: r 2 > a sts 3 % ene ne ee LteFa : = mast SR og ae Pos st = 2 cyte 2 a fa ne é ; ne - Tae te tng aot ne nt Dee Me My Lg Mere PM Se Sees ReaD st ta dT EE NOL ES i= 8 a tala tesa SOY Se rane SB ftp set i pw LAAN GI 8 PO NOP : EE a AA eae ODT ELL fas e ee ona eR ye ee DAT tint EO a ae ea " ie a ee as eg an iy Rae i in Te Sta A " oO ie ag eg ee a5 Mp ey i Piet Re tae te ae ee! Digitized by the Internet Archive In 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/selectionsfromco0Omath , aL Ms i, ba Heian’ AMERICAN AUTHORS SERIES GENERAL EDITOR STANLEY T. WILLIAMS THE HAFNER LIBRARY OF CLASSICS [Number Twenty: Corron MATHER] ~ SELECTIONS FROM COTTON MATHER EDITED WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY KENNETH B. MURDOCK HAFNER PUBLISHING CO. NEW YORK Copyright, 1926, by Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc. Reprinted by Arrangement Published by HAFNER PUBLISHING Co., INC. 31 East 10th Street New York 3, N. Y. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 60-11056 Printed in the U.S.A. Noble Offset Printers, Inc. New York 3, N.Y. AMERICAN AUTHORS SERIES The chief purposes of the present series of volumes are two. The first is to provide for college students, teachers, and general readers authentic texts, with explanatory and critical commentary, of books in American literature unexploited but secure in reputation. Such a book is Wieland, by Charles Brockden Brown. ‘The second pur- pose is to furnish complete texts of individual writers rather than selections from them. An illustration of this principle may be observed in The Connecticut Wits. It will not invariably be possible to include all the writing of an author, or even all of a particular book, but enough material will always be given to afford the reader an opportunity to know the writer thoroughly, rather than to encounter slight portions of his work. Since the second aim of the series is, within given limits, completeness, the emphasis will be upon the text of a book rather than upon annotation or critical apparatus. Aside from footnotes essential to an understanding of the text, and a brief selected bibliography, editorial comment, for reasons of space, will be limited to a comprehensive intro- duction. Early texts will be reproduced, so far as practi- cable for their study in college classes, with the original spelling and punctuation. The American Authors Series will also include texts of the standard writers of our literature. epee ke Me Rein AG Sat i+ Ee ora as aes By a he aren i Oe Bee | Rae 7 oath 13 4 ile Aide ane a , ' . 1 eu 2 - . pa’ . ‘ 5 7 td ail ste bt ti Leer saree ft aba etl a i Soe eet : ek y ee — Pie ar lors ‘i Ray a “a ‘UP ITE. and supply those of his Decads that are lost, from the best Fragments of Antiquity, in others (and especially Dion and Salust) that lead us on still further in our way. Let him then proceed unto the Writers of the Cesarean times, and first revolve Suetonius, then Tacitus, then Herodian, then a whole Army more of Historians, which now 1 Photius, patriarch of Constantinople in the second half of the ninth century. 2“ More sweet than honey.” Colerus is probably Johann Coler, a German theological writer of the sixteenth century. 3“ A discreet writer, if there ever was one.” 4“ Seems to have surpassed all the Greeks and Latins.” 5“ As for historians, the Romans had this one genius worthy of their empire.” 12 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA crowd into our Library; and unto all the rest, let him not fail of adding the Incomparable Plutarch, whose Books they say, Theodore Gaza preferred above any in the World, next unto the Inspired Oracles of the Bible: But if the Number be still too little to satishe an Historical Appetite, let him add Polyhistor unto the number, and all the Chronicles of the following Ages. After all, he must sensibly acknowledge, that the two short Books of Ecclesiastical History, written by the Evangelist Luke, hath given us more glorious Enter- tainments, than all these voluminous Historians if they were put all together. The Atchievements of one Paul particularly, which that Evangelist hath Emblazon‘d, have more Jrue Glory in them, than all the Acts of those Execrable Plunderers and Murderers, and 1r- resistible Banditti of the World, which have been dignified with the Name of Conquerors. Tacitus counted Ingentia bella, Expugnationes urbium, fusos captosque Reges,' the Ravages of War, and the glorious Violences, whereof great Warriors make a wretched Ostentation, to be the Noblest Matter for an Historian. But there is a Nobler, | humbly conceive, in the planting and forming of Evangelical Churches, and the Temptations, the Corruptions, the Afflictions, which assault them, and their Salvations from those Assaults, and the Exemplary Lives of those that Heaven employs to be Patterns of Holiness and Usefulness upon Earth: And unto such it is, that I now invite my Readers; Things, in comparison whereof, the Subjects of many other Histories, are of as little weight, as the Questions about Z, the last Letter of our Alphabet, and whether H is to be pronounced with an Aspiration, where about whole Volumes have been written, and of no more 1 “Vast wars, captures of cities, kings captured or in flight.” A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 13 Account, than the Composure of Didymus.! But for the manner of my treating this Matter, | must now give some account unto him. §5. Reader! I have done the part of an Impartial Historian, albeit not without all occasion perhaps, for the Rule which a worthy Writer, in his Historica, gives to every Reader, Historici Legantur cum Moder- atione &F venta, &F cogitetur fiert non posse ut in omnibus circumstantius sint Lyncet.2 Polybius complains of those Historians, who always made either the Cartha- genians brave, and the Romans base, or é contra, in all their Actions, as their Affection for their own Party led them. I have endeavoured, with all good Conscience, to decline this writing meerly for a Party, or doing like the Dealer in History, whom Lucian derides, for always calling the Captain of his own Party an Achilles, but of the adverse Party a Thersites: Nor have I added unto the just Provocations for the Complaint made by the Baron Maurier, That the greatest part of Histories are but so many Panegyricks composed by Interested Hands, which elevate Iniquity to the Heavens, like Pater- culus, and like Machiavel, who propose Tiberius Cesar, and Cesar Borgia, as Examples fit for Imitation, whereas True History would have Exhibited them as Horrid Monsters as very Devils. *Tis true, I am not of the Opinion, that one cannot merit the Name of an Impartial 1 Alexandrian grammarian of the time of Cicero, sometimes accused of having written so much that in his later writing he contradicted statements he had made in earlier ones. 2“ Historians are to be read with moderation and indulgence, and it is to be remembered that they cannot in everything be as keen- sighted as Lynceus.” 3 Probably Louis Aubery, Seigneur du Maury, d. 1687, writer of several historical works. 14 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Historian, except he write bare Matters of Fact, without all Reflection; for I can tell where to find this given as the Definition of History, Historia est rerum gestarum, cum laude aut vituperatione, Narratio:' And if I am not altogether a Tacitus, when Vertues or Vices occur to be matters of Reflection, as well as of Relation, I will, for my Vindication, appeal to Tacitus himself, whom Lipsius calls one of the Prudentest (tho’ Tertullian, long before, counts him the Lyingest) of them who have Inriched the World with History: He says, Precipuum munus Annalium reor, ne virtutes sileantur, utque pravis Dictis, Factisque ex posteritate §F Infamia metus sit.” I have not Commended any Person, but when IJ have really judg’d, not only That he Deserved it, but also that it would be a Benefit unto Posterity to know, Wherein he deserved it: And my Judgment of Desert, hath not been Biassed, by Persons being of my own particular Judgment in matters of Disputation, among the Churches of God. I have been as willing to wear the Name of Simplicius Verinus,’ throughout my whole undertaking, as he that, before me, hath assumed it: Nor am I like Pope Zachary, impatient so much as to hear of any Antipodes.t The Spirit of a Schlusselberg- ius,° who falls foul with Fury and Reproach on all 1 “ History 1s the story of events, with praise or blame.” 2“T regard it as history’s highest function not to let virtues be uncelebrated, and to hold up asa terror the censure of posterity for bad words and deeds.” (Tacitus, Annals, iti, 65.) 3Simplicius Verinus was the name assumed at times by Claude Saumaise (Salmasius), 1588-1653, a French classical scholar, famous for his controversy with Milton. ‘Pope Zacharias, bishop of Rome from 741 to 752, directed that there be expelled from the church one Virgilius who held that there was another world below the earth. ’ Konrad Schlisselburg, 1543-1619, Lutheran writer and contro- versialist. A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 5 who differ from him; The Spirit of an Heylin, who seems to count no Obloquy too hard for a Reformer; and the Spirit of those (Folio-writers there are, some of them, in the English Nation!) whom a Noble Historian Stigmatizes, as, Those Hot-headed, Passionate Bigots, from whom, ’tis enough, 1f you be of a Religion contrary unto theirs, to be defamed, condemned and pursued with a thousand Calumnies. I thank Heaven [ Hate it with all my Heart. But how can the Lives of the Commena- able be written without Commending them? Or, 1s that Law of History given in one of the eminentest pieces of Antiquity we now have in our hands, wholly antiquated, Maxime proprium est Historie, Laudem rerum egregie gestarum persequi?' Nor have I, on the other side, forbore to mention many Censurable things, even in the Best of my Friends, when the things, in my opinion, were not Good; or so bore away for Placentia, in the course of our Story, as to pass by Verona;* but been mindful of the Direction which Polybius gives to the Historian, It becomes him that writes an History, sometimes to extol Enemies in his Praises, when their praise-worthy Actions bespeak it, and at the same time to reprove the best Friends, when their Deeds appear worthy of a reproof; in-as much as History is good for nothing, if Truth (which 1s the very Eye of the Animal) be not in it. Indeed I have thought it my duty upon all accounts, (and if it have proceeded unto the degree 1 “Trt is in the highest degree the property of history to record praise of good deeds.” 2 Cotton Mather’s phrasing here suggests that “to bear away for Placentia, and to miss Verona” was a proverbial expression, meaning about what our “‘to fail to see the woods for the trees” implies. Prob- ably the reference is to Hasdrubal’s entry into Italy, when his laying siege to Placentia delayed his entry into the heart of Italy. (Cf. Livy, xxvii, 39, 43. 16 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA of a Fault, there is, it may be, something in my Temper and Nature, that has betray’d me therein) to be more sparing and easie, in thus mentioning. of Censurable things, than in my other Liberty: A writer of Church- History, should, I know, be like the builder of the Temple, one of the Tribe of Naphthali; and for this I will also plead my Polybius in my Excuse; It is not the Work of an Historian, to commemorate the Vices and Villanies of Men, so much as their just, their fair, their honest Actions: And the Readers of History get more good by the Objects of their Emulation, than of their Indignation. Nor do I deny, that tho’ I cannot approve the Conduct of Josephus, (whom Jerom not unjustly nor ineptly calls, The Greek Livy) when he left out of his Antiquities, the Story of the Golden Calf, and I don’t wonder to find Chamier, and Rivet,1 and others, taxing him for his Partiality towards his Country-men; yet I have left unmentioned some Censurable Occurrences in the Story of our Colonies, as things no less Unuseful than Im- proper to be raised out of the Grave, wherein Oblivion hath now buried them; lest I should have incurred the Pasquil bestowed upon Pope Urban, who employing a Committee to Rip up the Old Errors of his Predecessors, one clap’d a pair of Spurs upon the heels of the Statue of St. Peter; and a Label from the Statue of St. Paul opposite thereunto, upon the Bridge, ask’d him, Whither he was bound? St. Peter answered, I apprehend some Danger in staying here; I fear they'll call me 1n Question for denying my Master. And St. Paul replied, Nay, then I had best be gone too, for they'll question me also, for Persecuting the Christians before my Conversion. Briefly, My Pen shall Reproach none, that can give a 1Daniel Chamier, 1570?-1621, French Protestant writer, and André Rivet, 1573-1651, French Calvinist theologian. A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 17 Good Word unto any Good Man that is not of their own Faction, and shall Fall out with none, but those that can Agree with no body else, except those of their own Schism. If I draw any sort of Men with Charcoal, it shall be, because I remember a notable passage of the Best Queen that ever was in the World, our late Queen Mary.’ Monsieur Jurieu, that he might Justifie the Reformation in Scotland, made a very black Repre- sentation of their old Queen Mary; for which, a certain Sycophant would have incensed our Queen Mary against that Reverend Person, saying, Js it not a Shame that this Man, without any Consideration for your Royal Person, should dare to throw such Infamous Calumnies upon a Queen, from whom your Royal Highness is de- scended? But that Excellent Princess replied, No, not at all; Is 1t not enough that by fulsome Praises great Persons be lull’d asleep all their Lives; But must Flattery accompany them to their very Graves? How should they fear the Judgment of Posterity, if Historians be not allowed to speak the Truth after their Death? But whether I do my self Commend, or whether I give my Reader an opportunity to Censure, I am careful above all things to do it with Truth; and as I have considered the words of Plato, Deum indigne &% graviter ferre, cum quis er similem hoc est, virtute prestantem, vituperet, aut laudet contrarium:* So I have had the Ninth Com- mandment of a greater Law-giver than Plato, to preserve my care of Truth from first to last. If any Mistake have been any where committed, it will be found meerly Circumstantial, and wholly Involuntary; and let it be 1 Queen Mary, wife of William III, died in 1694. ?“Tt is to act unworthily and offensively toward God, to abuse anyone who ts like him excelling in virtue, or to praise the opposite of such a one.” 18 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA remembred, that tho’ no Historian ever merited better than the Incomparable Thuanus,' yet learned Men have said of his Work, what they never shall truly say of ours, that it contains multa falsissima & indigna.” I find Erasmus himself mistaking One Man for Two, when writing of the Ancients. And even our own English Writers too are often mistaken, and in Matters of a very late Importance, as Baker, and Heylin, and Fuller, (professed Historians) tell us, that Richard Sutton, a single Man, founded the Charter-House; whereas his Name was Thomas, and he was a married Man. I think I can Recite such Mistakes, it may be Sans Number occurring in the most credible Writers; yet I hope I shall commit none such. But altho’ I thus challenge, as my due, the Character of an Impar- tial, I doubt I may not challenge That of an Elegant Historian. I cannot say, whether the Style, wherein this Church-History is written, will please the Modern Criticks: But if I seem to have used amdovoTtaty cuvtage ypadns,® a Simple, Submiss, Humble Style, ‘tis the same that Eusebius affirms to have been used by Hegesippus, who, as far as we understand, was the first Author (after Luke) that ever composed an entire Body of Ecclesiastical History, which he divided into Five Books, and Entitled, vrouvnpata ToV ExKAnoLacTiK@Y Tpatewr.4 Whereas others, it may be, will reckon the Style Embellished with too much of Ornament, by the multiplied References to other and former Concerns, closely couch’d, for the Observation of the Attentive, in almost every Paragraph; but I must 1 Jacques Auguste de Thou, French historian and poet, 1553-1617. 2 “Much that is most false and unworthy.” 3“The most simple style of writing.” 4“ Memorials of ecclesiastical transactions.” A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 19 confess, that I am of his mind who said, Sicuti sal modice cibis aspersus Condit, &9 gratiam saporis addit, tta 51 paulum Antiquitatis admiscueris, Oratio fit venus- tior.’ And I have seldom seen that Way of Writing faulted, but by those, who, for a certain odd Reason, sometimes find fault, That the Grapes are not ripe. These Embellishments (of which yet I only—Veniam pro laude peto)* are not the puerile Spoils of Polyanthea’s, but I should have asserted them to be as choice Flowers as most that occur in Ancient or Modern Writings, almost unavoidably putting themselves into the Authors Hand, while about his Work, if those words of Ambrose had not a little frightened me, as welleas they did Barontus, Unumquemque Fallunt sua ACEI. 3 observe that Learned Men have been so terrified by the Reproaches of Pedantry, which little Smatterets at Reading and Learning have, by their Quoting Hum- ours brought upon themselves, that, for to avoid all Approaches towards that which those Feeble Creatures have gone to imitate, the best way of Writing has been most injuriously deserted. But what shall we say? The Best way of Writing, under Heaven, shall be the Worst, when Erasmus his Monosyllable Tyrant ¢ will have it so! And if I should have resign’d my self wholly to the Judgment of others, What way of Writing 1“ Just as salt discreetly spread on food seasons it, and increases its flavor, so to mix in a little of antiquity makes style more pleasing.” 2“T ask pardon for this praise.” $“ Everyone errs about his own writings.” ‘, Our speech at this day (for the most part) consisteth of words of one sillable. Which thing Erasmus observing, merily in his Eccle- siast, compareth the English toong to a Dogs barking, that soundeth nothing els, but Baw, waw, waw, in Monosillable.” William Lam- barde, Perambulation of Kent, p. 233 (ed. 1826). This was written In 1570. 20 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA to have taken, the Story of the two Statues made by Policletus tells me, what may have been the Issue:! He contrived one of them according to the Rules that best pleased himself, and the other according to the Fancy of every one that look’d upon his Work: The former was afterwards Applauded by all, and the latter Derided by those very Persons who had given their Directions for it. As for such Unaccuracies as the Critical may discover, Opere in longo,” I appeal to the Courteous, for a favourable Construction of them; and certainly they will be favourably Judged of, when there is considered the Variety of my other Employ- ments, which have kept me in continual Hurries, I had almost said, like those of the Ninth Sphere,® for the few Months in which this Work has been Digesting. It was a thing well thought, by the wise Designers of Chelsey-Colledge, wherein able Historians were one sort of Persons to be maintained;? That the Romanists do in one Point condemn the Protestants; for among the Romanists, they don’t burden their Professors with any Parochial Incumbrances; but among the Protestants, the very same Individual Man must Preach, Catechize, Administer the Sacraments, Visit the Afflicted, and manage all the parts of Church-Discipline; and if any Books for the Service of Religion, be written, Persons thus extreamly incumbred must be the Writers. Now, of all the Churches under Heaven, there are none that expect so much Variety of Service from their Pastors, as those of New-England; and of all the Churches 1 The story which follows occurs in lian, and, doubtless, elsewhere. 2“Tn a long work.” 8 The ninth or “Crystalline Sphere” in the Ptolemaic svstem of astronomy. 4 King James’ College, Chelsea, founded 1609. A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 21 in New-England, there are none that require more, than those in Boston, the Metropolis of the English America; whereof one is, by the Lord Jesus Christ, committed unto the Care of the unworthy Hand, by which this History is compiled. Reader, Give me leave humbly to mention, with him in Tully, Antequam de Re, Pauca de Me!* Constant Sermons, usually more than once, and perhaps three or four times, in a Week, and all the other Duties of a Pastoral Watchfulness, a very large Flock has all this while demanded of me; wherein, if [had been furnished with as many Heads as a Typheus, as many Fyes as an Argos, and as many Hands as a Briareus, | might have had Work enough to have em- ploy’d them all; nor hath my Station left me free from Obligations to spend very much time in the Evangelical Service of others also. It would have been a great Sin in me, to have Omitted, or Abated, my Just Cares, to fulfil my Ministry in these things, and in a manner Give my self wholly to them. All the time I have had for my Church-History, hath been perhaps only, or chiefly, that, which I might have taken else for less profitable Recreations; and it hath all been done by Snatches. My Reader will not find me the Person intended in his Littany, when he says, Libera me ab homine unius Negotis:? Nor have I spent Thirty Years in shaping this my History, as Diodorus Siculus did for his, [and yet both Bodinus and Sigonius* complain of the =¢adpara 4 attending it.] But I wish I could have enjoy’d entirely for this Work, one quarter of the little more than 1 Before coming to the subject, a little about myself.” 2 “Deliver me from a man of but one interest.” * Charles Sigonius (Carlo Sigonio), 1524-1585, Italian writer and philologist. See Irors. 22 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Two Years which have roll’d away since I began it; whereas I have been forced sometimes wholly to throw by the Work whole Months together, and then resume it, but by a stolen hour or two in a day, not without some hazard of incurring the Title which Coryat put upon his History of his Travels, Crudities hastily gobbled up in five Months. Protogenes being seven Years in drawing a Picture, Apelles upon the sight of it, said, The Grace of the Work was much allay’d by the length of the Time. Whatever else there may have been to take off the Grace of the Work, now in the Readers hands, (whereof the Pictures of Great and Good Men make a considerable part) | am sure there hath not been the length of the Time to do it. Our English Martyrologer, counted it a sufficient 4pology, for what Meanness might be found in the first Edition of his Acts and Monuments, that it was hastily rashed up in about fourteen Months: And I may Apologize for this Collection of our Acts and Monuments, that I should have been glad, in the little more than Two Years which have ran out, since I enter’d upon it, if I could have had one half of About fourteen Months to have entirely devoted thereunto. But besides the Time, which the Daily Services of my own first, and then many other Churches, have necessarily call’d for, I have lost abundance of precious Time, thro’ the feeble and broken State of my Health, which hath unfitted me for Hard Study; [ can do nothing to purpose at Lucubra- tions. And yet, in this Time also of the two or three Years last past, I have not been excused from the further Diversion of Publishing (tho’ not so many as they say Mercurtus Trismegistus' did, yet) more than a Score 1 The Latin name of the Egyptian God, Thoth, reputed author of many works on Egypt. A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 23 of other Books, upon a copious Variety of other Subjects, besides the composing of several more, that are not_ yet published. Nor is this neither all the Task that I have in this while had lying upon me; for (tho’ I am very sensible of what Jerom said, Non bene fit, quod occupato Animo fit;' and of Quintilian’s Remark, Non simul in multa intendere Animus totum potest,;”) when I applied my mind unto this way of serving the Lord JESUS CHRIST in my Generation, I set upon another and a greater, which has had, I suppose, more of my Thought and Hope than this, and wherein there hath passed me, for the most part, Nulla dies sine linea.® I considered, That all sort of Learning might be made gloriously Subservient unto the IJlustration of the Sacred Scripture; and that no professed Commen- tartes had hitherto given a thousandth part of so much Illustration unto it, as might be given. I considered, that Multitudes of particular Texts, had, especially of later Years, been more notably Illustrated in the Scat- tered Books of Learned Men, than in any of the Ordinary Commentators. And I consider’d, That the Treasures of Illustration for the Bible, dispersed in many hundred Volumes, might be fetch’d all together by a Labour that would resolve to Conquer all things; and that all the Improvements which the Later-ages have made in the Sciences, might be also, with an inexpressible Pleasure, call’d in, to Assist the Jilustration of the Holy Oracles, at a Rate that hath not been attempted in the vulgar Annotations; and that a common degree of Sense, would help a Person, who should converse much with these things, to attempt sometimes also 1“ What is done with an occupied mind, is not well done.” 2“ Onecannot put hiswhole mind onmany things at the same time.” “No day without a line.” Ba B= \ 24 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA an Illustration of his own, which might expect some Attention. Certainly, it will not be ungrateful unto good Men, to have innumerable Antiquities, Jewish, Chaldee, Arabian, Grecian and Roman, brought home unto us, with a Sweet Light Reflected from them on the Word, which is our Light: Or, To have all the Typical Men and things in our Book of Mysteries, accommodated with their Antitypes: Or, To have many Hundreds of References to our dearest Lord Messiah, discovered in the Writings which Testifie of Him, oftner than the most of Mankind have hitherto imagined: Or, To have the Histories of all Ages, coming in with punctual and surprising Fulfillments of the Divine Prophecies, as far as they have been hitherto fulfilled; and not meer Conjectures, but even Mathematical and Incontestable Demonstrations, given of Expositions offered upon the Prophecies, that yet remain to be accomplished: Or, To have in One Heap, Thousands of those Remarkable Discoveries of the deep things of the Spirit of God, whereof one or two, or a few, sometimes, have been, with good Success accounted Materials enough to advance a Person into Authorism; or to have the delicious Curio- sities of Grotius, and Bochart, and Mede, and Lightfoot, and Selden, and Spencer! (carefully selected and cor- rected) and many moreGiants in Knowledge, all set upon one Table. Travellers tell us, That at Florence there is a rich Table, worth a thousand Crowns, made of Precious Stones neatly inlaid; a Table that was fifteen Years in making, with no less than thirty Men daily 1Grotius, 1583-1645, the great Dutch lawyer and theologian; Samuel Bochart, 1599-1667, French Protestant scholar; Joseph Mede, 1586-1638, English theologian; John Lightfoot, 1602-1675, learned English divine; John Selden, 1584-1654, statesman, political writer and archeologist; and John Spencer, 1630-1695, theologian and Hebraist, were all men whose works Cotton Mather knew well, A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 25 at work upon it; even such a Table could not afford so rich Entertainments, as one that should have the Soul-feasting Thoughts of those Learned Men together set upon it. Only ’tis pitty, that instead of one poor feeble American, overwhelm’d with a thousand other Cares, and capable of touching this Work no otherwise than in a Digression, there be not more than Thirty Men daily employ’d about it. For, when the excellent Mr. Pool} had finished his Laborious and Immortal Task, it was noted by some considerable Persons, That wanting Assistance to Collect for him many miscel- laneous Criticisms, occasionally scattered in other Authors, he left many better Things behind him than he found. At more than all this, our Essay is levell’d, if it be not anticipated with that Epitaph, magnis tamen excidit ausis.” Designing accordingly, to give the Church of God such displays of his blessed Word, as may be more Entertaining for the Rarity and Novelty of them, than any that have hitherto been seen together in any Exposition; and yet such as may be acceptable unto the most Judicious, for the Demonstrative Truth of them, and unto the most Orthodox, for the regard had unto the Analogy of Faith in all, I have now, in a few Months, got ready an huge number of Golden Keys to open the Pandects of Heaven, and some thousands of charming and curious and singular Notes, by the New Help whereof, the Word of CHRIST may run and be glorified. If the God of my Life, will please to spare my Life [my yet Sinful, and Slothful, and thereby Fofeited Life!] as many years longer as the Barren Fig-tree had in the Parable, I may make unto the 1 Matthew Poole, 1624-1709, compiled a famous Synopsis of the various biblical commentators. 2“ Yet he fell short of what he had ventured to atten.pt.” 26 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Church of God, an humble Tender of our BIBLIA AMERICANA,! a Volumn enrich’d with better things than all the Plate of the Indies; YET NOT I, BUT THE ) GRACE OF CHRIST WITH ME. My Reader sees, ~ why I commit the Fault of a 7eptavria,? which appears in the mention of these Minute-passages; ’tis to excuse whatever other Fault of Inaccuracy, or Inadvertency, may be discovered in an History, which hath been a sort of Rapsody made up (like the Paper whereon ’tis written!) with many little Rags, torn from an Employ- ment, multifarious enough to overwhelm one of my small Capacities. Magna dabit, qui magna potest; mtht parva potenti, Parvaque poscenti, parva dedisse sat est.® § 6. But shall I prognosticate thy Fate, now that, Parve (sed invideo) ne me, Liber, ibis 1n Urbem.* Luther, who was himself owner of such an Heart, advised every Historian to get the Heart of a Lion; and the more I consider of the Provocation, which this our Church-History must needs give to that Roar- ing Lion, who has, through all Ages hitherto, been tearing the Church to pieces, the more occasion I see to wish my self a Ceur de Lion. But had not my Heart been Trebly Oak’d and Brass’d for such Encounters as this our History may meet withal, I would have 1The MS of Cotton Mather’s Biblia Americana is now owned by the Massachusetts Historical Society. 2 “Discussion about myself.” 3“ He will give great things, who is able; for me, who am able to do little, and who ask for little, it is enough to have given a little.” 4“O little book, though I envy, you, not I, shall go forth to the world,” A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 27 worn the Silk-worms Motto, Operitur dum Operatur,} and have chosen to have written Anonymously; or, as Claudius Salmasius calls himself Walo Messalinus, as Ludovicus Molineus calls himself Ludiomeus Col- vinus, as Carolus Scribanius calls himself Clarus Bonar- scius, (and no less Men than Peter du Moulin, and Dr. Henry More, stile themselves, the one Hi1ppolytus Fronto, the other Franciscus Paleopolitanus.)* Thus I would have tried, whether I could not have Anagram- matized my Name into some Concealment; or I would have referr’d it to be found in the second Chapter of the second Syntagm of Selden de Diis Syris.2 Whereas now I freely confess, ’tis COTTON MATHER that has written all these things; Me, mé, ad sum qui scripsi; in me convertite Ferrum.* I hope ’tis a right Work that I have done; but we are not yet arrived unto the Day, wherein God will bring every Work into Judgment (the Day of the Kingdom that was promised unto David) and a Son of David hath as Truly as Wisely told us, that until the arrival of that Happy Day, this is one of the Vanities attendinz Humane Affairs; For a right Work a Man shall be envied of his Neighbour. It will not be so much a Surprise unto me, if I should live to see our Church-History vexed with Anie-mad-versions of Calumnious Writers, 1 “Tt is hidden while it works.” 2Louis Molinzus, or Moulin, was an English physician, born about 1603; Charles Scribani, or Scribanius, was a Jesuit historian, living 1561-1629; Peter du Moulin was an English theologian, and Henry More was one of the English “ Cambridge Platonists.” 3 The name Mather occurs in the book of John Selden referred to (p. 165 of the London 1617 edition). 4“Tt is I who have written; turn the sword against me.” This is an alteration of the 4neid, ix, 427. 28 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA as it would have been unto Virgil, to read his Bucolicks reproached by the 4 ntibucolica of a Nameless Scribbler, and his Aneids travestied by the netdomastix of Carbilius: Or Herennius taking pains to make a Col- lection of the Faults, and Faustinus of the Thefts, in his incomparable Composures: Yea, Pliny, and Seneca themselves, and our Jerom, reproaching him, as a Man of no Judgment, nor Skill in Sciences; while Pedianus affirms of him, that he was himself, Usque adeo invidie Expers, ut s1 quid erudite dictum ins piceret alterius, non minus gauderet ac sit suum esset.1 How should a Book, no better laboured than this of ours, escape Zoilian? Outrages, when in all Ages, the most exquisite Works have been as much vilified, as Plato’s by Scaliger, and Aristotle's by Lactantius? -In the time of our K. Edward VI. there was an Order to bring in all the Teeth of St. Apollonia, which the People of his one Kingdom carried about them for the Cure of the Tooth ach; and they were so many, that they almost fill’da Tun. Truly Envy hath as many Teeth as Madam Apollonia would have had, if all those pretended Re- liques had been really hers. And must all these Teeth be fastned on thee, O my Book? It may be so! And yet the Book, when ground between these Teeth, will prove like Ignatius in the Teeth of the furious Tygers, The whiter Manchet for the Churches of God. The greatest and fiercest Rage of Envy, is that which I expect from those IDUMAZANS, whose Religion is all Cere- mony, and whose Charity is more for them who deny 1“Ever so very free of envy, that when he examined anything learnedly written by another, he was not less delighted than as if it were his own.” ? Zoilus, a fourth century Greek rhetorician, so severely criticized Homer as to be known as the “ Scourge of Homer.” A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 29 the most Essential things in the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England, than for the most Conscien- tious Men in the World, who manifest their being so, by their Dissent in some little Ceremony: Or those Persons whose Hearts are notably expressed in those words used by one of them [’tis Howel in his Familiar Letters, Vol. 1. Sect. 6. Lett. 32.] I rather pitty, than hate, Turk or Infidel, for they are of the same Metal, and bear the same Stamp, as I do, tho’ the I NSCTIPtions differ; If I hate any, ’tis those Schismaticks that puzzle the sweet Peace of our Church; so that I could be content to see an Anabaptist go to Hell on a Brownists Back. The Writer whom I last quoted, hath given us a Story of a young Man in High-Holbourn, who being after his death Dissected, there was a Serpent with divers tails, found in the left Ventricle of his Heart. I make no question, that our Church-History will find some Reader disposed like that Writer, with an Heart as full of Serpent and Venom as ever it can hold: Nor indeed will they be able to hold, but the Tongues and Pens of those angry Folks, will scourge me as with Scorpions, and cause me to feel (if I will feel) as many Lashes as Cornelius Agrippa expected from their Brethren, for the Book in which he exposed their Vani- __ ties.2 A Scholar of the great JUELS, made once about fourscore Verses, for which the Censor of Corpus Christi Colledge in the beginning of Queen Maries Reign, publickly and cruelly scourged him, with one Lash ‘The Brownists were those who followed the beliefs of Robert Brown—in general, they were the more extreme Independents among the English Puritans. The Puritans in New England objected to being identified with the Brownists. (Cf. page 48 post). * Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, 1487-1535, published in 1531 his De Vanitate et Incertitude Scientiarum, which brought him into difficulties with the Inquisition. ered 30 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA for every Verse.! Now in those Verses, the young Man’s Prayers to the Lord JESUS CHRIST, have this for part of the answer given to them. Respondet Dominus, spectans de sedibus altis, Ne dubites recte credere, parve puer. Olim sum passus mortem, nunc occupo dextram Patris, nunc summt1 sunt mea regna poll. Sed tu, crede mihi, vires Scriptura resumet, Tolleturque suo tempore missa nequam. In English. The Lord beholding from his Throne, reply’d, Doubt not, O Youth, firmly in me confide. I dy’d long since, now sit at the Right Hand Of my bless’d Father, and the World command. Believe me, Scripture shall regain her sway, And wicked Mass in due time fade away. Reader, I also expect nothing but Scourges from that Generation, to whom the Mass book is dearer than the Bible. But I have now likewise confessed another Expectation, that shall be my Consolation under all. They tell us, That on the highest of the Caspian Moun- tains in Spain, there is a Lake, whereinto if you throw a Stone, there presently ascends a Smoke, which forms a dense Cloud, from whence issues a Tempest of Rain, Hail, and horrid Thunder-claps, for a good quarter of an hour. Our Church-History will be like a Stone cast into that Lake, for the furious Tempest which it will raise among some, whose Ecclesiastical Dignities have set them, as on the top of Spanish Mountains. 1 Bishop John Jewel of Salisbury, 1522-1571. His scholar here referred to was a certain Edward Year. A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 31 The Catholick Spirit of Communion wherewith ’tis written, and the Liberty which I have taken, to tax the Schismatical Impositions and Persecutions of a Party, who have always been as real Enemies to the English Nation, as to the Christian and Protestant Interest, will certainly bring upon the whole Compo- sure, the quick Censures of that Party, at the first cast of their look upon it. In the Duke of Alva’s Council of twelve Judges, there was one Hessels a Flemming, who slept always at the Trial of Criminals, and when they wak’d him to deliver his Opinion, he rub’d_ his Eyes, and cry’d between sleeping and waking, Ad patibulum! ad Patibulum! ‘To the Gallows with ’em! [And, by the way, this Blade was himself, at the last, condemned unto the Gallows, without an Hearing!) As quick Censures must this our Labour expect from those who will not bestow waking thoughts upon the Representations of Christianity here made unto the World; but have a Sentence of Death always to pass, or at least, Wish, upon those Generous Principles, without which, ’tis impossible to maintain the Refor- mation: And I confess, I am very well content, that this our Labour takes the Fate of those Principles: Nor do I dissent from the words of the Excellent Whitaker upon Luther, Felix ille, quem Dominus eo Honore dignatus est, ut Homines nequissimos suos haberet inimicos.! But if the old Epigrammatist, when he saw Guilty Folks raving Mad at his Lines, could say Hoc volo; nunc nobis carmina nostra placent? 1“ Happy is he, whom God has deemed worthy of the honor that he may have the worst of men for his enemies.” 2 “This is what I wish; now my songs please me.” oe MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Certainly an Historian should not be displeased at it, if the Enemies of Truth discover their Madness at the true and free Communications of his History: and therefore the more Stones they throw at this Book, there will not only be the more Proofs, that it is a Tree which hath good Fruits growing upon it, but I will build my self a Monument with them, whereon shall be inscribed, that Clause in the Epitaph of the Martyr Stephen: Excepit Lapides, cut petra Christus erat: ! Albeit perhaps the Epitaph, which the old Monks bestow’d upon Wickliff, will be rather endeavour’d for me, (Jf I am thought worth one!)