him honors from abroad, particularly a membership in the Royal So- ciety of London.* * Quincy's Hist, of Harvard JJniversity, i. 323. Whitman's Hist. Arte, and Hon. Art. Co. 249. II VIII. SIMON BRADSTREET. Simon Bradstreet was a native of Horbling, A small village near Folkingham, in Lincolnshire, England,, where he was born in March, 1603. His father, born of a wealthy family in Suffolk, was one of the first fel- lows of Emanuel College, and highly esteemed by per- sons distinguished for learning. In the year 1603, he appears to have been minister at Horbling, in Lincoln- shire, but was always a nonconformist to the church of England. He was afterwards preacher to the English congregation at Middleburg, where he was most proba- bly driven by the severity of persecution. He was liv- ing about the year 1630. The first planters of New England had- the highest respect for him, and used to style him " The venerable Mordecai of his country."* The son was entered at the grammar school, where, after spending some time, he was taken into the family of the Earl of Lincoln, in which he remained about eight years, under the direction of Thomas Dudley, holding several offices at different periods in the household of the Earl. His capacity, and the desire which his father expressed to give his son an education, induced Dr. Preston, an intimate friend of the elder Bradstreet, to interest himself in behalf of the son. He was thereupon entered at Emanuel College, Cambridge, in the capacity of governor to the young Lord Rich, son of the Earl of Warwick. This young nobleman, however, did not come to the university ; and a brother of the Earl of * Brooke's Lives of the PuritanSj tii. 519. 48 378 SIMON BRADSTREET. Lincoln, of rather idle and dissipated habits, being then in college, and claiming too much of the time and atten- tion of Bradstreet, he left the institution after about a year, and returned to the Earl of Lincoln. Mr. Dudley being about to remove to New England, his post of stew- ard in the household of the Earl was conferred on Brad- street. He was afterwards steward to the aged Coun- tess of Warwick, and here became acquainted with Anne, daughter of Thomas Dudley, whom he married, in 1628. This connection induced him to join the company of Winthrop, Dudley, Saltonstall, Endecott, and others, who were then about to embark for New England. In March, 1630, he became associated with the company of colonists ; and, embarking with his family, arrived at Salem in June following. He was at the first court held at Charlestown, 23d August, 1630, and was there elected secretary of the colony, and remained in office until 1644. He is named as the seventh member who joined* in forming the first congregational church of Charles- town and Boston. In the spring of 1631, Mr. Bradstreet removed to Cambridge, and was one of the earliest settlers of that town. He resided, with Dudley, Saltonstall, and others, for a time, at Ipswich, between 1635 and 1644, and af- terwards removed to Andover, where he became one of the first planters of that town, in 1648. Among those who were banished from Massachu- setts, on account of their antinomian principles, was Cap- tain John Underhill, who settled at Dover, New Hamp- shire, and, on the expulsion of Burdet, was chosen "governor" of that town. He was himself an enthu- siast of bad character, and introduced Hanserd Knollys, SIMON BRADSTREET. 379 an Antinomian Baptist, to the ministry there. Knollys busied himself in calumniating the Massachusetts settlers, and soon raised up a strong party in opposition. Thomas Larkham, a zealous churchman, from England, headed this new party. One party dealt out bulls and excom- munications ; and the other imposed fines and penalties; until the little settlement became a theatre of riots, as- saults and general disorder. The government of Mas- sachusetts, which had always had an eye upon the east- ern settlements, now thought it time to interfere ; and Mr. Bradstreet, Hugh Peters, and Samuel Dalton, were appointed commissioners to inquire into the difficulties at Dover, and attempt a reconciliation. These peace makers travelled from Boston to Dover on foot, and hav- ing ascertained that both parties were in fault, .succeeded in adjusting the feud, by persuading one party to remit its fines and penalties, and the other to annul its cen- sures and excommunications.* When, in the year 1643, the New England Colonies formed their memorable confederation, or union for mu- tual protection and defence, Mr. Bradstreet was one of the commissioners on the part of the Massachusetts colo- ny, and took an active part in the proceedings.! The records of that period, in all the public affairs of the col- ony, show how diligent and useful he was as a public officer, through all the changes of the infant common- * See Farmer's Belknap, 23-26, and Farmer and Moore's Collections, ii. 236. t Governor Winthrop, in noticing the selection made by the deputies for this important service, calls " the choosing one of the younger magistrates (Bradstreet) a great error," although he pronounces him to be " a very able man." The reason probably was, that Mr. Bradstreet was "an eastern man," being at that time a resident of Ipswich ; for he was one of the original assistants, and had been fourteen times re-elected to that office, although he was now but forty years of age. 380 SIMON BRADSTREET. wealth. As one of the most active magistrates, he was noted as rarely ever absent from his post; and in his capa- city of secretary of the colony, his papers bore the marks of a clerkly hand, and of a mind so well trained in matters of law, and legislation, that he is spoken of by the editor of Winthrop, as having been "bred to the bar." Mr. Bradstreet, although a strict Puritan in faith, and as decidedly opposed " to all heresy and schism," as his austere relative Dudley, was endowed with a differ- ent temper ; and for the sake of peace, or with the hope of reformation, could more readily excuse an offender. He seems to have been imbued with a spirit more gen- tle, and to have been influenced by a better idea of reli- gious freedom, than some of his associates in the colony. While the Antinomian controversy was pending, he seems to have been inclined to more moderate measures than the exasperated magistrates and elders. When Anne Hutchinson was arraigned, before Governor Win- throp, and during two days, in presence of the whole authority in church and state united, maintained her ground with a self-possession and ability that came near carrying some of the judges in her favour, as her argu- ments already had convinced a majority of the Boston church, — Mr. Bradstreet was for persuasion rather than force. He remarked to Mrs. Hutchinson, that she ought to forbear her meetings, because they gave offence; and when she interposed a plea of conscience, he replied that he was not against all women's meetings, and even con- sidered them to be lawful, but still thought they should be avoided, as matters disturbing the public peace.* * See Account of the Trial of Anne Hutchinson, in Appendix to Hutchin- son, vol. ii. SIMON BRADSTREET. 381 The rigorous discipline which the churches and mag- istrates enforced at this period, caused many to be pub- licly arraigned and punished, for offences, which would at this day be deemed trivial and insignificant. To speak evil of rulers, was an offence, and there were nu- merous instances in which this breach of order was pun- ished with severity. Mr. Bradstreet, on occasions of this description, frequently took ground in favor of freedom of speech, and voted, in opposition to the majority of magistrates, against presentments and fines "for words spoken in contempt of government." In the same spirit, which was in advance' of the age, when the witchcraft delusion overspread the colony, he discountenanced the excesses into which the government was betrayed. Brattle, in his account of this delusion, makes honorable mention of " the few men of understand- ing, judgment and piety, inferior to few if any in New England, that do utterly condemn the proceedings, and do freely deliver their judgment that these methods will utterly ruin and undo poor New England." Among the first of these he names Mr. Bradstreet.* In 1650, Mr. Bradstreet was one of the commission- ers assembled at Hartford, to determine the long contro- verted boundary line between the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam, (New York,) and the English Colony of New Haven. The settlements which had been made at York and Kittery, in Maine, under grants from Gorges, early at- tracted the notice of the government of Massachusetts. They claimed the territory on the Pascataqua, as contain- ed within the bounds of their charter. In 1651 ; avail- * I Mass. Hist. Coll. v. 75. 382 SIMON BRADSTREET. ing themselves of the advantages presented by the dis- sensions among the people of those settlements, the gov- ernment of Massachusetts appointed Mr. Bradstreet one of the commissioners to treat with the disaffected at York and Kittery, about coming under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. In the following year, matters had been so far matured, that on Mr. Bradstreet's again appearing at Kittery, and summoning the inhabitants to come in and acknowledge their subjection to Massachusetts, they resolved to surrender, and signed an instrument of sub- mission, which was soon after followed by a similar submission of the people of York, Saco, Wells, &,c. In June, 1654, we find Mr. Bradstreet active in a meeting at Ipswich, on the subject of preparing a refuta- tion of certain calumnies, which had been forwarded to the Protector Cromwell, against the general court of Massachusetts. It was some months after the restoration of Charles II. became known, before he was proclaimed in Massa- chusetts; although a loyal address was voted and for- warded, in December, 1660. The colonists were alarmed as to the consequences of the great revolutions in the parent state; and sinister reports of evil for a time kept the people in a state of feverish anxiety. In May, 1661, the state of public affairs was brought before the general court, Mr. Bradstreet was placed at the head of a com- mittee " to consider and debate such matters touch- ing their patent rights, and privileges, and duty to his Majesty, as should to them seem proper." This com- mittee, after grave deliberation, embodied their report in an able state paper, drawn up by Mr. Bradstreet, and adopted by the general court in special session, 10th SIMON BRADSTREET. 383 June, 1661. This report declares in emphatic terms the rights and liberties of the colony, under the charter, fol- lowed by a declaration of allegiance, loyalty and duty to the king. The Massachusetts address to the King met a favor- able reception, notwithstanding strong representations had been forwarded against the colony, growing out of the persecutions of the Quakers, and other rigorous measures. The royal mandamus soon after put an end to this persecution; and Massachusetts was summoned to answer complaints made against the government of the colony. In this emergency, Mr. Bradstreet and Mr. Norton were despatched to England. They met with a favorable reception at court, and in answer to the address and petition of Massachusetts, they were intrus- ted with a letter from the King, which promised a full pardon of political offences, and a confirmation of the ancient privileges of the colony, but coupled with such conditions as created at once, in the midst of the general rejoicing at the prospect of peace, a deep gloom through- out the colony. The requisitions of the King, in this instance, were in the highest degree tolerant and enlight- ened, far beyond the scope of most of the acts of his reign. Bradstreet and Norton understood the matter in this light, and so it was considered by the best friends of the colony in England. But the general court looked upon the King's letter as requiring a surrender of their rights, which they determined not hastily to assent to„ The agents, who were supposed to have made unneces- sary concessions, were now loaded with reproaches, and evils which it could not have been in their power to avert, were laid to their charge. Mr. Norton, a faithful and 384 SIMON BRADSTREET. honest man, who went reluctantly upon the embassy ; could not bear up under the general reproach; but Mr. Bradstreet, conscious that he had in no way compromit- ted the honor or rights of the colony, steadily defended his course, and advocated a dutiful compliance with the requisitions of the King, as the best and only safe course. When the royal commissioners arrived in 1665, Mr. Bradstreet was one of the few who counselled a quiet compliance, and protested against the declaration of the general court drawn up in answer to the demands of the commissioners. The sturdy democracy of the Puritans, however, forbade their yielding an iota of what they conceived to be their chartered privileges; and they not only denounced the proceedings of the commissioners, but prohibited any one from abetting or aiding them. If the course advised by Mr. Bradstreet might have been under the circumstances, the more prudent and politic, that adopted by the colony was in fact more noble, and better becoming a community of freemen. In 1673, Mr. Bradstreet was chosen deputy governor, and continued in that office under repeated elections, until the death of Governor Leverett, in 1679. In May of that year, he was first chosen governor, at the age of seventy-six years, having previously been chosen an as- sistant for fifty years in succession. He was annually re- elected governor, until May, 1686, when the charter was dissolved, and Dudley commenced his administration as president of New England. Dudley's commission from James II. bore date the 8th October, 1685, and Mr. Bradstreet was the first of the seventeen counsellors named in the commission. The new president, on re- ceiving his commission, waited upon Mr. Bradstreet at SIMON BRADSTREET. 