? by the Men, who will, with all possible Monkery, strive to stave off the approaching Reformation. But since an Undertaking of this Nature, must thus encounter so much Envy, from those who are under the Power of the Spirit that works in the Children of Unperswadeableness, methinks [I might perswade my self, that it will find another sort of Entertainment from those Good Men who have a better Spirit in them: For, as the Apostle James hath noted, (so with Monsieur Claude I read it) The Spirit that is in us, lusteth against Envy; and yet even in us also, there will be the Flesh, among whose Works, one is Envy, which will be Lusting against the Spirit. All Good Men will not be satisfied with every thing that is here set before them. In my own Country, besides a considerable number of loose 1Mr. Robinson, in the 1855 reprint of the Magnalia, translates this, “He died by stoning, but his Rock was Christ.” * Wycliffe was reviled by many after his death, his books were burned, and his body later exhumed. Speed’s History of Great Britaine (1611), p. 610, § 118, prints an epitaph bestowed on him by a monk. A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 33 and vain Inhabitants risen up, to whom the Congre- gational Church-Discipline, which cannot Live well, where the Power of Godliness dyes, is become distastful for the Purity of it; there is also a number of eminently Godly Persons, who are for a Larger way, and unto these my Church-History will give distast, by the things which it may happen to utter, in favour of that Church-Discipline on some few occasions; and the Discoveries which I may happen to make of my Appre- hensions, that Scripture, and Reason, and Antiquity is for it; and that it is not far from a glorious Resurrec- tion. But that, as the Famous Mr. Baxter, after Thirty or Forty Years hard Study, about the true Instituted Church-Discipline, at last, not only own’d, but also invincibly prov’d, That it is The Congregational; so, The further that the Unprejudiced Studies of Learned Men proceed in this Matter, the more generally the Congregational Church-Discipline will be pronounced for. On the other side, There are some among us, who very strictly profess the Congregational Church-Disci- pline, but at the same time they have an unhappy Narrowness of Soul, by which they confine their value and Kindness too much unto their own Party; and unto those my Church History will be offensive, because my Regard unto our own declared Principles, does not hinder me from giving the Right-hand of Fellowship unto the valuable Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, who find not our Church-Discipline as yet agreeable unto their present Understandings and Illuminations. If it be thus in my own Country, it cannot be other wise in That whereto I send this account of my own. Briefly, as it hath been said, That if all Episcopal Men were like Archbishop Usher, and all Presbyterians like Stephen Marshal, and all Independents like Jeremiah 34 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Burroughs, the Wounds of the Church would soon be healed;! my Essay to carry that Spirit through this whole Church-History, will bespeak Wounds for it, from those that are of another Spirit. And there will also be in every Country those Good Men, who yet have not had the Grace of Christ so far prevailing in them, as utterly to divest them of that piece of IIl Nature which the Comedian resents, In homine Imperito, quo nil quicquam Injustius, quia nisi quod ipse facit, nil recte factum putat.” However, All these things, and an hundred more such things which I think of, are very small Discourage- ments for such a Service as I have here endeavoured. I foresee a Recompence, which will abundantly swallow up all Discouragements! It may be Strato the Philoso- pher counted himself well recompensed for his Labours, when Ptolomy bestow’d fourscore Talents on him. It may be Archimelus the Poet counted himself well recompensed, when Hero sent him a thousand Bushels of Wheat for one little Epigram: And Saletus the Poet might count himself well recompensed, when Vespasian sent him twelve thousand and five hundred Philippicks; and Oppian the Poet might count himself well recompensed, when Caracalla sent him a piece of Gold for every Line that he had inscribed unto him. As I live in a Country where such Recompences never were in fashion; it hath no Preferments for me, and I shall count that I am well Rewarded in it, if I can escape without being heavily Reproached, Cen- 1 James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, an Anglican, liberal toward Puritanism, 1581-1656; Marshall, 1594?-1655, and Burroughs, 1599- 1646, were men of breadth of view and wide influence. 2 “Nothing is more unjust than an inexperienced man, who thinks nothing is right except what he has done himself.” (Terence, Adelphi, ll. 98-99.) A GENERAL INTRODUCTION 36 sured and Condemned, for what I have done: So I thank the Lord, I should exceedingly Scorn all such mean Considerations, I seek not out for Benefactors, to whom these Labours may be Dedicated: There is ONE to whom all is due! From Him I shall have a Recompence: And what Recompence? The Recom- pence, whereof I do, with inexpressible Joy, assure my self, is this, That these my poor Labours will certainly serve the Churches and Interests of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think I may say, That I ask to live no longer, than I count a Service unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and his Churches, to be it self a glorious Recompence for the doing of it. When David was contriving to build the House of God, there was that order given from Heaven concerning him, Go tell David, my Servant. The adding of that more than Royal Title unto the Name of David, was a sufficient Recompence for all his Con- trivance about the House of God. In our whole Church- History, we have been at work for the House of the Lord Jesus Christ, [Even that Man who is the Lord God, and whose Form seems on that occasion represented unto His David] And herein ’tis Recompence enough, that I have been a Servant unto that heavenly Lord. The greatest Honour, and the sweetest Pleasure, out of Heaven, is to Serve our Illustrious Lord JESUS CHRIST, who hath loved us, and given himself for us; and unto whom it is infinitely reasonable that we should give our selves, and all that we have and Are: And it may be the Angels in Heaven too, aspire not after an higher Felicity. Unto thee, therefore, O thou Son of God, and King of Heaven, and Lord of all things, whom all the Glorious Angels of Light, unspeakably love to Glorifie; [ humbly 36 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA offer up a poor History of Churches, which own thee alone for their Head, and Prince, and Law-giver; Churches which thou hast purchas’d with thy own Blood, and with wonderful Dispensations of thy Providence hitherto protected and preserved; and of a People which thou didst Form for thy self, to shew forth thy Praises. I bless thy great Name, for thy tnclining of me to, and carrying of me through, the Work of this Htstory: I pray thee to sprinkle the Book of this History with thy Blood, and make it acceptable and profitable unto thy Churches, and serve thy Truths and Ways among thy People, by that which thou hast here prepared; for ’tis THOU that hast prepar’d it for them. Amen. Quid sum? Nil. Quits sum? Nullus. Sed Gratia CHRISTI, Quod sum, quod Vivo, quodque Laboro, facit.! 1“WhatamI? Nothing. WhoamI? Noone. But the Grace of Christ makes what I am, my life, and what I do.” MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA BOOK II ECCLESIARUM CLYPEI.' The Second Book of the New English History Con- taining The Lives Of The Governours, and the Names of the Magistrates, that have been Shields unto the Churches of New-England, (until the Year 1686.) Perpetuated by the Essay of Cotton Mather. INTRODUCTION English Translation of that Wicked Position in Machiavel, Non requiri in Principe veram pieta- tem, sed sufficere illius quandam umbram, & simula- tionem Externam.”? It may be there never was any Region under Heaven happier than poor New-England hath been in Magistrates, whose True Piety was worthy to be made the Example of After-Ages. Happy hast thou been, O Land! in Magistrates, whose Disposition to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, unto whom they still considered themselves accountable, answered the good Rule of Agapetus,? Quo quis in Republica ch: ERE to be wish'd that there might never be any 1 “Shields of the churches.” 2“Tn a prince, true piety is not required; a certain shadow and external likeness of it suffices.” 3 “The higher rank one attains in the state, the more submissively one should live before God.” Agapetus, a deacon of the church of Constantinople in the sixth century, wrote a letter to the Emperor Justinian on the duties of a prince. 37 38 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Majorem Dignitatis gradum adeptus est, eo Deum Colat Submissius: Magistrates, whose Disposition to serve the People that chose them to Rule over them, argued them sensible of that great Stroak in Cicero, Nulla Re propius Homines ad Deum Accedunt, quam salute Hominibus danda:! Magistrates, acted 7 1n their Adminis- trations by the Spirit of a Joshua. When the Wise Man observes unto us, That Oppressions makes a Wise Man Mad, it may be worth considering, whether the Oppressor 15 not intended rather than the Oppressed in the Observation. ’Tis very certain that a Disposition to Oppress other Men, does often make those that are other- wise very Wise Men, to forget the Rules of Reason, and commit most Unreasonable Exorbitancies. Rehoboam in some things acted wisely; but this Admonition of his Inspired Father could not restrain him from acting madly, when the Spirit of Oppression was upon him. The Rulers of New-England have been Wise Men, whom that Spirit of Oppression betray’d not into this Madness. The Father of Vhemistocles disswading him from Government, show’d him the Old Oars which the Marriners had now thrown away upon the Sea-shores with Neglect and Contempt; and said, That People would certainly treat their Old Rulers with the same Contempt. But, Reader, let us now take up our Old Oars with all possible Respect, and see whether we can’t still make use of them to serve our little Vessel. But this the rather, because we may with an easie turn change the Name into that of Pilots. The Word GOVERNMENT, properly signifies the Guidance of a Ship: Tully uses it for that purpose; and in 1“Tn nothing do men come nearer to God, than in giving safety to men.” 2 7.¢., actuated. INTRODUCTION 39 Plutarch, the Art of Steering a Ship, is, Teyvn xuBep- vettKn. New-England 1s a little Ship, which hath Weathered many a Terrible Storm; and it 15 but reasonable that they who have sat at the Helm of the Ship, should be remembred in the History of tts Deliverances. Prudentius! calls Judges, The Great Lights of the Sphere; Symmachus? calls Judges, The better part of Mankind. Reader, Thou are now to be entertained with the Lives of Judges which have deserved that Character. And the Lives of those who have been called, Speaking Laws, will excuse our History from coming under the Observation made about the Works of Homer, That the Word, LAW, 1s never so much as once occurring 1n them. They are not written like the Cyrus of Xenophon, like the Alexander of Curtius, like Virgil’s AXneas, and like Pliny’s Trajan: But the Reader hath in every one of them a Real and a Faithful History. And I please my self with hopes, that there will yet be found among the Sons of New-England, those Young Gentlemen by whom the Copies given in this History will be written after; and that saying of Old Chaucer be remembred, To do the Genteel Deeds, that makes the Gentleman.? 1 Prudentius, the chief Christian poet of the early Church, lived about 400 A. D. ?Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, Roman politician and orator, lived about 400 A. D. 3 A paraphrase of familiar lines in Chaucer’s “‘ Wife of Bath’s Tale.” 40 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA CHATS Galeacius Secundus.! The LIFE of WILLIAM BRAD- FORD, Esq; Governour of PLYMOUTH COLONY. Omnium Somnos, illius vigilantia defendit, omnium otium illius Labor, omnium Delitias illius Industria, omnium vacationem tllius occupatio.” § 1. WT has been a Matter of some Observation, that | although Yorkshire be one of the largest Shires in England, yet, for all the Fires of Martyrdom which were kindled in the Days of Queen Mary, it afforded no more Fuel than one poor Leaf; namely, John Leaf, an Apprentice, who suffered for the Doc- trine of the Reformation at the same Time and Stake with the Famous John Bradford. But when the Reign of Queen Elizabeth would not admit the Refor- mation of Worship to proceed unto those Degrees, which were proposed and pursued by no small num- ber of the Faithful in those Days, Yorkshire was not the least of the Shires in England that afforded Suffering Witnesses thereunto. The Churches there gathered were quickly molested with such a raging Persecution, that if the Spirit of Separation in them did carry them unto a further Extream than it should have done, one blameable Cause thereof will be found in the Extremity of that Persecution. Their Troubles made that Cold Country too Hot for them, so that they were under a necessity to seek a Retreat in the Low Countries; and yet the watchful Malice and Fury of their Ad- 1 “The second helmet wearer.” 2 “His vigilance defends the sleep of all; his labor, their rest; his industry, their pleasures; and his diligence, their leisure.” WILLIAM BRADFORD 41 versaries rendred it almost impossible for them to find what they sought. For them to leave their Native Soil, their Lands and their Friends, and go into a Strange Place, where they must hear Forreign Language, and live meanly and hardly, and in other Imployments than that of Husbandry, wherein they had been Educated, these must needs have been such Discouragements as could have been Conquered by none, save those who sought first the Kingdom of God, and the Righteousness thereof. But that which would have made these Dis- couragements the more Unconquerable unto an ordi- nary Faith, was the terrible Zeal of their Enemies to Guard all Ports, and Search all Ships, that none of them should be carried off. I will not relate the sad things of this kind, then seen and felt by this People of God; but only exemplifie those Trials with one short Story. Divers of this People having Hired a Dutch- man then lying at Hull, to carry them over to Holland, he promised faithfully to take them in between Grimsly and Hull;' but they coming to the Place a Day or Two too soon, the appearance of such a Multitude alarmed the Officers of the Town adjoining, who came with a great Body of Soldiers to seize upon them. Now it happened that one Boat full of Men had been carried Aboard, while the Women were yet in a Bark that lay Aground in a Creek at Low-Water. The Dutchman perceiving the Storm that was thus beginning Ashore, swore by the Sacrament that he would stay no longer for any of them; and so taking the Advantage of a Fair Wind then Blowing, he put out to Sea for Zealand. The Women thus left near Grimsly-Common, bereaved of their Husbands, who had been hurried from them, and forsaken of their Neighbours, of whom none durst 1 J.e., Grimsby. 42 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA in this Fright stay with them, were a very rueful Spec- tacle; some crying for Fear, some shaking for Cold, all dragg’d by Troops of Armed and Angry Men from one Justice to another, till not knowing what to do with them, they e’en dismiss’d them to shift as well as they could for themselves. But by their singular Afflictions, and by their Christian Behaviours, the Cause for which they exposed themselves did gain considerably. In the mean time, the Men at Sea found Reason to be glad that their Families were not with them, for they were surprized with an horrible Tempest, which held them for Fourteen Days together, in Seven whereof they saw not Sun, Moon, or Star, but were driven upon the Coast of Norway. The Mariners often despaired of Life, and once with doleful shrieks gave over all, as thinking the Vessel was Foundred: But the Vessel rose again, and when The Mariners with sunk Hearts often cried out, We Sink! We Sink! The Passengers without such Distraction of Mind, even while the Water was running into their Mouths and Ears, would chearfully Shout, Yet Lord, thou canst save! Yet Lord, thou canst save! And the Lord accordingly brought them at last safe unto their Desired Haven: And not long after helped their Distressed Relations thither after them, where indeed they found upon almost all Accounts a new World, but a World in which they found that they must live like Strangers and Pilgrims. § 2. Among those Devout People was our William Bradford, who was Born Anno 1588.1 in an obscure Village call’d Ansterfield,? where the People were as unacquainted with the Bible, as the Jews do seem to 1 March 19, 1588-89. 2 Austerfield. WILLIAM BRADFORD 43 have been with part of it in the Days of Jostah; a most Ignorant and Licentious People, and Itke unto their Priest. Here, and in some other Places, he had a Comfortable Inheritance left him of his Honest ‘Parents, who died while he was yet a Child, and cast him on the Education, first of his Grand Parents, and then of his Uncles, who devoted him, like his Ancestors, unto the Affairs of Husbandry. Soon and long Sickness kept him, as he would afterwards thankfully say, from the Vanities of Youth, and made him the fitter for what he was afterwards to undergo. When he was about a Dozen Years Old, the Reading of the Scriptures began to cause great Impressions upon him; and those Impressions were much assisted and improved, when he came to enjoy Mr. Richard Clifton’s' Uluminating Ministry, not far from his Abode; he was then also further befriended, by being brought into the Company and Fellowship of such as were then called Professors ,;? though the Young Man that brought him into it, did after become a Prophane and Wicked Apostate. Nor could the Wrath of his Uncles, nor the Scoff of his Neighbours now turn’d upon him, as one of the Puritans, divert him from his Pious Inclinations. § 3. At last beholding how fearfully the Evangelical and Apostolical Church-Form, whereinto the Churches of the Primitive Times were cast by the good Spirit of God, had been Deformed by the A postacy of the Succeed- ing Times; and what little Progress the Reformation had yet made in many Parts of Christendom towards its Recovery, he set himself by Reading, by Discourse, by Prayer, to learn whether it was not his Duty to 1 Richard Clifton, a Puritan, minister at Scrooby and later in Amsterdam. He died in 1610. 2 I. ¢., those who professed to have religious faith. 44 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA withdraw from the Communion of the Parish-Assemblies, and engage with some Society of the F aithful, that should keep close unto the Written Word of God, as the Rule of their Worship. And after many Distresses of Mind concerning it, he took up a very Deliberate and Understanding Resolution of doing so; which Resolution he chearfully Prosecuted, although the provoked Rage of his Friends tried all the ways imagin- able to reclaim him from it, unto all whom his Answer was, Were I like to endanger my Life, or consume my Estate by any ungodly Courses, your Counsels to me were very seasonable: But you know that I have been Diligent and Provident in my Calling, and not only desirous to augment what I have, but also to enjoy it in your Company; to part from which will be as great a Cross as can befal me. Nevertheless, to keep a good Conscience, and walk in such a Way as God has prescribed in his Word, is a thing which I must prefer before you all, and above Life it self. Wherefore, since ’tis for a good Cause that I am like to suffer the Disasters which you lay before me, you have no Cause to be either angry with me, or sorry for me; yea, I am not only willing to part with every thing that 1s dear to me in this World for this Cause, but I am also thankful that God has given me an Heart so to do, and will accept me so to suffer for him. Some lamented him, some derided him, all dis- swaded him: Nevertheless the more they did it, the more fixed he was in his Purpose to seek the Ordinances of the Gospel, where they should be dispensed with most of the Commanded Purity; and the sudden Deaths of the chief Relations which thus lay at him, quickly after convinced him what a Folly it had been to have quitted his Profession, in Expectation of any Satisfaction from them. So to Holland he attempted a removal. WILLIAM BRADFORD 46 §4. Having with a great Company of Christians Hired a Ship to Transport them for Holland, the Master perfidiously betrayed them into the Hands of those Persecutors, who -Rifled and Ransack’d their Goods, and clapp’d their Persons into Prison at Boston, where they lay for a Month together. But Mr. Bradford being a Young Man of about Eighteen, was dismissed sooner than the rest, so that within a while he had Opportunity with some others to get over to Zealand, through Perils both by Land and Sea not inconsiderable; where he was not long Ashore e’re a Viper seized on his Hand, that is, an Officer, who carried him unto the Magistrates, unto whom an envious Passenger had accused him as having fled out of England. When the Magistrates understood the True Cause of his coming thither, they were well satisfied with him; and so he repaired joyfully unto his Brethren at Amsterdam, where the Difficulties to which he afterwards stooped in Learning and Serving of a Frenchman at the Working of Silks, were abundantly Compensated by the Delight wherewith he sat under the Shadow of our Lord in his purely dispensed Ordinances.! At the end of Two Years, he did, being of Age to do it, convert his Estate in England into Money; but Setting up for himself, he found some of his Designs by the Providence of God frowned upon, which he judged a Correction bestowed by God upon him for certain Decays of Internal Prety, whereinto he had fallen; the Consumption of his Estate he thought came to prevent a Consumption in his Virtue. But after he had resided in Holland about half a Score Years, he was one of those who bore a part in 1W. C. Ford, in his edition of Bradford’s History (Boston, 1912), i, 37n., says that the foregoing anecdote probably represents a tradi- tion current in Mather’s tise. 46 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA that Hazardous and Generous Enterprize of removing into New-England, with part of the English Church at Leyden, where at their first Landing, his dearest Consort accidentally falling Overboard, was drowned in the Harbour; and the rest of his Days were spent in the Services, and the Temptations, of that American Wilderness. §c. Here was Mr. Bradford in the Year 1621. Unanimously chosen the Governour of the Plantation: The Difficulties whereof were such, that if he had not been a Person of more than Ordinary Piety, Wisdom and Courage, he must have sunk under them. He had with a Laudable Industry been laying up a Treas- ure of Experiences, and he had now occasion to use it: Indeed nothing but an Experienced Man could have been suitable to the Necessities of the People. The Potent Nations of the Jndians, into whose Country they were come, would have cut them off, if the Blessing of God upon his Conduct had not quell’d them; and if his Prudence, Justice and Moderation had not over- ruled them, they had been ruined by their own Di1s- tempers. One Specimen of his Demeanour is to this Day particularly spoken of. A Company of Young Fellows that were newly arrived, were very unwilling to comply with the Governour’s Order for Working abroad on the Publick Account; and therefore on Christ- mass-Day, when he had called upon them, they excused themselves, with a pretence that it was against their Conscience to Work such a Day. The Governour gave them no Answer, only that he would spare them till they were better informed; but by and by he found them all at Play in the Street, sporting themselves with various Diversions; whereupon Commanding the In- struments of their Games to be taken from them, he WILLIAM BRADFORD 47 effectually gave them to understand, That 1t was against his Conscience that they should play whilst others were at Work; and that 1f they had any Devotion to the Day, they should show 1t at Home in the Exercises of Religion, and not in the Streets with Pastime and Frolicks; and this gentle Reproof put a final stop to all such Disorders for the future. §6. For Two Years together after the beginning of the Colony, whereof he was now Governour, the poor People had a great Experiment of Man’s not living by Bread alone; for when they were left all together without one Morsel of Bread for many Months one after another, still the good Providence of God relieved them, and supplied them, and this for the most part out of the Sea. In this low Condition of Affairs, there was no little Exercise for the Prudence and Patience of the Governour, who chearfully bere his part in all: And that Industry might not flag, he quickly set him- self to settle Propriety! among the New-Planters; foreseeing that while the whole Country labour’d upon a Common Stock, the Husbandry and Business of the Plantation could not flourish, as Plato and others long since dream’d that it would, if a Community were established. Certainly, if the Spirit which dwelt in the Old Puritans, had not inspired these New-Planters, they had sunk under the Burden of these Difficulties; but our Bradford had a double Portion of that Spirit. §7. The Plantation was quickly thrown into a Storm that almost overwhelmed it, by the unhappy Actions of a Minister sent over from England by the Adventurers concerned for the Plantation; but by the Blessing of Heaven on the Conduct of the Govern- our, they Weathered out that Storm. Only the Ad- 1]. ¢., property. 48 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA venturers hereupon breaking to pieces, threw up all their Concernments with the /nfant Colony; where- of they gave this as one Reason, That the Planters dissembled with His Majesty, and their Friends in their Petition, wherein they declared for a Church-Discipline, agreeing with the French and others of the Reforming Churches in Europe. Whereas ’twas now urged, that they had admitted into their Communion a Person, who at his Admission utterly renounced the Churches of England, (which Person by the way, was that very Man who had made the Complaints against them) and therefore though they denied the Name of Browntsts yet they were the Thing. In Answer hereunto, the very Words written by the Governour were these; Whereas you Tax us with dissembling about the French Discipline, you do us wrong, for we both hold and practice the Discipline of the French and other Reformed Churches (as they have published the same in the Harmony of Confessions) according to our Means, in Effect and Sub- stance. But whereas you would tie us up to the French Discipline in every Circumstance, you derogate from the Liberty we have in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul would have none to follow him in any thing, but wherein he follows Christ; much less ought any Christian or Church in the World to do it. The French may err, we may err, and other Churches may err, and doubtless do in many Circumstances. That Honour therefore belongs only to the Infallible Word of God, and pure Testament of Christ, to be propounded and followed as the only Rule and Pattern for Direction herein to all Churches and Christians. And it is too great Arrogancy for any Men or Church to think, that he or they have so sounded the Word of God unto the bottom, as precisely to set down the Churches Discipline without Error in Substance or WILLIAM BRADFORD 49 Circumstance, that no other without blame may digress or differ in any thing from the same. And it is not difficult to shew that the Reformed Churches differ in many Circumstances among themselves. By which Words it appears how far he was free from that Rigid Spirit of Separation, which broke to pieces the Separatists themselves in the Low Countries, unto the great Scandal of the Reforming Churches. He was indeed a Person of a well-temper’d Spirit, or else it had been scarce possible for him to have kept the Affairs of Plymouth in so good a Temper for Thirty Seven Years together; in every one of which he was chosen their Governour, except the Three Years, wherein Mr. Winslow, and the Two Years, wherein Mr. Prince, at the choice of the People, took a turn with him. §8. The Leader of a People in a Wilderness had need be a Moses; and if a Moses had not led the People of Plymouth-Colony, when this Worthy Person was their Governour, the People had never with so much Unanimity and Importunity still called him to lead them. Among many Instances thereof, let this one piece of Se/f dental be told for a Memorial of him, where- soever this History shall be considered. The Patent of the Colony was taken in his Name, running in these Terms, To William Bradford, his Heirs, Associates and Assigns: But when the number of the Freemen was much Increased, and many New Townships Erected, the General Court there desired of Mr. Bradford, that he would make a Surrender of the same into their Hands, which he willingly and presently assented unto, and confirmed it according to their Desire by his Hand and Seal, reserving no more for himself than was his Proportion, with others, by Agreement. But as he found the Providence of Heaven many ways Recompencing 50 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA his many Acts of Self-denial, so he gave this Testimony to the Faithfulness of the Divine Promises; That he had forsaken Friends, Houses and Lands for the sake of the Gospel, and the Lord gave them him again. Here he prospered in his Estate; and besides a Worthy Son which he had by a former Wife, he had also Two Sons and a Daughter by another, whom he Married in this Land. §9. He was a Person for Study as well as Action; and hence, notwithstanding the Difficulties through which he passed in his Youth, he attained unto a notable Skill in Languages; the Dutch Tongue was become almost as Vernacular to him as the English; the French Tongue he could also manage; the Latin and the Greek he had Mastered; but the Hebrew he most of all studied, Because, he said, he would see with his own Eyes the Ancient Oracles of God in their Native Beauty. He was also well skill’d in History, in Antiquity, and in Philosophy; and for Theology he became so versed in it, that he was an Irrefragable Disputant against the Errors, especially those of Anabaptism, which with Trouble he saw rising in his Colony; where- fore he wrote some Significant things for the Confuta- tion of those Errors. But the Crown of all was his Holy, Prayerful, Watchful and Fruitful Walk with God, wherein he was very Exemplary. §1o. At length he fell into an Indisposition of Body, which rendred him unhealthy for a whole Winter; and as the Spring advanced, his Health yet more declined; yet he felt himself not what he counted Sick, till one Day; in the Night after which, the God of Heaven so fill’d his Mind with Ineffable Consolations, that he seemed little short of Paul, rapt up unto the Unutterable Entertainments of Paradise. The next SUCCESSORS 51 Morning he told his Friends, That the good Spirit of God had given him a Pledge of his Happiness in another World, and the First-fruits of his Eternal Glory: And on the Day following he died, May 9. 1657. in the 69th Year of his Age. Lamented by all the Colonies of New-England, as a Common Blessing and Father to them all. O mthi st Similis Contingat Clausula Vite! Plato’s brief Description of a Governour, is all that I will now leave as his Character, in an EELEAEE: Nopevs Tpodds ayérns avOpwrivns.? MEN are but FLOCKS: BRADFORD beheld their Need, And long did them at once both Rule and Feed. CHAP. II. SUCCESSORS. Inter Omnia que Rempublicam, ejusq; felicittatem conservant, quid utilius, quid prestantius, quam Viros ad Magistratus gerendos Eligere, summa prudentia tf Virtute preditos, quig; ad Honores obtinendos, non Ambitione, non Largitionibus, sed Virtute 8 Modestia sibt parent adytum! 3 1 “Oh, may a similar ending of life come to me.” 2 “Shepherd and feeder of the human herd.” # “Among all the things which preserve the state, what is more use- ful or glorious, than to elect men to be magistrates who are equipped with the greatest prudence and virtue, and, in obtaining fame, prepare a shrine for themselves, not by ambition, nor by bribery, but by virtue and modesty.” y2 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA § 1. HE Merits of Mr. Edward Winslow, the Son of Edward Winslow, Esq; of Draught- wich, in the Country of Worcester, obliged the Votes of the Plymouthean Colony (whereto he arrived in the Year 1624. after his Prudent and Faithful Dispatch of an Agency in England, on the behalf of that Infant Colony) to chuse him for many Years a Magistrate, and for Two or Three their Governour. ‘Travelling into the Low-Countries, he fell into Acquaintance with the English Church at Leyden, and joining himself to them, he Shipped himself with that part of them which first came over into America; from which time he was continually engaged in such extraordinary Actions, as the assistance of that People to encounter their more than ordinary Difficulties, called for. But their Publick Affairs then requiring an Agency of as wise a Man as the Country could find at Whitehall for them, he was again prevail’d withal in the Year 1635. to appear for them at the Council-board; and his appear- ance there proved as Effectual, as it was very Season- able, not only for the Colony of Plymouth, but for the Massachusets also, on very important Accounts. It was by the Blessing of God upon his wary and proper Applications, that the Attempts of many Adver- saries to overthrow the whole Settlement of New-Eng- land, were themselves wholly overthrown; and as a small Acknowledgment for his great Service therein, they did, upon his return again, chuse him their Gover- nour. But in the Year 1646. the place of Governour being reassumed by Mr. Bradford, the Massachuset- Colony Addressed themselves unto Mr. Winslow to take another Voyage for England, that he might there procure their Deliverance from the Designs of many 1 Droitwich. SUCCESSORS 53 Troublesome Adversaries that were Petitioning unto the Parliament against them; and this Hercules having been from his very early Days accustomed unto the crussing' of that sort of Serpents, generously undertook another Agency, wherein how many good Services he did for New-England, and with what Fidelity, Discre- tion, Vigour and Success he pursued the Interests of that Happy People, it would make a large History to relate, an History that may not now be expected until the Resurrection of the Just. After this he returned no more unto New-England; but being in great Favour with the greatest Persons then in the Nation, he fell into those Imployments wherein the whole Nation fared the better for him. At length he was imployed as one of the Grand Commissioners in the Expedition against Hispaniola, where a Disease (rendred yet more uneasie by his Dissatisfaction at the strange miscarriage of that Expedition) arresting him, he died between Domingo and Jamaica, on May 8. 1655. in the Sixty-first Year of his Life, and had his Body Hon- ourably committed unto the Sea. § 2. Sometimes during the Life, but always after the Death of Governour Bradford, even until his own, Mr. Thomas Prince was chosen GOVERNOUR of Plymouth. He was a Gentleman whose Natural Parts exceeded his Acquired; but the want and worth of Acquired Parts was a thing so sensible unto him, that Plymouth perhaps never had a greater Mecenas of Learning in it: It was he that in spite of much Contra- diction, procured Revenues for the Support of Gram- mar-Schools in that Colony. About the time of Gover- nour Bradford’s Death, Religion it self had like to have died in that Colony, through a Libertine and Brownistick 1 TJ. e., crushing. 54 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Spirit then prevailing among the People, and a strange Disposition to Discountenance the Gospel-Ministry, by setting up the Gifts of Private Brethren in Opposition thereunto. The good People being in extream Distress from the Prospect which this matter gave to them, saw no way so likely and ready to save the Churches from Ruin, as by the Election of Mr. Prince to the place of Governour; and this Point being by the Gracious and Marvellous Providence of the Lord Jesus Christ gained at the next Election; the Adverse Party from that very time sunk into Confusion. He had Sojourned for a while at Eastham, where a Church was by his means gathered; but after this time he returned unto his former Scituation at Plymouth, where he resided until he died, which was March 29. 1673. when he was about Seventy-Three Years of Age: Among the many Excellent Qualities which adorned him as Governour of the Colony, there was much notice taken of that Integrity, where- with indeed he was most exemplarily qualified: Whence it was that as he ever would refuse any thing that look’d like a Bribe; so if any Person having a Case to be heard at Court, had sent a Present unto his Family in his absence, he would presently send back the value thereof in Money unto the Person. But had he been only a private Christian, there would yet have been seen upon him those Ornaments of Prayerfulness, and Peaceableness, and profound Resignation to the Conduct of the Word of God, and a strict Walk with God, which might justly have been made an Example to a whole Colony. § 3. Reader, If thou would’st have seen the true Picture of Wisdom, Courage and Generosity, the Suc- cessor of Mr. Thomas Prince in the Government of Plymouth would have represented it. It was the truly SUCCESSORS 5 Honourable Josiah Winslow, Esq; the first Governour that was Born in New-England, and one well worthy to be an Example to all that should come after him: A True English Gentleman, and (that I may say all at once) the True Son of that Gentleman whom we parted withal no more than Two Paragraphs ago. His Education and his Disposition was that of a Genile- man; and his many Services to his Country in the Field, as well as on the Bench, ought never to be Buried in Oblivion. All that Homer desired in a Ruler, was in the Life of this Gentleman expressed unto the Life; to be, Fortis in Hostes, and, Bonus in Cives. Though he hath left an Of-spring, yet I must ask for One Daughter to be remembred above the rest. As of Old, Epaminondas being upbraided with want of Issue, boasted that he left behind him one Daughter, namely, the Battel of Leuctra which would render him Immortal; so our General Winslow hath left behind him his Battel at the Fort of the Narragansets, to Immortal- ize him: There did he with his own Sword make and shape a Pen to Write his History. But so large a Field of Merit is now before me, that I dare not give my self the liberty to Range in it lest I lose my self. He died on Dec. 18. 1680. Jam Cints est, &F de tam magno restat Achille, Nes¢io quid; parvam quod non bene compleat Urnam.! §4. And what Successor had he? Methinks of the Two last Words in the wonderful Prediction of the Succession, Oracled unto King Henry VII. LEO, NULLUS, the First would have well suited the Valiant 1 “Now he is ashes, and there remains of great Achilles I know not what—something which does not completely fill a little urn.” 56 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Winslow of Plymouth; and the last were to have been wish’d for him that followed. CHAP. III. Patres Conscripti:! Or, ASSISTENTS. HE GOVERNOURS of New-England have still had Righteousness the Girdle of their Loins, and Faithfulness the Girdle of their Reins, that is to say, Righteous and Faithful Men about them, in the Assistance of such Magistrates as were called by the Votes of the Freemen unto the Administration of the Government, (according to their Charters) and made the Judges of the Land. ‘These Persons have been such Members of the Churches, and such Patrons to the Churches, and generally been such Examples of Courage, Wisdom, Justice, Goodness and Religion, that it is fit our Church-History should remember them. The Blessed 4 pollontus, who in a set Oration Generously and Eloquently Pleaded the Cause of Christianity before the Roman Senate, was not only a Learned Person, but also (if Jerom say right) a Senator of Rome. The Senators of New-England also have pleaded the Cause of Christianity, not so much by Orations, as by Practising of it, and by Suffering for it. Nevertheless, as the Sicyonians would have no other Epitaphs written on the Tombs of their Kings, but only their Names, that they might have no Honour, but what the Remembrance of their Actions and Merits in the Minds of the People should procure for them; so I shall content my self with only reciting the Names of these Worthy Persons, and the Times when I find them first chosen unto their Magistracy. L<*Senators. 7 ASSISTENTS 57 MAGISTRATES 1n the Colony of New-Plymouth. HE good People, soon after their first coming over, chose Mr. William Bradford for their Governour, and added Five Assistents, whose Names, I suppose, will be found in the Catalogue of them, whom I find sitting on the Seat of Judgment among them, in the Year 1633. Edward Winslow, Gov. William Bradford. Miles Standish. John Howland. John Alden. John Done.} Stephen Hopkins. William Gilson. Afterwards at several times were added, Thomas Prince. 1634, William Collier. 1634. Timothy Hatherly. 1636. John Brown. 1636. John Jenny. LOA John Atwood. 1638. Edmund Freeman. 1640. William Thomas. 1642. Thomas Willet. 1651. Thomas Southworth. 1652. James Cudworth. 1656. Josiah Winslow. 1OS5¢. William Bradford. ¥. 1658. Thomas Hinkley. 1658. 1QOr Doane. 58 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA James Brown. 1665. John Freeman. 1666. Nathanael Bacon. 1667. Thus far we find in a Book Entituled, New-England’s Memorial, which was Published by Mr. Nathanael Morton, the Secretary of Plymouth Colony, in the Year 1669. Since then there have been added at several times, Constant Southworth. 1670. Daniel Smith. 1674. Barnabas Lothrop. 1681. John Thatcher. John Walley. CHAR LY. Nehemias Americanus.! The LIFE of JOHN WIN- THROP, Esq; Governour of the MASSACHUSET COLONY Quicung; Venti erunt, Ars nostra certe non aberit. Cicer.” § 1. ET Greece boast of her patient Lycurgus, the | Lawgiver, by whom Dziligence, Temperance, Fortitude and Wit were made the Fashions of a there- fore Long-lasting and Renowned Commonwealth: Let Rome tell of her Devout Numa, the Lawgiver, by whom the most Famous Commonwealth saw Peace Triumphing over extinguished War, and cruel Plunders, and Murders giving place to the more mollifying Exercises of his Religion. Our New-England shall tell and boast of her WINTHROP, a Lawgiver, as patient as Lycurgus, 1“ The American Nehemiah.” 2“ Whatever winds shall blow, our art surely shall not die.” JOHN WINTHROP 59 but not admitting any of Ais Criminal Disorders; as Devout as Numa, but not liable to any of his Heathenish Madnesses; a Governour in whom the Excellencies of Christianity made a most improving Addition unto the Virtues, wherein even without those he would have made a Parallel for the Great Men of Greece, or of Rome, which the Pen of a Plutarch has Eternized. § 2. A stock of Heroes by right should afford nothing but what is Heroical; and nothing but an extream Degeneracy would make any thing less to be expected from a Stock of Winthrops. Mr. Adam Winthrop, the Son of a Worthy Gentleman wearing the same Name, was himself a Worthy, a Discreet, and a Learned Gentleman, particularly Eminent for Séil/ in the Law, nor without Remark for Love to the Gospel, under the Reign of King Henry VIII. And Brother to a Memorable Favourer of the Reformed Religion in the Days of Queen Mary, into whose Hands the Famous Martyr Philpot committed his Papers, which afterwards made no Inconsiderable part of our Martyr-Books. This Mr. Adam Winthrop had a Son of the same Name also, and of the same Endowments and Imployments with his Father; and this Third Adam Winthrop was the Father of that Renowned John Winthrop, who was the Father of New-England, and the Founder of a Colony, which upon many Accounts, like him that Founded it, may challenge the First Place among the English Glories of America.t. Our JOHN WINTHROP thus Born at the Mansion-House of his Ancestors, at Groton in Suffolk, on June 12. 1587.” enjoyed after- 1Mr. R. C. Winthrop in his Life and Letters of John Winthrop (2d ed.), 1, 12, 13, calls attention to some possible errors in this paragraph. ? According to later biographers, January 12, 1587-83. 60 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA wards an agreeable Education. But though he would rather have Devoted himself unto the Study of Mr. John Calvin, than of Sir Edward Cook; nevertheless, the Accomplishments of a Lawyer, were those where- with Heaven made his chief Opportunities to be Serviceable. § 3. Being made, at the unusually early Age of Eighteen, a Justice of Peace,’ his Virtues began to fall under a more general Observation; and he not only so Bound himself to the Behaviour of a Ghristian, as to become Exemplary for a Conformity to the Laws of Christianity in his own Conversation, but also discoy- ered a more than ordinary Measure of those Qualities, which adorn an Officer of Humane Society. His Justice was Impartial, and used the Ballance to weigh not the Cash, but the Case of those who were before him: Prosopolatria, he reckoned as bad as Jdololatria:? His Wisdom did exquisitely Temper things according to the Art of Governing, which is a Business of more Con- trivance than the Seven Arts of the Schools: Oyer still went before Terminer in all his Administrations:® His Courage made him Dare to do right, and fitted him to stand among the Lions, that have sometimes been the Supporters of the Throne:* All which Virtues he rendred the more Illustrious, by Emblazoning them with the Constant Liberality and Hospitality of a Gentleman. This made him the Terror of the Wicked, and the Delight of the Sober, the Envy of the many, but the 1R. C. Winthrop, op. cit. 1, 223. 2 “Worship of persons” as bad as “worship of idols.” 3“ Hearing” before “judging.” 4 “Tet judges also remember, that Solomon’s throne was supported by lions on both sides: let them be lions, but yet lions under the throne.” Bacon, Essay of Judicature. JOHN WINTHROP 61 Hope of those who had any Hopeful Design in Hand for the Common Good of the Nation, and the Interests of Religion. § 4. Accordingly when the Noble Design of carrying a Colony of Chosen People into an American Wilderness, was by some Eminent Persons undertaken, This Emi- nent Person was, by the Consent of all, Chosen for the Moses, who must be the Leader of so great an Under- taking: And indeed nothing but a Mosaic Spirit could have carried him through the Temptations, to which either his Farewel to his own Land, or his Travel in a Strange Land, must needs expose a Gentleman of his Education. Wherefore having Sold a fair Estate of Six or Seven Hundred a Year, he Transported himself with the Effects of it into New-England in the Year 1630. where he spent it upon the Service of a famous Plantation founded and formed for the Seat of the most Reformed Christianity: And continued there, conflicting with Temptations of all sorts, as many Years as the Nodes of the Moon take to dispatch a Revolution.!. Those Persons were never concerned in a New-Plantation, who know not that the unavoidable Difficulties of such a thing, will call for all the Prudence and Patience of a Mortal Man to Encounter there- withal; and they must be very insensible of the In- fluence, which the Just Wrath of Heaven has permitted the Devils to have upon this World, if they do not think that the Difficulties of a New-Plantation, devoted unto the Evangelical Worship of our Lord Jesus Christ, must be yet more than Ordinary. How Prudently, how Patiently, and with how much Resignation to our Lord Jesus Christ, our brave Winthrop waded 1 The time required for a revolution of the nodes of the moon is 18.6 years. 62 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA through these Difficulties, let Posterity Consider with Admiration. And know, that as the Picture of this their Governour, was, after his Death, hung up with Honour in the State-House of his Country, so the Wisdom, Courage, and Holy Zeal of his Life, were an Example well-worthy to be Copied by all that shall succeed in Government. § 5. Were he now to be consider’d only as a Chrts- tian, we might therein propose him as greatly Imitable. He was a very Religious Man; and as he strictly kept his Heart, so he kept his House, under the Laws of Piety; there he was every Day constant in Holy Duties, both Morning and Evening, and on the Lord’s Days, and Lectures; though he wrote not after the Preacher, yet such was his Attention, and such his Retention in Hearing, that he repeated unto his Family the Sermons which he had heard in the Congregation. But it is chiefly as a Governour that he is now to be consider’d. Being the Governour over the considerablest Part of New-England, he maintain’d the Figure and Honour of his Place with the Spirit of a true Gentleman; but yet with such obliging Condescention to the Circumstances of the Colony, that when a certain troublesome and malicious Calumniator, well known in those Times, printed his Libellous Nick-Names upon the chief Persons here, the worst Nich-Name [sic] he could find for the Governour, was John Temper-well; and when the Calumnies of that ill Man caused the Arch-Bishop to Summon one Mr. Cleaves before the King, in hopes to get some Accusation from him against the Country, Mr. Cleaves gave such an Account of the Governour’s laudable Carriage in all Respects, and the serious Devotion wherewith Prayers were both publickly and privately made for His Majesty, that the King ex- JOHN WINTHROP 63 pressed himself most highly Pleased therewithal, only Sorry that so Worthy a Person should be no better Accommodated than with the Hardships of America. He was, indeed, a Governour, who had most exactly studied that Book, which pretending to Teach Politicks, did only contain Three Leaves, and but One Word in each of those Leaves, which Word was, MODERA- TION. Hence, though he were a Zealous Enemy to all Vice, yet his Practice was according to his Judgment thus expressed; In the Infancy of Plantations, Justice should be administred with more Lenity than in a settled State; because People are more apt then to Transgress, partly out of Ignorance of new Laws and Orders, partly out of Oppression of Business, and other Straits. [LENTO GRADU") was the old Rule; and if the Strings of a new Instrument be wound up unto their heighth, they will quickly crack. But when some Leading and Learned Men took Offence at his Conduct in this Matter, and upon a Conference gave it in as their Opinion, That a stricter Discipline was to be used in the beginning of a Plantation, than after its being with more Age established and confirmed, the Governour being readier to see his own Errors than other Mens, professed his Purpose to endeavour their Satisfaction with less of Lenity in his Administrations. At that Conference there were drawn up several other Articles to be observed between the Governour and the rest of the Magistrates, which were of this Import: That the Magistrates, as far as might be, should aforehand ripen their Consultations, to pro- duce that Unanimity in their Publick Votes, which might make them liker to the Voice of God; that if Differences fell out among them in their Publick Meet- ings, they should speak only to the Case, without any 1“ By slow degrees.” 64 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Reflection, with all due Modesty, and but by way of Question; or Desire the deferring of the Cause to further time; and after Sentence to intimate privately no Dislike; that they should be more Familiar, Friendly and Open unto each other, and more frequent in their Visitations, and not any way expose each other's Infirmities, but seek the Honour of each other, and all the Court; that One Magistrate shall not cross the Proceedings of another, without first advising with him; and that they should in all their Appearances abroad, be so circumstanced as to prevent all Contempt of Authority; and that they should Support and Strengthen all Under Officers. All of which Articles were observed by no Man more than by the Governour himself. §6. But whilst he thus did as our New-English Nehemiah, the part of a Ruler in Managing the Public Affairs of our American Jerusalem, when there were Tobijahs and Sanballats enough to vex him, and give him the Experiment of Luther’s Observation, Omnis qui regit, est tanquam signum, in quod omnia Jacula, Satan &§ Mundus dirigunt;! he made himself still an exacter Parallel unto that Governour of Israel, by doing the part of a Neighbour among the distressed People of the New-Plantation. ‘To teach them the Frugality necessary for those times, he abridged himself of a Thousand comfortable things, which he had allow’d himself elsewhere: His Habit was not that soft Raiment, which would have been disagreeable to a Wilderness; his Table was not covered with the Superfluities that would have invited unto Sensualities: Water was commonly his own Drink, though he gave 1“ Everyone who rules is like a target against which Satan and the World aim all their darts.” JOHN WINTHROP 6s Wine to others. But at the same time his Liberality unto the Needy was even beyond measure Generous; and therein he was continually causing The Blessing of him that was ready to Perish to come upon him, and the Heart of the Widow and the Orphan to sing for Joy: But none more than those of Deceas’d Ministers, whom he always treated with a very singular Compassion; among the Instances whereof we still enjoy with us the Worthy and now Aged Son of that Reverend Higginson, whose Death left his Family in a wide World soon after his arrival here, publickly acknowl- edging the Charitable Winthrop for his Foster-Father. It was oftentimes no small Trial unto his Faith, to think, How a Table for the People should be furnished when they first came into the Wilderness! And for very many of the People, his own good Works were needful, and accordingly employed for the answering of his Faith. Indeed, for a while the Governour was the Joseph, unto whom the whole Body of the People repaired when their Corn failed them: And he con- tinued Relieving of them with his open-handed Bounties, as long as he had any Stock to do it with; and a lively Faith to see the return of the Bread after many Days, and not Starve in the Days that were to pass till that return should be seen, carried him chearfully through those Expences. Once it was observable, that on Feb. 5. 1630. when he was distributing the last Handful of the Meal in the Barrel unto a Poor Man distressed by the Wolf at the Door, at that Instant they spied a Ship arrived at the Harbour’s Mouth Laden with Provisions for them all. Yea, the Governour some- times made his own private Purse to be the Publick; 1 John, son of Francis Higginson. He wrote an “Attestation” prefixed to the Magnalia. 66 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA not by sucking into it, but by squeezing out of it; for when the Publick Treasure had nothing in it, he did himself defray the Charges of the Publick. And having learned that Lesson of our Lord, That it 15 better to Give, than to Receive, he did, at the General Court when he was a Third time chosen Governour, make a Speech unto this purpose, That he had received Gratu- ties from divers Towns, which he accepted with much Comfort and Content; and he had likewtse received Crvili- ties from particular Persons, which he could not refuse without Incivility in himself: Nevertheless, he took them with a trembling Heart, in regard of God's Word, and the Conscience of his own Infirmities; and therefore he desired them that they would not hereafter take 1 Ill if he refused such Presents for the time to come. *Iwas his Custom also to send some of his Family upon Er- rands, unto the Houses of the Poor about their Meal- time, on purpose to spy whether they wanted; and if it were found that they wanted, he would make that the Opportunity of sending Supplies unto them. And there was one Passage of his Charity that was perhaps a little wnusual: In an hard and long Winter, when Wood was very scarce at Boston, a Man gave him a private Information, that a needy Person in the Neigh- bourhood stole Wood sometimes from his Pile; where- upon the Governour in a seeming Anger did reply, Does he so? I'll take a Course with him; go, call that Man to me, I'll warrant you I'll cure him of Stealing! When the Man came, the Governour considering that if he had Stoln, it was more out of Necessity than Dis- position, said unto him, Friend, It is a severe Winter, and I doubt you are but meanly provided for Wood; wherefore I would have you supply your self at my Wood- Pile till this cold Season be over. And he then Merrily JOHN WINTHROP 67 asked his Friends, Whether he had not effectually cured this Man of Stealing his Wood? § 7. One would have imagined that so good a Man could have had no Enemies; if we had not had a daily and woful Experience to Convince us, that Goodness it self will make Enemies. It is a wonderful Speech of Plato, (in one of his Books, De Republica) For the trial of true Vertue, ’tis necessary that a good Man pnd€év abicav, ddEav exer Thy weyistny adixtas, Tho’ he do no unjust thing, should suffer the Infamy of the greatest Injustice. The Governour had by his unspotted Jnteg- rity, procured himself a great Repntation [sic] among the People; and then the Crime of Popularity was laid unto his Charge by such, who were willing to deliver him from the Danger of having all Men speak well of him. Yea, there were Persons eminent both for Figure and for Number, unto whom it was almost Essential to dislike every thing that came from him; and yet he always maintained an Amicable Correspondence with them; as believing that they acted according to their Judgment and Conscience, or that their Eyes were held by some Temptation in the worst of all their Oppositions. Indeed, his right Works were so many, that they exposed him unto the Envy of his Neighbours; and of such Power was that Envy, that sometimes he could not stand before it; but it was by not standing that he most effectually withstood it all. Great Attempts were sometimes made among the Freemen, to get him left out from his Place in the Government upon little Pretences, lest by the too frequent Choice of One Man, the Government should cease to be by Choice; and with a particular aim at him, Sermons were Preached at the Anniversary Court of Election, to disswade the Freemen from chusing One Man Twice together. This was the 63 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Reward of his extraordinary Serviceableness! But when these Attempts did succeed, as they sometimes did, his Profound Humility appeared in that Equality of Mind, wherewith he applied himself cheerfully to serve the Country in whatever Station their Votes had allotted for him. And one Year when the Votes came to be Numbered, there were found Six less for Mr. Winthrop, than for another Gentleman who then stood in Competition: But several other Persons regu- larly Tendring their Votes before the Election was pub- lished, were, upon a very frivolous Objection, re- fused by some of the Magistrates, that were afraid lest the Election should at last fall upon Mr. Winthrop: Which though it was well perceived, yet such was the Self-denial, of this Patriot, that he would not permit any Notice to be taken of the Injury. But these Trials were nothing in Comparison of those harsher and harder Treats, which he sometimes had from the Frowardness of not a few in the Days of their Paroxisms; and from the Faction of some against him, not much unlike that of the Piazzi in Florence against the Family of the Medices: All of which he at last Conquered by Conforming to the Famous Judges Motto, Prudens qui Patiens.' The Oracles of God have said, Envy 15 rottenness to the Bones; and Gultelmus Parisiensis* applies it unto Rulers, who are as it were the Bones of the Societies which they belong unto: Envy, says he, 1s often found among them, and 1t 15 rottenness unto them. Our Winthrop Encountred this Envy from others, but Conquered it, by being free from it himself. § 8. Were it not for the sake of introducing the Exemplary Skill of this Wise Man, at giving soft Answers, 1 “ He is prudent who is patient.” 2 William, who became Bishop at Paris, in 1228. JOHN WINTHROP 69 one would not chuse to Relate those Instances of Wrath, which he had sometimes to Encounter with; but he was for his Genitleness, his Forbearance, and his Longanimity, a Pattern so worthy to be Written after, that something must here be Written of it. He seemed indeed never to speak any other Language than that of Theodosius, If any Man speak evil of the Governour, if it be thro’ Lightness, ’tis to be contemned; if it be thro’ Madness, ’tis to be pitied; if it be thro’ Injury, ’tis to be remitted. Behold, Reader, the Meekness of Wisdom notably exemplified! There was a time when he received a very sharp Letter from a Gentleman, who was a Member of the Court, but he delivered back the Letter unto the Messengers that brought it with such a Christian Speech as this, J am not willing to keep such a matter of Provocation by me! Afterwards the same Gentleman was compelled by the scarcity of Provisions to send unto him that he would Sell him some of his Cattel; whereupon the Governour prayed him to accept what he had sent for as a Token of his Good Will; but the Gentleman returned him this Answer, Sir, your overcoming of your self hath overcome me; and afterwards gave Demonstration of it. The French have a saying, That Un Honeste Homme, est un Homme mesle! A good Man is a mixt Man; and there hardly ever was a more sensible Mixture of those Two things, Resolution and Condescention, than in this good Man. There was a time when the Court of Election, being for fear of Tumult, held at Cambridge, May 17. 1637. The Sectarian part of the Country, who had the Year before gotten a Governour more unto their Mind, had a Project now to have confounded the Election, by demanding that the Court would consider a Petition then tendered before their Proceeding thereunto. Mr. 7O MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Winthrop saw that this was only a Trick to throw all into Confusion, by putting off the Choice of the Governour and Assistents until the Day should be over; and therefore he did, with a strenuous Resolution, procure a disappointment unto that mischievous and ruinous Contrivance. Nevertheless, Mr. Winthrop himself being by the Voice of the Freemen in this Exigence chosen the Governour, and all of the other Party left out, that ill-affected Party discovered the Dirt and Mire, which remained with them, after the Storm was over; particularly the Serjeants, whose Office ’twas to attend the Governour, laid down their Halberts; but such was the Condescention of this Govy- ernour, as to take no present Notice of this Anger and Contempt, but only Order some of his own Ser- vants to take the Halberts: And when the Country manifested their deep Resentments of the Affront thus offered him, he prayed them to overlook it. But it was not long before a Compensation was made for these things by the doubled Respects which were from all Parts paid unto him. Again, there was a time when the Suppression of an Antinomian and Familistical Faction, which extreamly threatned the Ruin of the Country, was generally thought much owing unto this Renowned Man;! and. therefore when the Friends of that Faction could not wreak their Displeasure on him with any Politick Vexations, they set themselves to do it by LEcclesistical? ones. Accordingly when a Sentence of Banishment was passed on the Ringleaders of those Disturbances, who 1This refers to the “persecution” of Anne Hutchinson for her nonconformity to Puritan ideas—an incident celebrated in the early history of New England. 2 Ecclesiastical. JOHN WINTHROP 71 —Maria & Terras, Cealumq; profundum, Quippe ferant, Rapidi, secum, vertantq; per Auras; } many at the Church of Boston, who were then that way too much inclined, most earnestly solicited the Elders of that Church, whereof the Governour was a Member, to call him forth as an Offender for passing of that Sentence. The Elders were unwilling to do any such thing; but the Governour understanding the Ferment among the People, took that occasion to make a Speech in the Congregation to this Effect. ‘Brethren, Under- ‘standing that some of you have desired that I should ‘Answer for an Offence lately taken among you; had I ‘been called upon so to do, I would, First, Have advised ‘with the Ministers of the Country, whether the Church ‘had Power to call in Question the Civil Court; and | ‘would, Secondly, Have advised with the rest of the ‘Court, whether I might discover their Counsels unto ‘the Church. But though I know that the Reverend ‘Elders of this Church, and some others, do very well ‘apprehend that the Church cannot enquire into the ‘Proceedings of the Court; yet for the Satisfaction of ‘the weaker who do not apprehend it, I will declare ‘my Mind concerning it. If the Church have any such “Power, they have it from the Lord Jesus Christ; but ‘the Lord Jesus Christ hath disclaimed it, not only ‘by Practice, but also by Precept, which we have in ‘his Gospel, Mat. 20. 25, 26. It is true indeed, that ‘Magistrates, as they are Church-Members, are account- ‘able unto the Church for their Failings; but that is ‘when they are out of their Calling. When Uzziah ‘would go offer Incense in the Temple, the Officers “Swift bear with them sea and earth and the lofty sky, and drive them through the air,” 72 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘of the Church called him to an account, and withstood ‘him; but when 4sa put the Prophet in Prison, the ‘Officers of the Church did not call him to an account ‘for that. If the Magistrate shall in a private way wrong ‘any Man, the Church may call him to an Account for ‘it; but if he be in Pursuance of a Course of Justice, ‘though the thing that he does be unjust, yet he is ‘not accountable for it before the Church. As for my ‘self I did nothing in the Causes of any of the Brethren, ‘but by the Advice of the Elders of the Church. More- ‘over, in the Oath which I have taken there 1s this ‘Clause, In all Causes wherein you are to give your Vote, ‘you shall do as in your Judgment and Conscience you ‘shall see io be Just, and for the publick Good. And lam ‘satisfied, it is most for the Glory of God, and the ‘publick Good, that there has been such a Sentence ‘passed; yea, those Brethren are so divided from the ‘rest of the Country in their Opinions and Practices, ‘that it cannot stand with the publick Peace for them ‘to continue with us; Abraham saw that Hagar and ‘Ishmael must be sent away. By such a Speech he marvellously convinced, satisfied and mollified the uneasie Brethren of the Church; Ste cunctus Pelagi cecidit Fragor—.1 And after a little patient waiting, the differences all so wore away, that the Church, meerly as a Token of Respect unto the Governour, when he had newly met with some Losses in his Estate, sent him a Present of several Hundreds of Pounds. Once more there was a time, when some active Spirits among the Deputies of the Colony, by their endeavours not only to make themselves a Court of Judicature, but also to take away the Negative by which the Magis- trates might check their Votes, had like by over-driving 1 “So all the din of the sea subsided.” a JOHN WINTHROP 73 to have run the whole Government into something too Democratical. And if there were a Town in Spain undermined by Coneys, another Town in Thrace de- stroyed by Moles, a Third in Greece ranversed by Frogs, a Fourth in Germany subverted by Rats; I must on this Occasion add, that there was a Country in America like to be confounded by a Swine. A certain stray Sow being found, was claimed by Two several Persons with a Claim so equally maintained on both sides, that after Six or Seven Years Hunting the Business, from one Court unto another, it was brought at last into the General Court, where the final Determination was, that 1t was impossible to proceed unto any Judgment in the Case. However in the debate of this Matter, the Negative of the Upper-House upon the Lower in that Court was brought upon the Stage; and agitated with so hot a Zeal, that a little more and all had been in the Fire. In these Agitations the Governour was informed that an offence had been taken by some eminent Persons, at certain Passages in a Discourse by him written thereabout; whereupon with his usual Con- descendency, when he next came into the General Court, he made a Speech of this Import. ‘I under- “stand, that some have taken Offence at something that ‘T have lately written; which Offence I desire to remove ‘now, and begin this Year in a reconciled State with ‘you all. As for the Matter of my Writing, I had the ‘Concurrence of my Brethren; it is a Point of Judgment ‘which is not at my own disposing. I have examined ‘it over and over again, by such Light as God has given “me, from the Rules of Religion, Reason, and Custom; ‘and I see no cause to Retract any thing of it: Where- ‘fore I must enjoy my Liberty in that, as you do your “selves. But for the Manner, this, and all that was 74 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘blame-worthy in it, was wholly my own; and whatso- ‘ever I might alledge for my own Justification therein “before Men, I wave it, as now setting my self before ‘another Judgment-Seat. However, what I wrote ‘was upon great Provocation, and to vindicate my self ‘and others from great Aspersion; yet that was no ‘sufficient Warrant for me to allow any Distemper of ‘Spirit in my self; and I doubt I have been too prodigal ‘of my Brethren’s Reputation; | might have maintained ‘my Cause without casting any Blemish upon others, ‘when I made that my Conclusion, 4nd now let Religion ‘and sound Reason give Judgment in the Case; it look’d ‘as if I arrogated too much unto my self, and too little ‘to others. And when I made that Profession, That ‘IT would maintain what I wrote before all the World, ‘though such Words might modestly be spoken, yet ‘I perceive an unbeseeming Pride of my own Heart ‘breathing in them. For these Failings I ask Pardon “both of God and Man. Sic ait, &F dicto citeus Tumida Aquora placat, Collectasq; fugat Nubes, Solemq; reducit.! This acknowledging Disposition in the Governour, made them all acknowledge, that he was truly a Man of an excellent Spirit. In fine, the Victories of an Alex- ander, an Hannibal, or a Cesar over other Men, were not so Glorious, as the Victories of this great Man over himself, which also at last prov’d Victories over other Men. §9. But the stormiest of all the Trials that ever befel this Gentleman, was in the Year 1645. when he was in 7itle no more than Deputy-Governour of the 1“So he spoke, and thus quickly calmed the swelling sea, put to rout the gathered clouds, and brought back the sun,” JOHN WINTHROP “As Colony. If the famous Cato were Forty-four times call’d into Judgment, but as often acquitted; let it not be wondred, and if our Famous Winthrop were one time so. There hapning certain Seditious and Mutinous Practices in the Town of Hingham, the Deputy-Gover- nour as legally as prudently interposed his Authority for the checking of them: Whereupon there followed such an Enchantment upon the minds of the Deputies in the General Court, that upon a scandalous Petition of the Delinquents unto them, wherein a pretended Invasion made upon the Liberties of the People was complained of the Deputy-Governour, was most Irregu- larly call’d forth unto an Ignominous Hearing before them in a vast Assembly; whereto with a Sagacious Humility he consented, although he shew’d them how he might have Refused it. The result of that Hearing was, That notwithstanding the touchy J/ealousie of the People about their Liberties lay at the bottom of all this Prosecution, yet Mr. Winthrop was publickly Acquitted, and the Offenders were severally Fined and Censured. But Mr. Winthrop then resuming the Place of Deputy-Governour on the Bench, saw cause to speak © unto the Root of the Matter after this manner. ‘I shall ‘not now speak any thing about the past Proceedings ‘of this Court, or the Persons therein concerned. Only ‘I bless God that I see an Issue of this troublesome “Affair. I am well satisfied that I was publickly Accused, ‘and that I am now publickly Acquitted. But though ‘I am justified before Men, yet it may be the Lord hath ‘seen so much amiss in my Administrations, as calls ‘me to be humbled; and indeed for me to have been ‘thus charged by Men, is it self a Matter of Humiliation, ‘whereof I desire to make a right use before the Lord. ‘If Miriam’s Father spit in her Face, she is to be Ashamed. 76 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘But give me leave before you go, to say something ‘that may rectifie the Opinions of many People, from ‘whence the Distempers have risen that have lately ‘prevailed upon the Body of this People. The Questions ‘that have troubled the Country have been about the ‘Authority of the Magistracy, and the Liberty of the ‘People. It is You who have called us unto this Office; ‘but being thus called, we have our Authority from God; ‘it is the Ordinance of God, and it hath the Image of ‘God stamped upon it; and the contempt of it has been ‘vindicated by God with terrible Examples of his ‘Vengeance. I intreat you to consider, That when ‘you chuse Magistrates, you take them from among ‘your selves, Men subject unto like Passions with your ‘selves. If you see our Infirmities, reflect on your own, ‘and you will not be so severe Censurers of Ours. We ‘count him a good Servant who breaks not his Covenant: “The Covenant between Us and You, is the Oath you ‘have taken of us, which is to this Purpose, That we ‘shall govern you, and judge your Causes, according to ‘God’s Laws, and our own, according to our best Skill. “As for our Skil/, you must run the hazard of it; and “if there be an Error, not in the Will, but only in the ‘Skill, it becomes you to bear it. Nor would I have ‘you to, mistake ia the Point of your own Liberty. “There is a Liberty of corrupt Nature, which is affected ‘both by Men and Beasts, to do what they list; and ‘this Liberty is inconsistent with Authority, impatient ‘of all Restraint; by this Liberty, Sumus Omnes Deterio- “res;+ Tis the Grand Enemy of Truth and Peace, and ‘all the Ordinances of God are bent against it. But ‘there is a Civil, a Moral, a Federal Liberty, which is ‘the proper End and Object of Authority; it is a Liberty 1“ We are all the worse.” JOHN WINTHROP + ‘for that only which is just and good; for this Liberty ‘you are to stand with the hazard of your very Lives; ‘and whatsoever Crosses it, is not Authority, but a ‘Distemper thereof: This Liberty is maintained in a ‘way of Subjection to Authority; and the Authority set ‘over you, will in all Administrations for your good ‘be quietly submitted unto, by all but such as have a ‘Disposition to shake off the Yoke, and lose their true ‘Liberty, by thetr murmuring at the Honour and Power ‘of Authority.! The Spell that was upon the Eyes of the People being thus dissolved, their distorted and enraged notions of things all vanished; and the People would not after- wards entrust the Helm of the Weather-beaten Bark in any other Hands, but Mr. Winthrop’s, until he Died. § 10. Indeed such was the Mixture of distant Quali- ites in him, as to make a most admirable Temper, and his having a certain Greatness of Soul, which rendered him Grave, Generous, Courageous, Resolved, Well- applied, and every way a Gentleman in his Deameanour, did not hinder him from taking sometimes the old Romans way to avoid Confusions, namely, Cedendo; * or from discouraging some things which are agreeable enough to most that wear the Name of Gentlemen. Hereof I will give no Instances, but only oppose two Passages of his Life. In the Year 1632. the Governour, with his Pastor Mr. Wilson, and some other Gentlemen, to settle a good understanding between the Two Colonies, travelled as far as Plymouth, more than Forty Miles, through 1De Tocqueville, Democracy in America (trans. Reeve, 4th ed., 1864), 1, 52, calls the speech of Winthrop here reported “a fine defini- tion of liberty.” It has become justly famous. 2“ By yielding.” 78 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA an Howling Wilderness, no better accommodated in those early Days, than the Princes that in Solomon’s time saw Servants on Horseback, or than Genus and Species in the old Epigram, going on Foot. The difficulty of the Walk, was abundantly compensated by the Honourable, first Reception, and then Dismission, which they found from the Rulers of Plymouth; and by the good Correspondence thus established between the New Colonies, who were like the floating Bottels wearing this Motto, Sz Collidimur, Frangimur.1 But there were at this time in Plymouth two Miuinisters, leavened so far with the Humours of the Rigid Separa- tion, that they insisted vehemently upon the Unlawful- ness of calling any unregenerate Man by the Name of Good-man such an One, until by their indiscreet urging of this Whimsey, the place began to be disquieted. The wiser People being troubled at these Trifles, they took the opportunity of Governour Winthrop’s being there, to have the thing publickly propounded in the Congregation; who in answer thereunto, distinguished between a Theological and a Moral Goodness; adding, that when Juries were first used in England, it was usual for the Crier, after the Names of Persons fit for that Service were called over, to bid them all, Attend, Good Men, and True; whence it grew to be a Civil Custom in the English Nation, for Neighbours living by one another, to call one another Good-man such an One: And jt was pity now to make a stir about a Civil Custom, so innocently introduced. And that Speech of Mr. Winthrop’s put a lasting stop to the Little, Idle, Whim- sical Conceits, then beginning to grow Obstreperous. Nevertheless there was one Civil Custom used in (and in few but) the English Nation, which this Gentleman 1 “Tf we collide, we break.” JOHN WINTHROP 79 did endeavour to abolish in this Country; and that was, The usage of Drinking to one another. For although by Drinking to one another, no more is meant than an act of Courtesie, when one going to Drink, does Invite another to do so too, for the same Ends with himself; nevertheless the Governour (not altogether unlike to Cleomenes, of whom ’tis reported by Plutarch, dnovtt ovdels troTHpiov mpoaépepe, Nolenti poculum nunquam prebuit,') considered the Impertinency and Insignif- icancy of this Usage, as to any of those Ends that are usually pretended for it; and that indeed it ordinarily served for no Ends at all, but only to provoke Persons unto unseasonable, and perhaps unreasonable Drinking, and at last produce that abominable Health-Drinking, which the Fathers of old so severely rebuked in the Pagans, and which the Papists themselves do Condemn, when their Casuists pronounce it, Peccatum mortale, provocare ad Asquales Calices, §& Nefas Respondere.” Wherefore in his own most Hospitable House he left it off, not out of any silly or stingy Fancy, but meerly that by his Example a greater Temperance, with Liberty of Drinking, might be Recommended, and sundry Inconveniences in Drinking avoided; and his Example accordingly began to be much followed by the sober People in this Country, as it now also begins to be among Persons of the Highest Rank in the English Nation it self; until an Order of Court came to be made against that Ceremony in Drinking, and then the old Wont violently returned, with a Nitimur in Vetitum.* S11. Many were the Afflictions of this Righteous 1 “Never offered drink to one who was unwilling.” 2 “Tt is a mortal sin to challenge anyone to a drinking match, and wrong to accept such a challenge.” 3 “We strive for what is forbidden.” 80 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Man! He lost much of his Estate in a Ship, and in an House, quickly after his coming to New-England, besides the Prodigious Expence of it in the Difficulties of his first coming hither. Afterwards his assiduous Application unto the Publick Affairs, (wherein Ipse se non habuit, postquam Respublica eum Gubernatorem habere capit)! made him so much to neglect his own private Interests, that an unjust Steward ran him 2500 /. in Debt before he was aware; for the Payment whereof he was forced, many Years before his Decease, to sell the most of what he had left unto him in the Country. Albeit, by the observable Blessing of God upon the Posterity of this Liberal Man, his Children all of them came to fair Estates, and lived in good Fashion and Credit. Moreover, he successively Buried Three Wives; the First of which was the Daughter and Heiress of Mr. Forth, of Much Stambridge? in Essex, by whom he had Wisdom with an Inheritance; and an excellent Son. The Second was the Daughter of Mr. William Clopton, of London,* who Died with her Child, within a very little while. The Third was the Daughter of the truly Worshipful Sir John Tyndal,* who made it her whole Care to please, First God, and then her Husband; and by whom he had Four Sons, which Survived and Honoured their Father. And unto all these, the Addition of the Distempers, ever now and then raised in the Country, procured unto him a very singular share of Trouble; yea, so hard was the Measure 1“ He did not possess himself after the state began to possess him as governor.” 2 Or Great Stambridge. 3R. C. Winthrop, op. cit., says “of Castleins, a seat near Groton” (1, 75). “Cy stdrit, (12 tit JOHN WINTHROP 81 which he found even among Pious Men, in the Tempta- tions of a Wildernéss, that when the Thunder and Light- ning had smitten a Wind-mill, whereof he was Owner, some had such things in their Heads, as publickly to Reproach this Charitablest of Men, as if the Voice of the Almighty had rebuked, I know not what Oppression, which they judged him Guilty of: Which things I would not have mentioned, but that the Instances may fortihne the Expectations of my best Readers for such Afflictions. § 12. He that had been for his Attainments, as they said of the blessed Macarius, a Uasdaptoyepov An old Man, while a young One, and that had in his young Days met with many of those J/] Days, whereof he could say, he had U:ttle Pleasure in them; now found old Age in its Infirmities advancing Earlier upon him, than it came upon his much longer lived Progenitors. While he was yet Seven Years off of that which we call the grand Climacterical,' he felt the Approaches of his Dissolution; and finding he could say, Non Habitus, non ipse Color non Gressus Euntis, Non Species Eadem, que fuit ante, manet.? he then wrote this account of himself, Age now comes upon me, and Infirmities therewithal, which makes me apprehend that the time of my departure out of this World 1s not far off. However our times are all in the Lord’s Hand, so as we need not trouble our Thoughts how long or short they may be, but how we may be found Faith- ful when we are called for. But at last when that Year 1 The sixty-third year of life. | 2“ There remains not the appearance, not even the color, nor the way of life, and not the same aspect, of that which was before.” 