385 his house, the 14th May, 1686; but Mr. Bradstreet de- clined accepting the appointment, as did his son, Dudley Bradstreet, also named as counsellor.* The tyranny of Andros, which followed the short rule of Dudley, bringing with it the most gloomy fore- bodings as to the future, nerved the arms of the people and knit their hearts in unison for ultimate resistance. The venerable Bradstreet, though verging upon ninety years of age, was consulted by the people, and gave his advice as the Nestor of New England, In a letter which Hutchinson has preserved, on the subject of the arbitrary seizure of lands, and contempt of title deeds, by Andros, Governor Bradstreet states with admirable clearness his opinion of the case.f When the people of Boston, on the 18th of April, 1689, rose in arms, and the inhabitants from the sur- rounding country flocked in to the assistance of their brethren of the capital, Mr. Bradstreet and fourteen of the magistrates of 1686, addressed a message to Andros., in the name of the people, demanding of him, an im- mediate surrender of the government and fortifications.J * Hutchinson's Hist. Colony of Mass. Bay, 351. t Hutchinson's Colony of Mass. Bay, 360, 361. t The following is the message referred to, which is copied from the origi- nal handbill, printed in black letter by Green, in 1689, in possession of Col. Peter Force, of Washington, D. C. "At the Town House in Boston: April 18th, 1689. "Sir, — Ourselves as well as many others the Inhabitants of this town and places adjacent, being surprised with the People's sudden taking to Arms, in the first motion whereof we were wholly ignorant, are driven by the present Exi- gence and Necessity to acquaint your Excellency, that for the Quieting and Security of the People inhabiting this Countrey from the imminent Dangers they many wayes lie open and are exposed unto, and for your own Safety ; We judge it necessary that you forthwith Surrender, and Deliver up the Govern- ment and Fortifications to be preserved, to be Disposed according to Order and 49 386 SIMON BRADSTREET. The governor with his council resisted, and withdrew to the fort. " Just then, (says Bancroft,) the last governor of the colony, in office when the charter was abrogated, Simon Bradstreet, glorious with the dignity of fourscore years and seven, one of the early emigrants, a magistrate in 1630, whose experience connected the oldest genera- tion with the new, drew near the town-house, and was received by a great shout from the freemen. The old magistrates were reinstated, as a council of safety ; the whole town rose in arms, c with the most unanimous re- solution that ever inspired a people;' and a declaration, read from the balcony, defended the insurrection, as a duty to God and the country. ( We commit our enter- prise,' it is added, c to Him who hears the cry of the op- pressed, and advise all our neighbors, for whom we have thus ventured ourselves, to joyn with us in prayers and all just actions for the defence of the land.' On Charles- town side, a thousand soldiers crowded together; and the multitude would have been larger if needed. The governor, vainly attempting to escape to the frigate, was, with his creatures, compelled to seek protection by sub- Direction from the Crown of England, which is suddenly expected may arrive, Promising all Security from violence to your Self, or any other of yonr Gen- tlemen and Souldiers in Person or Estate : or else we are assured they will endeavor the taking of the Fortifications by Storm, if any opposition be made. " To Sr. Edmond Andross, Knight. William Stonghton, Simon Bradstreet, Wait Winthrop, Thomas Danforth, John Richards, Samuel Shrimpton y Elisha Cook, William Brown, Isaac Addington, Barthol. Gedney, John Foster, Peter Sergeant, David Waterhouse, Adam Winthrop, John Nelson. " Boston. Printed by Samuel Green, 1689." SIMON BRADSTREET. 387 mission ; through the streets where he had first displayed his scarlet coat and arbitrary commission, he and his fellows were marched to the town-house, and thence to prison. All the cry was against Andros and Randolph. The castle was taken; the frigate was mastered; the fortifications occupied." The people voted to re-assume the old charter ; representatives were chosen ; and Mas- sachusetts again assembled in general court, calling Brad- street to the chair of state.* Mr. Bradstreet was annually re-elected Governor of Massachusetts, and of New Hampshire, under the union of those provinces, until the arrival of Sir William Phips, in May, 1692, with a charter, which deprived the people of the right of choosing their chief magis- trate. In this charter he was named as senior counsel- lor. But the venerable old man, after more than half a century of public service, now retired from office, and closed his eventful career at Salem, on the 27th March, 1697, in the 95th year of his age. His great age is at- tributed by Mather to his temperate habits of life. The inscription upon his tomb, in the ancient burial place at Salem, is as follows : SIMON BRADSTREET, ArmWer, ex online Senatoris, in colonia Massachusettensi ab anno 1630, usque ad annum 1673. Deinde ad annum 1679, Vice-Gubemator. Denique ad annum 1686, ejusdem colonis, communi et constant! populi suffragio, Gubernator. Vir, judicio Lynceario preditus : quem nee numma, nee honos allexit. Regis authoritatem, et populi libertatem, requa lance libravit. Religione ceidatus, vita innocuus, mundum et vicit, et deseruit, 27 die Martii, A. D. 1697. Annoq. Guliel. 3t ix. et JEt. 94. His epitaph, says Felt, gives a correct idea of his character: — "He was a man of deep discernment, whom neither wealth nor honor could allure from duty. He poised with an equal balance, the authority of the King, * Hutchinson, 373—382. Rancroft, ii. 447. 388 SIMON BRADSTREET. and the liberty of the people. Sincere in Religion, and pure in his life, he overcame and left the world." The assembly of the province being in session at the time of his death, "in consideration of the long and extraordi- nary service of Simon Bradstreet, late Governor, who is now deceased, voted £100 towards defraying the charges of his interment." The first wife of Governor Bradstreet, as has already been stated, was Anne, daughter of Governor Thomas Dudley, whom he married in England. She died 16th September, 1672, at the age of 60 years. "She is," says Savage, " the most distinguished of the early ma- trons of our land by her literary powers." A volume of her poems was published in 1678. It was dedicated to her father, in a copy of verses, dated 20 March, 1642, and is probably the earliest poetic volume written in America.* There is also in possession of one of her descendants, a manuscript volume, in the hand-writing of Mrs. Brad- street, dedicated to her " Dear Son Simon Bradstreet," and containing seventy seven " Meditations, Divine and Moral," which she intended to continue through the volume, as we are told in a note written by her son, "but was prevented by death." Extracts from these Meditations are given in the History of the First Church of Charlestown, Massachusetts.! After the death of his first wife, Governor Bradstreet, in 16S0, married Ann, widow of Capt. Joseph Gardner, who was killed in the memorable Narragansett fight, 19 Dec. 1 675. This lady was a daughter of Emanuel Dow- * See page 295, ante. t By Rev. William I. Budington, published in 1845. SIMON BRADSTREET. 389 ning, distinguished for her talents and accomplishments. She died 19 April, 1713, aged 79. Governor Bradstreet's children were, four sons and four daughters, viz. Samuel, who was graduated at Harvard College in 1653, of which he was one of the fellows, was admitted freeman, 1653, was representative for Andover, in 1670, and died before 1683. Simon, graduated at Harvard College in 1667. was ordained as minister of New London, Connecticut, 5 Oct., 1670, and died in 1688. Dudley, who was born 1648, was representative for Andover, in 1677 and 1692, was colonel of militia, and one of the Council of Safety, appointed in 1689. John, born 31 July, 1652, and settled at Salem. Ann, who in 1659, married Thomas Wiggin, of Exe- ter, New Hampshire. Dorothy, who married Rev. Seaborn Cotton of Hampton, New Hampshire, and died 26 Feb., 1671. Hannah, who married a Wiggin ; and Mercy, who in 1672, married Nathaniel Wade of Medford. The Rev. Simon Bradstreet, son of the minister of New London, and grandson of Gov. Bradstreet, was graduated at Harvard College in 1693, and settled at Charlestown, 26 October, 1698. He was a man of great learning, and lively imagination ; but in the latter part of his life, became so hypochondriacal, that he was afraid to preach in the pulpit, lest he should die there, and for some time delivered his sermons from the deacon's seat.* * The anecdote is told of him, that when Lieut. Gov. Tailer introduced him to Gov. Burnet, who was himself a scholar, he said " Here is a man, sir, wh© can whistle Greek." 390 IX. JOSEPH DUDLEY. Joseph Dudley, son of Governor Thomas Dudley, was born on the 23d of July, 1647, at Roxbury, Massa- chusetts. He was the son of the Governor's old age, being born after his father had attained the age of sev- enty years. During his childhood, he was under the care of his excellent mother, and the Rev. Mr. Allin of Dedham, to whom she was married after the death of Gov. Dudley. He was educated at the free school in Cambridge, under the famous Master Corlet, and at Harvard College, where he graduated in 1665, in the 18th year of his age. Hutchinson says, "he was edu- cated for the ministry, and if various dignities had been known in the New England churches, possibly he had lived and died a clergyman; but without this, nothing could be more dissonant from his genius. He soon turned his thoughts to civil affairs. Ambition was the ruling passion, and perhaps, like Caesar, he had rather be the first man in New England, than second in Old." He was admitted a freeman in 1672, and in 1673 he was first chosen a representative from his native town, Roxbury, and was re-elected for the two following years. In 1676, he was chosen one of the assistants,^ which office he continued, (with the exception of one year,) until 1685, when he was appointed President of Massa- chusetts and New Hampshire. When the great Indian war broke out in 1675, Dud- ley was appointed one of the commissioners of Massa- chusetts, who, accompanying the military forces of the JOSEPH DUDLEY. 391 colony into the country of the Narragansetts, were ena- bled to dictate the terms of a treaty, with the chiefs of that tribe, by which they bound themselves to aid the English in the war against Philip.* Mr. Dudley was present at the great battle with the Narragansetts in December, 1675, and wrote to Governor Leverett an in- teresting account of the battle, which is published by Hutchinson. Mr. Dudley, with a keen perception of the future in political affairs, attached himself to the moderate party in 1580, inclining to the opinion that it was best to ac- quiesce in the surrender of the old charter, and wait for circumstances. This is supposed to have paved the way for his agency to England, to which, in conjunction with Major John Richards, he was appointed in 1682. He professed himself warmly in favor of the restoration of the charter, but his conduct in England proved him to have played the courtier, rather for his own advancement, than for the interests of his native land. His mission was unsuccessful, and he returned to Boston, 23 Octo- ber, 1683. His proceedings not proving satisfactory to the people, he lost his election as an assistant in 1684. During his visit to England, finding that he could not serve his country by obtaining a confirmation of the old charter, he determined to look well to his own in- terests ; and accordingly became a prominent candidate for the chief magistracy. Dudley was a finished cour- tier, as well as an adroit politician, and the idea of having a New England man, born and brought up among the * Hutchinson, i! 289—291 ; where the articles are inserted. The Narragan- setts, who were then very powerful, had promised Philip to rise, in the spring of 1676, with 4000 men. 392 JOSEPH DUDLEY. inhabitants, appointed governor, was a circumstance that gave him many friends— an advantage which a man of his address knew well how to use. He was successful in his application, and when the government of Massa- chusetts was changed, in 1686, to a President and Coun- cil, he was appointed to the presidency. The people had resisted as long as possible the surrender of their charter; and when the Rose frigate arrived in May, 1686, with Dudley's commission, the general court informed the new president and council, that they did not consid- er their assuming of the government as just; but if they considered themselves bound to obey the King, they might, and the court would endeavour to act legally.* King James II. was proclaimed with great ceremony, in the "High street in Boston," on the 20th April, 1686, and Mr. Dudley received his commission on the 15th May, and published it on the 26th, when the new Pres- ident first met the Council in form.f He was commis- sioned as President of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island ; and to assist him in the gov- ernment, fifteen mandamus counsellors were appointed by the crown. No house of deputies was recognized. To the President and Council, thus constituted, was com- mitted the power of managing and controlling all the * See Hutchinson's Colony Mass. Bay, 342. The town of Salem, in antici- pation of Dudley's appointment, gave the following instructions to their depu> ties in the general court : " In case Mr. Dudley, &c, said to be nominated and authorized by his majesty to edit another government here, do publish a loyal nullification of our Charter, and a commission from the King for their accept- ance of the government here, then our instruction to you is, that you give no countenance to any resistance, but peaceably withdraw yourselves, as represent- ing us no longer." Felt's Annals, 282. 