82 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA came, he took a Cold which turned into a Feaver, where- of he lay Sick about a Month, and in that Sickness, as it hath been observed, that there was allowed unto the Serpent the bruising of the Heel; and accordingly at the Heel or the Close of our Lives the old Serpent will be Nibbling more than ever in our Lives before; and when the Devil sees that we shall shortly be, where the wicked cease from troubling, that wicked One will trouble us more than ever; so this eminent Saint now underwent sharp Conflicts with the Tempter, whose Wrath grew Great, as the Time to exert it grew Short; and he was Buffetted with the Disconsolate Thoughts of Black and Sore Desertions, wherein he could use that sad Representation of his own Condition. Nuper Eram Judex; Jam Judicor; Ante Tribunat, Subsistens paveo, Judicor 1pse modo.' But it was not long before those Clouds were Dis- pelled, and he enjoyed in his Holy Soul the Great Con- solations of God! While he thus lay Ripening for Heaven, he did out of Obedience unto the Ordinance of our Lord, send for the Elders of the Church to Pray with him; yea, they and the whole Church Fasted as well as Prayed for him; and in that Fast the venerable Cotton® Preached on Psal. 35. 13, 14. When they were Sick, I humbled my self with Fasting; I behaved my self as though he had been my Friend or Brother; I bowed down heavily, as one that Mourned for his Mother: From whence [ find him raising that Observation, The Sickness of one that 1s to us as a Friend, a Brother, a 1“Once I was a judge; now I am judged. I stand trembling before the tribunal, now I myself am judged.” ? Rev. John Cotton, grandfather of Cotton Mather. JOHN WINTHROP 83 Mother, 1s a just occasion of deep humbling our Souls with Fasting and Prayer; and making this Application, ‘Upon this Occasion we are now to attend this Duty for ‘a Governour, who has been to us as a Friend in his ‘Counsel for all things, and Help for our Bodies by Physick, for our Estates by Law, and of whom there “was no fear of his becoming an Enemy, like the Friends ‘of David: A Governour who has been unto us as a “Brother; not usurping Authority over the Church; ‘often speaking his Adzice, and often contradicted, “even by Young Men, and some of low degree; yet not ‘replying, but offering Satisfaction also when any “supposed Offences have arisen; a Governour who has ‘been unto us as a Mother, Parent-like distributing ‘his Goods to Brethren and Neighbours at his first “coming: and gently bearing our Infirmities without ‘taking notice of them. Such a Governour after he had been more than Ten several times by the People chosen their Governour, was New-England now to lose; who having, like Jacob, first left his Council and Blessing with his Children gathered about his Bed-side; and, like David, served his Generation by the Will of God, he gave up the Ghost and fell asleep on March 26. 1649. Having, like the dying Emperour Valentinian, this above all his other Victories for his Triumphs, His overcoming of himself. The Words of Josephus about Nehemiah, the Gover- nour of Jsrael, we will now use upon this Governour of New-England, as his EPITAPH. "Avyp éyévero xpnaoTos THY gvow, Kal dixatos, Kal wept rovs dpoedveis pudoTioraros: 84 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ~a ? , 5] 4 \ ~ Mynpétov dauwviov auTw xaTadiToy TA TWV ‘lepocod\tpwv Teixn'! VIR FUIT INDOLE BONUS, AC JUSTUS: ET POPULARIUM GLORIZE AMANTISSIMUS: QUIBUS ETERNUM RELIQUIT MONUMENTUM, Novanglorum MOENIA. CTA Taare SUCCESSORS. Si. NE as well acquainted with the Matter, C) as Isocrates, informs us, That among the Judges of Areopagus mone were ad- mitted, 7Anv OL KaAwS YyeyoveTES Kat TOAAHY apEeTHY kal cadpootyny év TH Biw evdedevrypevot, unless they were Nobly Born, and Eminently Exemplary for a Vir- tuous and a Sober Life. The Report may be truly made concerning the Judges of New-England, tho’ they were not Nobly Born, yet they were generally Well Born; and by being Eminently Exemplary for a Virtuous and a Sober Life, gave Demonstration that they were New-Born.? Some Account of them is now more particularly to be Endeavoured. We read concerning Saul, [1 Sam. 15. 12.] He set up himself a place. The Hebrew Word, 4. there used, signifies 4 Monumental Pillar: It is accordingly prom- ised unto them who lease God, [Isa. 56. 5.] That they shall have a Place and a Name in the House of God; that 1“ He was a man by nature good and just, and most zealous for honor for his countrymen, leaving for them an eternal memorial— the walls of Jerusalem.” The Latin paraphrase which follows substi- tutes New England for Jerusalem. 2 J, e., newborn religiously. SUCCESSORS 8 is to say, a Pillar Erected for Fame in the Church of God. And it shall be fulfilled in what shall now be done for our Governours in this our Church-History. Even while the Massachusettensians had a Winthrop for their Governour, they could not restrain the Channel of their Affections from running towards another Gentle- man in their Elections for the Year 1634. particularly, when they chose unto the Place of Governour Thomas Dudley, Esq; one whom after the Death of the Gentle- man abovementioned, they again and again Voted into the Chief Place of Government. He was Born at the Town of Northampton, in the Year 1574.1 the only Son of Captain Roger Dudley, who being Slain in the Wars, left this our Thomas, with his only Sister, for the Father of the Orphans, to take them up. In the Family of the Earl of Northampton he had opportunity perfectly to learn the Points of Good Behaviour; and here having fitted himself to do many other Benefits unto the World, he next became a Clerk unto Judge Nichols, who being his Kinsman by the Mother’s Side, therefore took the more special notice of him. From his Relation to this Judge, he had and used an Advan- tage to attain such a Skill in the Law, as was of great Advantage to him in the future changes of his Life; and the Judge would have preferred him unto the higher Imployments, whereto his prompt Wit not a little recommended him, if he had not been by Death prevented. But before he could appear to do much at the Pen, for which he was very well Accomplished, he was called upon to do something at the Sword; for being a Young Gentlemen [sic] well-known for his Ingenuity, Courage and Conduct, when there were Soldiers to be 1 Tf Dudley’s age at his death, as given by Mather, is correct, this should be 1576, not 1574. 86 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA raised by Order from Queen Elizabeth for the French Service, in the time of King Henry the Fourth, the Young Sparks about Northampton were none of them willing to enter into the Service, until a Commission was given unto our Young Dudley to be their Captain; and then presently there were Fourscore that Listed under him. At the Head of these he went over into the Low Countries, which was then an Academy of Arms, as well as Arts; and thus he came to furnish himself with Endowments for the Fie/d, as well as for the Bench. The Post assigned unto him with his Company, was after at the Siege of Amiens, before which the King himself was now Encamped; but the Providence of God so Ordered it, that when both Parties were drawn forth in Order to Battel, a Treaty of Peace was vigorously set on Foot, which diverted the Battel that was expected. Captain Dudley hereupon returned into England, and settling himself about Northampton, he Married a Gentlewoman whose Extract and Estate were Considerable; and the Scituation of his Habitation after this helped him to enjoy the Ministry of Mr. Dod, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Winston, and Mr. Hildersham, all of them Excellent and Renowned Men; which Puritan Ministry so seasoned his Heart with a Sense of Religion, that he was a Devout and Serious Christian, and a Follower of the Ministers that most effectually Preached Real Christianity all the rest of his Days. The Spirit of Real Christianity in him now also disposed him unto Sober Non-Conformity; and from this time, although none more hated the Fanaticisms and En- thusiasms of Wild Opinionists, he became a Judicious Dissenter from the Unscriptural Ceremonies retained in the Church of England.! It was not long after this 1 Cf. p. xliv, ante. SUCCESSORS 87 that the Lord Say, the Lord Compton, and other Persons of Quality, made such Observations of him, as to com- mend him unto the Service of the Earl of Lincoln, who was then a Young Man, and newly come unto the Possession of his Earldom, and of what belonged there- unto. The Grandfather of this Noble Person had left his Heirs under vast Entanglements, out of which his Father was never able to Extricate himself; so that the Difficulties and Incumbrances were now devolved upon this Theophilus! which caused him to apply him- self unto this our Dudley for his Assistances, who proved so Able, and Careful, and Faithful a Steward unto him, that within a little while the Debts of near Twenty Thousand Pounds, whereinto the Young Earl found himself desperately Ingulphed, were happily waded through; and by his Means also a Match was procured between the Young Earl and the Daughter of the Lord Say, who proved a most Virtuous Lady, and a great Blessing to the whole Family. But the Earl finding Mr. Dudley to be a Person of more than ordinary Discretion, he would rarely, if ever, do any Matter of any Moment without his Advice; but some into whose Hands there fell some of his Manuscripts after his leaving of the Earl’s Family, found a Passage to this purpose. The Estate of the Earl of Lincoln, I found so, and so, much in Debt, whith I have discharged, and have raised the Rents unto so many Hundreds Per Annum; God will, I trust, bless me and mine in such a manner. I can, as sometimes Nehemiah did, appeal unto God, who knows the Hearts of all Men, that I have with Integrity discharged the Duty of my Place before him. I had prepared and intended a more particular Ac- 1 Theophilus Clinton, fourth Earl of Lincoln. Cf. Augustine Jones, Life and Work of Thomas Dudley (Boston, 1899), ch. 4. 88 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA count of this Gentleman; but not having any op- portunity to commit it unto the Perusal of any Descended from him, (unto whom I am told it will be unacceptable for me to Publish any thing of this kind, by them not Perused) I have laid it aside, and summed all up in this more General Account." It was about Nine or Ten Years, that Mr. Dudley continued a Steward unto the Earl of Lincoln; but then growing desirous of a more private Life, he retired unto Boston,? where the Acquaintance and Ministry of Mr. Cotton became no little Satisfaction unto him. Never- theless the Earl of Lincoln found that he could be no more without Mr. Dudley, than Pharaoh without his Joseph, and prevailed with him to resume his former Employment, until the Storm of Persecution upon the Non-Conformists caused many Men of great Worth to Transport themselves into New-England. Mr. Dudley was not the least of the Worthy Men that bore a part in this Transportation, in hopes that in an American Wilderness they might peaceably attend and enjoy the pure Worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the first Undertakers for that Plantation came to know him, they soon saw that in him, that caused them to chuse him their Deputy-Governour, in which Capacity he arrived unto these Coasts in the Year 1630. and had no small share in the Distresses of that Young Plan- tation, whereof an account by him written to the Coun- tess of Lincoln has been since Published unto the World.? Here his Wisdom in managing the most weighty and thorny Affairs was often signalized: His 1 Cf. p. xliv ante. 2 In Lincolnshire, England. 3 This famous letter has been many times reprinted. Cf. A. Jones, op. cit., 437, note, and 437-452. SUCCESSORS 89 Justice was a perpetual Terror to Evil Doers: His Courage procured his being the first Major-General of the Colony, when they began to put themselves into a Military Figure. His Orthodox Piety had no little Influence into the Deliverance of the Country, from the Contagion of the Famalistical ! Errors, which had like to have overturned all. He dwelt first at Cambridge; but upon Mr. Hooker’s removal to Hartford, he removed to Ispwich; nevertheless, upon the Impor- tunity and Necessity of the Government for his coming to dwell nearer the Center of the whole, he fixed his Habitation at Roxbury, Two Miles out of Boston, where he was always at Hand upon the Publick Exigencies. Here he died, July 31. 1653. in the Seventy-Seventh Year of his Age; and there were found after his Death, in his Pocket, these Lines of his own Composing, which may serve to make up what may be wanting in the Character already given him. Dim Eyes, Deaf Ears, Cold Stomach, shew My Dissolution ts in View. Eleven times Seven near liv'd have I, And now God calls, I willing Die. My Shutile’s shot, my Race is run, My Sun is set, my Day 15 done. My Span is measur’d, Tale 1s told, My Flower 1s faded, and grown old. My Dream 1s vanish’d, Shadow’s fied, My Soul with Christ, my Body Dead. Farewel Dear Wife, Children and Friends, Hate Heresie, make Blessed Ends. Bear Poverty, live with good Men; So shall we live with Joy agen. 1Faimilistical. Cf. note I, p. 70, ante. go MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Let Men of God in Courts and Churches watch O’re such as do a Toleration hatch, Lest that Ill Egg bring forth a Cockatrice, To poison all with Hereste and Vice. If Men be left, and otherwise Combine, My Epitaph’s, I DY’D NO LIBERTINE.? But when I mention the Poetry of this Gentleman as one of his Accomplishments, I must not leave un- mentioned the Fame with which the Poems of one descended from him have been Celebrated in both Englands. If the rare Learning of a Daughter, was not the least of those bright things that adorn’d no less a Judge of England than Sir Thomas More; it must now be said, that a Judge of New-England, namely, Thomas Dudley, Esq; had a Daughter (besides other Children) to be a Crown unto him. Reader, America justly ad- mires the Learned Women of the other Hemisphere. She has heard of those that were Tutoresses to the Old Professors of all Philosophy: She hath heard of Hippatia, who formerly taught the Liberal Arts; and of Sarocchia, who more lately was very often the Moderatrix in the Disputations of the Learned Men of Rome: She has been told of the Three Corinne’s, which equal’d, if not excell’d, the most Celebrated Poet of their Time: She has been told of the Empress Eudoxia, who Composed Poetical Paraphrases on Divers Parts of the Bible; and of Rosuida, who wrote the Lives of Holy Men; and of Pamphilia, who wrote 1In the MS. life of Dudley, by Cotton Mather, this poem is given in a slightly different version. Apparently Mather revised it for in- sertion in the Magnalia. The one important change is in the last a which reads in the MS.: “Mine epitaph’s—I did no hurt to thine.” SUCCESSORS gI other Histories unto the Life: The Writings of the most Renowned Anna Maria Schurman, have come over unto her. But she now prays, that into such Cata- logues of Authoresses, as Beverovicius, Hottinger, and Voetius, have given unto the World,! there may be a room now given unto Madam ANN BRADSTREET, the Daughter of our Governour Dudley, and the Consort of our Governour Bradstreet, whose Poems, divers times Printed, have afforded a grateful Entertainment unto the Ingenious, and a Monument for her Memory beyond the Stateliest Marbles. It was upon these Poems that an Ingenious Person bestowed this Epigram: Now I believe Tradition, which doth call The Muses, Virtues, Graces, Females ail. Only they are not Nine, Eleven, or Three; Our Auth’ress proves them but an Unity. Mankind, take up some Blushes on the score; Monopolize Perfection hence no more. In your own Aris confess your selves outdone; The Moon hath totally Eclips’d the Sun: Not with her Sable Mantle muffling him, But her bright Silver makes his Gold look dim: 1 Hippatia is Hypatia, neo-Platonic philosopher of the énd of the fourth century; Sarocchia or Sarrochia was a Neapolitan poetess in the beginning of the seventeenth century; Corinna was a Greek poetess about the beginning of the fifth century B. C., and some writers mention another Corinna of Thebes and one of Thespiz; Eudoxia was the Roman empress Eudocia, who lived about 393-460; Rosuida (Hrotswitha, Hrosvitha, or Hrotsuit), c. 935-c. 1000, wrote poetical chronicles and six Latin comedies; Pamphilia was Pamphila, a his- torian in the time of Nero, and Anna Maria von Schurmann, 1607- 1678, was a German artist and scholar. Beverovicius was Jan van Beverwyck, Dutch physician, 1594-1647; John Henry Hottinger was a Swiss theologian and historian, 1620-1667, and Gisbert Voet, a Dutch theologian, lived 1589-1677. g2 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Just as his Beams force our pale Lamps to wink, And Earthly Fires within their Ashes shrink.} What else might be said of Mr. Dudley, the Readers shall Construe from the Ensuing EPITAPH. Helluo Librorum, Lectorum Bibliotheca Communts, Sacre Syllabus Historie. Ad Mensam Comes, hinc facundus, Rostra disertus, (Non Cumulus verbis, pondus, Acumen erat,) Morum acris Censor, validus Defensor amansq; Et Sane &§ Cane Catholice fidet. Angli-novt Columen, Summum Decus atg; Senatus; Thomas Dudleius, conditur hoc Tumulo. Eva. §2. Inthe Year 1635. at the Anniversary Election, the Freemen of the Colony testified their grateful Esteem of Mr. John Haines, a Worthy Gentleman, who had been very Serviceable to the Interests of the Colony, by chusing him their Governour. Of him in an 1 These lines appeared in the second edition of Anne Bradstreet’s Tenth Muse, which came out in Boston in 1678, with the title Several Poems, etc. They are printed with the signature B. W., which prob- ably represents Benjamin Woodbridge. Cotton Mather, in reprint- ing the lines, has evidently tried his hand at editing them. In line 3 he prints or for nor, line 4 an for one, and in line 6 he inserts hence. 2“Tevourer of books; library of chosen things; compendium of sacred history; companion for the feast, hence eloquent; eloquent on the rostrum (he was weighty not with the heaping up of words, but with keenness); sharp censor of morals; stout defender and lover of a sane and ancient catholic faith; support of New England and the chief ornament of its councils; Thomas Dudley is embalmed in this tomb.” William Hubbard, in his General History of New England, finished about 1680, gives this epitaph with the signature N. R., instead of E. R. The authorship seems to lie between Nathaniel and Ezekiel Rogers, both early New England divines. SUCCESSORS 93 Ancient Manuscript I find this Testimony given; To him 1s New-England many ways beholden; had he done no more but stilled a Storm of Dtssention, which broke forth in the beginning of his Government; he had done enough to Endear our Hearts unto him, and to account that Day happy when he took the Reins of Govern- ment into his Hands. But this Pious, Humble, Well- bred Gentleman, removing afterwards into Connecticut, he took his turn with Mr. Edward Hopkins, in being every other Year the Governour of that Colony. And as he was a great Friend of Peace while he lived, so at his Death he entred into that Peace which attends the End of the perfect and upright Man, leaving behind him the Character sometimes given of a Greater, tho’ not a Better, Man, [Vespasian] Bonis Legibus multa correxit, sed exemplo probe vite plus effecit apud populum.' § 3. Near [wenty Ships from Europe visited New- England in the Year 1635. and in one of them was Mr. Henry Vane, (afterward Sir Henry Vane) an Accom- plished Young Gentleman, whose Father was much against his coming to New-England; but the King, upon iereeetion of his Disposition, commanded him to allow his Son’s Voyage hither, with a Consent for his continuing Three Years in this Part of the World. Although his Business had some Relation to the Plantation of Connecticut, yet in the Year 1636. the Massachuset-Colony chose him their Governour. And now, Reader, I am as much a Seeker for his Character, 1“ He corrected many things by good laws, but accomplished more among the people by the example of a good life.” 2 For Vane, see, for example, J. K. Hosmer, The Life of Young Sir Henry Vane (Boston, 1888). Mather probably did not approve of Vane’s views, and the account of him shows some adroitness in its avoidance of any definite expression of opinion. 94 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA as many have taken him to be a Seeker in Religion, while no less Persons than Dr. Manton have not been to seek for the Censure of A Wicked Book, with which they have noted the Mystical Divinity, in the Book of this Knight, Entituled, The Retired Man’s Meditations.” There has been a strange variety of Translations be- stowed upon the Hebrew Names of some Animals mentioned in the Bible: Kippod, for Instance, which we translate a Bittern; R. Salomon will have to be an Owl, but Luther will have it be an Eagle, while Paynin will have it be an Hedg-hog, but R. Kimchi will have it a Snail; such a Variety of Opinions and Resentments has the Name of this Gentleman fallen under; while some have counted him an Eminent Christian, and others have counted him almost an Heretick; some have counted him a Renowned Patriot, and others an Infamous Traitor. If Barak signifie both to Bless and to Curse; and Evdoryewv® be of the same Significancy with BAacdnpewy,* in such Philology as that of Suidas and Hesychius;’ the Usage which the Memory of this Gentleman has met withal, seems to have been Accom- modated unto that Indifferency of Signification in the Terms for such an Usage. On the one side, I find an Old New-English Manu- 1 1Qne not contented with any creed or sect, but seeking a more perfect one. Roger Williams, also, was regarded as a “seeker.” 2 This book of Vane’s was published in 1655. Vane’s religious views expressed here and elsewhere were freely attacked by the divines of the time, who found them vague, and, apparently, danger- ous, in their hostility to any organized church and their tolerant tone toward all sects. Dr. Manton was an eminent Presbyterian in England, 1620-1677. 3 “To praise.” 4“°To slander.” ’ Suidas, eleventh century Greek lexicographer, and Hesychius, Alexandrine grammarian, c. 380. SUCCESSORS 95 script thus reflecting, His Election will remain as a Blemish to their Judgments who did Elect him, while New-England remains a Nation; for he coming from Old-England, a Young Unexperienced Gentleman, (and as young in Judgment as he was in Years) by the Industry of some that could do much, and thought by him to play their own Game, was presently Elected Governour; and before he was scarce warm in his Seat, began to Broach New Tenets; and these were agitated with as much Violence, as if the Welfare of New-England must have been Sacrificed rather than these not take place. But the Wisdom of the State put a Period to his Government; necessity caused them to undo the Works of their own Hands, and leave us a Caveat, that all good Men are not fit for Government. But on the other side, the Historian who has Printed The Trial of Sir Henry Vane, Knt., at the King’s Bench, Westminster, June 2. and 6. 1662. with other occasional Speeches; also his Speech and Prayer on the Scaffold, has given us in him the Picture of nothing less than an Heroe.!_ He seems indeed by that Story to have suffered Hardly enough, but no Man can deny that he suffered Bravely: the English Nation has not often seen more of Roman, (and indeed more than Roman) Gallantry, out-facing Death in the most pom- pous Terrors of it. A great Royalist, present, at his Decollation, swore, He died like a Prince: He could say, I bless the Lord I am so far from being affrighted at Death, that I find it rather shrink from me, than I from it! He could say, Ten Thousand Deaths rather than Defile my Conscience; the Chastity and Purity of which I value beyond all this World; I would not for Ten Thousand Worlds part with the Peace and Satis- faction I have in my own Heart. When mention was 1 The book referred to was published anonymously in 1662. 96 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA made of the Difficult Proceeding against him, all his reply was, Alas, what a Do do they keep to make a poor Creature like his Saviour! On the Scaffold they did, by the Blast of Trumpets in his Face, with much Incivility, hinder him from speaking what he intended; which Incivility he aforehand suspecting, committed a true Copy of it unto a Friend before his going thither; the last Words whereof were these, 4s my last Words I leave this with you, That as the Present Storm we now lye under, and the dark Clouds that yet hang over the Reformed Churches of Christ, (which are coming thicker and thicker for a Season) were not unforeseen by me for many Years past; (as some Writings of mine declare) so the coming of Christ in these Clouds, in Order to a speedy and sudden revival of his Cause, and spreading his Kingdom over the Face of the whole Earth, 1s most clear to the Eye of my Faith, even that Faith 1n which I Die. His Execution was June 14. 1662. about the Fiftieth Year of his Age. §4. After the Death of Mr. Dudley, the Notice and Respect of the Colony fell chiefly on Mr. John Endicot, who after many Services done for the Colony, even before it was yet a Colony, as well as when he saw it grown into a Populous Nation, under his Prudent and Equal Government, expired in a good Old Age, and was Honourably Interr’d at Boston, March 23. 1665. The Gentleman that succeeded Mr. Endicot, was Mr. Richard Bellingham, one who was bred a Lawyer, and one who lived beyond Eighty, well esteemed for his laudable Qualities; but as the Thebans made the Statues of their Magistrates without Hands, importing that they must be no Takers; in this fashion must be formed the Statue for this Gentleman; for among all his Virtues, he was noted for none more, than for his SIMON BRADSTREET 97 notable and perpetual hatred of a Bribe, which gave him, with his Country, the Reputation of Old Claimed by Pericles, to be, prroTronN Te Kai ypnuatov Kpelocwr: Civitatis Amans, &F ad pecunias Invictus.1 And as he never took any from any one /iving; so he neither could nor would have given any to Death; but in the latter end of the Year 1672. he had his Soul gathered not with Sinners, whose Right Hand 1s full of Bribes, but with such as walk in their uprightness. The Gentleman that succeeded Mr. Bellingham, was Mr. John Leveret, one to whom the Affections of the Freemen were signalized, in his quick advances through the lesser Stages of Office and Honour 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 Wisdom and Justice were now at Home in his Elder. The Anniversary Election constantly kept him at the Helm from the time of his first Sitting there, until March 16. 1678. when Mortality having first put him on severe Trials of his Passive-Courage, (much more difficult than the Active) in pains of the Stone, released him. Pater Patrie:? Or, The LIFE of SIMON BRAD- STREET, £sq; Extinctus amabitur idem.® he: Gentleman that succeeded Mr. Leveret, was Mr. Simon Bradstreet, the Son of a Minister in Lincolnshire, who was always a Non-Conformist at home, as well as when Preacher at Middleburgh abroad. Him the New-Englanders in their Addresses full 1 “A lover of the state, invincible by bribes.” 2 “Father of the country.” 3 “He shall be loved even when dead.” 98 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA of profound Respects unto him, have with good reason called, The venerable Mordecai of his Country. He was born at Horbling, March 1603. His Father (who was the Son of a Suffolk Gentleman of a fine Estate) was one of the First Fellows in Jmmanuel-Colledge, under Dr. Chaderton, and one afterwards highly esteemed by Mr. Cotton, and by Dr. Preston. Our Bradstreet was brought up at the Grammar-School, until he was about Fourteen Years Old; and then the Death of his Father put a stop for the present unto the Designs of his further Education., But according to the Faith of his Dying Father, that he should be well provided for, he was within Two or Three Years after this taken into the Religious Family of the Earl of Lincoln, (the best Family of any Nobleman then in England,) where he spent about Eight Years under the Direction of Mr. Thomas Dudley, sustaining successively divers Offices. Dr. Preston then (who had been my Lord’s Tutor) moved my Lord, that Mr. Bradstreet might have their permission to come unto Jmmanuel Colledge, in the Capacity of Governour to the Lord Rich, the Son of the Earl of Warwick; which they granting, he went with the Doctor to Cambridge, who provided a Chamber for him, with Advice that he should apply himself to Study until my Lord’s Arrival. But he afterwards in a Writing of his, now in my Hands, made this humble Complaint; I met with many Obstacles to my Study in Cambridge; the Earl of Lincoln had a Brother there, who often called me forth upon Pastimes. Divers Masters of Art, and other Scholars also, constantly met, where we spent most part of the Afternoons many times 1n Discourse to little purpose or profit; but that seemed an easte and pleasant Life then, which too late I repented. My Lord Rich not coming to the University, SIMON BRADSTREET 99 Mr. Bradstreet returned after a Year to the Earl of Lincolns; and Mr. Dudley then removing to Boston,! his Place of Steward unto the Earl was conferred on Mr. Bradstreet. Afterwards he with much ado obtained the Earl’s leave to Answer the Desires of the Aged and Pious Countess of Warwick, that he would accept the Stewardship of her Noble Family, which as the former he discharged with an Exemplary Discretion and Fidelity. Here he Married the Daughter of Mr. Dudley,* by whose perswasion he came in Company with him to New-England, where he spent all the rest of his Days, Honourably serving his Generation. It was counted a singular Favour of Heaven unto Richard Chamond, Esq; one of England’s Worthies, that he was a Justice of Peace near Threescore Years;* but of Simon Bradstreet, Esq; one of New-England’s Worthies, there can more than this be said; for he was chosen a Magis- trate of New-England before New-England it self came into New-England; even in their first great Voyage thither 4nno 1630. and so he continued annually chosen; sometimes also their Secretary, and at last their Governour, until the Colony had a share in the general Shipwrack of Charters, which the Reign of King Charles II. brought upon the whole English Nation.*’ Mr. Joseph Dudley was placed, Anno 168s. as President over the Territory for a few Months, when the Judgment that was entred against the Charter gave unto the late King James II. an opportunity to make what Alterations he pleased upon the Order of 1 England. 2 The poetess, Anne Dudley Bradstreet. 3 Mather here draws on Thomas Fuller’s Worthies of England. See 1, 329 (ed. 1840). 4 Cf. p. xlv, ante. 100 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA things, under which the Country had so long been Flourishing. But when the short Presidentship of that New-English and well Accomplished Gentleman, the Son of Mr. Thomas Dudley abovementioned, was expired, I am not in a Disposition here to relate what was the Condition of the Colony, until the Revolution whereto their Condition compell’d them. Only I have sometimes, not without Amazement, thought of the Representation which a Celebrated Magician made unto Catherine de Medicis, the French Queen, whose Impious Curiosity led her to desire of him a Magical Exhibition of all the Kings that had hitherto Reigned in France, and yet-were to Reign. The Shapes of all the Kings, even unto the Husband of that Queen succes- sively showed themselves, in the Enchanted Circle, in which that Conjurer had made his Invocations, and they took as many Turns as there had been Years in their Government. The Kings that were to come, did then in like manner sucessively come upon the Stage, namely, Francis II. Charles 1X. Henry III. Henry IV. which being done, then Two Cardinals, Richlieu and Mazarine, in Red Hats, became visible in the Spectacle: But after those Cardinals, there entred WOLVES, BEARS, TYGERS, and LIONS, to consummate the Entertainment. If the People of New-England had not Imagined, that a Number of as Rapacious Animals were at last come into their Government, I suppose they would not have made such a Revolution as they did, on April 18. 1689. in conformity to the Pattern which the English Nation was then setting before them. Nevertheless, | have nothing in this Paragraph of our History to Report of it, but that Mr. Bradstreet was at this time alive; whose Paternal Compassions for a Country, thus remarkably his own, would not permit SIMON BRADSTREET 1or him to decline his Return unto his former Seat in the Government, upon the Unanimous Invitation of the People thereunto. It was a Remark then generally made upon him, That though he were then well towards Ninety Years of Age, his intellectual force was hardly abated, but he retained a Vigour and Wisdom that would have recommended a younger Man to the Government of a greater Colony. And the wonderful Difficulties, through which the Colony under his discreet Conduct waded, until the Arrival of his Excellency, Sir William Phips, with a Commission for the Government, and a New Charter in the Year 1692. gave a Remarkable Demon- stration of it. Yea, this Honourable Nestor of New- England, in the Year 1696. was yet alive; and as Georgius Leontinus, who lived until he was an Hundred and Eight Years of Age, being asked by what means he attained unto such an Age, answered, By my not Living Voluptuously; thus this excellent Person attained his good old Age, in part, By Living very Temperately. And the New-Englanders would have counted it their Satisfaction, if like Arganthonius, who had been Four- score Years the Governour of the Tartessians, he might have lived unto the Age of an Hundred and Twenty; or, even unto the Age of Johannes de Temporibus, who was Knighted by the Emperour Charlemaign, and yet was Living till the Emperour Conrade, and saw, they say, no fewer Years than Three Hundred Threescore and One. Though, To be Dissolved and be with Christ, was the Satisfaction which this our Macrobius himself was with a weary Soul now waiting and longing for; and Christ at length granted it unto him, on March 27. 1697. Then it was, that one of the oldest Servants that God and the King had upon Earth, drew his Last, in the very place where he drew his First, American 102 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Breath. He Died at Salem, in a Troublesome Time, and entred into everlasting Peace. And in Imitation of what the Roman Orator said upon the Death of Crassus, I will venture to say, Putt hoc, luctuosum suts, Acerbum Patrie, Grave Bonis Omnibus: Sed 11 tamen Rempublicam casus Secutt sunt, ut mihi non Erepta Bradstreeto Vita, sed donata mors esse videatur.} The Epitaph on that famous Lawyer, Simon Pistorius we will now Employ for this Eminently Prudent and Upright Administrator of our Laws. EPITAPH. SIMON BRADSTREET. Quod Mortale fuit, Tellus tenet; Inclyta Fama Nomuintis haud ullo stat violanda Die.? And Add, Extinctum luget quem tota Nov-Anglia Patrem, O Quantum Claudit parvula Terra Virum! 8 1“ This [death] was most lamentable for his family, bitter to the fatherland, a woe to all good men; but yet such calamities have come to the state since then, that it does not seem to me as though life were snatched from Bradstreet, but as though death were given to him.” The quotation is from Cicero, altered. 2 “Earth holds what was mortal; the glorious renown of his name stands against the ravaging of time.” Simon Pistoris, or Pistorius, 1489-1562, was a famous German lawyer. 3“ All New England mourns a dead father; how great a man a little earth encloses.” ASSISTANTS 103 CHAP. VI wei *y3 Id est, Viri Animati:! Or, ASSISTANTS. HE Freemen of New-England had a great vari- ety of Worthy Men, among whom they might pick and chuse a Number of MAGISTRATES to be the Assistants of their GOVERNOURS, both in directing the General Affairs of the Land, and in dispensing of Justice unto the People. But they wisely made few Alterations in their Annual Elections; and they thereby shew’d their Satisfaction in the wise and good Conduct of those whom they had Elected. If they called some few of their Magistrates from the Plough to the Bench, so the Old Romans did some of their Dictators; yea, the greatest Kings in the World once carried Plough-shares on the top of their Scepters. However, the Inhabitants of New-England never were so unhappy as the Inhabitants of Norcia, a Town scarce I'en Leagues from Rome; where they do at this Day chuse their own Magistrates, but use an exact Care, That no Man who is able to Write, or to Read, shall be capable of any share in the Government. The Magis- trates of New-England have been of a better Education. Indeed, several deserving Persons, who were joined as Associates and Commissioners unto these, for the more effectual Execution of the Laws in some Emergen- cies, cannot be brought into our Catalogue; but the Names of all our Magistrates, with the Times when I find their first Advancement unto that Character, are these. 1“T7 iving men,” 104 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA MAGISTRATES of the Massachuset-Colony. John Winthrop, Gov. Thomas Dudley, Deputy Gov. Matthew Cradock, Thomas Goff, Sir Richard Saltonstal, Isaac Johnson, Samuel Aldersley, John Venn, John Humfrey, Simon Whercomb, Increase Nowel, Richard Perry, Nathanael Wright, Samuel Vassal, Theophilus Eaton, Thomas Adams, Thomas Hutchins, George Foxcroft, William Vassal, William Pinchon, John Pocock, Christopher Cowlson, William Coddington, Simon Bradstreet, Thomas Sharp, Roger Ludlow, Edward Rossiter, John Endicot, John Winthrop, Jun. John Haines, Richard Billingham,} 1 Bellingham. 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1629 1630 1630 1630 1632 1634 1635 Atterton' Hough, Richard Dummer, Henry Vane, Roger Hartackenden,? Israel Stoughton, Richard Saltonstal, Thomas Flint, Samuel Symons, William Hibbons, William Tynge, Herbert Pelham, Robert Bridges, Francis Willoughby, Thomas Wiggan, Edward Gibbons, John Glover, Daniel Gookin, Daniel Denison, Simon Willard, Humphrey Atherton, Richard Russel, Thomas Danforth, William Hawthorn, Eleazer Lusher, John Leveret, John Pinchon, Edward Tyng, William Stoughton, Thomas Clark, Joseph Dudley, Peter Bulkley, Nathanael Saltonstal, 1 Atherton. 2 Harlakenden. ASSISTANTS 105 1635 1635 1636 1636 1637 1637 1643 1643 1643 1643 1645 1647 1650 1650 1650 1652 1652 1654 1654 1654 1659 1659 1662 1662 1665 1665 1668 1671 1673 1676 1677 1679 106 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Humphrey Davy, 1679 James Russel, 1680 Samuel Nowel, 1680 Peter Tilton, 1680 John Richards, 1680 John Hull, 1680 Bartholomew Gidney, 1680 Thomas Savage, 1680 William Brown, 1680 Samuel Appleton, 1681 Robert Ptke, 1682 Daniel Fisher, 1683 John Woodbridge, 1683 Elisha Cook, 1684 William Johnson, 1684 John Hawthorn, 1684 Elisha Hutchinson, 1684 Samuel Sewal, 1684 Isaac Addington, 1686 John Smith, 1686 Major-Generals of the Military Forces in the Colony, successively chosen. Thomas Dudley. John Endicot. Edward Gibbons. Robert Sedgwick. Humfry Atherton. Daniel Denison. John Leveret. Daniel Gookin. ASSISTANTS 107 Secretaries of the Colony, successively chosen. William Burgis. Simon Bradstreet. Increase Nowel. Edward Rawson. That these Names are proper and worthy to be found in our Church-History, will be acknowledged, when it 1s considered, not only that they were the Members of Congregational Churches, and by the Mem- bers of the Churches chosen to be the Rulers of the Commonwealth; and that their exemplary Behaviour in their Magistracy was generally such as to adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour, and according to the Old Jewish Wishes, prohibitum est Homint, instar principis Dominart super populum, &F cum elatione Spiritus, Sed, ANW ADSI cum mansuetudine ac Timore:! But also that their Love to, and Zeal for, and Care of these Churches, was not the least part of their Character. The Instances of their Concern for the Welfare of the Churches were innumerable. I will single out but one from the rest, because of some Singular Subser- viency to the Designs of our Church-History, therein to be propos’d. Tl do it only by Transcribing an Instrument, published 4nno 1668. in such Terms as these. 1“Tt is forbidden for a man to rule over a people like a prince, and with exaltation of spirit, but [he should rule] with mildness and fear.” 108 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA To the Elders and Minasters of every Town within the Jurisdiction of the Massachusets in New-England, the Governour and Council sendeth Greeting. Reverend and Beloved in the Lord, E find in the Examples of Holy Scripture, \ \ ‘that Magistrates have not only excited and ‘commanded all the People under their ‘Government, to seek the Lord God of their Fathers, ‘and do the Law and Commandment, (2. Chron. 14. 2, *3, 4. Ezra 7. 25, 26, 27.) but also stirred up and sent ‘forth the Levites, accompanied with other Principal ‘Men, to Teach the good Knowledge of the Lord through- ‘out all the Cities, (2. Chron. 17. 