1 Dudley's commission as President of New England, is dated 27 Sept. 1685. He acted from 25 May, 1686, until 20 Dec. 1686, when Andros arrived. JOSEPH DUDLEY. 393 public affairs. The new government went into opera- tion, 25 May, 1686. In general, all the existing legal usages were observed. But Dudley's administration was short, and, though unpopular with the people, seems not to have been a very grievous one. It lasted but four months and twenty-six days, when the next political rev- olution brought Andros upon the stage, as governor of New York and New England. This man arrived at Boston on the 20th December, and published his com- mission on the following day. Dudley was retained as one of his Council, of which he became president, and was also made one of the Justices of the Superior Court. In this capacity, he opposed some of the proceedings of Andros and the Council, in their attacks upon the titles of the people to their lands. In other matters, however, he generally went with the party of Andros, and so man- aged as to keep up a friendly understanding with him and with Randolph, his infamous agent and confidential adviser. Mr. Dudley, of course, became peculiarly the object of dislike among the people, who regarded him as little better than the betrayer of their liberties. And, when in April, 1689, they overturned the government of An- dros, Dudley, as one of the most obnoxious, was arrested and kept a close prisoner for a long time. On the 16th May, 1689, a ship arrived from England with advices of the proclaiming of William and Mary. This was most joyful news. The fears of the people, of any bad con- sequences, from their late revolutionary actions, were now over. " On the 29th, the proclamation was pub- lished in Boston, with greater ceremony than had ever been known. Governor Bradstreet and his council, the 50 394 JOSEPH DUDLEY. civil and military officers, merchants of the town, and country, being on horseback, the regiment of the town, and many companies of horse and foot from the country, appearing in arms — a great entertainment was prepared in the town house, and wine was served out to the sol- diers." On the 5th of June, the representatives from several towns assembled at Boston. The council immediately proposed to them to consent to the liberation of the gentle- men seized by the people, upon security, but this was not agreed to ; and on the 27th, they resolved that they were not bailable, and sent up articles against them. Sir Edmund Andros, Col. Dudley,* and others, remained in close custody for upwards of twenty weeks. At last, an order was received from the King, approving the course pursued by the people, and old magistrates, and di- recting that Andros and the rest of the prisoners should be sent forthwith to England. This order arrived late in the year, and on the 16th Feb. 1690, Sir Edmund An- dros, Mr. Dudley, and several others, embarked for Eng- land. Lieut. Gov. Danforth, in a letter to Dr. I. Mather, speaking of the transactions of this period, says, " Mr. Dudley is in a peculiar manner the object of the people's displeasure, even throughout all the colonies, where he hath sat as judge; they deeply resent his correspondence with that wicked man Randolph, for overturning the gov- ernment. The Governor and Council, though they have done their utmost to procure his enlargement, yet cannot prevail, but the people will have him in the jail ; * Whitman supposes that Dudley obtained his title of Colonel, by an appoint- ment in the British army while in England. JOSEPH DUDLEY. 395 and when he hath been by order turned out, by force and tumult they fetch him in." Dudley himself, in a letter to Cotton Mather, dated 1st June, says, "I am told that this morning is the last opportunity for rolling away the stone from the mouth of this sepulchre, where I am buried alive," &c. And in a letter to his brother- in-law, Gov. Bradstreet, dated 12th Sept., he says, " After twenty weeks unaccountable imprisonment, and many barbarous usages offered me, I have now to com- plain that on Monday, the whole day, I could be allowed no victuals, till nine o'clock at night, when the keeper's wife offered to kindle her own fire and warm something for me, and the Corporal expressly commanded the fire to be put out. I may be easily oppressed to death. God will hear them that complain to him. I pray your direction for your oppressed kinsman, J. D." Gov. Dudley returned to his native country towards the close of the year 1690, having been much more suc- cessful in conciliating the favor of the crown, than he could hope to be of regaining the confidence of the peo- ple. He was now looking to another sphere of action for public honors. The supreme court of the colony of New York was established on the 6th of May, 1691, and on the 15th Mr. Dudley, who had previously been appointed a member of the council of New York, was appointed chief justice by Governor Sloughter. On the 11th Nov. 1692, after the arrival of Gov. Fletcher, he was removed from this station, on account of not being resident in the province. As a member of the council of New York, and senior in the board, he was entitled to preside in the administration of that province, on the death of Sloughter; but being absent in Massachusetts at 396 JOSEPH DUDLEY, the time, the chief position was given to another, a pro- ceeding which Mr. Dudley did not think it worth while to contest. Mr. Dudley went the third time to England in 1693 ; where he remained until 1702. While there, he was eight years Deputy Governor of the Isle of Wight, un- der Lord Cutts, through whose interest he was also re- turned a member of the House of Commons, for the borough of Newton in Southampton. On the death of King William, he returned with a commission from Queen Anne, as governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, with which he arrived at Boston, 11 June, 1702, and was received, says the Boston News Letter of that day, "with great respect and affection."* He was sworn into office, 13th June, 1702. During his absence in England, he had managed to take advantage of the complaints transmitted from Massachusetts against Gov- ernor Phips, and after having caused him to be arrest- ed in London, and held to bail in £20,000, found it an easy matter to supplant him. On meeting his first assembly, Dudley gave " instances of his remembering the old quarrel, and the people, on their parts, resolved never to forget it."f " All his in- genuity could not stem the current of their prejudice against him." A stated salary was demanded for the governor. " As to settling a salary for the governor," replied the House, " it is altogether new to us ; nor can we think it agreeable to our present constitution 3 but we shall be ready to do what may be proper for his support." * Sir Charles Hobby, a native of Boston, was a rival of Dudley for the office of governor. He died in London, in 1714. t Bancroft, iii. 99, 100. JOSEPH DUDLEY. 397 Here began the controversy which nothing but indepen- dence could solve. In vain did Dudley endeavor to win from the legislature, concessions to the royal prerogative ; and he, and for a season his son also, became the active opponents of the chartered liberties of New England, endeavoring to effect their overthrow, and the establish- ment of a general government, as in the days of Andros. In December, 1702, he wrote to the board of trade in England, that "many of the council were Common- wealth's men, and that until the Queen should appoint a Council, nothing could be done." In December, 1703, he writes to the secretary of state, that he " had communi- cated the Queen's requisitions to the assembly relative to Pemaquid, and the settlement of salaries — but though he had used all possible methods, he found it impossible to move that sort of men, who love not the Crown and Gov- ernment of England to any manner of obedience." About this time, the copy of a letter written by Paul Dudley, son of the governor, who was then attorney general, was made public, in which he made the offen- sive declaration, that " this country will never be worth living in for lawyers and gentlemen, till the charter is taken away." Hutchinson says the governor had no rest for the first seven years.* At the general election in May, 1703, Governor Dud- ley negatived five of the newly elected counsellors — men of probity, influence and popularity — but whose course towards him, in the revolution of 1689, he could not so far overlook, as to admit them among his confidential ad- visers. Thomas Oakes, a representative from Boston, and a popular leader of the opposition, was this year * Hutchinson, ii. 140. 398 JOSEPH DUDLEY. chosen speaker of the house. The governor negatived the choice. He was then chosen to the council, when Dudley negatived him there also. He was for many years, representative from Boston, and in 1705, was again chosen speaker. Dudley negatived the choice, and ordered the house to choose another person, but they re- fused. These proceedings, of course, rendered the gov- ernor very unpopular with the people. The belief was also becoming somewhat general, encouraged by the scan- dals of his enemies, that he was secretly encouraging an illicit trade with the French possessions in North Ameri- ca — a charge which does not seem to have had any foun- dation. In July, 1702, Gov. Dudley visited all the eastern frontiers as far as Pemaquid, taking with him such gen- tlemen of the general court as he thought proper, where he met the delegates from the Indian tribes, and confirmed the treaties which had been formerly made. Queen Anne had already declared war against France, and the colonies soon became again involved in a French and Indian war. To keep the eastern Indians at peace, Governor Dudley in June, 1703, held another conference with the chiefs, who assured him that they had no thought of breaking the peace, which "should continue as long as the sun and moon." In six weeks after, they attacked all the settlements from Casco to Wells, burning and destroying all before them. Governor Dudley, during this painful struggle, appears to have laboured with great earnest- ness to prosecute the war, and protect the people from their enemies. The war continued until the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, was known in America, when the east- ern Indians proposed to treat of peace, and Governor JOSEPH DUDLEY. 399 Dudley finally concluded a treaty with them at Ports- mouth, on the 13th July.* From his first arrival as governor, Dudley had shown a fond regard for the interests of his Alma Mater, and President Quincy, in his elaborate History of Harvard University, classes Gov. Dudley among the greatest ben- efactors of the college. " Of all the statesmen, who have been instrumental in promoting the interests of Harvard University, Joseph Dudley was most influential in giving its constitution a permanent character." When, howev- er, near the close of his career, the trustees of the col- lege refused to make a son of the governor their treasurer, the corporation incurred his resentment, and that of the family. The demise of Queen Anne occurred in 1714. This event rendered the tenure of Governor Dudley's office precarious — his influence declined, and he seems to have gathered his robes about him to quit the stage. He met the Assembly for the last time in May, 1715, but made no speech, as was his wont. He was superseded in No- vember, of that year, by Governor Shute. Gov. Dudley's administration was popular in New Hampshire. Beside his attention to the general interests of the province, and his care for its defence against the Indians, he had the particular merit of favoring the views of the people who were opposed to Allen's claim ; and they made him amends, by promoting in the assem- bly addresses to the Queen, defending his character when it was attacked, and praying for his continuance in office, when petitions were presented for his removal. A good harmony subsisted between the governor and * Penhallow's Indian Wars, 72—80. 400 JOSEPH DUDLEY. people, and between the two branches of the legislature of the province, during the whole of his administration.* 7"he general feeling in his favor was evinced in 1707, when a petition from Massachusetts to the Queen against the governor, was read before the general assembly in New Hampshire. The council and representatives in full assembly, nemine co?itradicente, voted that some of the charges were scandalous, unheard of, and false re- proaches ; and they drew up an address to the Queen, in which they justified his administration from all those ca- lumnies, and prayed his continuance in the government.! Governor Dudley, as one of the original grantees of the town of Oxford, Massachusetts, conceived the pro- ject of forming there a settlement of French Protestants, who were looking for safety by flight to other countries, on the revocation of the edict of Nantz.J A correspon- * John Usher, who was lieutenant governor of New Hampshire under Dud- ley, furnishes a key to the good understanding between the governor and the people of New Hampshire. In a letter written in January, 1704, to the Board of Trade and Plantations, he says that " Dudley, in consideration of £160 per annum, allows a Republican party to govern, and every one against a Crown government, in places of trust." In a previous letter to the Board, dated Dec. 1703, Usher complains of the bad state of the government of New Hampshire — " which will not be happy unless a Governor is sent, who, without regard to money, will enforce the prerogative, and curb their anti-monarchical principles." Sampson Sheafe, then collector of the customs at New Castle, in Feb. 1704, wrote the Board of Trade, that " Usher had come to a ticklish government, as the people are of an ungovernable spirit, and, notwithstanding their pretensions, are against monarchical government." [From copies of Records in Plantation Office, London, in possession of Col. Peter Force, Washington, D. C.J t In June, 1706, a petition was presented to the Queen for the removal of Governor Dudley, on the charge of mal-administration of the government and of being secretly concerned with the smugglers. It appears that he had granted permits to some of those traders to carry contraband articles to PortRo^al. This was the source of many suspicions against him. The general court of Massa- chusetts, however, passed a vote in Nov. 1707, expressing their belief that Mr. Dudley was innocent of the charge. Felt, 344. Hutchinson, ii. 145. t Henry IV. of France, on the 13 April, 1598, signed at Nantz, an edict, granting "perpetual and inviolable liberty of conscience to the Protestants." This edict was revoked by Louis XIV. on the 8 Oct. 1685 JOSEPH DUDLEY. 