6, 7, 8, 9.) which En- ‘deavours have been Crowned with the Blessing of “God. ‘Also we find that our Brethren of the Congregational ‘Perswasion in England, have made a good Profession ‘in their Book, Entituled, 4 Declaration of their Faith ‘and Order, (Page 59. Sect. 14.) where they say, That ‘altho’ Pastors and Teachers stand especially related ‘unto their particular Churches, yet they ought not to “neglect others Living within their Parochial Bounds; but ‘besides their constant publick Preaching to them, they ‘ought to enquire after their profiting by the Word, In- ‘structing them in, and Pressing upon them, (whether “Young or Old) the great Doctrines of the Gospel, even ‘personally and particularly, so far as their Strength and ‘Time will permit. ‘We hope that sundry of you need not a Spur in ‘these things, but are conscienciously careful to do ‘your Duty. Yet, forasmuch as we have cause to ‘fear that there is too much Neglect in many places, ‘notwithstanding the Laws long since provided therein, ASSISTANTS 109g ‘we do therefore think it our Duty to emit this Dec- ‘laration unto you,earnestly Desiring, and, in the Bowels ‘of our Lord Jesus, requiring you to be very Diligent ‘and Careful to Catechise and Instruct all People ‘(especially the Youth) under your Charge, in the sound ‘Principles of Christian Religion; and that not only ‘in Publick, but privately from House to House,as Blessed ‘Paul did; (Act. 20. 20.) or at least, Three, Four, or ‘more Families meeting together, as Time and Strength ‘may permit; taking to your Assistance such godly ‘and grave Persons as to you may seem most expedient: ‘And also that you Labour to Inform your selves (as ‘much as may be meet) how your Hearers do profit ‘by the Word of God, and how their Conversations ‘do agree therewith; and whether the Youth are Taught ‘to Read the English Tongue: Taking all occasions ‘to apply suitable Exhortations particularly unto them, ‘for the Rebuke of those that do evil, and the Encouragement ‘of them that do well. “The effectual and constant Prosecution hereof, ‘we hope will have a Tendency to promote the Salvation ‘of Souls; to suppress the Growth of Sin and Profane- ‘ness; to beget more Love and Unity among the People, ‘and more Reverence and Esteem of the Ministry: And ‘it will assuredly be to the enlargement of your Crown, ‘and Recompence in Ezernal Glory. Given at Boston, the toth of March, 1668. by the Gover- nour and Council, and by them Ordered to be Printed, and sent accordingly. Edward Rawson, Secret. 110 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA CHAP SVL Publicola Christianus.1 The LIFE of EDWARD HOPKINS, £sq; Governour of CONNECTICUT- COLONY. Superiores sint, quit supertores esse sciunt.” Sate HEN the Great God of Heaven had car- WW ried his Peculiar People into a Wilder- ness, the Theocracy, wherein he became (as he was for that Reason stiled) The Lord of Hosts, unto them and the Four Squadrons of their Army, was most eminently display’d in his Enacting of their Laws, his Directing of their Wars, and his Electing and Inspir- ing of their Judges. In some resemblance hereunto, when Four Colonies of Christians had marched like so many Hosts under the Conduct of the good Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ into an American Wilderness, there were several Instances wherein that Army of Confessors was under a Theocracy: For their Laws were still Enacted, and their Wars were still Directed by the Voice of God, as far as they understood it, speaking from the Oracle of the Scriptures; and though their Judges were still Elected by themselves, and not Inspired with such extraordinary Influences as carried them of Old, yet these also being singularly furnished and offered by the special Providence of God unto the Goy- ernment of his New-English People, were so eminently acted ® by His Graces, and His Precepts, in the Discharge of their Government, that the Blessed People were still sensibly Governed by the Lord of All. Now among 1 “Christian patriot.” 2 “They may be superiors, who know how to be superiors.” 3 J. ¢., actuated. EDWARD HOPKINS III the First Judges of New-England, was EDWARD HOPKINS, Esq; in whose time’the Colony of Connecti- cut was favoured with Judges as at the first; and put under the Power of those with whom it was a Maxim, Gratius est pietatis Nomen, quam potestatis.} § 2. The Descent and Breeding of Mr. EDWARD HOPKINS, (who was Born, I think, near Shrowsbury, about the Year 1600.) first fitted him for the Condition of a Turky-Merchant, in London; where he lived several Years in good Fashion and Esteem, until a powerful Party in the Church of England, then resolving not only to separate from the Communion of all the Faithful that were Averse to certain confessedly unscriptural and uninstituted Rites in the Worship of God, but also to Persecute with destroying Severities those that were Non-Conformists thereunto, compelled a considerable Number of good Men to seek a shelter among the Salvages of America. Among these, and with his Excellent Father-in-Law, Mr. Theophilus Eaton, he came to New-England; where then removing from the Massachuset-Bay unto Hartford upon Connecticut- River, he became a Ruler and Pillar of that Colony, during the time of his Abode in the Country. § 3. In his Government he acquitted himself as the Solomon of his Colony, to whom God gave Wisdom and Knowledge, that he might go out and come in before the People; and as he was the Head, so he was the Heart of the People, for the Resolution to do Well, which he maintained among them. An unjust Judge is, as one says, A cold Fire, a dark Sun, a dry Sea, an ungood God, a contradictio in Adjecto 2 Far from such was our Hopkins; no, he was, dixatov éurvrvyov, a meer piece 1 “A reputation for piety is dearer than a reputation for power.” #~A* paradox. 112 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA of Living Justice. And,as he had no separate Interests of his own, so he pursued their /nterests with such an unspotted and successful Fidelity, that they might call him as the Tribe of Benjamin did their Leader in the Wilderness, Abidan, that is to say, Our Father 1s Judge. New-England saw little Dawnings, and Em- blems, and Earnests of the Day, That the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given unto the People of the Saints of the most High, when such a Saint as our HOPKINS was one of its Governours. And the Felicity which a Great Man has Prognosti- cated for Europe,~ That God will stir up some happy Governour in some Country 1n Christendom, indued with Wisdom and Consideration, who shall discern the true Nature of Godliness and Christianity, and the Neces- sity and Excellency of serious Religion, and shall place his Honour and Felicity 1n pleasing God, and doing Good, and attaining Everlasting Happiness, and shall subject all Worldly Respects unto these High and Glorious Ends: This was now Exemplified in America. $4. Most Exemplary was his Piety and his Charity; and while he governed others by the Laws of God, he did himself yield a profound Subjection unto those Laws. He was exemplarily watchful over his own Behaviour, and made a continual Contemplation of, and Preparation for Death, to be the Character of his Life. It was his manner to Rise early, even before Day; to enjoy the Devotions of his Closet: after which he spent a considerable time in Reading, and Opening, and Applying the Word of God unto his Family, and then Praying with them: And he had one particular way to cause Attention in the People of his Family, which was to ask any Person that seemed Careless in the midst of his Discourse, What was it that I Read or EDWARD HOPKINS 113 Spoke last? Whereby he Habituated them unto such Attention, that they were still usually able to give a ready Account. But as for his Prayers, they were not only frequent, but so fervent also, that he frequently fell a Bleeding at the Nose through the Agony of Spirit with which he labour’d in them. And, especially when imploring such Spiritual Blessings, as, That God would grant in the End of our Lives, the End of our Hopes, even the Salvation of our Souls, he would be so Transported, that the Observing and Judicious Hearers would say sometimes upon it, Surely this Man can’t be long out of Heaven. Moreover, in his Neighbourhood he not only set himself to Encourage and Countenance real Godl1- ness, but also would himself kindly visit the Meetings that the Religious Neighbours privately kept for the Exercises of 1t; and where the least Occasion for Con- tention was offered, he would, with a prudent and speedy Endeavour, Extinguish it. But the Poor he so consider- ered, that besides the Daily Reliefs which with his own Hands he dispenced unto them, he would put consider- able Sums of Money into the Hands of his Friends, to be by them employed as they saw Opportunity to do good unto all, especially the Houshold of Faith. In this thing he was like that Noble and Worthy English Gen- eral, of whom ’tis noted, He never thought he had any thing but what he gave away; and yet after all, with much humility he would profess, as one of the most Liberal Men that ever was in the World often would, J have often turned over my Books of Accounts, but I could never find the Great God charged a Debtor there. $5. But Suffering as well as Doing belongs to the Compleat Character of a Christian; and there were several Trials wherein our Lord called this Eminently Patient Servant of his to Suffer the Will of God. He 114 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Conflicted with Bodily Infirmities, but especially with a Wasting and a Bloody Cough, which held him for Thirty Years together. He had been by Persecutions driven to cross an Ocean, to which he had in his Nature an Antipathy; and then a Wilderness full of such Crosses as attend the beginning of a Plantation, exercised him. Nevertheless there was one Affliction which continually dropt upon him above all the rest, and that was this, He Married a Daughter which the Second Wife of Mr. Eaton had by a former Husband; one that from a Child had been Observable for Desirable Qualities. But some time after-she was Married she fell into a Dis- tempered Melancholly, which at last Issued in an Incurable Distraction, with such Illshaped Jdeas in her Brain, as use to be formed when the Animal Spirits are fired by Irregular Particles, fixed with Acid, Bilious, Venemous Ferments in the Blood. Very Grievous was this Affliction unto this her worthy Consort, who was by temper a very Affectionate Person: And who now left no part of a tender Husband undone, to Ease, and, if it were possible, to Cure the Lamentable Deso- lation thus come upon, The Desire of his Eyes; but when the Physician gave him to understand, that no means would be likely to Restore her Sense, but such as would be also likely to Hazard her Life, he Replied with Tears, I had rather bear my Cross unto the End that the Lord shall give! But upon this Occasion he said unto her Sister, who, with all the rest related unto her, were as dear unto him as his own; I have often thought, what should be the meaning of the Lord, 1n chastising of me with so sharp a Rod, and with so long a Stroke! Whereto, when she Reply’d, Sir, nothing singular has, in this Case, befallen you; God hath afflicted others in the like way; and we must be content with our Portion: He ; EDWARD HOPKINS 115 Answered, Sister, This is among the Lord’s Rarities. For my part I cannot tell what Sore to lay my Hand upon: However, 1n General, my Sovereign Lord is Just, and I will gustifie him for ever: But in Particular, I have thought the matter might lye here: I promised my self too much Content in this Relation and Enjoyment; and the Lord will make me to know that this World shall not afford it me. So he wisely, meekly, fruitfully bore this heavy Affiction unto his Dying Day; having been taught by the Affliction to Die Daily, as long as he Lived. §6. About Governour Eaton, his Father-in-Law, he saw cause to say unto a Sister-in-Law, whom he much valued; I have often wondred at my Father and your Father; I have heard him say, That he never had a Repenting, or a Repining Thought, about his coming to New-England: Surely, in this Matter he hath a Grace far out-shining Mine. But he is our Father! I cannot say, as he can, I have had hard work with my own Heart about it. But upon the Death of his Elder Brother, who was Warden of the Fleet,! it was necessary for him to Return into England, that he might look after the Estate which then fell unto him; and accordingly, after a Tempestuous and a Terrible Voyage, wherein they were eminently endangered by Fire, accidentally enkindled on the Ship, as well as by Water, which tore it so to Pieces, that it was Towed in by another Ship, he at length, Per Varios Casus; per tot Discrimina Rerum,? arrived there. There a great Notice was quickly taken of him: He was made Warden of the Fleet, Com- 1 Warden of Fleet Prison. 2 “Through varied misfortunes, through so many dangers.” 116 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA missioner of the Admiralty, and the Navy-Office, a Parliament-Man; and he was placed in some other considerable Stations: In all which he more than an- swered the Expectations of those who took him to be a Person Eminently Qualified for Publick Service. By these Employments, his design of Returning to New- England, with which he left it, was diverted so far, that he sent for his Family; and about the time that he looked for them, he being advantaged by his great Places to employ certain Frigots for their safety on the Coast, by that means had them safely brought unto him. When they were with him in London, one of them told him how much his Friends in New-England Wish’d and Pray’d for his Return: And how that Passage had been used in our Publick Supplications for that Mercy, Lord, If we may win him in Heaven, we shall yet have him on Earth: But he Reply’d, J have had many Thoughts about my Return, and my A ffections have been bent very strongly that way; and tho’ I have now, blessed be God, received my Family here, yet that shall be no hindrance to my Return. I will tell you, though I am little worth, yet I have that Love which will dispose me to serve the Lord, and that People of his. But as to that matter, I incline to think they will not win it in Heaven; and I know not whether the Terrors of my dreadful Voyage hither might not be ordered by the Divine Provi- dence, to Stake me in this Land, being in my Spirit sufficiently loth to run the hazard of such another. I must also say to you, I mourn exceedingly, and | fear, I fear, the Sins of New-England will e’re long be read in its Punishments. The Lord has planted that Land with a Noble Vine; and Blessed hast thou been, O Land, in thy Rulers! But, alas! for the generality they have not considered how they were to Honour the Rules of God, EDWARD HOPKINS 117 in Honouring of those whom God made Rulers over them; and I fear they will come to smart by having them set over them, that 1t will be an hard Work to Honour, and that will hardly be capable to manage their Affairs. § 7. Accordingly he continued in England the rest of his Days, in several places of Great Honour and Burden faithfully serving the Nation; but in the midst of his Publick Employments most exactly maintaining the Zeal and Watch of his own private Walk with God. His Mind kept continually Mellowing and Ripening for Heaven; and one Expression of his Heavenly Mind, among many others, a little before his End, was, How often have I pleased my self with thoughts of a joyful Meeting with my Father Eaton! I remember with what pleasure he would come down the Street, that he might meet me when I came from Hartford unto New-Haven: But with how much greater Pleasure shall we shortly meet one another in Heaven! But as an Heavenly Mind is oftentimes a Presaging Mind, so he would sometimes utter this Presage unto some that were Near and Dear unto him; God will shortly take the Protector! away, and soon after that you will see great Changes overturning the present Constitution, and sore Troubles come upon those that now promise better things unto themselves. However, he did not Live to see the Fulfilment of this Prediction. $8. For the time now drew near that this Israelite was to Die! He had been in his Life troubled with many Fears of Death; and after he fell Sick, even when he drew very near his Death, he said with Tears, Oh/ Pray for me, for I am in extream Darkness! But at length, on a Lord’s Day, about the very time when Mr. Caryl was publickly praying for him, his Darkness all vanished, and he broke forth into these Expressions, 1 Cromwell. 118 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Oh! Lord, thou hast kept the best Wine until the last! Oh! Friends, could you believe this? I shall be blessed for ever, I shall quickly be in Eternal Glory. Now let the whole World count me Vile, and call me an Hypocrite, or what they will, I matter it not; I shall be blessed; there is reserved for me a Crown of Glory. Oh! Blessed be God for Jesus Christ! I have heretofore thought 1t an hard thing to die, but now I find that 1t 1s not so. If I might have my choice, I would now chuse to die; Oh! my Lord, I pray thee send me not back again into this Evil World, I have enough of 1t; no, Lord, now take me to Glory, and the Kingdom that is prepared for me! Yea, the standers by thought it not possible for them to utter exactly after him, the Heavenly Words which now proceeded from him; and when one of them said, Sir, The Lord hath enlarged your Faith; he replied, Friend, this 1s Sense; the Lord hath even satisfied my Sense; I am sensibly satis- fied of Everlasting Glory! Two or Three Days he now spent in Prayers and Praises, and in Inexpressible Joys: In which time, when some Eminent Persons of a very Publick Station and Imployment came to Visit him, unto them, he said, Sirs, Take heed of your Hearts while you are in your Work for God, that there be no root of bitterness within you. It may be pretended your Desires are to serve God, but if there are in you secret Aims at advancing of your selves, and your own Estates and Interests, the Lord will not accept your Services as pure before him. But at length in the Month of March, 1657. at London he expired; when being opened, it was found that his Heart had been unaccountably, as it were, Boiled and Wasted in Water, until it was become a little brittle Skin, which being touch’d, presently dropp’d in pieces. He had often wished, upon some great SUCCESSORS 119 Accounts, that he might live till the beginning of this Year; and now when he lay a dying, he said, Lord! Thou hast fulfilled my Desires according to thy Word, that thou wilt fulfl the Desires of them that fear thee. Now from the Tombstone of another Eminent Person, we will fetch what shall here be a proper EPERARES Part of EDWARD HOPKINS, Esq;! But Heaven, not brooking that the Earth should share In the least Atom of a Piece so rare, Intends to Sue out, by a New Revise, His Habeas Corpus at the Grand Assize. CHAP. VIII. SUCCESSORS. § 1. Lternately, for the most part every other Year, Mr. Hains, whom we have already mentioned elsewhere, took a turn with Mr. Hopkins in the Chief place of Government. And besides these (Reader, the Oracle that once Pre- dicted Government unto a ©, would now and here Predict it unto a W.’) there were Mr. Willis, Mr. Wells, and Mr. Webster, all of whom also had Oppor- 1 Probably this line and the one preceding should be transposed to read “ proper Part of Edward Hopkins, Esq., Epitaph.” 2 Ammianus Marcellinus (xxix, ch. 1, §§ 28-32) tells of a reputed oracle which prophesied by means of a ring hung on a thread, over a plate on the rim of which were marked the letters of the alphabet. Asked who would be the next emperor, the ring touched the letters @EO, and this was believed to indicate that Theodorus would reign. The same story is in Sozomen’s Ecclestatical History, vi, ch. 35. 120 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA tunity to express their Liberal and Generous Disposi- tions, and the Governing Virtues of Wisdom, Justice and Courage, by the Election of the Freemen in the Colony before its being United with Newhaven. Had the Surviving Relations of these Worthy Men sent in unto me a Tenth Part of the Considerable and Imitable Things which occurr’d in their Lives, they might have made more of a Figure in this our History; whereas | must now Sum up all, with assuring my Reader, that it is the want of Knowledge in Me, and not of Desert in Them, that has confined us unto this Brevity. §2. After the Union of Connecticut with Newhaven, there were in Chief Government Mr. Leet, whom we have already paid our Dues unto; and Mr. Treat, who is yet living, a Pious and a Valiant Man, and (if even! Annosa Quercus”? be an Honourable thing!) worthy to be Honoured for 4n Hoary Head found in the Way of Righteousness: Besides, Mr. Winthrop, of whom anon, Reader, expect a Compleater History. CHAR ALXS Humilitas Honorata.2 The LIFE of THEOPHILUS EATON, £sq; Governour of NEW-HAVEN COLONY. Justitie Cultor, Rigidt Servator Honesti, In Commune Bonum.* §1. BT has been enquired, why the Evangelist ] Luke in the First Sacred History which he Addressed unto his Fellow-Citizen, gave him the Title of The most Excellent Theophilus, but in the next he used no higher a Stile than plain Theophilus? 1 Ever. 2 “an aged oak.” 3 “ Honored humility.” 4*°A cultivator of justice, a servant of inflexible honesty, for the common good.” THEOPHILUS EATON 121 And though several other Answers might be given to that Enquiry, ’tis enough to say, That neither the Civil- ity of Luke, nor Nobility of Theophilus, were by Age abated; but Luke herein considered the Disposition of Theophilus, as well as his own, with whom a reduced Age had render’d all Titles of Honour more Disagreeable Su- perfluities. Indeed nothing would have been more Un- acceptable to the Governour of our New-Haven Colony all the time of his being so, than to have been Advanced and Applauded above the rest of Mankind; yet it must be now Published unto the Knowledge of Mankind, that New-England could not of his Quality show a More Excellent Person, and this was Theophilus Eaton, Esq; the first Governour of that Colony. Humility is a Virtue whereof Amyraldus! observes, There is not so much as a Shadow of Commendation in all the Pagan Writers. But the Reader is now concerned with Writ- ings which will Commend a Person for Humility; and therefore our EATON, in whom the shine of every Virtue was particularly set off with a more than or- dinary Degree of Humility, must now be propos’d as Commendable. §2. “Tis Reported, that the Earth taken from the Banks of Nilus, will very strangely Sympathize with the place from whence it was taken, and grow moist or dry according to the Increase and the Decrease of the River. And in spite of that Popish Lie which pretends to observe the contrary, this thing has been signally Moraliz'd in the daily Observation, that the Sons of Ministers, though betaking themselves to other Im- ployments, do ordinarily carry about with them an Holy and Happy Savour of their Ministerial Education. 1 Amyraldus, Moses Amyraut, 1596-1664, French Protestant divine. 122 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA *Twas remarkably Exemplified in our Theophilus Eaton, who was Born at Stony-Stratford, in Oxfordshire,} the Eldest Son to the Faithful and Famous Minister of the place. But the Words of Old used by Philostratus concerning the Son of the Great Man, As for his Son I have nothing else to say, but that he was his Son; they could not be used concerning our Theophilus, who having received a good Education from his Pious Parents, did live many Years to Answer that Education in his own Piety and Usefulness. §3. His Father being removed unto Coventry, he there at School fell into the Intimate Acquaintance of that Worthy John Davenport? with whom the Providence of God many Years after united him in the great Undertaking of settling a Colony of Christian and Reformed Churches on the American Strand. Here his Ingenuity and Proficiency render’d him notable; and so vast was his Memory, that although he wrote not at the Church, yet when he came home, he would, at his Father’s Call, repeat unto those that met in his Father’s House, the Sermons which had been publickly Preached by others, as well as his own Father, with such exactness, as astonished all the Neighbour- hood. But in their after Improvements, the Hands of Divine Providence were laid across upon the Heads of Theophilus Eaton and John Davenport; for Davenport, whose Father was the Mayor of Coventry, became a Mintster; and Eaton, whose Father was Minister of Coventry, contrary to his Intentions, became a Merchant. His Parents were very loth to have complied with his 1 Buckinghamshire. 2 John Davenport, one of the greatest of the early New England divines, was for years a friend of Increase Mather. Cotton Mather wrote Davenport’s life in the Magnalia, Book III, Part 1, ch. iv. THEOPHILUS EATON 123 Inclinations; but their Compliance therewithal did at last appear to have been directed by a special Favour of Heaven unto the Family, when after the Death of his Father, he, by this means, became the Joseph, by whom his Motherwas maintained until she died, and his Orphan Brethren and Sisters had no small part of their Sub- sistence. §4. During the time of his hard Apprenticeship he behaved himself wisely; and his Wisdom, with God’s Favour, particularly appeared in his chaste Escape from the Snares of a Young Woman in the House where he lived, who would fain have taken him in the Pits by the Wise Man cautioned against, and who was herself so taken only with his most Comely Person, that she dy’d for the Love of him, when she saw him gone too far to be obtained: Whereas, by the like Snares, the Apprentice that next succeeded him was undone for ever. But being a Person herewithal most signally Diligent in his Business, it was not long before the Maxim of the Wise Man was most literally accom- plished in his coming to Stand before Princes;' for being made a Freeman of London, he applied himself unto the East-Country Trade, and was publickly chosen the Deputy-Governour of the Company, wherein he so acquitted himself as to become considerable. And afterwards going himself into the East-Couwntry, he not only became so well Acquainted with the Affairs of the Baltick-Sea, but also became so well Improved in the Accomplishments of a Man of Business, that the King of England imploy’d him as an Agent unto the King of Denmark. The Concerns of his Agency he so dis- creetly managed, that as he much obliged and engaged 1 For the references to “the Wise Man” in this paragraph, ¢f. Proverbs xxil, 14, 29. 124 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA the East-Land Company, (who in Token thereof pre- sented his Wife with a Bason and Ewer double gilt, and curiously wrought with Gold, and weighing above Sixty Pound,) so he found much Acceptance with the King of Denmark, and was afterwards used by that Prince to do him no little Services. Nevertheless he kept his Integrity amongst the Temptations of that Court, whereat he was now a Resident; and not seldom had he most Eminent Cause to acknowledge the Benzg- nity and Interposal of Heaven for his Preservations; once particularly, when the King of Denmark was beginning the King of England’s Health, while Mr. Eaton, who disliked such Health-Drinking, was in his Presence; the King fell down in a sort of a Fit, with the Cup in his Hand, whereat all the Nobles and Courtiers wholly applied themselves to convey the King into his Chamber, and there was no notice taken who was to Pledge his Health; whereby Mr. Eaton was the more easily deliver’d from any share in the Debauch. § 5. Having arrived unto a fair Estate, (which he was first willing to do,! he Married a most Virtuous Gentlewoman, to whom he had first Espoused himself after he had spent Three Years in an Absence from her in the East-Country. But this dearest and greatest of his Temporal Enjoyments proved but a Temporal one; for living no longer with him than to render him the Father of Two Children, she almost killed him with her own Death; and yet at her Death she expressed herself wondrous willing to be Dissolved, and to be with Christ, from whom (she said) I would not be detained one Hour for all the Enjoyments upon Earth. He after- wards Married a Prudent and Pious Widow, the Daugh- ter of the Bishop of Chester; unto the Three former Chil- x) THEOPHILUS EATON 125 dren of whic’ Widow, he became a most Exemplary Loving and Faithful Father, as well as a most Worthy Husband unto herself, by whom he afterwards had Five Children, Two Sons and Three Daughters. But the Second of his Children by his latter Wife dying some while before, it was not long before his Two Children by his former Wife were smitten with the Plague, whereof the Elder died, and his House there- upon shut up with a, Lord have Mercy! However the Lord had this Mercy on the Family, to let the Distemper spread no further; and so Mr. Eaton spent many Years a Merchant of great Credit and Fashion in the City of London. §6. At length Conformity to Ceremonies Humanely Invented and Imposed in the Worship of God, was urged in the Church of England with so much Rigour, that Mr. Davenport was thereby driven to seek a Refuge from the Storm in the Cold and Rude Corners of America. Mr. Eaton had already assisted the New Massachuset-Colony, as being one of the Patentees for it; but had no purpose of removing thither himself, until Mr. Davenport, under whose Excellent Ministry he lived, was compelled unto a share in this Removal. However, being fully satisfied in his own Conscience, that Unlawful things were now violently demanded of him, he was willing to accompany his Persecuted Pastor in the Retreat from Violence now Endeavoured, and many Eminent Londoners chearfully engaged with him in this Undertaking. Unto New-England this Company of good Men came in the Year 1637. where chusing to be a distinct Colony by themselves, more Accommodated unto the Designs of Merchandize than of Husbandry, they sought and bought a large Territory in the 1 Which. 126 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Southern Parts of the Country for their Habitations. In the Prosecution hereof, the Chief Care was devolved — upon Mr. Eaton, who with an Unexempled Patience took many tedious and hazardous Journies through a Desolate Wilderness full of Barbarous Indians, until upon Mature Deliberation he pitched upon a place now called New-Haven, where they soon formed a very regular Town; and a number of other Towns along the Sea side were quickly added thereunto. But by the Difficulties attending these Journies, Mr. Eaton brought himself into an extream Sickness; from which he re- covered not without a Fistula in his Breast, whereby he underwent much Affliction. When the Chirurgeon came to Inspect the Sore, he told him, Sir, I know not how to go about what 1s necessary for your Cure; but Mr. Eaton answered him, God calls you to do, and me to suffer! And God accordingly strengthened him to bear miserable Cuttings and Launcings of his Flesh with a — most Invincible Patience. The Chirurgeon indeed made so many Wounds, that he was not able to Cure what he had made; another, and a better, Hand was necessarily imployed for it; but in the mean while great were the Trials with which the God of Heaven exercised the — Faith of this his Holy Servant. §7. Mr. Eaton and Mr. Davenport were the Moses and daron of the Christian Colony now Erected in the South-West Parts of New-England; and Mr. Eaton being yearly and ever chosen their Governour, it was the Admiration of all Spectators to behold the Dis- cretion, the Gravity, the Equity with which he still managed all their Publick Affairs. He carried in his very Countenance a Majesty which cannot be described; and in his Dispensations of Justice he was a Mirrour for the most Imitable Impartiality, but Ungainsayable 1 ee ieee aie i ee OR Se 6 ee ob. —— se —— THEOPHILUS EATON 127 Authority of his Proceedings, being awfully sensible of the Obligations which the Oath of a Judge lays upon him. Ils sont plus tenus de raison de garder Leur Ser- ment, doubter mort, ou aucutie forfeiture:! And hence he, who would most patiently bear hard things offered unto his Person in private Cases, yet would never pass by any Publick Affronts, or Neglects offered when he appeared under the Character of a Magistrate. But he still was the Guide of the Blind, the Staff of the Lame, the Helper of the Widow and the Orphan, and all the Distressed; none that had a Good Cause was afraid of coming before him: On the one side, Jn his Days did the Righteous flourish; on the other side, He was the Terror of Evil Doers. As in his Government of the Commonwealth, so in the Government of his Family, he was Prudent, Serious, Happy to a Wonder; and albeit he sometimes had a large Family, consisting of no less than Thirty Persons, yet he managed them with such an Even Temper, that Observers have affirmed, They never saw an House ordered with more Wisdom! He kept an Honourable and Hospitable Table; but one thing that still made the Entertainment thereof the better, was the continual Presence of his Aged Mother, by feeding of whom with an Exemplary Piety till she died, he ensured his own Prosperity as long as he lived. His Children and Servants he would mightily Encourage unto the Study of the Scriptures, and Coun- tenance their Addresses unto himself with any of their Enquiries; but when he discerned any of them sinfully negligent about the Concerns either of their General or Particular Callings, he would admonish them with such a Penetrating Efficacy, that they could scarce 1 “They are more bound to keep their oath [than] to fear death or any forfeiture”; aucutie is probably for aucune. 128 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA forbear falling down at his Feet with Tears. A Word of his was enough to steer them! §8. So Exemplary was he for a Christian, that one who had been a Servant unto him, could many Years after say, Whatever Difficulty in my daily Walk I now meet withal, still something that I either saw or heard in my Blessed Master Eaton’s Conversation, helps me through it all; I have Reason to bless God that ever I knew him! It was his Custom when he first rose in a Morning, to repair unto his Study; a Study well Per- fumed with the Meditations and Supplications of an Holy Soul. After this, calling his Family together, he would then read a Portion of the Scripture among them, and after some Devout and Useful Reflections upon it, he would make a Prayer not long, but Extraor- dinary Pertinent and Reverent; and in the Evening some of the same Exercises were again attended. On the Saturday Morning he would still take notice of the Approaching Sabbath in his Prayer, and ask the Grace to be Remembring of it, and Preparing for it; and when the Evening arrived, he, besides this, not only Repeated a Sermon, but also Instructed his People, with putting of Questions referring to the Points of Religion, which would oblige them to Study for an Answer; and if their Answer were at any time insufh- cient, he would wisely and gently Enlighten their Understandings; all which he concluded with Singing of a Psalm. When the Lord’s Day came, he called his Family together at the time for the Ringing of the First Bell, and repeated a Sermon, whereunto he added a Fervent Prayer, especially tending unto the Sancti- fication of the Day. At Noon he sang a Psalm, and at Night he retired an Hour into his Closet; advising those in his House to improve the same time for the THEOPHILUS EATON 129 good of their own Souls. He then called his Family together again, and in an obliging manner conferred with them about the things with which they had been Entertained in the House of God, shutting up all with a Prayer for the Blessing of God upon them all. For Solemn Days of Humiliation, or of Thanksgiving, he took the same Course, and Endeavoured still to make those that belonged unto him, understand the meaning of the Services before them. He seldom used any Recreations, but being a great Reader, all the time he could spare from Company and Business, he com- monly spent in his Beloved Study; so that he merited the Name which was once given to a Learned Ruler of the English Nation, the Name of Beauclerb:} In Conversing with his Friends, he was Affable, Cour- teous, and generally Pleasant, but Grave perpetually; and so Cautelous and Circumspect in his Discourses, and so Modest in his Expressions, that it became a Proverb for Incontestable Truth, Governour Eaton said tt. But after all, his Humility appeared in his having always but Low Expectations, looking for little Regard and Reward from any Men, after he had merited as highly as was possible by his Universal Serviceableness. §9. His Eldest Son he maintained at the Colledge until he proceeded Master of Arts; and he was indeed the Son of his Vows, and a Son of great Hopes. But a severe Catarrh diverted this Young Gentleman from the Work of the Ministry whereto his Father had once devoted him; and a Malignant Fever then raging in those Parts of the Country, carried off him with his Wife within Two or Three Days of one another. This was counted the sorest of all the Trials that ever befel 1 Henry I. 130 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA his Father in the Days of the Years of his Pilgrimage; but he bore it with a Patience and Composure of Spirit which was truly admirable. His dying Son look’d earnestly on him, and said, Sir, What shall we do! Whereto, with a well-ordered Countenance, he replied, Look up to God! And when he passed by his Daughter drowned in Tears on this Occasion, to her he said, Remember the Sixth Commandment, Hurt not your self with Immoderate Grief; Remember Job, who said, The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord! You may mark what a Note the Spirit of God put upon it; in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly: God accounts it a charging of him foolishly, when we don’t submit unto his Will patiently. Accordingly he now governed himself as one that had attained unto the Rule of Weeping as 1f we wept not; for it being the Lord’s Day, he repaired unto the Church in the Afternoon, as he had been there in the Forenoon, though he was never like to see his Dearest Son alive any more in this World. And though before the First Prayer began, a Messenger came to prevent Mr. Davenport's praying for the Sick Person, who was now Dead, yet his Affectionate Father alter’d not his Course, but Wrote after the Preacher as formerly;! and when he came Home he held on his former Methods of Divine Worship in his Family, not for the Excuse of Aaron, omitting any thing in the Serv- ice of God. In like sort, when the People had been at the Solemn Interment of this his Worthy Son, he did with a very Unpassionate Aspect and Carriage then say, Friends, I thank you all for your Love and 1“ Writing after the preacher’’—1. ¢. taking notes on the sermon— was a common practice, and many early notebooks kept in this way, are preserved. THEOPHILUS EATON 131 Help, and for this Testimony of Respect unto me and mine: The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken, blessed be the Name of the Lord! Nevertheless, retiring here- upon into the Chamber where his Daughter then lay Sick, some Tears were observed falling from him while he uttered these Words, There is a difference between a sullen Silence or a stupid Senslesness under the Hand of God, and a Child-like Submission thereunto. §10. Thus continually he, for about a Score of Years, was the Glory and Pillar of New-Haven Colony. He would often say, Some count it a great matter to Die well, but I am sure ’tis a great matter to Live well. All our Care should be while we have our Life to use it well, and so when Death puts an end unto that, it will put an end unto all our Cares. But having Excellently managed his Care to Live well, God would have him to Die well, without any room or time then given to take any Care at all; for he enjoyed a Death sudden to every one but himself! Having Worshipped God with his Family after his usual manner, and upon some Occasion with much Solemnity charged all the Family to Carry it well unto their Mistress who was now confined by Sickness, he Supp’d, and then took a turn or two abroad for his Meditations. After that he came in to bid his Wife Good-night, before he left her with her W atchers, which when he did, she said, Methinks you look sad! Whereto he reply’d, The Differences risen in the Church of Hartford make me so; she then added, Let us e’en go back to our Native Country again; to which he an- swered, You may, [and so she did] but I shall Die here. This was the last Word that ever she heard him speak; for now retiring unto his Lodging in another Chamber, he was overheard about midnight fetching a Groan; and unto one, sent in presently to enquire how he did, 132 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA he answered the Enquiry with only saying, Very JIl! And without saying any more, he fell asleep in Jesus: In the Year 1657. loosing Anchor from New-Haven for the better. Le SENS odes up ein Cees Ostendunt.! Now let his Gravestone wear at least the following Dial iievel ae. NEW-ENGLAND’s Glory, full of Warmth and Light, Stole away (and said nothing) in the Night. CHAP. X. SUCCESSORS. 7 4 HEN the Day arrived in the Anniversary @/W/ Course for the Freemen of the Colony to ¥ Elect another Governour in the place of the Deceased Eaton, Mr. Davenport Preached on that Passage of the Divine Oracle, in Josh. 1. 