401 dence took place between some of the leading Protestants at Rochelle, and the proprietors of Oxford, which result- ed in the settlement of that town in 1686, by thirty Huguenot families, who had escaped from France.* On leaving office, Governor Dudley retired to his estate in Roxbury, where he died on the 2d April, 1720, in the 73d year of his age. "He was buried, (says the Boston News-Letter,) on the 8th, in the sepulchre of his father, with all the honors and respect his country was capable of doing him. He was a man of rare endow- ments and Shining accomplishments, a singular honor to his country. He was early its darling, always its orna- ment, and in age its crown. The scholar, the divine, the philosopher, and the lawyer, all met in him." Hutchin- son says, "he applied himself with the greatest diligence to the business of his station, The affairs of the war, and other parts of his administration, were conducted with good judgment. In economy, he excelled, both in pub- lic and private life." Such is the judgment of a contemporary, and of the early historian of Massachusetts, respecting the second Governor Dudley. Bancroft, with the added lights of his- torical investigation, comes to this stern estimate : " The character of Dudley was that of profound selfishness. He possessed prudence and the inferior virtues, and was as good a governor as one could be, who loved neither freedom nor his native land. His grave is among stran- gers; his memory has perished from among those whose interests he flattered, and is preserved only in the coun- try of his birth. He who loved himself more than free- * See an interesting memoir of the French Protestants of Massachusetts, by the late Dr. Holmes, in 2d vol. 3d series Mass. Hist. Collections. 51 402 JOSEPH DUDLEY. dom or his country, is left without one to palliate his selfishness."* Governor Dudley married, in 1668, Rebecca, daugh- ter of major-general Edward Tyng, of Boston, afterwards of Dunstable. She survived the governor about two years, and died 21 Sept., 1722. Their children were, 1. Thomas, born 26 February, 1670, graduated at Harvard College in 1685. 2. Edward, born 4 September, 1671, died in Janua- ry, 1683. 3. Paul, born 3 September, 1675, graduated at H. C. in 1690, and died at Roxbury, 21 January, 1751, aged 75. He finished his law studies at the Temple, London ; was appointed attorney general of the province, and afterwards chief justice. He was a learned and pious man, and founder of the Dudleian Lecture at Har- vard College. A member of the Royal Society of Lon- don, several valuable articles from his pen are found among their published transactions. 4. Samuel, born in September, 1677. 5. John, born 28 February, 1679. 6. Rebecca, born in 1681, married 15 Sept. 1702, to Samuel Sewall, son of Chief Justice Sewall, and propri- etor of a large estate in Brookline, where he died of pa- ralysis in 1751, aged 73. 7. Catharine, who died young. 8. Anne. 9. William, born 20 Oct. 1686, graduated at H. C. in 1704, was a colonel of militia, and member of the council. 10. Daniel, born 4 February, 1689. 11. Catharine, 2d ; and 12. Mary. . * Bancroft, iii. 100. 403 X. SIR EDMUND ANDROS. Sir Edmund Andros, " Seigneur of Sausmares," as he styled himself* and "a poor Knight of Guernsey," as he is called by Oldmixon, was a native of Guernsey, where he was born in 1632. His family is represented to have been wealthy and respectable, and Edmund was secured a commission in the army, in which he after- wards obtained the rank of major. Circumstances had introduced him to the notice of the Duke of York, who took him under his protection ; and his connection with that prince, led to his subsequent employment in Amer- ica. The treaty of Westminster, of 9 February, 1674, restoring to England the possession of her American ter- ritories, the Duke of York obtained from Charles II. a renewal of his patent, for the same territory which had been conveyed to him in 1664. This patent was dated 29th June, and two days thereafter the Duke appoint- ed Major Andros, Governor of his territories in Ameri- ca. In May, 1674, Andros was empowered by a royal order to raise 100 soldiers in London, besides officers, and .transport them to New York, to garrison the fort there, of which he was to have command. On the 31st October, 1674, Andros arrived at New York, received the surrender of the territory from the Dutch authorities, and re-established the former government of the Duke. * In a grant of land, or confirmation of a prior grant, to Richard Smith, on Long Tsland, dated 25 March, 1677, Andros styles himself, " Edmund Andros, Esquire, Seigneur of Sausmares, Lt. & Gov. Genl." &c. 404 SIR EDMUND ANDROS. One of the first acts of his administration, was to arraign Captain Manning, who on the 28th July, 1673, treacherously surrendered the English fort at New York to the Dutch, whose invading fleet had come to anchor off Staten Island. Manning escaped the pun- ishment of death, but was publicly disgraced,— Andros in this case exhibiting almost the only act of lenity record- ed of him towards an offender, by using his influence with the court martial to avert the sentence of death. The territory conferred on the Duke, by his charter, comprehended not only New York, but the greater por- tion of the whole coast to the north.* The charter it- self went so far as to sanction whatever ordinance the Duke of York, or his agents, might establish, and in regard to justice and legislation, (says Bancroft,) An- dros, the governor, was left to his own conscience and his employer. He entered at once, upon the execution of all his powers. Not content with jurisdiction in civil and military af- fairs, Governor Andros extended his supervision over the moral and religious conduct of the people. Some * The grant, in terms, was as follows : " All that part of the main land of New England, beginning at a certain place called or known by the name of St. Croix, next adjoining to New Scotland, in America, and from thence extending along the seacoast, unto a certain place called Pemaquie, or Pemequid, and so up the river thereof, to the furthest head of the same, as it tendeth northward ; ex- tending from thence to the river of Kimbequin, and so upwards, by the shortest course, to the river of Canada, northward ; and also all that island or islands com- monly called by the several name or names of Meiti wacks, or Long Island, situate and being towards the west of Cape Cod, and the narrow Higansetts, abutting upon the main land between the two rivers, then called and known by the sever- al names of Connecticut and Hudson's river, together also with all the said river called Hudson's river, and all the land from the west side of Connecticut river to the east side of Delaware bay, and also all those several islands called and known by the mmes of Martin's vineyard, or Nantucks, or otherwise Nan- tucket." SIR EDMUND ANDROS. 405 shallow enthusiasts in that day, as sometimes happens in the present, making loud professions of personal and exclusive righteousness, Andros, on the 15 Feb. 1675, issued a warrant for the arrest and imprisonment of one of them, named John Gerrits, " for pretending to extra- ordinary sanctity" — pretending that Christ abided in him, " and endeavouring to instil these notions into the minds of others, particularly some married women," &c. The next day, he issued a warrant to arrest another, named Peter Ellet, "for reporting that he had seen sights or visions over the city, or fort, to the great uneasiness of the public mind." He next interfered in a religious dispute, which had sprung up at Albany. A Catholic clergyman, who had409. Appointed Governor of New England, 212, 409. His arrival and reception, 410. His arbitrary conduct, 385, 411—414. His letter of reproof to Gov. Hinck- ley, 211. Opposed by Gov. Hinck- ley, 214. Takes possession of the South Church in Boston, 413. Dis- solves the government of Rhode Isl- and, 414. Proceeds to Hartford, and assumes the government there, 415. Visits Maine, and plunders the house of the Baron de St. Castine, 416. New York and New Jersey added to his government, 416. People deter- mine upon his overthrow, 385, 417. Alarmed by news of Revolution in England, 133, 417. Insurrection in Boston against, 417. Is deposed and imprisoned, 216, 418. Declaration against, 386. Is denied bail, 394. Escapes, and is retaken, 419. Sent home to England, 419. Escapes fur- ther punishment, 419. Governor of Virginia, in which his administration is popular, 420. Returns to England, and is Governor of the Isle of Guern- sey, 421. Death of, 421. Notices of his family, 421, 422. Andros, John 421. Anecdotes of Winfhrop, 248. Of Crom- well and Wheelwright, 288. Of the Pope and the quaker, 161. Of Rev. Mr. Witherell, 196. Anneville, manor of, 422. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 359. Antinomians, doctrines of, 254, 319. Op- posed by the clergy, 255, 288. De- nounced by Synod'at Cambridge, 257. Adherents banished, 257, 287, 356. Apannow, submission of, 57. Apaum, Plymouth, 45. Appleton, Major Samuel, 185, 188. Arbella, shin,' 243, 267, 277. Army raised against the Narragansetts ■, 185. 424 INDEX. Arrows, sent as a challenge, 60. Ashurst, Sir Henry, 218, 220. Sole agent of New Plymouth, 221. Ashley, Edward, agent at Penobscot, 74. Assembly of Divines, 239, 323. Assistants, in New Plymouth, number increased, 78, 110. Powers of, 145. First court of in Massachusetts, 245. Associates, New Plymouth, 26, 45. Association against wearing long hair, 359. Aspinet, sachem of Nauset, 56. Aspinwall, William, banished, 257. Baldwin, Judge Henry, 232. Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, 12. Bancroft, George, cited, 386, 401. Barker, Isaac, 174. Barnstable, or Cummaquid, 30. Under Massasoit, 58. Battle of Narragansett Swamp, 187. With Pequots, 303. Baylies, Francis, memoirs of New Ply- mouth, cited, 195. Q.uoted, 227—230. Beauchamp, John, 72. Beaver, trade in, 111. Bellingham, Elizabeth, 335. Bellingham, Penelope, 346. Bellingham, Richard, birth and educa- tion, 335. Arrives in Boston, 335. Deputy, assistant, and treasurer, 335. Johnson's notice of, 335. One of the military council, 286. Deputy gover- nor, 336. Chosen governor, 253, 289, 336, 341. Is censured by Winthrop, 338. Takes the part of a poor miller against Dudley, 338. Offends the peo- ple by marrying a young lady, and Jerforming the ceremony himself, 339. s indicted for the offence, and sum- moned to answer; but refuses, and the matter is dropped, 339. He is left out of office, 339. Takes the part of a poor woman against a rich neighbor, which sets the colony by the ears, 340. Op- poses persecution, 341. Charter pla- ced in his hands, for safe keeping, 341, 371. Ordered to England, by the King, 342. Evades the order, and pacifies the King, 343. Takes part in a dispute with the anabaptists, 344. Opposes establishment of new church in Boston, 344. His sister hung for a witch, or "for having more wit than her neigh- bors," 344. His death and character, 345. Notice of his family, 346. Bellingham, Rev. Samuel, 346. Bentley, Rev. William, 351. Bernard, Lord, 334. Billingsgate Point, Wellfleet, 32. Billington, Francis, discovers Billington Sea, 39. Billington, Jolyi, 26. Executed for mur- der, 83. Bishop, Joseph, 365. Blackstone, William, first settler of Bos- ton, 236. Blagge, Edward, 130. Blaithwaite, Mr. 205, 214. Board of Trade and Plantations, records of, cited, 400. Boston, first visit to, 59. Settled, 236, 245, 247. Sachem of, 58. Boston Harbor, or Bay of Massachusetts, Governor Bradford's visit to, 59. Boyes, Antipas, 133. Bradford, Hon. Alden, notice of, 90. Bradford, Dorothy, wife of Gov. Brad- ford, drowned, 54. Bradford, Col. Gamaliel, 90. Bradford, Joseph, son of Gov. B., notice of, 89. Bradford, Mercy, 89. Bradford, William, his birth and educa- tion, 49. Joins Robinson's and Clif- ton's church, 49. Imprisoned, 51. Re- moves to Holland, 53. Accused as a fugitive, 53. Apprentice to a silk-dyer, 53. Unsuccessful in trade, 53. Ac- companies pilgrims to New England, 26, 53. Makes an excursion from Cape Cod Harbor, 28, 53. Sick when store house was burnt, 38. His wife drown- ed, 54. Chosen Governor of New Plymouth, 54, 140. Sends an embas- sy to Massasoit, 55. Sends party to Nauset, to recover a boy, 56. Anoth- er to Bay of Massachusetts, 59. Re- ceives a threatening message from Can- onicus, 60. Makes a voyage for corn, &c, 62, 63. Sends message to Mas- sasoit in his sickness, 64. Receives intelligence of a conspiracy of the In- dians, 64. Adopts measures of defence, 65. Negotiates with the adventurers in England, 71. Surrenders the pat- ent to the colony, 74. His death, 79. His character, 79, 80. His history of the colony recovered by Rev. Dr. Young, 80. Part of his letter-book found at Halifax, and published, 80. Other compositions, 81, 82. His dis- creet course towards offenders, 83. De- cisive proceedings with Lyford and Oldham, 85—87. Notices of his de- scendants, 88—92, 151. Bradford, William, son of Gov. B., no- tice of, and of his descendants, 88 — 91, 165, 185, 214, 226. Bradford, Hon. William, of R. I., notice of, 91. Bradford's History, recovered by Rev. A. Young, 80. Bradstreet, Anne, poems of, 295, 388. Bradstreet, Dudley, 385, 389. INDEX. 425 Bradford's History, recovered by Rev. A. Young;, 80. Bradstreet, Anne, poem of, 295, 388. Bradstreet, Dudley, 385, 389. Bradstreet, Simon, birth and education, 377. In the family of the Earl of Lincoln, 377, and of the Countess of "Warwick, 378. Marries the daugh- ter of Governor Dudley, and comes to New England in the fleet with Win- throp, 378. Settles at Newtown, 283, 378. Signs declaration against wear- ing long hair, 359. Secretary of the colony, 378. One of the military council, 286. Visits Dover, to settle a dispute, 379. Commissioner of the United Colonies, 379. More liberal in principle than his associates, 380. Opposes the witchcraft delusion, 381. Treats with settlers of Maine, 382. Defends the rights of the colony, 382. Sent to England as an agent; is success- ful, but censured by the colonists, as having yielded too much, 383. Coun- sels submission to the King, as the wisest course, 384. Chosen governor, and is in office when James II. dissolves the charter, 384. Named as counsel- lor under Dudley, but refuses to act, 385. A leader of the people on the overthrow of Andros, 385. His sum- mons to Andros to surrender, 385. Is again in the chair of state, 387, 419. His death and character, 387. Inscrip- tion on his tomb, 387. Notices of his descendants, 388—389. Bradstreet, Rev. Simon, 388, 389. Braintree, settlement of, 236. Brattle, Thomas, 133, 481. Brenton, Admiral Jahleel, 229. Brenton, Gov. William, 229. Brereton, John, at Cape Cod, 22. Brewster, Elder William, 24,26,45, 54, 68, 72, 92, 140, 174, 175. Brewster, Fear, 54. Brewster, Patience, 173. Brewster's Islands, 367, 374. Bridges, Robert, 359. Britterige, Richard, 26. Brooke, Lord, 269. Browne, John, 240, 350. Brown, Peter, 26. Brown, Robert, a zealous separatist, 11. Browne, Samuel, 240, 350. Brown, William, 386. Budington, Rev. William I., 388. Bull, Capt. Thomas, his resistance of Andros, 406. Burial Hill, in Plymouth, 41, 92. Forti- fied, 61. Artillery planted on, 61. Burdet, George, 378. Burnet, Bishop, cited, 333. Burnet, Gov. William, 389. 54 Bushheag, a Waranoke or Westfield In- dian, 309. Butler's Hudibras, cited, 84. c. Callender, John, cited, 56. Cambridge, Synod at, 256. Camden, William, "Remaines" cited, 294. Canada, first settlement in 9. River of, 404. Canonicus, messenger from, with hostile message, 60. Capawock, Martha's Vineyard, 58. Cape Anne, plantation at, 111, 238. Re- moval to Salem, 236, 238. Cape Cod discovered by Gosnold, 22. Explored by Pilgrims, 29, 93. Cape James. See Cape Cod. Careswell, in Marshfield, seat of Gov. Winslow, 131. Named from a castle in Staffordshire, 131. Carleton, Sir Dudley, on the Sabbath in Holland, 14. Carpenter, Alice, 88 Cartaret, Sir George, 409. Cartaret, Philip, 409. Carver, Elizabeth, 46. Carver, Jasper, 46. Carver, John, appointed agent to the En- glish settlers at Leyden, 13, 15, 17. Superintends the equipments for emi- gration, 19. Chosen governor of the company, 25, 54, 140. Makes an ex- cursion from Cape Cod to look for a harbor, 32. Skirmish with the natives, 34. Lands on Clark's Island, 35. Re- turns to the ship, 36. Makes a set- tlement at Plymouth, 37. His sick- ness, 38. His recovery and visit to Billington Sea, 39. His ? interview with Massasoit, 44, 94. His death, 46, 92. His character, 47, 48. His posterity, 46. His sword and other relics preserved, 48. Carver, Jonathan, the traveller, 47. Carver, William, 47. Castine, Baron de St., 416. Cattle, first brought into New England, 109. Caunbatant, submission of, 57, 58, 102, 103. Cawnacome, sachem of Manomet, sub- mission of, 57, 58. Centennial feast, at Plymouth, 68. Charity, arrival of ship, 61, 109. Charles I., 76, 201, 247, 324. Beheaded, 325, 335, 349. Charles II., 162. Letter of, to New Ply- mouth, 168. Rye-house plot against, 206. Restoration of, 332, 333, 360, 372, 382, 403. Mandamus of, for- 426 INDEX. bidding; further persecution of Qua- kers, 358. Charlestown, first settled, 236, 245, 280. First Court at, 378. Church estab- lished at, 245. Charter, efforts of New Plymouth to ob- tain, 192. Of Connecticut, 192. Of New Plymouth, 119. New, of Massa- chusetts, 226. Chichester, Earl of, 315. Chikkatabak, submission of, 57, 58. Vis- its settlers, 246. Child, Maj. John, 124. His "New En- gland's Jonas," 126. Winslow's "New England's Salamander," in an- swer, 127. Child, Dr. Robert, notice of, 124, 262. Chilton, James, 26, 132. Chilton, Mary, first female who landed from the May-flower, 132, 135. Christian Charity, Winthrop's "Modell of," 267. Chronicles of the Pilgrims, Young's, cited, 82. Church, Major Benj. 90, 185, 188, 189, 218. Church, first in Charlestown and Boston, 245. At Plymouth, proposed remo- val of, 151. Records of, 173. At Sa- lem, founded, 350. Clap, Capt. Roger, cited, 246. Clare, Earl of, 334. _ Clarendon, Lord, his character of Vane, 254. Clark, Nathaniel, counsellor of Andros, imprisoned, 216. Clarke, Richard, of Plymouth, 26. Clark, Richard, of Boston, 135. Clark, Thomas, 371. Clark's Island, pilgrims at, 35. Given away by Andros, and reclaimed, 216. Described, 216. Cleaves, 247. Cleveland, Duke of, 334. Clifton, Rev. Richard, 12, 49. Clopton, Thomasin, 268. Clopton, William, 268. Coddington, William, 286. Codfish in Cape Cod harbour, 22. Coggan, John, 268. Coins found at Johnson's point, near old fort Castine, 416. Cold Harbor, in Truro, 30. Cole's Hill, in Plymouth, 41. Collier, Mary, 174. Collier, William, 90, 143, 166, 174. Commissioners, Royal, visit New Ply- mouth, 167. Their favorable report, 168. Visit to, and reception of, in Mass. 342, 360. Of United Colonies, request of, to Rhode Island, to ex- pel Cluakers, 161. Answered by Rhode Island, 161. Committee of Safety, Parliamentary, 332. At Boston, on the expulsion of An- dros, 419. Common House, at Plymouth, 37, 38, Community of goods, 17, 69. Compact of the Pilgrims, 25. Conant, Roger, settles Cape Anne, 238. Confederation of N. E. Colonies, 119. Articles of, 120. Re-organized, 171. Congregational Church, first in America, 230. Connecticut, explored by Winslow, 113. Settlement of opposed by Winthrop, 113. Trading house at, 113. Threat- ened resistance of the Dutch, 114. Disturbances at, 141. First house in, 148. Settlement of, 269, 300. Char- ter of, 192, 269. Emigration from Newtown to, 300. Sufferings of set- tlers, 305. Constitution established, 306. First governor of, chosen, 307. Visited by Andros, 406. Submits to Andros,414. Charter of,concealed,415. Cooke, Elisha, 220, 386, 419. Cook, Francis, 26. Cook, Joseph, 312. Copford Hall, 297, 311. Copley, John S., 135 Coppin, Robert, pilot, 32, 34. Copp's Hill, in Boston, visited, 59. Corbett, Abraham, arrest of, 371. Corbitant. See Caunbatant. Corlet, Elijah, 390. Corn. See Indian Com. Cotta Island, 364. Cotton, Rev. John, of Boston, 127, 257, 265, 276, 288, 289, 297, 367. Cotton, Rev. John, of Plymouth, 129, 146, 221. Cotton, John, Esq., 171. Council of Plymouth established, 9, 70, 235. Charter of, surrendered to Charles I. 76. Council of State, in England, 325, 331. Council of War, in New Plymouth, 176. Counsellors, under Andros, 214. Under Massachusetts charter, 226. Courts, established at Plymouth, 75. Coytmore, Thomas, 268 Coytmore, Martha, 268. Crackston, John, 26. ' Cradock, George, 348. Cradock, Matthew, 236. Governor of the Massachusetts Company in Eng- land, 239. Notice of, 348. Cromwell, Oliver, 64, 129, 324,326, 382. Expedition against West Indies, 130, 270. Anecdote of, 288. Cromwell, Richard, 327, 328, 329, 330. Abdicates, 331. Cross, cut from the flag at Salem, 353. Crown Point, expedition against, 199. Cudworth, General James, 153. Notice INDEX. 427 of, 154, 161, 178, 202, 203, 208. Cummaquid, Barnstable, 58. Cushman, Robert, 15, 17, 19, 109. Ar- rives in the Fortune, 139. Cutts, Lord, 396. D. Dalton, Samuel, 379. Danforth, Thomas, 371, 386, 394. Darcy, Francis, 314. Darcy, Thomas, 314. Darlington, Earl of, 334. Davenport, Capt., 185, 187, 190. Davenport, Rev. John, 344. Davis, Benjamin, 137. Davis, Judge John, cited, 129, 171, 213, 294. Davis, Mary, 137. Declaration of Rights in New Plymouth, first in America, 144. In Massachu- setts Bay, 382, 383. Deer trap, 28. Mr. Bradford caught in, 29. Delfthaven, parting at, 20. Denbigh, Baron of, 274. Dennison, Gen. Daniel, notice of, 295. Dermer, Capt. Thomas, cited, 43. Dexter, Thomas, of Lynn, 352. Discovery, ship, 61. Discussion, public, on toleration, propos- ed by Roger Williams, 169. Declined by Gov. Prence, 170. Divines, Assembly of, 239, 323. Dongan, Gov. Thomas, of N. Y. 408, 409, 416. Dorchester Company, at Cape Anne, 361. Dorchester, Lord, 240. Dort, Synod of, 14. Dotey, Edward, 26. Punished for duel- ling, 85. Dover, riotous proceedings at, 379. Downam, John, 128. Downing, Emanuel, 388. Drake, Samuel G. 43. His Book of In- dians cited, 179, 189, 246. Drury, John, 128. Dubuc, Jemima, 136. Dudley, Ambrose, 274. Dudley, Anne, 295, 278, 388. Dudley, Deborah, 296. Dudley, Edmund, 273. Dudley, Lord Guilford, 274. Dudley, John , Duke of Northumberland , 273. Dudley, Joseph, his birth and education, 390. Early employments, 390. In Narragansett campaign , 39 1 . Is sent as agent to England, 391. His intrigues, 392. Appointed President of New England, 392. Is superseded by An- dros, made president of his Council, and chief justice, 393. Hated by the people, and imprisoned on the over- throw of Andros, 393, 394. His suf- ferings in prison, 395. Is denied bail, and ordered to be sent to England for trial, 394. Conciliates the royal favor, and is made chief justice of New York, 395. Is superseded, and goes a third time to England, 396. Is de- puty governor of the Isle of Wight, and Member of Parliament, 396. Supplants Sir William Phips, and returns as governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 396. Quarrels with the assembly in Massachusetts, 396. Complains of democracy of the people, 397. Negatives counsellors, 397. Visitto Pemaquid, 398. Confer- ence with eastern Indians, 398. The friend of Harvard College, 399. Su- perseded by Gov. Shute, 399. His administration popular in New Hamp- shire, 400. Assists the Huguenots, 401. Death and character, 401. Notice of his family, 402. Dudley, Mercy, 296. Dudley, Patience, 295. Dudley, Hon. Paul, 397, 402. Dudley, Paul, 296. Dudley, Robert, Earl of Leicester, 274. Dudley, Capt. Roger, 275. Dudley, Thomas, his birth and early employments, 273. Some of his family claim descent from the Duke of Nor- thumberland, 273. In the family of the Earl of Northampton, 275. Cap- tain in French service at the siege of Amiens, 275. Becomes steward to the Earl of Lincoln, 276. One of the original undertakers of Massachusetts Colony, 242, 277. Arrives in the fleet with Winthrop, 244, 277. Chosen deputy governor, 277. Letter to the Countess of Lincoln, 277—282. Set- tles at Newtown, 283. Is censured for building a good house, 283. Mis- understanding with Winthrop, 253, 283. Attends to religious services in absence of the Pastor, 284. Chosen governor of Massachusetts Bay, 284, 289, 290, 298. One of the Military Commission, having power of life and limb, 286. One of the council for life, 287. Opposes the heresy of Anne Hutchinson and others, 287. An ene- my of toleration, 263, 293. Appointed major general, 290. Removes to Ips- wich, and to Roxbury, 291. Death of, and character, 291,292. Epitaph, by himself j 293. Notice of his family and descendants, 294—296, 318, 340, 359,377,378,380,388. Duel, first in Plymouth ,punishmentof ,85. 428 INDEX. Duelling how punished in New Ply- mouth, 85. Dugdale, William, cited, 273. Dutch of New York, controversy of Massachusetts with, 299. Dwight, Dr. Timothy, cited, 92, 230. Dyer, Mary, quakeress, hung, 35S. E. Eastern Indians, war with, 218. Trea- ties with, 398. Eastham, settlement of, 150. Eaton, Francis, 26. Eaton, Theophilus, 240. Election, annual, in New Plymouth, 144. Eliot, Rev. John, 128, 129, 207, 284. Elizabeth Islands, 38. Elizabeth, Queen, 274. Ellet, Peter, 405. > Emigrants to America, advice to, 108, 281. Emigration to New England, motives for, 238, 241. To Connecticut, 300. Endecott House, in Salem, 361. In Bos- ton, 361. Farm, in Salem, 361. In Concord, N. H., 361. Endecott, John, the real founder of Mas- sachusetts, 347,362. Born in Dorset- shire, England, and bred a chirurgeon, 347. One of the original purchasers of Massachusetts, 239, 378. Governor of the plantation, 240, 243, 278, 348, 349. Arrives at Salem, 348. Forms military company, 349. Cuts down May-pole at Mount Wollaston, 349. Is superseded by Winthrop, 350. As- sistant, deputy governor, and major general, 350. Forbids Church of Eng- land worship, and sends episcopalians home, 351. Orders veils to be worn by women at church, 352. His quar- rel with Dexter, of Lynn, 352. One of the military council, 286, 353. Cuts the cross from the flag, 317, 353. Is suspended from office, 353. Defends Roger Williams, and is imprisoned ; recants, and is released, 354. Com- mands an expedition against Pequots, 354. Chosen governor for fifteen years, 355. Inexorably hostile to sec- taries, 355, 357. Approves persecu- tion of the Quakers, 357. King's mandamus to, 358. Joins association against wearing long hair, 359. Firm- ness in resisting royal encroachments, 359, 361. Death of, 361. Character, 362. His houses in Salem and Bos- ton, 361. Notices of his descendants, 363, 366. Endecott, John, son of Gov. E., notice of, 363. Endecott, William P., 362. Endecott, Zerubabel, son of Gov. E., notice of, and of his descendants, 363- 366. Englishmen, three, executed for murder, 149. English, Thomas, 26. Epenow. See Apannow. Episcopalians, toleration of, 342. First society of, in Boston, 412. Opposi- tion to, 414. Fachin, Nicholas, 422. Fairfax, Sir Thomas, 302. Famine, at New Plymouth, 61, 67, 68. Fane, Henry, 313. Fane, John, 313. Fane, Richard, 313. Farmer, John, and Moore, J. B., "Col- lections" of, cited, 205. Fast at Charlestown, 245. Felt, Rev. Joseph B., cited, 387, 412. Fifth Monarchy men, idea of, 333. First offence in Plymouth, 83. First purchasers, or undertakers, names of, 72, 347. Fisher, Daniel, 418. Fishing, at Cape Cod, 22. At Ply- mouth, 27, 36. Flae;, the royal, defaced at Salem, 317, 355. Fletcher, governor of New York, 395. Fletcher, Moses, 26. Flint, Thomas, 359. Flynt, Rev. Henry, cited, 376. Force, Peter, his Collection of Tracts re- ferred to, 123, 177, 281, 385, 410, 419. MSS. in library of, 172, cited, 400. Forefather's Rock, account of, 36. Forefather's Day, 36. Fort, of Narragansetts, taken, 186. Wil- liam Henry, 199. Forts, in Nova Scotia taken, 198. Of Pequots, 303. Forth, John, 268. Forth, Mary, 268. Fortune, arrival of, 60. Passengers by, 67. Foster, John, 386. Fowle, Thomas, 127. Foxcroft, George, 240. Fox, Rev. George, 358. Freeman, Edmund, Jr. 173. Freeman, John, 174. Freemen , qualifications of, 75, 144. Oath of, 290. French Protestants, in Oxford, 400. French settlements, driven from Maine, 371. Fuller, Edward, 26. Fuller, Samuel, 22, 26, 140. Furs, trade for. See Beaver. INDEX. 