1, 2. Now after the Death of Moses, the Servant of the Lord, 1t came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the Son of Nun, Moses Minister, saying, Now arise thou and all this People. Vhe Colony was abundantly sensible that their EATON had been a Man of a Mosaic Spirit; and that while they chose him, as they did every Year of his Life among them to be their Governour, they could 1 “ Places where the Fates promise peace.” From the point of view of sense, the period after “better” just before the Latin quotation, should be removed. SUCCESSORS 133 not chuse a better. But they now considered that Mr. Francis Newman, who had been for many Years the Secretary of the Colony, was there a Minister to their Moses, as he had been otherwise his intimate Friend, Neighbour, Companion and Counsellor. For this Cause the Unanimous Choice of the Freemen fell upon this Gentleman to succeed in the Government. And I shall have given a sufficient History of his Govern- ment; which through Death was not suffered to continue above Three or Four Years, by only saying, That he walk’d exactly in the Steps of his Predecessor. §2. Upon the setting of Mr. Francis Newman, there arose Mr. William Leet, of whom let not the Reader be displeased at this brief Account. This Gentleman was by his Education a Lawyer, and by his Imployment a Register! in the Bishop's Court. In that Station, at Cambridge, he observed that there were Summoned before the Court certain Persons to answer for the Crime of going to hear Sermons abroad, when there were none to be heard in their own Parish Churches at home; and that when any were brought before them for Fornication or Adultery, the Court only made themselves merry with their Peccadillo’s; and that these latter Transgressors were as favourably dealt withal, as ever the Wolf was when he came with an Auricular Confession of his Murders to his Brother Fox for Absolution; but the former found as hard measure as ever the poor 4ss, that had only taken a Straw by mistake out of a Pilgrim’s Pad, and yet upon Confession, was by Chancellour Fox pronounced Unpardonable. This Observation extreamly scandal- ized Mr. Leet, who always thought, that Hearing a good Sermon had been a lesser Fault than Lying with 1 Registrar. 134 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA one’s Neighbour’s Wife: And had the same Resentments that Austin sometimes had of the Iniquity which made the Transgression of a Ceremony more severely repre- hended than a Transgression of the Law of God; but it made an Everlasting Impression upon his Heart, when the Judge of the Court furiously demanded of one then to be censured, How he durst be so bold as to break the Laws of the Church, 1n going from his own Parish to hear Sermons abroad? And the Honest Man answered, Sir, How should I get Faith else? For the Apostle saith, Faith comes by Hearing the Word Preached; which Faith is necessary to Salvation; and Hearing the Word 1s the Means appointed by God for the obtaining and en- creasing of it: And these Means I must use, whatever I suffer for it in this World. These Words of that Honest Man were Blessed by God with such an Effect upon the Mind of Mr. Leet, that he presently left his Office in the Bishop’s Court, and forsaking that Untoward Generation of Men, he associated himself with such as would go Hear the Word, that they might get Faith; and in Hearing he did happily get the Like precious Faith. On this, and for this, he was exposed unto the Persecu- tion, which caused him to retire into New-England with many Worthy Miuinisters and other Christians in the Year 1639. In that Country he settled himself under the Ministry of the Excellent Mr. Whitfield at Gilford, where being also chosen a Magistrate, and then Governour of the Colony; and being so at the Juncture of time, when the Royal Charter did join Connecticut and New-Haven, he became next unto Governour Winthrop, the Deputy-Governour of the whole; and after the Death of Mr. Winthrop, even until his own Death, the Annual Election for about a Decad of Years together still made him Governour. But in his whole Government he gave JOHN WINTHROP 135 continual Demonstrations of an Excellent Spirit, especially in that part of it where the Reconciliation and the Coalition of the Spirits of the People under it was to be accomplished. Mr. Robert Treat is the Follower of his Example, as well as the Successor in his Government. GEA Paaexl. Hermes Christianus.! The LIFE of JOHN WIN- THROP, Esq; Governour of CONNECTICUT and NEW-HAVEN United. Et Nos aliquod Nomengq; Decusq; Gessimus. s of the best Roman Emperor, that he was Bonus a Bono, Pius a Pio,? the Son of a Father like himself, our History may affirm concerning a very good New-English Governour also, that he was the Father of a Son like himself. The Proverb of the Jews which doth observe, That Vinegar is the Son of Wine; and the Proverb of the Greeks, which doth observe, That the Sons of Heroes are Trespassers, has been more than once contradicted in the happy Experience of the New-Englanders: But none of the least remarkable Contradictions given to it has been in the Honourable Family of our WINTHROPS. §2. The Eldest Son of JOHN WINTHROP, Esq; 1 “The Christian Mercury.” 2 “And we bore some fame and glory.” 3“ A good son of a good father, and a pious son of a pious father.” Sale [ the Historian could give that Character of 136 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA the Governour of one Colony, was JOHN WINTHROP, Esq; the Governour of another, in, therefore happy, New-England, born Feb. 12. 1605. at Groton in England. His Glad Father bestowed on him a liberal Education at the University, first of Cambridge in England, and then of Dublin in Ireland; and because Travel has been esteemed no little Accomplisher of a Young Gentleman, he then Accomplished himself by Travelling into France, Holland, Flanders, Italy, Germany, and as far as Turky it self; in which places he so improved his Opportunity of Conversing with all sorts of Learned Men, that he returned home equally a Subject of much Experience, and of great Expectation. §3. The Son of Scipio Africanus proving a degener- ate Person, the People forced him to pluck off a Signet- Ring, which he wore with his Father's Face engraven on it. But the Son of our Celebrated Governour Winthrop, was on the other side so like unto his Excellent Father for early Wisdom and Virtue, that arriving at New- England with his Father’s Family, Nov. 4. 1631. he was, though not above [Twenty Three Years of Age,! by the Unanimous Choice of the People, chosen a Magistrate of the Colony, whereof his Father was the Governour. For this Colony he afterwards did many Services, yea, and he did them Abroad as well as at Home; very particularly in the Year 1634. when return- ing for England, he was by bad Weather forced into Ireland, where being invited unto the House of Sir John Clotworthy, he met with many Considerable Persons, by conferring with whom, the Affairs of New- England were not a little promoted; but it was another Colony for which the Providence of Heaven intended 1 If he was born in 1605, as Mather says, this should be twenty-six, not twenty-three, JOHN WINTHROP 137 him to be such another Father, as his own Honourable Father had been to this. §4. Inthe Year 1635. Mr. Winthrop returned unto New-England, with Powers from the Lord Say and the Lord Brook, to settle a Plantation upon the Long River of Connecticut, and a Commission to be himself the Governour of that Plantation. But inasmuch as many good People of the Massachuset-Colony had just before this taken Possession of Land for a New-Colony there- abouts, this Courteous and Peaceable Gentleman gave them no Molestation; but having wisely Accommodated the Matter with them, he sent a convenient number of Men, with all Necessaries, to Erect a Fortification at the Mouth of the River, where a Town, with a Fort, is now distinguished by the Name of Say-Brook; by which happy Action, the Planters further up the River had no small Kindness done unto them; and the /ndians, which might else have been more Troublesome, were kept in Awe. §5. The Self-denying Gentleman, who had im- ployed his Commission of Governour so little to the Disadvantage of the Infant-Colony at Connecticut, was himself, e’re long, by Election made Governour of that Colony. And upon the Restoration of King Charles II. he willingly undertook another Voyage to England, on the behalf of the People under his Govern- ment, whose Affairs he managed with such a Successful Prudence, that he obtained a Royal Charter for them, which Incorporated the Colony of New-Haven with them, and Invested both Colonies, now happily United, with a firm Grant of Priviledges, beyond those of the Plantations which had been settled before them. I have been informed, that while he was engaged in this Negotiation, being admitted unto a private Conference 138 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA with the King, he presented His Majesty with a Ring, which King Charles I. had upon some Occasion given to his Grandfather; and the King not only accepted his Present, but also declared, that he accounted it one of his Richest Jewels; which indeed was the Opinion that New-England had of the Hand that carried it. But having thus laid his Colony under Everlasting Obligations of Gratitude, they did, after his return to New-England, express of their Gratitude, by saying to him as the Jsraelites did unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, for thou hast delivered us; chusing him for their Governour twice Seven Years together. § 6. When the Governour of Athens was a Philoso- pher, namely Demetrius, the Commonwealth so flour- ished, that no less than Three Hundred Brazen Statues were afterward by the Thankful People Erected unto his Memory. And a Blessed Land was New-England, when there was over part of it a Governour, who was not only a Christian and a Gentleman, but also an Emi- nent Philosopher; for indeed the Government of the State is then most successfully managed, when the measures of it are, by a Wise Observer, taken from the Government of the World; and very unreasonable is the Jewish Proverb, Ne Habites in urbe ubi caput urbis est Medicus: But highly reasonable the Sentence of Aristotle, Ubi preses fuerit Philosophus, tbi Civitas erit Felix;? and this the rather for what is truly noted by Thucydides, Magistratus est Civitatis Medicus.2 Such an one was our WINTHROP, whose Genius and Faculty for Experimental Philosophy, was advanced in his Travels 1 “T)well not in the city where the chief is a physician.” 2 “ Where the leader is a philosopher, there the state will be happy.” 3 “The magistrate is the physician of the state.” JOHN WINTHROP 139 abroad, by his Acquaintance with many Learned Virtuost. One Effect of this Disposition in him, was his being furnished with Noble Medicines, which he most Charitably and Generously gave away upon all Occasions; insomuch that where-ever he came, still the Diseased flocked about him, as if the Healing Angel of Bethesda had appeared in the place; and so many were the Cures which he wrought, and the Lives that he saved, that if Scanderbeg! might boast of his having slain in his Time Two Thousand Men with his own Hands, this Worthy Person might have made a far more desirable Boast of his having in his Time Healed more than so many Thousands; in which Beneficence to Mankind, there are of his Worthy Children, who to this Day do follow his Direction and Example. But it was not unto New-England alone that the Re- spects of this Accomplished Philosopher were confined. For, whereas in pursuance of the Methods begun by that Immortally Famous Advancer of Learning, the most Illustrious Lord Chancellor Bacon, a Select Company of Eminent Persons, using to meet in the Lodgings of Dr. Wilkins of Wadham Colledge in Oxford, had laid the Foundation of a Celebrated Society, which by the Year 1663. being Incorporated with a Royal Charter, hath since been among the Glories of England, yea, and of Mankind; and their Design was to make Faithful Records of all the Works of Nature or of Art, which might come under their Observation, and Correct what had been False, Restore what should be True, Preserve what should be Rare, and Render the Knowl- edge of the World, as well more Perfect as more Useful; and by multiplied Experiments both of Light and Fruit, advance the Empire of Man over the whole 1 Scanderbeg 1s George Castriota, an Albanian hero, c. 1450. 140 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA visible Creation; it was the Honour of Mr. Winthrop to be a Member of this Royal Society. And accordingly among the Philosophical Transactions Published by Mr. Oldenburgh, there are some notable Communica- tions from this Inquisitive and Intelligent Person, whose Insight into many Parts of the Creation, but especially of the Mineral Kingdom, was beyond what had been attained by the most in many Parts of America.! § 7. If one would therefore desire an exact Picture of this Worthy Man, the Description which the most Sober and Solid Writers of the Great Philosophick Work do give of those Persons, who alone are qualified for the Smiles of Heaven upon their Enterprizes, would have exactly fitted him. He was a Studious, Humble, Patient, Reserved and Mortified Person, and one in whom the Love of God was Fervent, the Love of Man sincere: And he had herewithal a certain Extension of Soul, which disposed him to a Generous Behaviour towards those, who by Learning, Breeding and Virtue, deserve Respects, though of a Perswasion and Profes- sion in Religion very different from his own; which was that of a Reformed Protestant, and a New-English Puritan. In sum, he was not more an Adeptist? in those Noble and Secret Medicines, which would reach the Roots of the Distempers that annoy Humane Bodies, and procure an Universal Rest unto the Archeus? on all Occasions of Disturbance, than he was in those Christian Qualities, which appear upon the Cure of the Distempers in the Minds of Men, by the Effectual Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Mather here refers to the Royal Society of London. 1 eral adent: 3 The Archzus—an old medical term for the essential vital principle in the body. JOHN WINTHROP 14! §8. In the Year 1643. after divers Essays made in some former Years, the several Colonies of New- England became in Fact, as well as Name, UNITED COLONIES. And an Instrument was formed, wherein having declared, Thai we all came into these parts of America with the same End and Aim, namely, to advance the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and enjoy the Liberties of the Gospel with Purity and Peace, it was firmly agreed between the several Jurisdictions, that there should yearly be chosen Two Commissioners out of each, who should meet at fit Places appointed for that purpose, with full Powers from the General Courts in each, to Concert and Conclude Matters of General Concern- ment for Peace or War of the several Colonies thus Confederated. In pursuance of this Laudable Confeder- acy, this most Meritorious Governour of Connecticut Colony accepted the Trouble of appearing as a Com- missioner for that Colony, with the rest met at Boston, in the Year 1676. when the Calamities of the Indian- War* were distressing the whole Country: But here falling Sick of a Fever, he dy’d on April 5. of that Year, and was Honourably Interred in the same Tomb with his Honourable Father. $9. His Father, as long ago as the Year 1643. had seen Cause to Write unto him an Excellent Letter, wherein there were these among other Passages. “You are the Chief of Two Families; I had by your ‘Mother Three Sons and Three Daughters, and | had ‘with her a Large Portion of outward Estate. These “now are all gone; Mother gone; Brethren and Sisters “gone; you only are left to see the Vanity of these ‘Temporal things, and learn Wisdom thereby, which “may be of more use to you, through the Lord’s Blessing, 1 King Philip’s War. 142 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘than all that Jnheritance which might have befallen ‘you: And for which this may stay and quiet your ‘Heart, That God is able to give you more than this: ‘and that it being spent in the furtherance of his Work, ‘which hath here prospered so well, through his Power ‘hitherto, you and yours may certainly expect a liberal ‘Portion in the Prosperity and Blessing thereof hereafter; ‘and the rather, because it was not forced from you ‘by a Father's Power, but freely resigned by your ‘self, out of a Loving and Filial Respect unto me, and ‘your own readiness unto the Work it self. From ‘whence, as I do often take Occasion to Bless the ‘Lord for you, so do I also Commend you and yours to ‘his Fatherly Blessing, for a plentiful Reward to be ‘rendred unto you. And doubt not, my Dear Son, ‘but let your Faith be built upon his Promise and ‘Faithfulness, that as he hath carried you hitherto ‘through many Perils, and provided liberally for you, ‘so he will do for the time to come, and will never fail ‘you, nor forsake you. My Son, the Lord knows “how Dear thou art to me, and that my Care has been ‘more for thee than for my self. But I know thy Pros- ‘perity depends not on my Care, nor on thine own, ‘but upon the Blessing of our Heavenly Father; neither ‘doth it on the things of this World, but on the Light ‘of God’s Countenance, through the Merit and Media- ‘tion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is that only which ‘can give us Peace of Conscience with Contentation; ‘which can as well make our Lives Happy and Com- ‘fortable in a mean Estate, as in a great Abundance. ‘But if you weigh things aright, and sum up all the ‘Turnings of Divine Providence together, you shall ‘find great Advantage.—The Lord hath brought us ‘to a Good Land; a Land, where we enjoy outward JOHN WINTHROP 143 ‘Peace and Liberty, and above all, the Blessings of the “Gospel, without the Burden of Impositions in Matters ‘of Religion. Many Thousands there are who would ‘give Great Estates to enjoy our Condition. Labour ‘therefore, my good Son, to increase our Thankfulness ‘to God for all his Mercies to thee, especially for that ‘he hath revealed his Everlasting Good-will to thee in ‘Jesus Christ, and joined thee to the visible Body of ‘his Church, in the Fellowship of his People, and hath ‘saved thee in all thy Travails abroad, from being “Infected with the Vices of these Countries where thou ‘hast been, (a Mercy vouchsafed but unto few Young Gentlemen Travellers.) Let him have the Honour of ‘it who kept thee. He it was who gave thee Favour ‘in the Eyes of all with whom thou hadst to do, both ‘by Sea and Land; He it was who saved thee in all “Perils; and He it is who hath given thee a Gift in ‘Understanding and Art; and he it is who hath pro- “vided thee a Blessing in Marriage, a Comfortable ‘Help, and many Sweet Children; and hath hitherto ‘provided liberally for you all: And therefore I would ‘have you to Love him again, and Serve him, and Trust ‘him for the time to come. Love and Prize that Word ‘of Truth, which only makes known to you the Precious ‘and Eternal Thoughts and Councils of the Light ‘Inaccessible. Deny your own Wisdom, that you may ‘find his; and esteem it the greatest Honour to lye under ‘the Simplicity of the Gospel of Christ Crucified, with- ‘out which you can never enter into the Secrets of his ‘Tabernacle, nor enjoy those sweet things which Eye ‘hath not seen, nor Ear heard, nor can the Heart of ‘Man conceive; but God hath granted unto some few ‘to know them even in this Life. Study well, my Son, ‘the saying of the Apostle, Knowledge puffeth up. It 144 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘is a good Gift of God, but when it lifts up the Mind ‘above the Cross of Christ, it is the Pride of Life, and ‘the High-way to Apostacy, wherein many Men of ‘great Learning and Hopes have perished.—lIn all the ‘Exercise of your Gifts, and Improvement of your ‘Talents, have an Eye to your Master's End, more than ‘your own; and to the Day of your Account, that you ‘may then have your Quietus est, even, Well done, ‘Good and Faithful Servant! But my last and chief ‘Request to you, is, that you be careful to have your ‘Children brought up in the Knowledge and Fear of ‘God, and in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thts ‘will give you the best Comfort of them, and keep them ‘sure from any Want or Miscarriage: And when you ‘part from them, it will be no small joy to your Soul, ‘that you shall meet them again in Heaven! Doubtless, the Reader considers the Aztstorical Passages in this Extract of the Letter thus Recited. Now, but by making this Reflection upon the Rest, that as the Prophetical Part of it was notably fulfilled in the Estate, whereto the good Providence of God Recovered this Worthy Gentleman and his Family, so the Monitory Part of it was most Exemplarily at- tended in his Holy and Useful Conversation. I shall therein briefly sum up the Life of a Person whom we shall call a Second unto none of our Worthies, but as we call him our Second Winthrop. EPIVAPHIUM. Abi Viator; Et Luge plures Magisiratus in Uno pertisse. Redi Viator. Non Perit, sed ad Celestem Societaiem ASSISTENTS 145 Regia Magis Regiam, Vere Adeptus, A biit: WINTHROPUS, Non minor magnis Majoribus.3 CHAR rex: ASSISTENTS. AGISTRATES of Connecticut-Colony, before New-Haven Colony was actually annexed unto it, were, (besides the two Alternately, for the most Part, Elected Governours, HOPKINS, and HAINS.) Roger Ludlow, 1636 John Steel, 1636 William Phelps, 1636 William Westwood, 1636 Andrew Ward, 1636 Thomas Wells, 1637 William Swayn, TOW Matthew Mitchel, 1637 George Hull, 1637 William Whiting, 1637 John Mason, — 1637 George Willis, 1639 John Webster, 1639 Wiliam Ludlow, 1640 1“ Epitaph. Go, wayfarer, and bewail many magistrates who have died in this one. Return, traveler. He has not died, but, one who has truly succeeded, has gone to a heavenly society more royal than the Royal Society: Winthrop, not inferior to the great elders of his name.” 146 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Wiliam Hopkins, 1642 Henry Woolcot, 1643 George Fenwick, 1644 Cosmore, 1647 John Howel, 1647 John Cullick, 1648 Henry Clark, 1650 John Winthrop, 1651 Thomas Topping, 1651 John Talcot, 1654 John Ogden, 1656 Nathan Gold, 1657 Matthew Allyn, 1658 Richard Treat, 1658 Thomas Baker, 1658 Mulford, 1658 Alexander Knowles, 1658 John Wells, 1658 Robert Band, 1659 Rayner, 1661 John Allyn, 1662 Daniel Clark, 1662 Samuel Sherman, 1662 John Young, 1664 MAGISTRATES of New-Haven Colony, before Con- necticut-Colony could accomplish its Coalition therewith, were, (besides the Governours elsewhere mentioned) Stephen Goodyear, 1637 Thomas Grigson, 1637 Richard Malbon, 1637 William Leet, 1637 ASSISTENTS John Desborough, Tapp, William Fowler, Francis Newman, A stwood, Samuel Eaton, Benjamin Fen, Matthew Gilbert, Jasper Crane, Robert Treat, William Jones, 147 1637 1637 1637 1653 1653 1654 1654 1658 1658 1659 1662 MAGISTRATES after the Two Colonies were content, according to their Charter, to become ONE, were, John Winthrop, Gov. John Mason, Matthew Allyn, Samuel Willys, Nathan Gold, John Talcot Henry Woolcot, John Allyn, Samuel Sherman, James Richards, William Leet, William Jones, Benjamin Fen, Jasper Crane, Daniel Clark, Alexander Bryans, James Bishop, Anthony Howkins, Thomas Wells, 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1665 1666 1668 1668 1668 1668 148 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA John Nash, 1672 Robert Treat, 1673 Thomas Topping, 1674 Matthew Gilbert, 1677 Andrew Leet, 1678 John Wadsworth, 1679 Robert Chapman, 1681 James Fitch, 1681 Samuel Mason, 1683 Benjamin Newberry, 1685 Samuel Talcot, _ 1685 Giles Hamlin, 1685 While the Colonies were Clusters of Rich Grapes, which had a Blessing in them.' Such Leaves as these (which is in the Proverbs of the Jewish Nation, a Name for Magistrates) happily defended them from the Storms that molest the World. Those of the least Character among them, yet came up to what the Roman Commonwealth required in their Magistrates. Populus Romanus delegit Magistratus, quasi Ret- publice Villicos, in quibus, s1 qua preterea est Ars, facile patitur; sin minus, virtute eorum &F Innocentia Contentus est.2 Cic. Orat. Pro Plan. 1 The sense seems to require a comma, not a period, here. 2“The Roman people chose magistrates as if they were stewards of the state, in whom any other ability 1s welcomed, but if no such other ability exists, they were content with the virtue and honesty of those they chose.” The quotation is from Cicero. Pietas in Patriam:' THE LIFE OF HIS EXCELLENCY sir WILLIAM PHIPPS, Knt. Late Captain General, and Governour in Chief of the Province of the Massachuset-Bay, NEW-ENGLAND. Containing the Memorable Changes Undergone, and Actions Performed by Him. Written by one intimately acquainted with Him. Discite Virtutem ex Hoc, verumque Laborem.? 1“ Love to one’s country.” 2 “VT earn virtue and true labor from him.”’ HE Author of the following Narrative, is a : Person of such well known Integrity, Pru- dence and Veracity, that there is not any cause to Question the Truth of what he here Relates. And moreover, this Writing of his is adorned with a very grateful Variety of Learning, and doth contain such surprizing workings of Providence, as do well deserve due Notice and Observation. On all which accounts, it is with just Confidence recommended to the Publick by ely alk p96 Nath. Mather, 1697. John Howe, Maith. Mead. 1 Nathaniel Mather was Cotton Mather’s uncle, at this time in England. When the Magnalia came out he was dead, the certificate above being simply reprinted from the first edition of the Life of Phips. John Howe and Matthew Mead were two leading English Puritan divines, both friends of Cotton Mather’s father and uncle. To his Excellency the Earl of Bellomont, Baron of Coloony in Ireland, General Governour of the Prov- ince of Massachusets in New-England, and the Provinces annexed. May it please your Excellency, y NHE Station in which the Hand of the God of Heaven hath disposed His Majesties Heart to place your Honour, doth so manifestly entitle your Lordship to this ensuing Narrative, that its being thus Presented to your Excellencies Hand, is thereby both Apologized for and Justified. I believe, had the Writer of it, when he Penned it, had any Knowl- edge of your Excellency, he would himself have done it, and withal, would have amply and publickly Con- gratulated the People of New-England, on account of their having such a Governour, and your Excellency, on account of your being made Governour over them. For though as to some other thiugs! it may possibly be a place to some Persons not so desirable; yet I believe this Character may be justly given of them, that they are the best People under Heaven; there being among them, not only less of open Profaneness, and less of Lewdness, but also more of the serious Profession, Practice, and Power of Christianity, in proportion to their number, than is among any other People upon the Face of the whole Earth. Not but I doubt, there are many bad Persons among them, and too many distemper’d Humours, perhaps even among those who are truly good. It would be a wonder if it should be otherwise; for it hath of late Years, on various accounts, 1 Things. IST 152 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA and some very singular and unusual ones, been a Day of sore Temptation with that whole People. Never- theless, as I look upon it as a Favour from God to those Plantations, that he hath set your Excellency over them, so I do account it a Favour from God to your Excellency, that he hath committed and trusted in your Hand so great a part of his peculiar Treasure and precious Jewels, as are among that People. Besides, that on other accounts the Lord Jesus hath more of a visible Interest in New-England, than in any of the Outgoings of the English Nation in America. They have at their own Charge not only set up Schools of lower Learning up and down the Country; but have also erected an University, which hath been the happy Nursery of many Useful, Learned, and excellently Accomplished Persons. And moreover, from them hath the blessed Gospel been Preached to the Poor, — Barbarous, Savage Heathen there; and it hath taken such Root among them, that there were lately four and twenty Assemblies in which the Name of the Lord | Jesus was constantly called on, and celebrated in their own Language. In these things New-England out-— shineth all the Colonies of the English in those goings — down of the Sun. I know your Excellency will Favour and Countenance their University, and also the Prop- agating of the Gospel among the Natives; for the Interest of Christ in that Part of the Earth is much concerned in them. That the God of the Spirits of — all Flesh would abundantly replenish your Excellency — with a suitable Spirit for the Service to which he hath — called your Lordship, that he would give your Honour a prosperous Voyage thither, and when there, make WILLIAM PHIPS 153 your Excellency a rich Blessing to that People, and them a rejoicing to your Excellency, is the Prayer of, April 27. My Lord, 1697. Your Excellencies most Humble Servant, Nath. Mather. wy De os ’ » : % TP caval Haar a r T. “s a i ‘ [ { Qo : ’ of al ; om ; Roa i tN ‘ 22 OES ) Ret eos fe Z 7 af Hy be ¥: >' c ‘ is : si “ LAT My , 8) Sid Ee Ati ; 7 { wa Ai J Fis bs Vy i mth Vout, ie AF i] : i . ow iy re i ‘ 4. i a “4 sy ¥ ii} : ‘ n ” a} fe ee A " ~ | ae) jh Ty BD ‘ mh * ie vf fret , i y , ¥ a ) an - - ib va ae sa a aan . - F ‘ ‘ , ‘ Wa = 2 re "! ~ . : P "A ‘ ae : 4 i. ED, ea re Ve i ; 4 ls re | as ' 4 } \ i 1 Pa , i Jae 4 ' rh 7 ‘ > rg ~e, ; i . ahd ee ool were : ca To 1 ‘~s! ty oy * 3 fr) z oe | _ ve : : ‘yon ; . ay iE ie ts , O0 pis OUAET sheet ¥ Ve i - \ ‘ ’ i , 4 a ‘ : ¥ oi eal e ‘ iy 4 ou iy : t 4 } a a“. ; , * 4 ‘ pay RAE a | “1 ¥ 3 Vid ie5 ; j Ap TP: , 4 ‘ . iv® areas \> ¥ has : — ¢ iH ' a 5 ' ' or me Bs. wf. py % Ws al PP ad , ripe -# an. 4 : A : i A a ew " f ‘ j P i ; “e@ r ibe : i} , tiple u hi , op, . ‘ y* 4 : aes af a) an i \ Py Ny Bi)» @ i ae I nes ‘ 2 ‘ & pe et i a ’ ‘< Ge lat; i oY o 5 ¥ ’ ea a p ' rn ried en eee Pe) Dy EEE LIFE Of His EXCELLENCY Sir WILLIAM PHIPS, Kant. LATE GOVERNOUR OF NEW-ENGLAND. with a whole Tribe of Labourers in the Fire, since that Learned Man, find it no easie thing to make the common part of Mankind believe, That they can take a Plant in its more vigorous Con- sistence, and after a due Maceration, Fermentation and Separation, extract the Salt of that Plant, which, as it were, in a Chaos, invisibly reserves the Form of the whole, with its vital Principle; and, that keeping the Salt in a Glass Hermetically sealed, they can, by apply- ing a Soft Fire to the Glass, make the Vegetable rise by little and little out of its Ashes, to surprize the Specta- tors with a notable Illustration of that Resurrection, in the Faith whereof the Jews returning from the Graves of their Friends, pluck up the Grass from the Earth, using those Words of the Scripture thereupon, Your Bones shall flourish like an Herb: "Vis likely, that all the Observations of such Writers, as the Incom- parable Borellus, will find it hard enough to produce our Belief, that the Essential Salts of Animals may be so Prepared and Preserved, that an Ingenious Man may have the whole 4rk of Noah in his own Study, and raise the fine Shape of an Animal out of its Ashes at his Pleasure: And, that by the like Method from the 155 § 1. [ such a Renowned Chymist, as Quercetanus, 156 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Essential Salts of Humane Dust, a Philosopher may, without any Criminal Necromancy, call up the Shape of any Dead Ancestor from the Dust whereinto his Body has been Incinerated.’ The Resurrection of the Dead, will be as Just, as Great an Article of our Creed, although the Relations of these Learned Men should pass for Incredible Romances: But yet there is an Anticipation of that Blessed Resurrection, carrying in it some Resemblance of these Curiosities, which is performed, when we do in a Book, as in a Glass, reserve the History of our Departed Friends; and by bringing our Warm Affections unto such an History, we revive, as it were, out of their dshes, the true Shape of those Friends, and bring to a fresh View, what was Memorable and Imitable in them. Now, in as much as Mortality has done its part upon a Considerable Person, with whom I had the Honour to be well acquainted, and a Person as Memorable for the Wonderful Changes which befel him, as Imitable for his Virtues and Actions under those Changes; I shall endeavour, with the Chymistry of an Impartial Historian, to raise my Friend so far out of his Ashes, as to shew him again unto the World; and if the Character of Heroick Virtue be for a Man to deserve well of Mankind, and be great in the Purpose and Success of Essays to do so, | may venture to promise my Reader such Example of Heroick Virtue, in the Story whereto I Invite him, that he shall say, it would have been little short of a Vice in me, to have withheld it from him. Nor is it any Partiality for the Memory of my Deceased Friend, or any other Sinister Design whatsoever, that has Invited me to this Undertaking; 4 Quercetanus is Joseph du Chesne, a French medical writer, who died in 1609. Borellus is Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, 1608-1679, author of De Motu Animalium. WILLIAM PHIPS 167 but I have undertaken this Matter from a sincere Desire, that the Ever-Glorious Lord JESUS CHRIST may have the Glory of his Power and Goodness, and of his Providence, in what he did for such a Person, and in what he disposed and assisted that Person to do for him. Now, May he assist my Writing, even he that prepared the Subject, whereof I am to Write! § 2. So obscure was the Original of that Memorable Person, whose Actions I am going to relate, that I must, in a way of Writing, like that of Plutarch, prepare my Reader for the intended Relation, by first searching the Archives of Antiquity for a Parallel. Now, because ~ we will not Parallel him with Eumenes, who, though he were the Son of a Poor Carrier, became a Governour of Mighty Provinces; nor with Marius, whose mean Parentage did not hinder his becoming a Glorious _ Defender of his Country, and Seven times the Chief Magistrate of the Chiefest City in the Universe: Nor with [phicrates, who became a Successful and Renowned General of a Great People, though his Father were a — Cobler: Nor with Dioclestan, the Son of a poor Scrive- ner: Nor with Bonosus, the Son of a poor School- _ Master, who yet came to sway the Scepter of the Roman Empire: Nor, lastly, will I compare him to the more late Example of the Celebrated Mazarini, who though no Gentleman by his Extraction, and one so sorrily Educated, that he might have wrote Man, before he could write at all; + yet ascended unto that Grandeur, in the Memory of many yet living, as to Umpire the most Important Affairs of Christendom: We will decline looking any further in that Hemisphere of the World, and make the Hue and Cry throughout the Regions of America, the New World, which He, that is becoming 1 ],¢.. was a man grown before he learned to write, 158 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA the Subject of our History, by his Nativity, belong’d unto. And in America, the first that meets me, is Francisco Pizarro, who, though a Spurious Offspring, exposed when a Babe in a Church-Porch, at a sorry Village of Navarre, and afterwards employ’d while he was a Boy, in keeping of Cattel, yet, at length, stealing into America, he so thrived upon his Adven- tures there, that upon some Discoveries, which with an handful of Men he had in a desperate Expedition made of Peru, he obtain’d the King of Spain’s Commis- sion for the Conquest of it, and at last so incredibly enrich’d himself by the Conquest, that he was made the first Vice-Roy of Peru, and created Marquess of A natilla. To the Latter and Highest Part of that Story, if any thing hindred His Excellency Sir WILLIAM PHIPS, from affording of a Parallel, it was not the want either of Design, or of Courage, or of Conduct in himself, but it was the Fate of a Premature Mortality. For my Reader now being satished, that a Person’s being Obscure in his Original, is not always a Just Prejudice to an Expectation of Considerable Matters from him; I shall now inform him, that this our PHJ PS was Born Feb. 2. 4. Dom. 1650. at a despicable Plan- tation on the River of Kennebeck, and almost the furthest Village of the Eastern Settlement of New- England. And as the Father of that Man, which was as great a Blessing as England had in the Age of that Man, was a Smith,! so a Gun-Smith, namely, James Phips, once of Bristol, had the Honour of being the Father to him, whom we shall presently see, made by the God of Heaven as great a Blessing to New-Eng- 1 Mather refers to Thomas Cromwell, WILLIAM PHIPS 159 land, as that Country could have had, if they themselves had pleased. His fruitful Mother, yet living, had no less than Twenty-Six Children, whereof Twenty-One were Sons; but Equivalent to them all was WILLIAM, one of the youngest, whom his Father dying, left young with his Mother, and with her he lived, keeping of Sheep in the Wilderness, until he was Eighteen Years Old; at which time he began to feel some further Disposi- tions of Mind from that Providence of God which took him from the Sheepfolds, from following the Ewes great with young, and brought him to feed his People. Reader, enquire no further who was his Father? Thou shalt anon see, that he was, as the Italians express it, 4 Son to his own Labours! §3. His Friends earnestly solicited him to settle among them in a Plantation of the East; but he had an Unaccountable Impulse upon his Mind, perswading him, as he would privately hint unto some of them, That he was Born to greater Matters. To come at those greater Matters, his first Contrivance was to bind him- self an Apprentice unto a Ship-Carpenter for Four Years; in which time he became a Master of the Trade, that once in a Vessel of more than Forty Thousand Tuns, repaired the Ruins of the Earth; Noah’s, I mean; he then betook himself an Hundred and Fifty Miles further a Field, even to Boston, the Chief Town of New-England; which being a Place of the most Business and Resort in those Parts of the World, he expected there more Commodiously to pursue the Spes Majorum & Meliorum,' Hopes which had inspir’d him. At Boston, where it was that he now learn’d, first of all, to Read and Write, he followed his Trade for about a Year; and by a laudable Deportment, so recom- 1“ Hopes of greater and better things.” 160 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA mended himself, that he Married a Young Gentle- woman of good Repute, who was the Widow of one Mr. John Hull, a well-bred Merchant, but the Daughter of one Captain Roger Spencer, a Person of good Fashion, who having suffer’>d much damage in his Estate, by some unkind and unjust Actions, which he bore with such Patience, that for fear of thereby injuring the Publick, he would not seek Satisfaction, Posterity might afterward see the Reward of his Patience, in what Providence hath now done for one of his own Posterity. Within a little while after his Marriage, he indented with several Persons in Boston, to Build them a Ship at Sheeps-coat) River, Two or Three Leagues Eastward of Kennebeck; where having Lanched the Ship, he also provided a Lading of Lumber to bring with him, which would have been to the Advantage of all Concern’d. But just as the Ship was hardly finished, the Barbarous Indians on that River, broke forth into an Open and Cruel War upon the English; and the miserable People, surprized by so sudden a storm of Blood, had no Refuge from the Infidels, but the Ship now finishing in the Harbour. Whereupon he left his intended Lading be- hind him, and instead thereof, carried with him his old Neighbours and their Families, free of all Charges, to Boston; so the first Action that he did, after he was his own Man, was to save his Father's House, with the rest of the Neighbourhood, from Ruin; but the Dis- appointment which befel him from the Loss of his other Lading, plunged his Affairs into greater Embaras- ments with such as had employ’d him. - §4. But he was hitherto no more than beginning to make Scaffolds for further and higher Actions! He would frequently tell the Gentlewoman his Wife, 1 Sheepscot. WILLIAM PHIPS 161 That he should yet be Captain of a King’s Ship; That he should come to have the Command of better Men than he was now accounted himself; and, That he should be Owner of a Fair Brick-House in the Green-Lane of North-Boston; and, That, it may be, this would not be all that the Providence of God would bring him to. She entertained these Passages with a sufficient Incredul- ity; but he had so serious and positive an Expectation of them, that it is not easie to say, what was the Original thereof. He was of an Enterprizing Genius, and natu- rally disdained Littleness: But his Disposition for Business was of the Dutch Mould, where, with a little shew of Wit, there is as much Wisdom demonstrated, as can be shewn by any Nation. His Talent lay not in the 4irs that serve chiefly for the pleasant and sudden Turns of Conversation; but he might say, as Themis- tocles, Though he could not play upon a Fiddle, yet he knew how to make a little City become a Great One. He would prudently contrive a weighty Undertaking, and then patiently pursue it unto the End. He was of an Inclination, cutting rather like a Hatchet, than like a Razor; he would propose very Considerable Matters to himself, and then so cut through them, that no Dif- ficulties could put by the Edge of his Resolutions. Being thus of the True Temper, for doing of Great Things, he betakes himself to the Sea, the Right Scene for such Things; and upon Advice of a Spanish Wreck about the Bahama’s, he took a Voyage thither; but with little more success, than what just served him a little to furnish him for a Voyage to England; whither he went in a Vessel, not much unlike that which the Dutchmen stamped on their First Coin, with these Words about it, Incertum quo Fata ferant.1 Having first informed 1 “Tt is uncertain where the Fates will carry me.” 162 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA himself that there was another Spanish Wreck, wherein was lost a mighty Treasure, hitherto undiscovered, he had a strong Impression upon his Mind that He must be the Discoverer; and he made such Representa- tions of his Design at White-Hall, that by the Year 1683. he became the Captain of a King’s Ship, and arrived at New-England Commander of the Algier- Rose, a Frigot of Eighteen Guns, and Ninety-Five Men. §5. To Relate all the Dangers through which he passed, both by Sea and Land, and all the Tiresome Trials of his Patience, as well as of his Courage, while Year after Year the most vexing Accidents imaginable delay’d the Success of his Design, it would even Tire the patience of the Reader: For very great was the Experiment that Captain Phips made of the Italian Observation, He that cann’t suffer both Good and Evil, will never come to any great Preferment. Wherefore I shall supersede all Journal of his Voyages to and fro, with reciting one Instance of his Conduct, that show’d him to be a Person of no contemptible Capacity. While he was Captain of the 4/gier-Rose, his Men grow- ing weary of their unsuccessful Enterprize, made a Mutiny, wherein they approach’d him on the Quarter- Deck, with Drawn Swords in their Hands, and required him to join with them in Running away with the Ship, to drive a Trade of Piracy on the South Seas. Captain Phips, though he had not so much of a Weapon as an Ox-Goad, or a Jaw-bone in his Hands, yet like another Shamgar or Samson, with a most undaunted Fortitude, he rush’d in upon them, and with the Blows of his bare Hands, Fell’d many of them, and Quell’d all the Rest. But this is not the Instance which I intended: That which I intend is, That (as it has been related unto me) WILLIAM PHIPS 163 One Day while his Frigot lay Careening,! at a desolate Spanish Island, by the side of a Rock, from whence they had laid a Bridge to the Shoar, the Men, whereof he had about an Hundred, went all, but about Eight or Ten, to divert themselves, as they pretended, in the Woods: Where they all entred into an Agreement, which they Sign’d in a Ring, That about seven a Clock that Evening they would seize the Captain, and those Eight or Ten, which they knew to be True unto him, and leave them to perish on this Island, and so be gone away unto the South Sea to seek their Fortune. Will the Reader now imagine, that Captain Phips having Advice of this Plot but about an Hour and half before it was to be put in Execution, yet within Two Hours brought all these Rogues down upon their Knees to beg for their Lives? But so it was! For these Knaves considering that they should want a Carpenter with them in their Villanous Expedition, sent a Messenger to fetch unto them the Carpenter, who was then at Work upon the Vessel: and unto him they shew'd their Articles; telling him what he must look for if he did not subscribe among them. The Carpenter being an honest Fellow, did with much importunity prevail for one half hours Time to consider of the Mat- ter; and returning to Work upon the Vessel, with a Spy by them set upon him, he feigned himself taken with a Fit of the Cholick, for the Relief whereof he suddenly run unto the Captain in the Great Cabbin for a Dram; where, when he came, his business was only in brief, to tell the Captain of the horrible Distress which he was fallen into; but the Captain bid him as briefly return to the Rogues in the Woods, and Sign 17. ¢., lay on her side, so that the bottom might be cleaned and calked. 164 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA their Articles, and leave him to provide for the Rest. The Carpenter was no sooner gone, but Captain Phips calling together the few Friends (it may be seven or eight) that were left him aboard, whereof the Gunner was one, demanded of them, whether they would stand by him in the Extremity, which he informed them was now come upon him; whereto they reply’d, They would stand by him, if he could save them; and he An- swerd, By the help of God he did not fear it. All their Provisions had been carried Ashoar to a Vent, made for that purpose there; about which they had placed several Great Guns to defend it, in case of any Assault from Spaniards, that might happen to come that way. Wherefore Captain Phips immediately ordered those Guns to be silently Drawn’d! and Turn’d; and so pulling up the Bridge, he charged his Great Guns aboard, and brought them to Bear on every side of the Tent. Bythis Time the Army of Rebels comes out of the Woods; but as they drew near to the Tent of Provisions, they saw such a change of Circumstances, that they cried out, We are Betray’d! And they were soon confirm’d in it, when they heard the Captain with a stern Fury call to them, Stand off, ye Wretches, at your Peril! He quickly saw them cast into a more than ordinary Con- fusion, when they saw Him ready to Fire his Great Guns upon them, if they offered one Step further than he permitted them: And when he had signified unto them his Resolve to abandon them unto all the Deso- lation which they had purposed for him, he caused the Bridge to be again laid, and his Men begun to take the Provisions abroad. When the Wretches beheld what was coming upon them, they fell to very humble Entreaties; and at last fell down upon their Knees, 1 Drawn. WILLIAM PHIPS 165 protesting, That they never had any thing against him, except only his unwillingness to go away with the King’s Ship upon the South-Sea Design: But upon all other Accounts, they would chuse rather to Live and Die with him, than with any Man tn the World; however, since they saw how much he was dissatisfied at it, they would insist upon it no more, and humbly begg’d his Pardon. And when he judg’d that he had kept them on their Knees long enough, he having first secur’d their 4rms, received them aboard; but he immediately weighed Anchor, and arriving at Jamaica, he Turn’d them off. Now with a small Company of other Men he sailed from thence to Hispaniola, where by the Policy of his Ad- dress, he fished out of a very old Spaniard, (or Portu- guese) a little Advice about the true Spot where lay the Wreck which he had been hitherto seeking, as unprosperously, as the Chymists have their Aurisick Stone: * That it was upon a Reef of Shoals, a few Leagues to the Northward of Port de la Plata, upon Hispaniola,” a Port so call’d, it seems, from the Landing of some of the Shipwreck’d Company, with a Boat full of Plate, saved out of their Sinking Frigot: Nevertheless, when he had searched very narrowly the Spot, whereof the old Spaniard had advised him, he had not hitherto exactly lit upon it. Such Thorns did vex his Affairs while he was in the Rose-Frigot; but none of all these things could retund the Edge of his Expectations to find the Wreck; with such Expectations he return’d then into England, that he might there better furnish himself to Prosecute a New Discovery; for though he judged he might, by proceeding a little further, have 1 Probably a misprint for Aurific Stone—1. ¢., “gold-producing” stone, the “ philosopher’s stone.” rl aiti, 166 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA come at the right Spot, yet he found his present Com- pany too ill a Crew to be confided in. §6. So proper was his Behaviour, that the best Noble Men in the Kingdom now admitted him into their Conversation; but yet he was opposed by powerful Enemies, that Clogg’d his Affairs with such Demur- rages, and such Disappointments, as would have wholly Discouraged his Designs, if his Patience had not been Invincible. He who can wait, hath what he desireth. This his Indefatigable Patience, with a proportionable Diligence, at length overcame the Difficulties that had been thrown in his way; and prevailing with the Duke of Albemarle, and some other Persons of Quality, to ft him out, he set Sail for the Fishing-Grownd, which had been so well baited half an Hundred Years before: And as he had already discovered his Capacity for Busi- ness in many considerable Actions, he now added unto those Discoveries, by not only providing all, but also by inventing many of the Instruments necessary to the prosecution of his intended Fishery. Captain Phips arriving with a Ship and a Tender at Port de la Plata, made a stout Canoo of a stately Cotton-Tree, so large as to carry Eight or Ten Oars, for the making of which Periaga (as they cail it) he did, with the same industry that he did every thing else, employ his own Hand and Adse, and endure no little hardship, lying abroad in the Woods many Nights together. This Periaga, with the Tender, being Anchored at a place Convenient, the Periaga kept Busking to and again,! but could only discover a Reef of Rising Shoals there- 1 Periaga is for piragua, a long narrow canoe, made of the hollowed trunk of atree. “To busk to and again” meant, in nautical parlance, “to cruise about.” WILLIAM PHIPS 167 abouts, called, The Boilers, which Rising to be within Two or Three Foot of the Surface of the Sea, were yet so steep, that a Ship striking on them, would immedi- ately sink down; who could say, how many Fathom into the Ocean? Here they could get no other Pay for their long peeping among the Boilers, but only such as caused them to think upon returning to their Captain with the bad News of their total Disappointment. Nevertheless, as they were upon the Return, one of the Men looking over the side of the Periaga, into the calm Water, he spied a Sea Feather,! growing, as he judged, out of a Rock; whereupon they had one of their Indians to Dive and fetch this Feather, that they might however carry home something with them, and make, at least, as fair a Triumph as Caligula’s. The Diver bringing up the Feather, brought therewithal a surpriz- ing Story, That he perceived a Number of Great Guns in the Watry World where he had found his Feather; the Report of which Great Guns exceedingly astonished the whole Company; and at once turned their Des pon- dencies for their ill success into Assurances, that they had now lit upon the true Spot of Ground which they had been looking for; and they were further confirmed in these Assurances, when upon further Diving, the Indian fetcht up a Sow, as they stil’d it, or a Lump of Silver, worth perhaps Two or Three Hundred Pounds. Upon this they prudently Buoy’d the place, that they might readily find it again; and they went back unto their Captain whom for some while they distressed with nothing but such Bad News, as they formerly thought they must have carried him: Nevertheless, they so slipt in the Sow of Silver on one side under the Table, where they were now sitting with the Captain, 1 A kind of coral or polyp. 168 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA and hearing him express his Resolutions to wait still patiently upon the Providence of God under these Disappointments, that when he should look on one side he might see that Odd Thing before him. At last he saw it; seeing it, he cried out with some Agony, Why? What ts this? Whence comes this? And then, with changed Countenances, they told him how, and where they got it: Then, said he, Thanks be to God! We are made; and so away they went, all hands to Work; wherein they had this one further piece of Remarkable Prosperity, that whereas if they had first fallen upon that part of the Spanish Wreck, where the Pieces of Eight had been stowed in Bags among the Ballast, they had seen a more laborious, and less enriching time of it: Now, most happily, they first fell upon that Room in the Wreck where the Bullion had been stored up; and they so prospered in this New Fishery, that in a little while they had, without the loss of any Man’s Life, brought up Thirty Two Tuns of Silver; for it was now come to measuring of Silver by Tuns.! Besides which, one Adderly of Providence, who had formerly been very helpful to Captain Phips in the Search of this Wreck, did upon former Agreement meet him now with a little Vessel here; and he, with his few hands, took up about Six Tuns of Silver; whereof nevertheless he made so little use, that in a Year or [wo he Died at Bermudas, and as I have heard, he ran Distracted some while before he Died. ‘Thus did there once again come into the Light of the Sun, a Treasure which had been half an Hundred Years groaning under the Waters: And in this time there was grown upon the Plate a Crust 1“Tun” as a measure of gold meant 100,000 guilders, florins, etc. Whether Mather uses it in this sense here, or simply as equivalent to “ton,” is not clear. WILLIAM PHIPS 169 like Limestone, to the thickness of several Inches; which Crust being broken open by Irons contrived for that purpose, they knockt out whole Bushels of rusty Pieces of Eight which were grown thereinto. Besides that incredible Treasure of Plate in various Forms, thus fetch’d up, from Seven or Eight Fathom under Water, there were vast Riches of Gold, and Pearls, and Jewels, which they also lit upon; and indeed, for a more Comprehensive Jnvoice, | must but sum- marily say, All that a Spanish Frigot uses to be enricht withal. Thus did they continue Fishing till their Provisions failing them, ’twas time to be gone; but before they went, Captain Phips caused Adderly and his Folk to swear, That they would none of them Dis- cover the Place of the Wreck, or come to the Place any more till the next Year, when he expected again to be there himself. And it was also Remarkable, that though the Sows came up still so fast, that on the very last Day of their being there, they took up Twenty, yet it was afterwards found, that they had in a manner wholly cleared that Room of the Ship where those Massy things were Stowed. But there was one extraordinary Distress which Captain Phips now found himself plunged into: For his Men were come out with him upon Seamens Wages, at so much per Month; and when they saw such vast Litters of Silver Sows and Pigs, as they call them, come on Board them at the Captain’s Call, they knew not how to bear it, that they should not share all among themselves, and be gone to lead a short Life and a merry, in a Climate where the Arrest of those that had hired them should not reach them. In this terrible Distress he made his Vows unto Almighty God, that if the Lord would carry him safe home to England with what he 170 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA had now given him, to suck of the Abundance of the Seas, and of the Treasures hid in the Sands, he would for ever Devote himself unto the Interests of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of his People, especially in the Country which he did himself Originally belong unto. And he then used all the obliging 4rts imaginable to make his Men true unto him, especially by assuring them, that besides their Wages, they should have ample Requitals made unto them; which if the rest of his Employers would not agree-unto, he would himself distribute his own share among them. Relying upon the Word of One whom they had ever found worthy of their Loze, and of their Trust, they declared themselves Content: But still keeping a most careful Eye upon them, he hastned back for England with as much Money as he thought he could then safely Trust his Vessel withal; not counting it safe to supply himself with necessary Provisions at any nearer Port, and so return unto the Wreck, by which delays he wisely feared lest all might be lost, more ways than one. Though he also left so much behind him, that many from divers Parts made very considerable Voyages of Gleanings after his Harvest: Which came to pass by certain Bermudians, com- pelling of Adderly’s Boy, whom they spirited away with them, to tell them the exact place where the Wreck was to be found. Captain Phips now coming up to London in the Year 1687. with near Three Hundred Thousand Pounds Sterling aboard him, did acquit himself with such an Exemplary Honesty, that partly by his ful- filling his Assurances to the Seamen, and partly by his exact and punctual Care to have his Employers defrauded of nothing that might conscienciously belong unto them, he had less than Sixteen Thousand Pounds left unto himself: As an acknowledgment of which WILLIAM PHIPS 17% Honesty in him, the Duke of Albemarle made unto his Wife, whom he never saw, a Present of a Golden Cup, near a Thousand Pound in value. The Character of an Honest Man he had so merited in the whole Course of his Life, and especially in this last act of it, that this, in Conjunction with his other serviceable Qualities, procured him the Favours of the Greatest Persons in the Nation; and he that had been so diligent in his Busi- ness, must now stand before Kings, and not stand before mean Men. There were indeed certain mean Men, if base, little, dirty Tricks, will entitle Men to Mean- ness, who urged the King to seize his whole Cargo, in- stead of the Tenths, upon his first Arrival; on this pretence, that he had not been rightly inform’d of the True state of the Case, when he Granted the Patent, under the Protection whereof these particular Men had made themselves Masters of all this Mighty Treasure; but the King replied, That he had been rightly informed by Captain Phips of the whole Matter, as it now proved; and that it was the Slanders of one then present, which had, unto his Damnage, hindred him from heark- ning to the Information: Wherefore he would give them, he said, no Disturbance; they might keep what they had got; but Captain Phips, he saw, was a Person of that Honesty, Fidelity and Ability, that he should not want his Countenance. Accordingly the King, in Consideration of the Service done by him, in bringing such a Treasure into the Nation, conferr’d upon him _ the Honour of Knighthood; and if we now reckon him, A Knight of the Golden Fleece, the Stile’ might pretend unto some Circumstances that would justifie it. Or call him, if you please, The Knight of Honesty; for it was Honesty with Industry that raised him; and he ele title, 172 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA became a Mighty River, without the running in of Muddy Water to make him so. Reader, now make a Pause, and behold One Ratsed by God! §7. I am willing to Employ the Testimonies of others, as much as may be, to support the Credit of my History: And therefore, as I have hitherto related no more than what there are others Others [sic] enough to avouch; thus I shall chuse the Words of an Ingenious Person Printed at London some Years ago, to express the Sum of what remains, whose Words are these; ‘It has always been Sir William Phips’s Disposition ‘to seek the Wealth of his People with as great Zeal ‘and Unweariedness, as our Publicans use to seek their ‘Loss and Ruin. At first it seems they were in hopes ‘to gain this Gentleman to their Party, as thinking ‘him Good Naturd, and easie to be flattered out of ‘his Understanding; and the more, because they had ‘the advantage of some, no very good, Treatment that ‘Sir William had formerly met with from the People ‘and Government of New-England. But Sir William ‘soon shewed them, that what they expected would ‘be his Temptation to lead them into their J1ttle Tricks, ‘he embraced as a Glorious Opportunity to shew his ‘Generosity and Greatness of Mind; for, in Imitation of ‘the Greatest Worthies that have ever been, he rather ‘chose to join in the Defence of his Country, with “some Persons who formerly were none of his Friends, ‘than become the Head of a Faction, to its Ruin and ‘Desolation. It seems this Noble Disposition of Sir ‘William, joined with that Capacity and good Success ‘wherewith he hath been attended, in Raising himself ‘by such an Occasion, as it may be, all things considered, ‘has never happened to any before him, makes these ‘Men apprehensive; And it must needs heighten WILLIAM PHIPS 173 ‘their trouble to see, that he neither hath, nor doth ‘spare himself, nor any thing that is near and dear ‘unto him, in promoting the Good of his Native Coun- PLY: When Sir William Phips was per ardua &F aspera,} thus raised into an Higher Orb, it might easily be thought that he could not be without Charming Temp- tations to take the way on the left hand. But as the Grace of God kept him in the midst of none of the strictest Company, unto which his Affairs daily led him, from abandoning himself to the lewd Vices of Gaming, Drinking, Swearing and Whoring, which the Men that made England to Sin, debauch’d so many of the Gentry into, and he deserved the Salutations of the Roman Poet: Cum Tu, inter scabiem tantam, &§ Contagia Lucri, Nil parvum saptias, &F adhuc Sublimia cures:? Thus he was worthy to pass among the Instances of Heroick Vertue for that Humility that still Adorned him: He was Raised, and though he prudently accommodated himself to the Quality whereto he was now Raised, yet none could perceive him to be Lifted up. Or, if this were not Heroick, yet I will Relate one Thing more of him that must certainly be accounted so. He had in his own Country of New-England met with Provocations that were enough to have Alienated any Man Living, that had no more than Flesh and Blood in him, from the Service of it; and some that were Enemies to that Country, now lay hard at him to join 1 “Through difficulties and hardships.” “You, amid so great a leprosy and contagion of avarice, are wise, and seek higher things.” 174 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA with them in their Endeavours to Ravish away their Ancient Liberties. But this Gentleman had _ studied another way to Revenge himself upon his Country, and that was toserve it in all zts Interests, with all of his,even with his Estate, his Time, his Care, his Friends, and his very Life! The old Heathen Virtue of PIETAS IN PATRIAM, or LOVE TO ONES COUNTRY, he turned into Christian; and so notably exemplified it, in all the Rest of his Life, that it will be an Essential Thread which is to be now interwoven into all that remains of his History, and his Character. Accordingly though he had the Offers of a very Gainful Place among the Commissioners of the Navy, with many other Invita- tions to settle himself in England, nothing but a Return to New-England would content him. And whereas the Charters of New-England being taken away, there was a Governour Imposed upon the Territories with as Arbitrary and as Treasonable a Commission, perhaps, as ever was heard of; a Commission, by which the Governour, with Three or Four more, none of whom were chosen by the People, had Power to make what Laws they would, and Levy Taxes, according to their own Humours, upon the People; and he himself had Power to send the best Men in the Land more than Ten Thousand Miles out of it, as he pleased: And in the Execution of his Power, the Country was every Day suffering Intollerable Jnvasions upon their Proprieties, yea, and the Lives of the best Men in the Territory began to be practised upon: Sir William Phips applied himself to Consider what was the most significant Thing that could be done by him for that poor People in their present Circumstances. Indeed, when King James offered, as he did, unto Sir William Phips an Opportunity to Ask what he pleased of him, Sir William WILLIAM PHIPS 176 Generously prayed for nothing but this, That New- England might have its lost Priviledges Restored. The King then Replied, 4ny Thing but that! Whereupon he set himself to Consider what was the next Thing that he might ask for the Service, not of himself, but of his Country. The Result of his Consideration was, That by Petition to the King, he Obtained, with expence of some Hundreds of Guinea’s, a Patent, which con- stituted him The High Sheriff of that Country;! hoping, by his Deputies in that Office, to supply the Country still with Consciencious Juries, which was the only Method that the New-Englanders had left them to secure any thing that was Dear unto them. Furnished with this Patent, after he had, in Company with Sir John Narborough, made a Second Visit unto the Wreck, (not so advantageous as the former for a Reason already mentioned) in his way he Returned unto New-England, in the Summer of the Year 1688. able, after Five Years Absence, to Entertain his Lady with some Accomplish- ment of his Predictions; and then Built himself a Fair Brick House in the very place which we foretold, the Reader can tell how many Sections ago. But the Infamous Government then Rampant there, found a way wholly to put by the Execution of this Patent; yea, he was like to have had his Person Assassinated in the Face of the Sun, before his own Door, which with some further Designs then in his Mind, caused him within a few Weeks to take another Voyage for England. $8. It would require a long Summers-Day to Relate the Miseries which were come, and coming in upon poor New-England, by reason of the Arbitrary Government then imposed on them; a Government wherein, as old Wendover says of the Time, when Stran- 1 Provost Marshal-general of New England. 176 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA gers were domineering over Subjects in England, Judicia committebantur Injustis, Leges Exlegibus, Pax Discor- dantibus, Justitia Injuriosis;' and Foxes were made the Administrators of Justice to the Poultrey; yet some Abridgment of them is necessary for the better under- standing of the Matters yet before us. Now to make this Abridgment Impartial, I shall only have Recourse unto a little Book, Printed at London, under the Title of The Revolution of New-England Justified; wherein we have a Narrative of the Grievances under the Male Administrations of that Government, written and signed by the chief Gentlemen of the Governour’s Coun- cil; together with the Sworn Testimonies of many good Men, to prove the several Articles of the Declaration, which the Nezw-Englanders published against their Oppressors. It is in that Book demonstrated.’ That the Governour neglecting the greater Number of his Council, did Adhere principally to the Advice of a few Strangers, who were Persons without any Interest in the Country, but of declared Prejudice against it, and had plainly laid their Designs to make an Unreasonable Profit of the poor People: And four or five Persons had the absolute Rule over a Territory, the most Considerable of any belonging to the Crown. That when Laws were proposed in the Council, tho’ the Major part at any time Dissented from them, yet if the Governour were positive, there was no fair Counting the Number of Councellors Consenting, or Dissenting, but the Laws were immediately Engrossed, Published and Executed. 1“ Judgments were entrusted to the unjust, laws to outlaws, peace to quarrelers, and justice to wrongdoers.” Wendover was Roger de Wendover, historian, who died in 1236. 2 A colon instead of a period here makes the sense clear. WILLIAM PHIPS 177 That this Junto made a Law, which prohibited the Inhabitants of any Town to meet about their Town- Affairs above once in a Year; for fear, you must Note, of their having any opportunity to Complain of Griev- ances. That they made another Law, requiring all Masters of Vessels, even Shallops and Woodboats, to give Security, that no Man should be Transported in them, except his Name had been so many Days posted up: Whereby the Pockets of a few Leeches had been filled with Fees, but the whole Trade of the Country de- stroyed; and all Attempts to obtain a Redress of these Things obstructed; and when this 4ct had been strenu- ously opposed in Council at Boston, they carried it as far as New-York, where a Crew of them enacted it. That without any Assembly, they Levied on the People a Penny in the Pound of all their Estates, and Twenty-pence per Head, as Poll-money, with a Penny in the Pound for Goods Imported, besides a Vast Excise on Wine; Rum; and other Liguors. That when among the Inhabitants of Ispwich, some of the Principal Persons modestly gave Reasons why they could not chuse a Commissioner to Tax the Town, until the King should first be Petitioned for the Liberty of an Assembly, they were committed unto Goal for it, as an High Misdemeanour, and were denied an Habeas Corpus, and were dragg’d many Miles out of their own County to answer it at a Court in Boston; where Jurors were pickt for the Turn, that were not Free- holders, nay, that were meer Sojourners; and when the Prisoners pleaded the Priviledges of English-men, That they should not be Taxed without their own consent; they were told, That those things would not follow them 1 Small boats used for transporting wood. 178 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA to the ends of the Earth: As it had been before told them in open Council, no one in the Council contradicting it, You have no more Priviledges left you, but this, that you are not bought and sold for Slaves: And in fine, they were all Fined severely, and laid under great Bonds for their good Behaviour; besides all which, the hungry Officers extorted Fees from them that amounted unto an Hundred and Threescore Pounds; whereas in England, upon the like Prosecution, the Fees would not have been Ten Pounds in all. After which fashion the Townsmen of many other Places were also served. That these Men giving out, That the Charters being lost, all the Title that the People had unto their Lands was lost with them; they began to compel the People everywhere to take Patents for their Lands: And ac- cordingly Writs of Intrusion were issued out against the chief Gentlemen in the Territory, by the Terror whereof, many were actually driven to Petition for Patents, that they might quietly enjoy the Lands that had been Fifty or Sixty Years in their Possession; but for these Patents there were such exorbitant Prices demanded, that Fifty Pounds could not purchase for its Owner an Estate not worth Two Hundred, nor could all the Money and Moveables in the Territory have defrayed the Charges of Patenting the Lands at the Hands of these Crocodiles: Besides the consider- able Quit-Rents for the King. Yea, the Governour caused the Lands of particular Persons to be measured out, and given to his Creatures: And some of his Coun- cil Petitioned for the Commons belonging to several Towns; and the Agents of the Towns going to get a voluntary Subscription of the Inhabitants to maintain their Title at Law, they have been dragg’d Forty or Fifty Miles to answer as Criminals at the next Assizes; WILLIAM PHIPS 179 the Officers in the mean time extorting Three Pounds per Man for fetching ‘them. That if these Harpies, at any time, were a little out of Money, they found ways to Imprison the dest Men in the Country; and there appeared not the least Information of any Crime exhibited against them, yet they were put unto Intollerable Expences by these Greedy Oppressors, and the Benefit of an Habeas Corpus not allowed unto them. That packt and pickt Juries were commonly made use of, when under a pretended Form of Law, the Trouble of some Honest and Worthy Men was aimed at; and these also were hurried out of their own Coun- ties to be tried, when Juries for the Turn were not like to be found there. The Greatest Rigour being used still towards the soberest sort of People, whilst in the mean time the most horrid Enormities in the World, committed by Others, were overlook’d. That the publick Ministry of the Gospel, and all Schools of Learning, were discountenanced unto the Utmost. And several more such abominable things, too notorious to be denied, even by a Randolphian'! Impu- dence it self, are in that Book proved against that unhappy Government. Nor did that most Ancient Set of the Phenician Shepherds, who scrued the Govern- ment of Egypt into their Hands, as old Manethon? tells us, by their Villanies, during the Reigns of those Tyrants, make a Shepherd more of an Abomination to the Egyptians in all after Ages, than these Wolves under the Name of Shepherds have made the Remem- 1 Edward Randolph, an English official in the colonies at the time, was cordially hated by Mather and by many of the New Englanders. * Egyptian historian, third century B. C. 180 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA brance of their French Government! an Abomination to all Posterity among the New-Englanders: A Govern- ment, for which, now, Reader, as fast as thou wilt, get ready this Epitaph: Nulla quesita Scelere Potentia diuturna.* It was under the Resentments of these Things that Sir William Phips returned into England in the Year 1688. In which Twice-Wonderful-Year such a Revolu- tion was wonderfully accomplished upon the whole Government of the English Nation, that New-England, which had been a Specimen of what the whole Nation was to look for, might justly hope for a share in the General Deliverance. Upon this Occasion Sir William offered his best Assistances unto that Eminent Person, who a little before this Revolution betook himself unto White-Hall, that he might there lay hold on all Opportunities to procure some Relief unto the Oppres- sions of that afflicted Country. But seeing the New- English Affairs in so able an Hand, he thought the best Stage of Action for him would now be New-England it self; and so with certain Instructions from none of the least considerable Persons at White-Hall, what Service to do for his Country, in the Spring of the Year 1689. he hastened back unto it. Before he left London, a Messenger from the Abdicated King tender’d him the Government of New-England, if he would accept it: But as that excellent Attorney General, Sir William Jones, when it was proposed that the Plantations might be Governed without Assemblies, told the King, That 1 The colonists fondly believed that Andros and his followers were secretly in league with the French against England. 2 “No power achieved by wrongdoing is lasting.” WILLIAM PHIPS 181 he could no more Grant a Commission to levy Money on his Subjects there, without their consent by an Assembly, than they could Discharge themselves from their Allegiance to the English Crown. So Sir William Phips thought it his Duty to refuse a Government without an Assembly, as a thing that was Treason in the very Essence of it; and instead of Petitioning the succeeding Princes, that his Patent for High Sheriff might be rendred Effectual, he joined in Petitions, that New-England might have its own old Patent so Restored, as to render ineffectual that, and all other Grants that might cut short any of its Ancient Priviledges. But when Sir William arrived at New-England, he found a new Face of things; for about an Hundred Indians in the Eastern Parts of the Country, had unaccountably begun a War upon the English in July, 1688. and though the Governour then in the Western Parts had immediate Advice of it, yet he not only delayed and neglected all that was necessary for the Publick Defence, but also when he at last re- turned, he manifested a most Furious Displeasure against those of the Council, and all others that had forwarded any one thing for the security of the In- habitants; while at the same time he dispatched some of his Creatures upon secret Errands unto Canada, and set at Liberty some of the most Murderous Indians which the English had seized upon. This Conduct of the Governour, which is in a Printed Remonstrance of some of the best Gentlemen in the Council complained of, did extreamly dissatishe the Suspicious People: Who were doubtless more extream in some of their Suspicions, than there was any real Occasion for: But the Govyernour at length raised an Army of a Thousand English to Conquer this Hundred Indians; and this Army, whereof some of the chief 192 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Commanders were Papists, underwent the Fatigues of a long and a cold Winter, in the most Caucasean Regions of the Territory, till, without the killing of One Indian, there were more of the poor People killed, than they had Enemies there alive! This added not a little to the Dissatisfaction of the People, and it would much more have done so, if they had seen what the World had not yet seen of the Suggestions made by the Irish Catholicks unto the Late King, published in the Year 1691. in the Account of the State of the Protestants in Ireland, Licensed by the Earl of Notting- ham, whereof one Article runs in these Express Terms, That tf any of the Irish cannot have their Lands in Specie, but Money in Lieu, some of them may Transport them- selves into America, possibly near New-England, to check the growing Independants of that Country: Or if they had seen what was afterwards seen in a Letter from K. James to His Holiness, (as they stile his Foolish- ness) the Pope of Rome; that it was his full Purpose to have set up Roman-Catholick Religion in the English Plantations of America: Tho’ after all, there is Cause to think that there was more made of the Suspicions then flying like Wild-Fire about the Country, than a strong Charity would have Countenanced. When the People were under these Frights, they had got by the Edges a little Intimation of the then Prince of Orange’s glorious Undertaking to deliver England from the Feared Evils, which were already felt by New-Eng- land; but when the Person who brought over a Copy of the Prince’s Declaration was Imprisoned for bringing into the Country a Treasonable Paper, and the Govern- nour, by his Proclamation, required all Persons to use their utmost Endeavours to hinder the Landing of any whom the Prince might send thither, this put | WILLIAM PHIPS 183 them almost out of Patience. And one thing that plunged the more Considerate Persons in the Territory into uneasie thoughts, was the Faulty Action of some Soldiers, who upon the Common Suspicions, deserted their Stations in the Army, and caused their Inehds to gather together here and there in little Bodies, to protect from the Demands of the Governour their poor Children and Brethren, whom they thought bound for a Bloody Sacrifice: And there were also belonging to the Rose-Frigot some that buzz’d sur- prizing Stories about Boston, of many Mischiefs to be thence expected. Wherefore, some of the Principal Gentlemen in Boston consulting what was to be done in this Extraordinary Juncture, They all agreed that they would, if it were possible, extinguish all Essays in the People towards an Insurrection, in daily Hopes of Orders from England for their Safety: But that if the Country People by any violent Motions push’d the Matter on so far, as to make a Revolution unavoidable, then to prevent the shedding of Blood by an ungoverned Mobile, some of the Gentlemen present should appear at the Head of the Action with a Declaration accordingly prepared. By the Eighteenth of April, 1689. Things were pushed on so far by the People, that certain Per- sons first Seized the Captain of the Frigot, and the Rumor thereof running like Lightning through Boston, the whole Town was immediately in Arms, with the most Unanimous Resolution perhaps that ever was known to have Inspir’d any People. They then seized those Wretched Men, who by their innumerable Ex- tortions and Abuses had made themselves the Objects of Universal Hatred; not giving over till the Governour himself was become their Prisoner: The whole Action being managed without the least Bloodshed or Plunder, 184 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA and with as much Order as ever attended any Tumult, it may be, in the World. Thus did the New-Englanders assert their Title to the Common Rights of Englishmen; and except the Plantations are willing to Degenerate from the Temper of True Englishmen, or except the Revolution of the whole English Nation be condemned, their Action must so far be justified. On their late Oppressors, now under just Confinement, they took no other Satisfaction, but sent them over unto White-Hall for the Justice of the King and Parliament. And when the Day for the Anniversary Election, by their vacated Charter, drew near, they had many Debates into what Form they should cast the Government, which was till then Administred by a Committee for the Conservation of the Peace, composed of Gentlemen whose Hap it was to appear in the Head of the late Action; but their Debates Issued in this Conclusion; That the Gover- nour and Magistrates, which were in power before the late Usurpation, should Resume their Places, and apply themselves unto the Conservation of the Peace, and put forth what Acts of Government the Emergencies might make needful for them, and thus to wait for further Directions from the Authority of England. So was there Accomplished a Revolution which delivered Nevw- England from grievous Oppressions, and which was most graciously Accepted by the King and Queen, when it was Reported unto their Majesties. But there were new Matters for Sir William Phips, in a little while, now to think upon. $9. Behold the great things which were done by the Sovereign God, for a Person once as little in his own Eyes as in other Mens. All the Returns which he had hitherto made unto the God of his Mercies, were but Preliminaries to what remain to be related. It WILLIAM PHIPS 185 has been the Custom in the Churches of New-England, still to expect from such Persons as they admitted unto constant Communion with them, that they do not only Publickly and Solemnly Declare their Consent unto the Covenant of Grace, and particularly to those Duties of it, wherein a Particular Church-State is more immediately concerned, but also first relate unto the Pastors, and by them unto the Brethren, the special Impressions which the Grace of God has made upon their Souls in bringing them to this Consent. By this Custom and Caution, though they cannot keep Hypo- crites from their Sacred Fellowship, yet they go as far as they can, to render and preserve themselves Churches of Saints, and they do further very much Ldifie one another. When Sir William Phips was now returned unto his own House, be began to bethink himself, like David, concerning the House of the God who had sur- rounded him with so many Favours in Ais own; and accordingly he applied himself unto the North Church in Boston,! that with his open Profession of his Hearty Subjection to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, he might have the Ordinances and the Priviledges of the Gospel added unto his other Enjoyments. One thing that quickned his Resolution to do what might be in this Matter expected from him, was a Passage which he heard from a Minister Preaching on the Title of the Fifty-First Psalm: To make a publick and an open Profession of Repentance, is a thing not misbecoming the greatest Man alive. It is an Honour to be found among the Repenting People of God, though they be 1n Circum- stances never so full of Suffering. A Famous Knight going with other Christians to be Crowned with Martyr- 1The Second Church of Boston, of which Cotton and Increase Mather were ministers. 