429 G. Gallop, Capt. John, 185, 190. Gardner, Ann, widow, 388. Gardner, Capt. Joseph, 185, 190, 388. Gardiner, Richard, 26. Gedney, Bartholomew, 386. General Fundamentals, declaration of , in New Plymouth, 76, 146. Gerrits, John, 405. Gibbons, Edward, 368. Gibson, Elizabeth, 363. Gilbert, Nathaniel, 364. Glover, Elizabeth, 270. Glover, Hon. John, 231. Glover, Nathaniel, 231. Glover, widow Mary, 231. Goffe, Thomas, 236. Deputy governor, 239, 240. Goldsmith, Ralph, 358. Goldsmith's Hall, meeting of commis- sioners at, 129. Goodman, John, 26. " Good News from New England," quo- ted, 101, 107. Gorges, Sir Ferdinando, 43, 70, 115. Grant to, 235, 240. Connected with the family of Lincoln, 276. Sells his grant of Maine, 372, 381. Gorges, John, marries Frances, daughter of Earl of Lincoln, 276. Gorges, Capt. Robert, 76. Grant to, 235. Gorham, Capt. John, 185, 190. Gorton, Samuel, 122. Enthusiast, 123. His " Simplicity's Defence," 123. His letter to Morton entire in Force's Tracts, 123. Cruelly persecuted, 123. E. Winslow's answer to, 124, 153. Gosnold, Bartholomew, discoverer of Cape Cod, 22. Gospel, society for propagation of, in N. E., 128,207. Gover, Anna, 363. Government instituted in, New Ply- mouth, 144 — 146. Governor, powers and duties of, pre- scribed in New Plymouth, 145. Re- quired to reside at Plymouth, 152. Grampus Bay, 33. Grantees of Massachusetts, 240. Gray, Edward, 91, 133, 152. Gray, Sarah, 91. Great Meadow Creek.Truro, 34. Greene, Gardiner, 361. Greene, Samuel, 172, 385, 386. Grey, Sir Edward, 273. Grey, Lady Jane, 274. Griffin, ship, 201, 297. Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, 51. Griswold, Gov. 232. Groundnuts, settlers live upon, 246. Gurnet, 35. H. Hackburne, Mrs. Catharine, 294. Hackbume, Samuel, 294. Hair, Association against long, 359. Hale, Sir Matthew, 345. Hamilton, Marquis of, 70. Hampden, John, 64, 101. Harley, Capt. 58. Harlow, Capt. 58. Harrison, General, the enthusiast, 270. Hartford, settlement of, 301. Harvard College, 969,376. Harwood, George, 240. Hatherly, Timothy, 72, 153. Notice of, 154, 202, 203. Haynes, John, birth and education, 297. A man of fortune, 297. Arrives in the Griffin, with Rev. Mr. Cotton, and others, 297. Chosen governor of Mas- sachusetts tiie second year after he ar- rives, 287, 298. One of the military council, 286. Superseded by Vane, 299. Complains of Winthrop, 250. Removes to Connecticut, 302. Ac- companies Uncas to Boston, 306. Chosen first governor of Connecticut, 307, and is often chosen afterwards, 308. Active in bringing about the confederation, 308. In danger of perishing in a storm, 309. Attempt to assassinate, 309. His religious views more tolerant after leaving Massachu- setts, 310. Death of, and character, 311, 312. Notices of his family, and descendants, 311, 312. Henry, I., anecdote of, 359. Henry IV., 275, 400. Henry, VII., 273. Henry, VIII., 237, 273, 313, 421. Herrings used as manure, 46. Hibbins, Anne, widow of Wm. H, ex- ecuted for witchcraft, 344. Hibbins, William, 344, 359. Higginson, Rev. John, 412. Hilton, William, 139. Hinckley, Ebenezer, 231. Hinckley, Mercy, 231. Hinckley, Samuel, 201. Hinckley, Samuel, son of Gov. Hinck- ley, 231. Hinckley, Hon. Samuel, 232. Hinckley, Thomas, birth and education, 202. Arrives in the Griffin, 201. Set- tles at Barnstable, 202. Several years a deputy, 203. Chosen deputy gov- ernor, and governor, 203. Goes with the popular current, 203. Cultivates the favor of Randolph, 205. An active supporter of the plan of extending the Gospel among the Indians, 207. His account of the Christian Indians, 207. Account of Narragansett difficulties, 430 INDEX. 183. Rigid in his religious views, 208. Earnest to prevent profanation of the Sabbath, and to provide for support of religious worship, 208, 209. A friend to free schools, 209. Enforces laws, laying taxes for support of ministers, and is admonished therefor by Ran- dolph, 210, and by Andros, 211. Sub- mits to Andros, and accepts a seat in his council, 211. Disapproves his despotic measures, 214. Lays com- plaints before the King, 215. Re- assumes government, on overthrow of Andros, 217. Attempts to procure a charter, but is discouraged, 220, 222. Prefers union with Massachusetts to annexation to New York, 225. One of the first counsellors under the new charter, 226. Death of, and character, 231. Notices of his descendants, 232. His manuscripts, 232. " Hinckley's Law," 208. " Hinckley Papers, 208, 232. Hingham, dispute at, 259. Citizens of, fined, 260. History of New England, Winthrop's, editions of, 266. Hitchcock, Rev. Gad, 196. Hobart, Rev. Peter, 89. Hobbamock, or Hobomok, takes up his residence at Plymouth, a true friend to the English, 58, 64, 65, 101. Hobby, Sir Charles, 396. Hocking, , killed at Kennebeck, 142. Holdrip, Richard, 130. Holland, Lord, a descendant of Vassall, 229. Holland. See Low Countries. Holies, Elizabeth, daughter of Earl of Clare, 334. Holies, Gilbert, Earl of Clare, 334. Hollis, John, Duke of Newcastle, 197, 315, 334. Holmes, Rev. John, 89. Holmes, Lieut. Wm. 114. Notice of, 148. Honeywood, Sir Robert, 315. Hooker, Rev. Thomas, 291, 298, 300. Hopkins, Edward, Governor of Con- necticut, 308, 309. Hopkins, Oceanus, born, 22. Hopkins, Stephen, son of, born at sea, 22, 26. Notice of, 28, 55, 85, 94, 140. Hopkins, Stephen, governor of R. I. 28. House lots laid out at Plymouth, 37. Houses, building of, at Plymouth, com- menced, 37. Howes, Jeremiah, 174. Howe, the miller, case of, 338. Houchin, Elizabeth, 363. Houchin, Jeremy, 363. Howland, Arthur, 174. Howland, John, 26. Notice of, 46, 72. Hubbard, Rev. Wm., cited, 163, 267, 284, 345. Hudibras, Butler's , quotation from, 84. Hudson, Hannah, 375. Hudson, Ralph, 375. Hudson's River, pilgrims sail for, 22 ,23. Huguenots, in Massachusetts, 401. Humphrey, John, 240, 244,276, 277, 286. Hunt, Capt. Thomas, the kidnapper, 42, 43, 56. Hunt, Wm. 91. Hutchinson, Anne, 253, 254, 257, 287, 288, 291, 318. Banished, 356. Her belief, 319, 337, 380. Hutchinson, Edward, 368. Hutchinson, Gov. Thomas, cited, 80, 110, 214, 243, 299, 373, 375, 390. Hutchins, Thomas, 240. Huttamoiden, submission of, 57. I. Independence, an object of the puritans, 24, 144. Indian Corn, first found, 29. Indian mode of storing, 29. Taken from the Indians, 30. Twenty acres planted, 46. Seed corn taken from the Indians paid for, 56. Sixty acres of, planted, 61. Pro- cured at Namasket and Manomet, 63. Indians, first sight of by pilgrims, 28. — Seen around a grampus, 33. Encoun- ter with, 34. Destroyed by pestilence, 40, Kidnapped by Hunt, 43. Taken by Weymouth, 43. Submission of to King James, 45. Embassy to, 55. Submission of n ine sachems , 57 . Peace with Aspinet, 56. Seed corn taken from, paid for, 56. Conspiracy among, 64. Conspiracy crushed by Standish, 66. Namascheucks, 96. Hospitality of, 100. Pecpuots commence hostili- ties and are destroyed, 148, 303 — 305. Narragansetts refuse to join them, 148. Supposed plot with the Dutch, 370. Executed for murder of John Sausa- man, 181. Narragansetts make war, 182. War declared against by United Colonies, 183. Commissioners go with the army, 390. Nuniber of Christian , in New Plymouth, 207. War with Eastern, 218. Order against furnish- ing arms to, 416. Lands of, regulation respecting purchase of, 168, 348. Instructions, to Gen. Winslow, 184. To Gov. Endecott, 348, 351. Ipswich, Agawam, 32, 412. J. James I., grant to Council of Plymouth, 9. Hostility to the Puritans, 12. Dis- INDEX. 431 likes Sir Edwin Sandys, 1G. Refuses toleration, 243, 313. Indian Allegiance to, 45, 57. James II., 122, 206. Proclaimed at New- Plymouth, 211. Addressed by New Plymouth, 207, 211. Proclaimed in Boston, 392, 403, 408, 409. Jamaica, surrender of, 130. Johnson, Edward, cited, 3^5, 347, 371. Johnson, Isaac, 236, 240, 242, 276. Johnson, Lady Arbella, 276. Johnson, Dr. Samuel, 136. Johnson, Captain Isaac, 185, 187, 190. Jones, Captain, of the Mayflower, 19. Plot ascribed to, 23, 29, 30, 39, 61. Jones, Margaret, executed for witchcraft, 345. K. Keayne, Major Benjamin, 296. Keayne, Captain Robert, 296. Keekamuit, seat of Massasoit, 56. Kennebeck patent, 54. Pilgrims trade at, 72, 111. Disturbances at, 142, 144. Government organized, 151. Pa- tent sold, 133. Kent, Chancellor, 232. King, Edward, 133. King's Chapel, Boston, 414. Kingfisher, ship of war, 410. Kirke, Colonel, 410, 421. Knight, Walter, 361. Knollys, Hanserd, 378, 379. Laconia, grant of, 235. Lands of Indians, regulations respect- ing purchase of, 168, 348. Larkham, Thomas, 379. Latham, Robt. 133. Laud, Archbishop, 12, 115. Winslow heard before, 116. Sends "Winslow to prison, 117, 201, 247, 297, 313, 323, 412. Laws of New Plymouth, established and defined, 77, 118, 143. Revisions of, 147. Different editions of, 172. League with Scotland, 324. Leavitt, Christopher, 76. Le Baron, Dr. L. 92. Leddra, William, quaker, hung, 357. Legatists, party called, 287. Leicester, Earl of, 274. Leisler, Jacob, 405. Leister, Edward, 26. Punished for du- elling, 88. Lenox, Duke of, 70. Leverett, Anne, 367. Leverett, Hudson, 375. Leverett, John a native of Lincolnshire, 367. A merchant in Boston, 368. — Major General of the colony, 368. On an embassy to Miantonomoh, 368, 370. Goes to England, and engages in the service of parliament, 370. Returns, and is chosen Speaker of the House,370. Commander of forces 371. In an ex- pedition against French, 371. Again visits England, 371. Returns and is chosen governor of Massachusetts, 371. Inquires into disputes at Dover, and Portsmouth, 371. His visits to Maine, 372. Refuses to enforce the royal acts of trade, 373. Knighted by Charles II., 373. Death of, 374. Character, 373— 375. Grants to, 367, 374. Notices of his family, 375, 376, 296. Leverett, Rev. John, notice of, 375. Leverett, Mary, 296, 375. Leverett, Sarah, 375. Leverett, Elder Thomas, notice of, 367, 375. Lewis, Alonzo, History of Lynn, cited, 59. Leyden, pilgrims at, 13, 93. Ley, Lord, 320. Liddell, Sir Thomas, 315. Lincoln, Countess of, Dudley's Letter to, 277, 377. Lincoln, Theophilus, Earl of, connection of his family with New England, 276. Lisle, Viscount, 273. London Company. See Virginia Com- pany. Long hair, association against, 359. Long Island, submission of, to Andros ? 406. Allowed representation, 408. Loring, Commodore, 136. Lothrop, Barnabas, 202. Notice of, 214,. 226. Lothrop, Benjamin, 202. Lothrop, Rev. John, 201. Notice of,, 202. Lothrop, John, 202. Lothrop, Joseph, 202. Lothrop, Samuel, 202. Lothrop, Thomas, 202. Loudon, Lord, 199. Louis XIV., 400. Low Countries, reason for removing from, 14. Ludlow, General, Memoir of, cited, 330- Ludlow, Roger, notice of, 298. Lusher, Eleazar, 371. Lyford, John, 85, 86, 87, 110. Lyon's Whelp, ship, 351. M. Maine, settlements in, subjected to Mas- sachusetts, 370, 372. Purchase of, by Massachusetts, 372, 381, 382. Mandamus of Charles II., 162, 358. Manisses, Block Island, 88. 432 INDEX. Mannamoyck, Chatham, C2. Manning, Captain, 404. Manomet, sachem of, 58. Margeson, Edmund, 26. Mariana, grant of, 235. Marlborough, Earl of, 320. Marriages, first in New Plymouth, 94. Solemnized in New Plymouth and Massachusetts by magistrates, 117. Marshall, Capt. 185, 190. Martin, Christopher, 26. Mary, Glueen, 237, 274. Mason, Capt. John, grant to, 235. Mason, Captain John, the warrior, 185. Notice of, 302. Mason, John, 302. Mason, "Hon. Jeremiah, 302. Massachusetts Bay, grant of, 236. Ori- ginal purchasers of, 236. Explored by pilgrims, 59. Government of, transferred to New England, 236, 242. Patent of, 236, 349. Names of grantees, 240. Original design, 242, 349. Company in London, 241, 244. London's plantation in, 241,349. Tol- eration not granted, 243. Rejected, 257. Distress of settlers in, 248. Charter placed in safe keeping, 341. Spirit of people noticed in England, 360. Quo warranto against, 205. Contro- versy of, with Gorton, 122. Complaint against by Dr. Child, 124. Purchases territory of Maine, 372. Militia first organized in, 374. Records of, des- troyed or carried away, 411. Massasoit, 43. Description and enter- tainment of, at New Plymouth, 44. Treaty with. 44. Acknowledges sub- jection, 45. Visit to, 55. Friendly to the English, 57. Sick, 63. Visited by E. Winslow* and John Hamp- den, 64, 101. With his son renews the league with Pilgrims, 73. Visited by Winslow and Hopkins, 94. His entertainment and speech, 98. Visit- ed by Standish and Allerton, treats them with groundnuts, 45. Wins- low's account of visit to, in sickness, 101. Reported death of, 102. Re- ception by, 104. Tended by Wins- low, 105. Recovers, 106. Anecdote of, 114. Death of, 162. Mather, Dr. Cotton, cited, 82, 220, 224, 261, 267, 345, 367, 373, 374, 395. Mather, Rev. I., cited, 163, 220, 224, 225, 394, 413. Mattapoiset, in Swansey. See Matta- •puxjst. Mattapuyst, in Swansey, residence of Caunbatant, 58, 229. May, Dorothy, 88. Mayflower, ship, 19, 21. Birth on board the, at sea, 22, 23. Peregrine White born on board the, 31. Sails for Eng- land, 46. Last survivor of, 46. Mayhew, Rev. Experience, 231. Mayhew, Rev. Dr. Jonathan, 128, 207. May, Mr. father of Dorothy, wife of Gov. Bradford, 54. Mayo, Nathaniel, 174. Medford, or Mystic, settled, 280. Meeting-houses, towns required to build, 210. Meitiwacks, Long Island, 404. Merchant adventurers, agreement with, 17. Interest of purchased, 54. Merrymeeting Bay, 151. Merry Mount, 55. Name of, changed by Endecott to Mount Dagon, 349. Metacomet, son of Massasoit. See Philip. Miantonomoh, sachem of the Narragan- setts, 303. Embassy to, 368. Des- cription of, and his visit to Boston, 369. Military Commission, extraordinary powers of, 286, 336. Military rank in New Plymouth, 176. Militia, first organized, 374. Milton, John, his sonnet to Vane, 326. Monahiggon, or Monhegan, Winslow's visit to, for provisions; 100. Planta- tion at, broken up, 111. Monckton, Col. 198. Monk, General, 332. Monks of Malaga, liberate Indians, 43. Monmouth, Duke of, 372, 410. Montgomery, Gen. Richard, 134. Mooanam, son of Massasoit, 73. Moody, Hannah, 135. Moody, Rev. Joshua, 135. Mortality, of the Pilgrims, 39, 41. Morton, Nathaniel, cited, 23, 24. Me- morial, 81. Gorton's letter to, 123, 202, 292. Morton, Thomas, 84. Sent home a pris- oner, 87, 115. Charges of, against Winslow, 117. Mosely, Capt. Samuel, 185, 187. Mount Hope, residence of Massasoit, 56, 92. Granted to New Plymouth, 204. Claimed by Massachusetts, 192, 204. Claimed also by John Crown, and by Rhode Island, 193, 204. Mount Wollaston, 349. Mourt's Relation, authors of, 82. Mullins, Priscilla, 109, 203. Mullins, William, 26, 203. Murder, punished, 149. Muscongus lands, Leverett's title to, 368. N. Namascheucks, 96. Namasket, 58. Winslow and Hopkins at, 95. Winslow and Hampden lodge at, 101. INDEX. 433 Namskeket Creekj 34. Nanepashemet, grave of, 59. Nantz, edict of, 400. Narragansetts, challenge from the, 60. Answered, 60. Make war against the English, 182. Brief narrative of the war with, 183. Their forts taken by the English, 186. Betrayed by Peter, 187. Great numbers slain, 190. Trea- ty with, 391. Narrative de Alexandra, 165. Natawanute, Windsor, Conn. 114. Nattawahunt, submission of, 57. Naumkeag, Salem, 347. Nauset, Eastham, 34, 41; 42, 56, 58, 150. • Neal, Daniel, 243, 254. Nelson, John, 418. Neponset, Milton, Sachem of, 58, 246. Newcastle, Duke of, 197, 315, 334. New England, patent for, 9. Grant to Plymouth colonists, 70. Scheme of general government in, 76, 115. Pro- ject fails, 116. Confederation of colo- nies in, 119. Winthrop's Hist, of, 266. First Englishman born in, 31. Un- reasonable expectations respecting, 108, 281. Winslow's Narration ofGrounds of Planting, 124. Episcopacy in, 84, 351. Established in, 412. Seal of, un- der Andros, 410. New English Canaan, by Thomas Mor- ton, 84. Newcomen, John, 83. New Jersey, resistance of to Andros, 409. New London, 148. Newman, Rev. Antipas, 363. Newman, Widow Elizabeth, 363. New Plymouth, introductory note, 9. First settled, 37, 38. Pilgrims arrive at, 22. Rock and place of the landing at, 36. Conclusion of pilgrims to set- tle there, 37. Buildings commenced at, 37. Burial Hill fortified at, 61. Sa- moset at, 41. Weston's colony at, 61. Trading vessels at, 61. Settlers of, ap- ply for a patent, 70. Grant of, in the name of John Pierce, and others, 70. Colonists purchase rights held in Eng- land, 72. Colonists open trade at Kennebeck, Penobscot, Connecticut, 72. Grant of, and tract on the Kenne- beck, 72. Courts established at, 75. First assembly in, 75. Declaration of rights, 76, 144. Laws estab- lished in, 77, 118, 143. Records of first church in, 80, 173. First offence in, 83. Duel at, 85. Parties punished, 85. Supplies obtained at eastward, 100. Condition of in 1624, 111. Plen- tiful harvests, 111. Invited by the Dutch and Indians to settle on the 55 , Connecticut, 112. Colonists build trading house at Connecticut, 113. Opposed by the Dutch, 114. En« croachments on by French and Dutch, 115. Body of laws for, formed, 118. Colonists more tolerant than those of Massachusetts, 118. Sell landsonthe Kennebeck, 133. Lands purchased of Indians, 150. Proposal to remove the town, 151. Laws against Quakers, 158, 159. New Charter sought for, 192, 203. Union of, with Massachu- setts proposed, 204. Number of Chris- tian Indians in, 207. James II. pro- claimed at, 211. Counsellors under Andros, 214. Quietly submits to An- dros, 212. Resumes its ancient privi- leges, 215. Petitions the King, 215. Declaration of the Gen. Court, 217. Condition of the colony of, 219. Re- newed efforts of, for charter, 219. Grants to agents, 221. Want of means to obtain charter, 222. United with Massachusetts, 223. Last General Court of, 227. Condition of the colony of, when annexed, 227 — 230. Newtown, Cambridge, settled, 245, 247, 283, 285, 286. Settlers emigrate to Connecticut, 300* New York, surrender of, to the English, 403. Nianticks, or Nyantics, 302, 370. Nicholls, Judge, 275. Northampton, Earl of, 273, 275. Northumberland, Duke of, 273,' 274. Earl of, 320. Norton, Humphrey, 155. Abusive let- ter of, to Gov. Prence, 156. Norton, Rev. John, 383. Nova Scotia, expedition against, 198. Nowell, Increase, 240,268,284, 286, 359. o. Oakes,#homas, 220, 397. Oaths, Winslow's opinion of, 130. Form of freeman's, 290. Obbatinnua, sachem of Shawmut, sub- mission of, 57, 59. Office, penalty for refusing, 78. Not sought after, 140. Ohquamehud, a Wampanoag, submis- sion of, 57. Old Colony Club, 92. Oldham, John, 85, 86, 87, 110. Oldmixon, 330, 403, 421. Old Plymouth, 38. Old South Church, Boston, 413. Oliver, Capt. , 185. Original purchasers of Massachusetts,' 347. Orne, Timothy, 361. Owsamequin. See Massasoit, 434 INDEX. P. Pamet, Truro, 58. Paomet Creek. See Cold Harbour. Parris, Arthur, 133. Pascataqua, 66. Settled by David Thompson, 67, 149. Patents, 16, 20, 54, 70, 72, 73, 74, 240, 404. Patents, of New England, 9, 10. See Pilgrims, New Plymouth, and Massa- chusetts Bay. Pawtucket, 149. Patuxet, Plymouth, 38. Squanto, only surviving native of, 43. Pelham, Edward, 197. Pelham, Herbert, notice of, 196, 339. Pelham, Penelope, wife of Gov. Bel- lingham, 339. Pelham, Penelope, 196, 197, 200. Pelham, Sir Thomas, 315. Pelham, Thomas, 197, 339. Pemaquid,397, 404. Penn, Admiral, 130. Penobscot, 72. Patent, 74. Pepperell, Sir Wm.,90. Pequot, New London, 304. Pequots, 73, 88, 114. Expedition against, 147. Volunteers from Plymouth against, 148. Country of, 148. Des- truction of, 302. Perry, Richard, 240. Persecution, of the pilgrims, 12, 50. Of the.auakers, 153, 162, 177, 208. Of Anabaptists, 177,257,356. Of Epis- copalians, 351. Pestilence, among the Indians, 40. Peter, a Narragansett, betrays his coun- trymen, 187. Peters, Hugh, 251, 379. Philip, son of Massasoit, 162. Suc- ceeds Alexander, 165. Causes of war with, 165. Appears at Plymouth, 167. Refuses to treat except with tJie King, 180. Prepares for war, 18m War with commenced, 165, 181. His forts taken, 187. Death and character of, 191. Philpot, the martyr, 237. Phips, Sir William, 224. Arrives with new charter of Massachusetts, 226, 387. Arrested and supplanted by Dudley, 396. Pierce, John, 70, 71. Pilgrim Hall, at Plymouth, 92. Pilgrims, persecuted in England, 11. Form separate church, 12. Resolve on flight to Holland, 12. Their first attempt prevented, 50. They are im- prisoned, 51. Second attempt, 51. Remove to Amsterdam and Leyden, 13. Contemplate removal to America, 14. Reasons, 14. Obtain a patent from the London Company, 16. Ar- rangements of, for leaving Holland, 17. Agreement of, with the merchant ad- venturers, 18. Hard conditions, 19. Embark at Delfthaven, 20. Ships of, put back, 20, 21. Speedwell dismissed, 21. Sail again, 21. Descry Cape Cod, 22. Stand for Hudson River, 22. Put back to Cape Cod harbour, 23. Plot against, 23. Compact be- fore landing, 24. Objects of the com- pact, 24. Subscribe the compact, 26. Examine the coast, 27. Choose John Carver governor, 25. Excursion of, under Miles Standish, 28. Their first sight of the natives,. 28. Their dis- coveries, 29. Second expedition of, 29. Indian graves, &c, discovered by, 31. Consult about place of set- tlement, 31. Third expedition of, 32. Are exposed to intense cold, 32. First encounter of, with Indians, 33. Sail along the shore, 34. In great danger, 35. Land on Clark's Island, 35. At Plymouth, 36. Lay out house-lots and commence building, 37. Name their settlement Plymouth, 37. Store- house of, burnt, 38. Two of, lost in the woods, 39. Great mortality among the, 39. Receive Samoset, 41. And other Indians, 42. Secure the friend- ship of Massasoit, 57. Accessions to, by the Fortune, 60. Put on short allowance, 60. Menaced by the Nar- ragansetts, 60. Fortify the town, 60. Famine of, 61. Plant sixty acres of corn, 61. Supplied by Captain Jones, 61. Their sufferings described, 67. Pint of corn divided among, 68. Abandon their system of community of goods, and prosper, 69. See New Plymouth. Pinchion, William, 240, 286. Plaindealing, estate of, in Plymouth, 133, 152. Plymouth Church, 151, 173. Plymouth Colony. See JVew Plymouth. Plymouth Company, 9. In Maine, 133. Plymouth Harbor explored, 23. Pil- grims arrive in, 22. Fish and fowl abound in, 27. Plymouth Rock, 36. Pocasset, squaw-sachem of, 162. Pokanoket, extent of, 55. Expedition to, 95. Pollard, Col. Benj., 136. Pope, the, and the Quaker, anecdote of, 161. Population of New Plymouth in 1624, 110. Powows, Indian, 40. Prence, Thomas, a native of Gloucester- shire, 139. One of the original under- INDEX. 435 takers of New Plymouth, 72. Comes over in the Fortune, 139. Chosen Governor of New Plymouth, 141. Raises a company of volunteers against the Pequots, 147. A second time gov- ernor, 148. Prompt punishment of murderers, 149. Makes a settlement at Eastham, 150. Organizes govern- ment at Kennebeck, 151. Again chosen governor, and re-elected six- teen years, 78, 152. Removes to Ply- mouth, 133, 152. His place of resi- dence, 152. Rigid against eectaries, 153, 178, 208. Proscribes those who are tolerant, 154. Punishes the Qua- kers, 155. Is bitterly denounced by them, 156. Approves laws for their disfranchisement, 158. Apology for, 159. Guards against apprehended at- tacks of Indians, 162 — 167. Inter- course with the Royal Commissioners, 167. Secures their favorable report, and approbation of the King, 168. Is invited by Roger Williams to discuss the question of religious freedom, 169. Declines, 170. Introduces free schools into the colony, 170. His efforts to provide for support of ministry, 173. Noted for his integrity, 171. Death of, and character, 173. Notices of his descendants, 173, 174. Prentice, Capt. Thomas, 185. Priest, Degory, 26. Prince, Rev. John, 174. Prince, John, 174. Prince of Orange, declaration of, brought by John Winslow, 133. Prince, Samuel, 231. Prince, Rev. Thomas, 174. Prince, Thomas, cited, 24, 26, 80, 231, 266, 267. Providence Plantations, 122. Puritans, relics of, preserved, 92, 200. Puritans, the first settlers, 11. At Am- sterdam, 13. Of England, in power, 125. Their object independence, 24, 144. See Pilgrims. Q. duadequina, brother of Massasoit, 44. Submission of, 57. Quakers, 153, 155. Laws against, in New Plymouth, 158. Character of first, 160. Anecdote of the Pope and one of the, 161. Banished on pain of death, 162, 357. Persecution of, 153— 162, 177, 208. Persecution of ended by mandamus of Charles II., 162, 358, 383. They become peaceful citizens, 162. Toleration of, 342. Severe laws against, in Massachusetts, 356 — 357. Executed in Boston, 357. aueen Anne, 396, 398, 399. dueen Elizabeth, death of, 9. Quincy, Pres. J., cited, 225, 259, 376, 399. Quinnipiack, New Haven, 304. R. Raby Castle, 320. Rainsburrow, Col., 270, 370. Raleigh, Sir Walter, 9. Randolph, Edward, 192, 205, 206, 373, 387, 393, 394, 410, 411, 413, 419. Ranters, laws againet, 158. Rattlesnake's skin, sent with arrows»to the Plymouth settlers, 60. Records Plymouth Church, cited, 173. Representative body , origin of in Massa- chusetts, 285. Revolution in New England, 385, 393, 417. Reyner, Elizabeth, 89. Reyner, Rev. John, 89. Reynolds, captain of the Speedwell, 19. Puts back twice, and ship abandoned, 21. Rhode Island, 122. Excluded from the League, 125, 161. Tolerance in, 161. Requested by Commissioners of Uni- ted Colonies to expel Quakers, 161. Answer of, and refusal, 161. Submits to Andros, 414. Richards, Alice, 89. Richards, Major John, 386, 391. Richards, Mary, 231. Rich, Lord, 377. Ridgdale, John, 26. Robertson, William, cited, 358. Robinson, Isaac, 178. Robinson, Rev. John, 12. Goes over to Holland, 13. His parting letter to Carver, 13. Present at embarcation of Pilgrims, 20. Remains at Leyden, notice of, 20, 49, 66, 87, 93, 109, 4 178, 201. Robinson, Thomas, letter of respecting Vane, 327. Robinson, William, quaker, executed, 357. Rock, Forefather's, account of, 36. Rogers, Rev. Mr., 289. Rogers, Thomas, 26. Rose, frigate, 382, 417, 418. Roswell, Sir Henry, 236, 238, 240. Rouse, John, 155. Roxbury, settlement of, 280, 281. Ruling elders, 350, 367. Rump Parliament, 324. Russell, James, 312. Russell, N. 92. Russell, Sir William, 320. Ryehouse plot, 206. 436 INDEX. S. Sabbath, first Christian in New England, 35. Regulations for observance of in Mass. 351. St. Clair, Gen. 134. St. Domingo, Expedition against, 130. Salem, settlement of, 347. Church es- tablished at, 350. Military company formed, 348. Resolution of town of, 392. Salstonstall, Sir Richard, 236, 240, 241, 242,340,359,378. Samoset, description of, and reception at Plymouth, 41, and of his Indians, 42. Instructs the settlers how to plant corn, 45. Sandys, Sir Edwin, 13. Notice of, 15, 24. Saquish, in Plymouth Harbor, 35, 199. Sassacus, sachem of the Pequots, 303,305. Saugus, Lynn, 280. Sausaman, John, 164. Reveals hostile de- signs of, and is killed by Philip's In- dians, 181. Sausmares, Seigniory of, 422. Savage, Elizabeth, 135, 346. Savage, James, cited, 250, 261, editor of Winthrop, 267,292, 299,374. Say and Sele, Lord, 142, 269, 276, 300. Seafowi abundant at Cape Cod, 27. Seal of New England under Andros, 410. Secretary of New Plymouth, 146. Sedgwick, Gen. Robert, 371. Seily, Capt. 185, 190. Sequassen, a sachem, 309. Sergeant, John, 386. Sergeant Major General, 290, 350. Serlo, Norman bishop, against long hair, 359. Settlements in Canada, &c.,9. Sewall, Chief Justice, 402, 413, 421. Sewall, Samuel, 402. Schools established in New Plymouth, 170,209. Scituate, settlement of, 201, 262. Sharpe, Samuel. 281. Shattock, Samuel, 358. Shawmut, Boston, sachem of, 58, 245. Sheafe, Sampson, 400. Shirley, James, 72, 74. Shirley, Gen, William, 90. Shrimpton, Samuel, 386. Shute, Gov. Saimyel, 399, Sickness, Indian customs in, 101, 104. Slade's Ferry in Swansey, 102. Slaney, John, 43. Sloughter, Gov. of New York, 220, 223, 395. Smith, John, Capt., 28, names Plymouth, 37. History and map of New Eng- land, 38. Detests Hunt, the kidnap- per, 43. Smith Laurence, 231. Smith, Richard, 403. Smith, Sir Thomas, 15, 16. Snow, Mark, 174. Soule, George, 26. Southampton, pilgrims leave, 20. Southcoat, Thomas, 239,240. South Church, Boston, 412, 414. Southworth, Constant, 88, 89, 90. Southworth, Nathaniel, 133. Southworth, Thomas, 88, 89, 151. Sowams, seat of Massasoit, 56. Spain. See United Provinces. Sparhawk, Rev. John, 137, 361. Sparrow, ship, 61. Speedwell, tonnage of the, 19. Puts baek, 20. Dismissal, 21. Squanto, or Squantum, history of, 43, 44, 45, 55, 56. Death of, 62, 95, 97. Squaw sachem of Massachusetts, 59. OfPocasset, 162. Standish, Capt. Miles, 26. Military commander at New Plymouth, 28, 176. Heads an excursion along Cape Cod, 28. Goes to meet Massasoit, 44, 45, 58, 62. Expedition against Indians at Weymouth, 65, 66. Visits Pascataqua, 67, 72. Attacked by Old- ham, 86, 140, 141, 148, 170. Standish, Miles, Jr., 133. Stephens, Major Gen. Ebenezer, 134. Stephenson, Marmaduke, quaker, hung, 357. Stockbridge, Dr. 199. Stone, Rev. Samuel, 298, 300. Stone, a West Indian, takes a Plymouth bark at Connecticut, which is retaken by Dutch sailors, 142. Stonington, 148. Storehouse at Plymouth, 37, 38. Stoughton, Capt. Israel, 304. Stoughton, William, 386. Strafford, Earl of, 314, 322, 323, 330, 333. Stuyvesant, Gov., supposed plot of, with Indians, 370. Puck aug, Hartford, 301. r unckquasson, sachem, 302. Sunday in Holland, 14. Swamp Fight, Narragansett, 186. Swan, arrival of the, 61. Synod, at Cambridge, 256. Tailer, Lieut. Gov. William, 389. Tarratines, Eastern Indians, 59. Taunton river, pestilence on, 96. Tax for the support of the clergy, 210, For fortifying Newtown, 285. Taylor, Ann, 132, 135. Ten Hills Farm, 264. Thompson, David, 67, 111. Ticonderoga, 199. INDEX. 437 Tilden, Nathaniel, 202. Tilly, Edward, 26, 28. Tilly, John, 26. Tindal, Sir John, 268. Tindal, Margaret, 268. Tinker, Thomas, 26. Tisquantum. See Squanto. Toleration, want of in England, 15, 243. In Holland, 13. In New Plymouth, 125 ; which Winslow laments, 126. Denounced, 177. Tracy, John, 174. Trade opened on the Kennebeck and Connecticut, 72, 74, 111, 112. Wins- low engaged in, 112. Treat, Major Robert, 185. Governor of Connecticut, 415. Treaty with Massasoit, 44. Trumbull, Rev. Benjamin, cited, 312. Trumbull, Gov. Jonathan, 267. Turner, John, 26. Tyng, Edward, 402. Tyng, Rebecca, 402. u. Uncas, sachem of the Mohegans, assists English against Pequots, 304, 306, 309. Underhill, Captain John, 378. Undertakers, or first purchasers, names of, 72, 277, 347. Union of New Plymouth with Massa- chusetts Bay, 204, 223. United Provinces and Spain, truce be- tween, 16. Upham, Rev. Charles Wentworth, cited, 319,327,330. Upham, Lieut. Phinehas, 190. Usher, John, 400, 418. Utrecht, treaty of, 398. Uxbridge, treaty of, 324. Vane, Sir Christopher, Lord Bernard, 334. Vane, Sir George, 314. Vane, Sir Henry, the elder, 313, 314. Notice of, 314, 315. Vane, Sir Henry, birth and descent, 313 — 315. Education, 315. Embraces the doctrines of the dissenters, 315. Emigrates to New England, 316. Is chosen governor of Massachusetts Bay, 254, 299, 316. Espouses the cause of Anne Hutchinson, 288, 318. Is superseded by Winthrop, 319. Con- troversy with, 320. Returns to Eng- land, 320. Appointed Treasurer of the Navy, and elected to Parliament, 320. Knighted by Charles I., 320. In Long Parliament, 321. One of Com- missioners for New England, 125. Opposes the King, 321. His agency in the attainder and death of the Earl of Strafford, 322. Attends Assembly of Divines, 323. Arranges League with Scotland, 323. Is on commis- sions to treat with the King, at Ux- bridge, &c, 324. Withdraws from Parliament, and takes no part in trial and execution of Charles I., 325. One of the Council of State, 325. Plans and directs the brilliant naval enterprises of England, 326. Opposes conduct of Cromwell, and is imprisoned, 327. Again in Parliament, 327. His re- ported speech, said to have over- whelmed Richard Cromwell, 328— 330. The speech probably a fiction, 330. Active in Parliament, 331. President of Council of State, 331. Joins the army against the Parliament, 532. One of the Council of Officers, and of Committee of Safety, 332. Ordered by Parliament into custody, 332. Ex- cepted from pardon by Charles II., and sent to the Tower, 332. Executed on Tower Hill, 333. His character, and opinions, different accounts of, 321, 333. His estates and honors res- tored to his family, 334. Notice, of his descendants, 334. Vane, Sir Henry, knight at Poictieurs, 313. Vane, Gilbert, 2d Lord Bernard, 334. Vane, Howell ap, 313. Vane, Sir Ralph, 313. Vane, William Harry, Duke of Cleve- land, 334. Vassal! , Samuel, 240. Vassall, William, 124. Character of, 126, 202, 240, 262, 263. Lord Hol- land, a descendant of, 229. Veils, adopted for women in the church, 352. Venables, Gen., 130. Ven, John, 240. Vermaes, Benjamin, 89. Vincent, Sir Francis, 315. Vines, Richard, 124. Virginia Company, 9, 15. Pilgrims ap- ply to, 15. Grant a patent, in name ofWincob, 16. Virginia, settlement of, 9. w. Wadsworth, William, 415. Waldo, Lucy, 136. Waldo, Gen. Samuel, 136,368. Walley , Major John, notice of, 214, 226. Wampanoags, 41. Hostile to Gov. J. Winslow, 184. See Massasoit, Alexan- der, and Philip. 438 INDEX. Wamsutta, son of Massasoit. See Alex- ander. Ward, Rev. Nathaniel, of Agawam, 177. Waranoke Indians, plots of, 309. Warren, James, 200. Warren, Joseph, 91. Warren, Mercy, 91. Warren, Richard, 26. Warwick, Countess of, 378. Warwick, Dudley, Earl of, 274. Warwick, Earl of, 9, 70, 125, 240, Waterhouse,, David, 386. Waters, Asa, 89. Watertown, settlement of 280, 281 , Watts, Capt. 185. Welde, Rev. Thomas, 257. Wentworth, Sir Thomas, 322. See Earl of Strafford. Wequash, an Indian, betrays the Pecpjots 303. Wessagussett. See Weymouth. West, Francis, Admiral, 76. West Indies, failure of Cromwell's expe- dition against, 129. Westminster, treaty of, 403. Weston, Thomas, agreement with, 16, 17. Notice of, 20. His plantation at Wey- • mouth, 61. Character of, 65, 84. His people dispersed, 66. Weymouth, Capt., 43. Weymouth, settlement of, by Weston's colony, 61, 235. Indian conspiracy against, 64. Settlers at, disorderly, 65. Abandoned, 66. Execution at, 84. Wheelwright, Rev. John, 255. Banished, 257. Notice of, 288, 291, 319. Whetcomb, Simon, 239, 240. White, Joanna, 199. White, Rev. John, 236, 238. Notice of, 239. White, Peregrine, 31, 94, 200. White, Roger, 54. White, Susanna, 31 , 94. White, William, 26, 31, 94. Whiting, Joseph, 309. Wight, "Isle of, treaty of, 324. Willett, Francis, 166. Willett, Col. Marinus, 166. Willett, Capt. Thomas, 163. Notice of, 166. William HI., proclaimed, 393, 419. William Henry, fort, 199. Williams, Roger, asks satisfaction for the natives of Pawtucket, 149. Pro- poses public discussion of religious principles, 169. Declined by Gov. Prence, 170. 291, 292. Letter of, 310. Arrives in Salem, 352. Influence of, 353. Attempts to silence, 354. Ban- ished, 354. Williams, Thomas, 26. ■ Wilson, Rev. John, first minister of Bos- ton, 245. Electioneering for Winthrop, 256, 284. Wincob, John, patent in name of, 16. Windsor, Conn., settled, 300. Winslow, Edward, father of Gov. W., 93, 132. Winslow, Edward, his birth and educa- tion, 93. Travels on the continent, 93. Joins Robinson's Church, 93. Settles at Leyden. and marries, 93. Removes nh his family, 26, 93. One of the aiseoverers of Plymouth e;ith of his wife and 31 , 94. His visit to 95—100. His voy- •i, 68, 100. His i m'd v sit to ' [; ssasoit in the time of his sickness 64. 101 — 106. Sent to England as agent for the Colony of New Plymouth, 106. Publishes "Good News from New England," or a nar- rative of the transactions of the colony, 107. Returns to Plymouth, and brings the first neat cattle brought to New England, 109. His second voyage to England, 109. Detects Lyford, and returns to Plymouth, 87, 110. Elected assistant, 87, 110. Voyage to Kenne- beck, 111. Narrow escape at, 112. Trades with the Dutch at New Neth- erlands, 114. Reported death of, 115. Again sent as agent to England, 115. Application to the commissioners of the colonies, 116. Questioned by Archbishop Laud for celebrating mar- riages, 117. His defence, 117. Pro- nounced guilty of separation from the Church, 117. Committed to the Fleet Prison, 117. Petitions the board, and obtains a release, 117. Returns to New Plymouth, and chosen governor, 78, 118, 140. Chosen commissioner of the United Colonies, 119. Agent of Massachusetts to England to answer the complaint of Gorton, Child and others, 122. Conducts with ability and success, 125, 263. His publica- tions in London, 107, 124, 127, 128. Engaged in colonizing and converting the Indians, 128. One of the corpora- tion for that purpose, 128. A com- missioner under Danish treaty, 129. One of the' commissioners sent by Cromwell on an expedition against the Spaniards, 130. Dies on the passage to Jamaica, 131. Buried with the honors of war, 131. His settlement at Marshfield, 131. Notices of his de- scendants, 131—138, 143, 175. Winslow, Rev. Edward, notice of, 136. Winslow, Elizabeth, 94, 131. Winslow, Gilbert, 26, 137. INDEX. 439 Winslow, Gen. Isaac, son of Gov. Josias W., notice of, and of his descendants, 197—199. Winslow, Isaac, 135, 136. Winslow, John, brother of Gov. Ed- ward W. , notice of, and of his descen- dants, 132—134. Winslow, Gen. John, son of Isaac W., notice of, 198, 199. Winslow, Gen. John, notice of, 134. Winslow, Joshua, 135. Winslow, Josias, birth and education, 175. Early in public employment, 175. Succeeds Standish, as military chief, 176. Commissioner of the United Colonies, 176. Commander in chief of the forces, 176. His toler- ant principles, 177, 208. Chosen Governor of New Plymouth, 178. Restores those who had been pro- scribed for their opinions, 178. Ar- rests the sachem Alexander, 163, 166. Commands in the war with Philip, 183, 374. Wampanoags seek his life, 184. Instructions to, from the com- missioners, 184. In the great Narra- gansett fight, 186—190. Health im- paired by the campaign, and resigns, 192. 203. Grant to by the colonies, 192! Character of, 194, 195. Death of, 195. Notices of his descendants, 196—200. Winslow, Kenelm, brother of Gov. W., notice of, 137. Winslow's publications — " Good Newes from New England," 107. " Rela- tion," &c, 108. " Hypocrisie Un- masked," 124. " Briefe Narration," 124. "The Danger of Tolerating Levellers," 124. "Glorious Progress of the Gospel among the Indians," &c. 128. Winslow, Susanna, 94, 131. Winthrop, Adam, father of Gov. W., 237. Winthrop, CoL Adam, 271, 386. Winthrop, Hon. Adam, 270. Winthrop, Henry, 269. Winthrop, John, his birth and ancestry, 237. Educated for the law, 237. Lea- der of the settlement in Massachusetts, 243, 278, 378. First governor of the colony, 242. Farewell address to his friends of the Church of England, 244. Settlement at Newtown, 245. Remo- val to Boston, 247, 283. Consulted by New Plymouth magistrates, 83, 149. His character, 247 — 250. Left out of the magistracy, 251. One of the coun- cil for life, 287. Examination of hi3 accounts, and honourable result, 252. Complained of for too much lenity, 310. His humility, 252. His firm- ness and decision, 253. His difficul- ties/with Anne Hutchinson and her fol- lowers, 253—258, 288. Supersed- ed by Henry Vane, 254, 289. Elect- ed governor again, 255. Controversy with Vane, 320. Assists at a synod, 256. His firm and correct conduct with the Church at Boston, 257. His opinion of democracy, 259. Of mag- istracy and liberty, 260, 261. His pe- cuniary embarrassments, 264. His afflictions, 265. Grants to his family, 264. His death, 265. His picture preserved in the Senate Chamber of Massachusetts, 266. His History of New England, different editions of, 266. His Model of Christian Chari- ty, 267. Notices of his descendants, 268—272. Winthrop, Gov. John, Jr., 269, 271, 300, 363. Winthrop, Prof. John, 271. Winthrop, Samuel, 271, 272, Winthrop, Col. Stephen, 270. Winthrop, Wait, 386. Winthrop, William, 271. Wise, Rev. John, 412. Wiswall, Rev. Ichabod, agent in. Eng- land for New Plymouth, 220, 221, 223. Witchcraft, first executions for, in New England, 344, 345. Witherell, Rev. Mr. anecdote of, 196. Elegy of, on Gov. J. Winslow, 196. Wood, Anthony, cited, 202, 239, 321. Woodbridge, Rev. Benjamin, 296. Woodbridge, Rev. John, notice of, 296. Worsely, Lt. Col., drives out House of Commons, 327. Worship, public, in the army, 185. En- forced bylaw, 209, 210. Woosamequen. See Massasoit. Wooster, Gen. 134. Wray, Sir Christopher, 334. Wray, Frances, 334. Wright, Nathl., 240. Wyllys, George, 308. Wyllys, Samuel, 312. Yarborough, Lord, 313. Young, Rev. Alexander, 80, 82, 92, Young, Sir John, 238, 240. T. Barnard, Printer, Washington City. m s*^ '» V ^-^Y^ Wl *S ,V*V '&?■? ;>^ COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 0068357265 **2 ; ^ ^? 3> 7^ ^3^ J^ ^^> ■^m - "3L £>^r g -3B g^T &*%*» ^ If ^K>* is ll