186 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA dom, observed, That his Fellow-Sufferers were in Chains, from which the Sacrificers had, because of his Quality, excus'd him; whereupon he demanded, that he might wear Chains as well as they. For, said he, | would be a Knight of that Order too; There is among our selves a Repenting People of God, who by their Confessions at their Admissions to his Table, do signalize their being so; and thanks be to God that we have so little of Suffering in our Circumstances. But if any Man count himself grown too big to be a Knight of that Order, the Lord Jesus Christ himself will one Day be ashamed of that Man! Upon this Excitation, Sir William Phips made his Address unto a Congregational-Church, and he had therein one thing to propound unto himself, which few Persons of his Age, so well satisfied in Infant- Baptism as he was, have then to ask for. Indeed, in the Primitive Times, although the Lawfulness of Infant- Baptism, or the Precept and Pattern of Scripture for it, was never so much as once made a Question, yet we find Baptism was frequently delayed by Persons upon several superstitious and unreasonable Accounts, against which we have such Fathers as Gregory Naxian- zen, Gregory Nyssen, Basil, Chrysostom, Ambrose, and others, employing a variety of Argument. But Sir William Phips had hitherto delayed his Baptism, be- cause the Years of his Childhood were spent where there was no settled Minister, and therefore he was now not only willing to attain a good Satisfaction of his own Internal and Practical Christianity, before his receiving that Mark thereof, but he was also willing to receive it among those Christians that seemed most sensible of the Bonds which it laid them under. Offer- ing himself therefore, first unto the Baptism, and then unto the Supper of the Lord, he presented unto the WILLIAM PHIPS 187 Pastor of the Church, with his own Hand-Writing, the following Instrument; which because of the Exemplary Devotion therein expressed, and the Remarkable History which it gives of several Occurrences in his Life, I will here faithfully Transcribe it, without adding so much as one Word unto it. ‘The first of God’s making me sensible of my Sins, ‘was in the Year 1674. by hearing your Father Preach ‘concerning, The Day of Trouble near.’ It pleased ‘Almighty God to smite me with a deep Sence of my ‘miserable Condition, who had lived until then in the ‘World, and had done nothing for God. I did then ‘begin to think what I should do to be saved? And did ‘bewail my Youthful Days, which I had spent in vain: ‘T did think that I would begin to mind the things of ‘God. Being then some time under your Father’s ‘Ministry, much troubled with my Burden, but think- ‘ing on that Scripture, Come unto me, you that are ‘weary and heavy Laden, and I will give you Rest; I ‘had some thoughts of drawing as near to the Com- ‘munion of the Lord Jesus as I could; but the Ruins ‘which the Indian Wars brought on my Affairs, and ‘the Entanglements which my following the Sea laid ‘upon me, hindred my pursuing the Welfare of my own ‘Soul as I ought to have done. At length God was ‘pleased to smile upon my Outward Concerns. ‘The ‘various Providences, both Merciful and Afflictive, ‘which attended me in my Travels, were sanctified unto ‘me, to make me Acknowledge God in all my Ways. ‘I have divers Times been in danger of my Life, and ‘I have been brought to see that I owe my Life to him ‘that has given a Life so often to me: I thank God, ‘he hath brought me to see my self altogether unhappy, 1 Increase Mather preached, and later printed, this sermon. 188 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘without an Interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to ‘close heartily with him, desiring him to Execute A/l ‘his Offices on my Behalf. I have now, for some time, ‘been under serious Resolutions, that I would avoid ‘whatever I should know to be Displeasing unto God, ‘and that I would Serve him all the Days of my Life. ‘I believe no Man will Repent the Service of such a ‘Master. I find my self unable to keep such Resolutions, ‘but my serious Prayers are to the Most High, that ‘he would enable me. God hath done so much for me, ‘that I am sensible I owe my self to him; To him would ‘I give my self, and all that he has given to me. I can’t ‘express his Mercies to me. But as soon as ever God ‘had smiled upon me with a Turn of my Affairs, I had ‘laid my self under the VOWS of the Lord, That I ‘would set my self to serve his People, and Churches here, ‘unto the utmost of my Capacity. I have had great ‘Offers made me in England; but the Churches of New- ‘England were those which my Heart was most set ‘upon. I knew, That if God had a People any where, it ‘was here: And I Resolved to rise and fall with them; ‘neglecting very great Advantages for my Worldly ‘Interest, that I might come and enjoy the Ordinances ‘of the Lord Jesus here. It has been my Trouble, that “since [ came Home I have made no more haste to get ‘into the House of God, where I desire to be: Especially ‘having heard so much about the £vil of that Omission. ‘I can do little for God, but I desire to wait upon him ‘in his Ordinances, and to live to his Honour and Glory. ‘My being Born in a part of the Country, where I ‘had not in my Infancy enjoyed the First Sacrament ‘of the New-Testament, has been something of a Stum- ‘bling-Block unto me. But though I have had Profers ‘of Baptism elsewhere made unto me, I resolved rather WILLIAM PHIPS 189 ‘to defer it, until I might enjoy it in the Communion ‘of these Churches; and I have had awful Impressions ‘from those Words of the Lord Jesus in Maitth. 8. 38. ‘Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my Words, ‘of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed. When ‘God had blessed me with something of the World, I ‘had no Trouble so great as this, Lest it should not be ‘in Mercy; and I trembled at nothing more than being “put off with a Portion here. ‘That I may make sure ‘of better things, I now offer my self unto the Communion ‘of this Church of the Lord JESUS. Accordingly on March 23. 1690.! after he had in the Congregation of North-Boston given himself up, first unto the Lord, and then unto his People, he was Baptized, and so received into the Communion of the Faithful there. § 10. Several times, about, before and after this time, did I hear him express himself unto this purpose: I have no need at all to look after any further Advantages for my self in this World; I may sit still at Home, if I will, and enjoy my Ease for the rest of my Life; but I believe that I should offend God in my doing so: For I am now in the Prime of my Age and Strength, and, I thank God, I can undergo Hardship: He only knows how long I have to live; but I think ’tis my Duty to venture my Life in doing of good, before an useless Old Age comes upon me: Wherefore I will now expose my self while I am able, and as far as I am able, for the Service of my Country: I was Born for others, as well as my self. I say, many a time have I heard him so express him- self: And agreeable to this Generous Disposition and Resolution was all the rest of his Life. About this time 1The Church Records, as copied by Mr. Robbins in his History of the Second Church, say March 8, 1690. 190 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA New-England was miserably Briard in the Perplexities of an Indian War; and the Salvages, in the East part of the Country, issuing ovt from their inaccessible Swamps, had for many Months made their Cruel Depredations upon the poor English Planters, and surprized many of the Plantations on the Frontiers, into Ruin. The New-Englanders found, that while they continued only on the Defensive part, their People were thinned, and their Treasures wasted, without any hopes of seeing a Period put unto the Indian Tragedies; nor could an Army greater than Xerxes’s have easily come at the seemingly contemptible hand- ful of Tazwntest which made all this Disturbance; or, Tamerlain, the greatest Conqueror that ever the World saw, have made it a Business of no Trouble to have Conquered them: They found, that they were like to make no Weapons reach their Enswamped Adversaries, except Mr. Milton could have shown them how , To have pluckt up the Hills with all their Load, Rocks, Waters, Woods, and by their shaggy tops, Up-lifting, bore them in their Hands, therewith The Rebel Host to’ve over-whelm’d : So it was thought that the English Subjects, in these Regions of America, might very properly take this occasion to make an attempt upon the French, and by reducing them under the English Government, put an Eternal Period at once unto all their Troubles from the Frenchified Pagans. This was a Motion urged by Sir William Phips unto the General Court of the Massachuset-Colony; and he then made unto the Court 1 A name for the Indians, because of their “tawny” skins. * Paraphrased from Paradise Lost, vi, 643-47. WILLIAM PHIPS IQI a brave Offer of his own Person and Estate, for the Service of the Publick in their present Extremity, as far as they should see Cause to make use thereof. Whereupon they made a First Essay against the French, by sending a Naval Force, with about Seven Hundred Men, under the Conduct of Sir William Phips, against L’Acady' and Nova Scotia; of which Action we shall give only this General and Summary Account; that Sir William Phips set Sail from Nantascot, April 28. 1690. Arriving at Port-Royal, May 11. and had the Fort quickly Surrender’d into his Hands by the French Enemy, who despaired of holding out against him. He then took Possession of that Province for the English Crown, and having Demolished the Fort, and sent away the Garrison, Administred unto the Planters an Oath of Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary, he left what Order he thought convenient for the Government of the Place, until further Order should be taken by the Governour and Council of the Massachuset-Colony, unto whom he returned May 30. with an acceptable Account of his Expedition, and accepted a Place among the Magistrates of that Colony, to which the Free-Men had chosen him at their Anniversary Election Two Days before. Thus the Country, once given by King James the First unto Sir William Alexander, was now by another Sir William recovered out of the Hands of the French, who had afterwards got the Possession of it; and there was added unto the English Empire, a ‘Territory, whereof no Man can Read Monsieur Denys’s Des- cription Geographique €% Historique des Costes de l Amerique Septentrionale,? but he must reckon the 1 Acadie or L’Acadie. 2 This book by Nicolas Denys, 1598-1688, was published in 1672. 192 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Conquest of a Region so Improvable, for Lumber, for Fishing, for Mines, and for Furrs, a very considerable Service., But if a smaller Service has, e’er now, ever merited a Knighthood, Sir William was willing to Repeat his Merits by Actions of the greatest Service possible: Nil Actum credens, st quid superesset agendum.* § 11. The Addition of this French Colony to the English Dominion, was no more than a /ittle step towards a greater Action, which was first in the Design of Sir William Phips, and which was, indeed, the greatest Action that ever the New-Englanders Attempted. There was a time when the Philistines had made some Inroads and Assaults from the Northward, upon the Skirts of Goshen, where the Israelites had a Residence, before their coming out of Egypt. The Israelites, and especially that Active Colony of the EF phraimites, were willing to Revenge these Injuries upon their wicked Neighbours; they presumed themselves Power- ful and Numerous enough to Encounter the Canaanites, even in their own Country; and they formed a brisk Expedition, but came off unhappy Losers in it; the Jewish Rabbins tell us, they lost no less than Eight Thousand Men. The Time was not yet come; there was more Haste than good Speed in the Attempt; they were not enough concerned for the Counsel and Presence of God in the Undertaking; they mainly propounded the Plunder to be got among a People, whose Trade was that wherewith Beasts enriched them; so the business miscarried. This History the Psalmist going to recite, says, I will utter dark Sayings of old. Now that what befel Sir William Phips, with his whole 1 “Thinking nothing done, if anything remained to be done.” WILLIAM PHIPS 193 Country of New-England, may not be almost forgotten among the dark Sayings of old, I will here give the true Report of a very memorable Matter. It was Canada that was the chief Source of New- England’s Miseries. There was the main Strength of the French; there the Indians were mostly supplied with Ammunition; thence Issued Parties of Men, who uniting with the Salvages, barbarously murdered many Innocent New-Englanders, without any Provocation on the New-English part, except this, that New-England had Proclaimed King William and Q. Mary, which they said were Usurpers; and as Cato could make no Speech in the Senate without that Conclusion, Delenda est Carthago;! so it was the general Conclusion of all that Argued sensibly about the safety of that Country, Canada must be Reduced. It then became the con- curring Resolution of all New-England, with New-York, to make a Vigorous Attack upon Canada at once, both by Sea and Land. And a Fleet was accordingly fitted out from Boston, under the Command of Sir William Phips, to fall upon Quebeque, the chief City of Canada. ‘They waited until August for some Stores of War from England, whither they had sent for that purpose early in the Spring; but none at last arriving, and the Season of the Year being so far spent, Sir William could not, without many Discourageinents upon his Mind, proceed in a Voyage, for which he found himself so poorly provided. How- ever, the Ships being taken up, and the Men on Board, his usual Courage would not permit him to Desist from the Enterprize; but he set Sail from Hull near Boston, August 9. 1690. with a Fleet of Thirty Two Ships and Tenders; whereof one, called the Six Friends, carrying 1 “Carthage must be destroyed.” 194 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Forty Four great Guns, and Two Hundred Men, was Admiral. Sir William dividing the Fleet into several Squadrons, whereof there was the Six Friends, Captain Gregory Sugars Commander, with Eleven more of the Admiral’s Squadron, of which one was also a Capital Ship, namely, The John and Thomas, Captain Thomas Carter Commander; of the Vice-Admirals, the Swan, Captain Thomas Gilbert Commander, with Nine more; of the Rear Admirals, the America-Merchant, Captain Joseph Eldridge Commander, with Nine more, and above Twenty Hundred Men on Board the whole Fleet: He so happily managed his Charge, that they every one of them Arrived safe at Anchor before Que- beck, although they had as dangerous, and almost untrodden a Path, to take Un-Puiloted, for the whole Voyage, as ever any Voyage was undertaken with. Some small French Prizes he took by the way, and set up English Colours upon the Coast, here and there, as he went along; and before the Month of August was out, he had spent several Days as far onward of his Voyage, as between the Island of Antecosta, and the Main. But when they entred the mighty River of Canada, such adverse Winds encountred the Fleet, that they were Three Weeks dispatching the way, which might otherwise have been gone in Three Days, and it was the Fifth of October, when a fresh Breeze coming up at Last, carried them along by the North Shore, up to the Isle of Orleans; and then haling South- erly, they passed by the East end of that Island, with the whole Fleet approaching the City of Quebeck. This loss of Time, which made it so late before the Fleet could get into the Country, where a cold and herce Winter was already very far advanced, gave no ! Between Anticosti and the mainland. WILLIAM PHIPS 195 very good Prospect of Success to the Expedition; but that which gave a much worse, was a most horrid Mismanagement, which had, the mean while, happened in the West. Fora Thousand English from New-York, and Albany, and Connecticut, with Fifteen Hundred Indians, were to have gone over-land in the West, and fallen upon Mount-Royal, while the Fleet was to Visit Quebeck in the East; and no Expedition could have been better laid than This, which was thus con- trived. But those English Companies in the West, marching as far as the great Lake that was to be passed, found their Canoos not provided, according to Expec- tation; and the Jndians also were [How? God knows, and will one Day Judge! Dissuaded from Joining with the English; and the Army met with such Discourage- ments, that they returned. Had this Western Army done but so much as con- tinued at the Lake, the Diversion thereby given to the French Quartered at Mount-Royal, would have rendered the Conquest of Quebeck easie and certain; but the Governour of Canada being Informed of the Retreat made by the Western-Army, had opportunity, by the cross Winds that kept back the Fleet, unhappily to get the whole Strength of all the Country into the City, before the Fleet could come up unto it. However, none of these Difficulties hindred Sir William Phips from sending on Shoar the following Summons, on Monday the Sixth of October. Sir William Phips, Knight, General and Commander in Chief, in and over Their Majesties Forces of New-England, by Sea and Land; yp 196 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA To Count Frontenac, Lieutenant-General and Gover- nour for the French King at Canada; or in his Absence, to his Deputy, or Him, or Them, in Chief Command at Quebeck. Te War between the Two Crowns of England and France, doth not only sufficiently Warrant; but the Destruction made by the French and Indians, under your Command and Encouragement, upon the Persons and Estates of Their Majesties Subjects of New-England, without Provocation on their part, hath put them under the Necessity of this Expedition, for their own Security and Satisfaction. And although the Cruelties and Barbarities used against them, by the French and Indians, might, upon the present Opportunity, prompt unto a severe Revenge, yet being desirous to avoid all Inhumane and Unchristian-like Actions, and to prevent shedding of Blood as much as may be; I the aforesaid Sir William Phips, Knight, do hereby, in the Name, and in the Behalf of Their Most Excellent Majesties, William and Mary,-King and Queen of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defenders of the Faith, and by Order of Their said Majesties Govern- ment of the Massachuset-Colony in . New-England, Demand a present Surrender of your Forts and Castles, undemolished, and the King’s and other Stores, unim- bezzelled, with a seasonable Delivery of all Captives; together with a Surrender of all your Persons and Estates to my Dispose: Upon the doing whereof you may expect Mercy from me, as a Christian, according to what shall be found for Their Majesties Service, and the Subjects Security. Which if you Refuse forthwith to do, I am come Provided, and am Resolved, by the help of God, in whom I trust, by Force of Arms, to Revenge all Wrongs and WILLIAM PHIPS 197 Injuries offered, and bring you under Subjection to the Crown of England; and when too late, make you wish you had accepted of the Favour tendered. Your Answer Positive in an Hour, returned by your own Trumpet, with the Return of mine, 1s Required, upon the Peril that will ensue. The Summons being Delivered unto Count Frontenac, his Answer was; That Sir William Phips, and those with him, were Hereticks and Traitors to their King, and had taken up with that Usurper, the Prince of Orange, and had made a Revolution, which if it had not been made, New-England and the French had been all One; and that no other Answer was to be expected from him, but what should be from the Mouth of his Cannon. General Phips now saw that it must cost him Dry Blows,! and that he must Roar his Perswasions out of the Mouths of Great Guns, to make himself Master of a City which had certainly Surrender’d it self unto him, if he had arrived but a little sooner, and Sum- mon’d it before the coming down of Count Frontenac with all his Forces, to Command the oppressed People there, who would have been, many of them, glader of coming under the English Government. Wherefore on the Seventh of October, the English, that were for the Land-Service, went on Board their lesser Vessels, in order to Land; among which there was a Bark, wherein was Captain Ephraim Savage, with sixty Men, that ran a-ground upon the North-Shoar, near two 1Strictly “dry blows” means “blows not involving bloodshed,”’ but the phrase was at times loosely used for “hard” or “severe blows.” 198 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Miles from Quebeck, and could not get off, but lay in the same Distress that Sceva did, when the Britains | poured in their Numbers upon the Bark, wherein he, with a few more Soldiers of Cesar’s Army, were, by the disadvantage of the Tide, left Ashoar: The French, with Indians, that saw them lye there, came near, , and Fired thick upon them, and were bravely Answered; and when two or Three Hundred of the Enemy, at last planted a Field-Piece against the Bark, while the Wind blew so hard, that no help could be sent unto his Men, the General advanced so far, as to Level Two or Three great Guns, conveniently enough to make the Assailants Fly; and when the Flood came, the Bark happily got off, without the hurt of one Man aboard. But so violent was the Storm of Wind all this Day, that it was not possible for them to Land until the Eighth of October; when the English counting every Hour to be a Week until they were come to Battel, vigorously got Ashoar, designing to enter the East-end of the City. The Small-Pox had got into the Fleet, by which Distemper prevailing, the number of Effective Men which now went Ashoar, under the Command of Lieutenant General Walley, did not amount unto more than Fourteen Hundred; but Four Companies of these were drawn out as Forlorns,1 whom, on every side, the Enemy fired at; nevertheless, the English Rushing with a shout, at once upon them caused them to Run as fast as Legs could carry them: So that the whole English Army, expressing as much Resolution as was in Cesar’s Army, when they first landed on Britain, in spight of all opposition from the Inhabitants, marched on until it was dark, having first killed many of the French, with the loss of but 1 J. ¢., bodies of troops dispatched to the front, vanguards. WILLIAM PHIPS 199 Four Men of their own; and frighted about Seven or Eight Hundred more of the French from an Ambuscado, where they lay ready to fall upon them. But some thought, that by-staying in the Valley, they took the way never to get over the Hill:’ And yet for them to stay where they were, till the smaller Vessels came up the River before them, so far as by their Guns to secure the Passage of the Army in their getting over, was what the Council of War had ordered. But the Violence of the Weather, with the General’s being sooner plunged into the heat of Action than was in- tended, hindred the smaller Vessels from attending that Order. And this Evening a French Deserter coming to them, assured them, that Nine Hundred Men were on their March from Quebeck to meet them, already passed a little Rivulet that lay at the end of the City, but seeing them Land so suddenly, and so valiantly run down those that first Encounted them, they had Retreated: Nevertheless, That Count Fron- tenac was come down to Quebeck with no fewer than Thirty Hundred Men to defend the City, having left but Fifty Souldiers to defend Mount Real, because they had understood, that the English Army on that side, were gone back to Albany. Notwithstanding this dis-spiriting Information, the common Souldiers did with much vehemency Beg and Pray, that they might be led on; professing, that they had rather lose their Lives on the Spot, than fail of taking the City; but the more wary Commanders considered how rash a thing it would be, for about Fourteen Hundred Raw Men, tired with a long Voyage, to assault more than Twice as many Expert Souldiers, who were Galli in 1 There is a proverb, “He that stays in the valley shall never get over the hill.” 200 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA suo sterquilinio,! or Cocks Crowing on their own Dunghil. They were, in truth, now gotten into the grievous Case which Livy describes, when he says, [bi grave est Bellum gerere, ubt non consistendt aut procedendt locus; quocunque aspexeris Hostilia sunt omnia; ? look on one side or t’other, all was full of Hostile Difficulties. And indeed, whatever Popular Clamour has been made against any of the Commanders, it is apparent that they acted considerately, in making a Pause upon what was before them; and they did a greater kindness to their Souldiers than they have since been thanked for. But in this time, General Phips and his Men of War, with their Canvas Wings, flew close up unto the West-end of the City, and there he behaved himself with the greatest Bravery imaginable; nor did the other Men of War forbear to follow his brave Example: Who never discovered himself more in his Element, than when (as the Poet expresseth it,) The Slaughter-Breathing Brass grew hot, and spoke In Flames of Lightning, and in Clouds of Smoke: He lay within Pistol-shot of the Enemies Cannon, and beat them from thence, and very much batter’d the Town, having his own Ship shot through in almost an Hundred Places with Four and Twenty Pounders, and yet but one Man was killed, and only Two Mortally Wounded Aboard hin, in this hot Engagement, which continued the greatest part of that Night, and several Hours of the Day ensuing. But wondring that he saw no Signal of any Effective Action Ashoar at the 1 Cotton Mather puns here on the meaning of “ gallus,”’cock, and “sallus,’ Frenchman, Gaul. 2 “Tt is difficult to wage war, when there is no chance to halt or to proceed, and, wherever one looks, everything is hostile.” WILLIAM PHIPS 201 East-end of the City, he sent that he might know the Condition of the Army there; and received Answer, That several of the Men were so frozen in their Hands and Feet, as to be disabled from Service, and others were apace falling sick of the Small-Pox. Whereupon he order’'d them on Board immediately to refresh them- selves, and he intended then to have renew’d his Attack upon the City, in the Method of Landing his Men in the Face of it, under the shelter of his great Guns; having to that purpose provided also a considerable number of well-shaped Wheel-Barrows, each of them carrying Iwo Petarraro’s! apiece, to March before the Men, and make the Enemy Fly, with as much Con- tempt as overwhelmed the Philistines, when undone by Foxes with Torches in their Tails; (remembred in an Anniversary Diversion every 4pril among the Ancient Romans, taught by the Phenictians.) While the Measures to be further taken were debat- ing, there was made an Exchange of Prisoners, the English having taken several of the French in divers Actions, and the French having in their Hands divers of the English, whom the Jndians had brought Captives unto them. The Army now on Board continued still Resolute and Courageous, and on fire for the Conquest of Quebeck; or if they had missed of doing it by Storm, they knew that they might, by possessing themselves of the Isle of Orleans, in a little while have starved them out. Incredible Damage they might indeed have done to the Enemy before they Embarked, but they were willing to preserve the more undefensible Parts of the Country in such a Condition, as might more sensibly 1Petarraro probably means “peterero,” or “pedrero,” an old name for a very short piece of chambered ordnance—a small gun or cannon, 202 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Encourage the Submission of the Inhabitants unto the Crown of England, whose Protection was desired by so many of them. And still they were loth to play for any lesser Game than the immediate Surrender of Quebeck it self. But e’re a full Council of War could conclude the next Steps to be taken, a violent Storm arose that separated the Fleet, and the Snow and the Cold became so extream, that they could not continue in those Quarters any longer. Thus, by an evident Hand of Heaven, sending one unavoidable Disaster after another, as well-formed an Enterprize, as perhaps was ever made by the New- Englanders, most unhappily miscarried; and General Phips underwent a very mortifying Disappointment of a Design, which his Mind was, as much as ever any, set upon. He arrived Nov. 19. at Boston, where, al- though he found himself, as well as the Publick, thrown into very uneasie Circumstances, yet he had this to Comfort him, that neither his Courage nor his Conduct could reasonably have been Taxed; nor could it be said that any Man could have done more than he did, under so many Embarassments of his Business, as he was to Fight withal. He also relieved the uneasiness of his Mind, by considering, that his Voyage to Canada, diverted from his Country an Horrible Tempest from an Army of Boss-Lopers,! which had prepar’d them- selves, as ’tis afirmed, that Winter, to fall upon the 1 This word seems to be a Dutch form, translating “ coureurs de bois,” which probably was used by the settlers in New York and from them came into speech elsewhere in the colonies. In a con- temporary account of Phips’s expedition against Quebec (S. A. Green, Two Narratives of the Expedition Against Quebec, Cambridge, 1902, 39n.) we read “Bosslopers (or mongrel french begat on Indian women), but, however the word came to be understood, it quite clearly originally was simply a translation of “coureurs de bois.”’ WILLIAM PHIPS 203 New-English Colonies, and by falling on them, would probably have laid no little part of the Country deso- late. And he further considered, that in this Matter, like Israel engaging against Benjamin, it may be, we saw yet but the beginning of the matter: And that the way to Canada now being learnt, the Foundation of a Victory over it might be laid in what had been already done. Unto this purpose likewise, he was heard sometimes applying the Remarkable Story re- ported by Bradwardine. “There was an Hermit, who being vexed with Blas- ‘yhemous Injections about the Justice and Wisdom of ‘Divine Providence, an Angel in Humane Shape in- ‘vited him to Travel with him, That he might see the ‘hidden Judgments of God. Lodging all Night at the ‘House of a Man who kindly entertain’d them, the ‘Angel took away a valuable Cup from their Host, ‘at their going away in the Morning, and bestowed ‘this Cup upon a very wicked Man, with whom they ‘lodged the Night ensuing. The Third Night they ‘were most lovingly Treated at the House of a very ‘Godly Man, from whom, when they went in the ‘Morning, the Angel meeting a Servant of his, threw ‘him over the Bridge into the Water, where he was ‘drowned. And the Fourth, being in like manner most ‘courteously Treated at the House of a very Godly ‘Man, the Angel before Morning did unaccountably ‘kill his only Child. The Companion of the Journey ‘being wonderfully offended at these things, would ‘have left his Guardian: But the Angel then thus ‘Addressed him, Understand now the Secret Judgments ‘of God! The first Man that entertained us, did tnordi- ‘nately affect that Cup which I took from him, twas for ‘the Advantage of his Interiour that I took 1t away, and 204 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘IT gave it unto the impious Man, as the present Reward ‘of his good Works, which 1s all the Reward that he 1s ‘like to have. As for our Third Host, the Servant which ‘IT slew had formed a bloody Design to have slain his ‘Master, but now, you see, I have saved the Life of the ‘Master, and prevented something of growth unto the ‘Eternal Punishment of the Murderer. As for our ‘Fourth Host, before his Child was Born unto him, he ‘was a very liberal and bountiful Person, and he did ‘abundance of good with his Estate; but when he saw he ‘was like to leave such an Heir, he grew Covetous; where- ‘fore the Soul of the Infant 1s Translated into Paradise, ‘but the occasion of Sin 15, you see, mercifully taken ‘away from the Parent. Thus General Phips, though he had been used unto Diving in his time, would say, That the things which had befallen him in this Expedition, were too deep to be Dived into! § 12. From the time that General Pen made his Attempt upon Hispaniola, with an Army that, like the New-English Forces against Canada, miscarried after an Expectation of having little to do but to Possess and Plunder; even to this Day, the general Disaster which hath attended almost every Attempt of the European Colonies in America, to make any considerable Encroachments upon their Neighbours, is a Matter of some close Reflection. But of the Dis- aster which now befel poor New-England in particular, every one will easily conclude none of the least Conse- quences to have been the Extream Debts which that Country was now plunged into; there being Forty Thousand Pounds, more or less, now to be paid, and not a Penny in the Treasury to pay it withal. In this Extremity they presently found out an Expedient, WILLIAM PHIPS 205 which may serve as an Example for any People in other Parts of the World, whose Distresses may call for a sudden supply of Money to carry them through any Important Expedition. The General Assembly first pass’'d an Act for the Levying of such a Sum of Money as was wanted, within such a Term of time as was judged convenient; and this Act was a Fund, on which the Credit of such a Sum should be rendered passable among the People. Hereupon there was appointed an able and faithful Committee of Gentlemen, who Printed, from Copper-Plates, a just Number of Bills, and Florished, Indented, and Contrived them in such a manner, as to make it impossible to Counterfeit any of them, without a speedy Discovery of the Counter- feit: Besides which, they were all Signed by the Hands of Three belonging to that Committee. These Bulls being of several Sums, from Two Shillings, to Ten Pounds, did confess the Massachuset-Colony to be Endebted unto the Person, in whose Hands they were, the Sums therein expressed; and Provision was made, that if any Particular Bills were Irrecoverable Lost, or Torn, or Worn by the Owners, they might be Recruited without any Damage to the whole in general. The Publick Debts to the Sailors and Soldiers, now upon the point of Mutiny, (for, Arma Tenenti, Omnia dat, qui Justa negat!1) were in these Bills paid immediately: But that further Credit might be given thereunto, it was Ordered that they should be accepted by the Treas- urer, and all Officers that were Subordinate unto him, in all Publick Payments, at Five per Cent. more than the Value expressed in them. The People knowing that the Tax-Act would, in the space of Two Years at least, fetch into the Treasury as much as all the 1 “He who denies what is just, gives all to one who bears arms.” 206 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Bills of Credit, thence emitted, would amount unto, were willing to be furnished with Bills, wherein ‘twas their Advantage to pay their Taxes, rather than in any other Specie; and so the Sazlors and Soldiers put off their Bills, instead of Money, to those with whom they had any Dealings, and they Circulated through all the Hands in the Colony pretty Comfortably. Had the Government been so settled, that there had not been any doubt of any Obstruction, or Diversion to be given to the Prosecution of the Tax-Act, by a Total Change of their Affairs then depending at Whitehall, ’tis very certain, that the Bills of Credit had been better than so much ready Silver; yea, the Invention had been of more use to the New-Englanders, than if all their Copper Mines had been opened, or the Mountains of Peru had been removed into these Parts of America. The Massachuset Bills of Credit had been like the Bank Bills of Venice, where though there were not, perhaps, a Ducat of Money in the Bank, yet the Bills were esteemed more than Twenty per Cent. better than Money, among the Body of the People, in all their Dealings. But many People being afraid, that the Government would in half a Year be so overturned, as to Convert their Bills of Credit altogether into Wast Paper, the Credit of them was thereby very much im- paired; and they, who first received them, could make them yield little more than Fourteen or Sixteen Shillings in the Pound; from whence there arose those Idle Suspicions in the Heads of many more Ignorant and Unthinking Folks concerning the use thereof, which, to the Incredible Detriment of the Province, are not wholly laid aside unto this Day. However, this Method of paying the Publick Debts, did no less than save the Publick from a perfect Ruin: And e’re many Months WILLIAM PHIPS 207 were expired, the Governour and Council had the Pleasure of seeing the Treasurer burn before their Eyes many a [Thousand Pounds Worth of the Bills, which had passed about until they were again returned unto the Treasury; but before their being returned, had happily and honestly, without a Farthing of Silver Coin, discharged the Debts, for which they were intended. But that which helped these Bills unto much of their Credit, was the Generous Offer of many Worthy Men in Boston, to run the Risque of selling their Goods reasonably for them: And of these, I think I may say, that General Phips was in some sort the Leader; who at the very beginning, meerly to Recommend the Credit of the Bills unto other Persons, chearfully laid down a considerable quantity of ready Money for an equivalent parcel of them. And thus in a little time the Country waded through the Terrible Debts which it was fallen into: In this, though unhappy enough, yet not so unhappy as in the Loss of Men, by which the Country was at the same time consumed. *Tis true, there was very Jittle Blood spilt in the Attack made upon Quebeck; and there was a Great Hand of Heaven seen in it. The Churches, upon the Call of the Government, not only observed a General Fast through the Colony, for the Welfare of the Army sent unto Quebeck, but also kept the Wheel of Prayer in a Continual Motion, by Repeated and Successive Agree- ments, for Days of Prayer with Fasting, in their several Vicinities. On these Days the Ferventest Prayers were sent up to the God of Armies, for the Safety and Success of the New-English Army gone to Canada; and though I never understood that any of the Faithful did in their Prayers arise to any assurance that the Expedition should prosper in all respects, yet they 208 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA sometimes in their Devotions on these Occasions, uttered their Perswasion, that Almighty God had heard them in this thing, that the English Army should not fall by the Hands of the French Enemy. Now they were marvellously delivered from doing so; though the Enemy had such unexpected Advantages over them, yea, and though the horrid Winter was come on so far, that it is a Wonder the English Fleet, then Riding in the River of Canada, fared any better than the Army which a while since besieged Poland, wherein, of Seventy Thousand Invaders, no less than Forty Thousand suddenly perished by the severity of the Cold, albeit it were but the Month of November with them. Never- theless, a kind of Camp-Fever, as well as the Small-Pox, got into the Fleet, whereby some Hundreds came short of Home. And besides this Calamity, it was also to be lamented, that although the most of the Fleet arrived safe at New-England, whereof some Vessels indeed were driven off by Cross-Winds as far as the West-Indies, before such Arrival; yet there were [hree or Four Vessels which totally miscarried: One was never heard of, a Second was Wreck’d, but most of the Men were saved by another in Company; a third was Wreck’d so, that all the Men were either starvd, or drown’d, or slain by the /ndians, except one, which a long while after was by means of the French restored: And a fourth met with Accidents, which, it may be, my Reader will by and by pronounce not unworthy to have been Related. A Brigantine, whereof Captain John Rainsford was Commander, having about Threescore Men aboard, was 1n a very stormy Night, Octob. 28. 1690. stranded upon the desolate and hideous Island of Antecosta, an Island in the mouth of the Mighty River of Canada; WILLIAM PHIPS 209 but through the singular Mercy of God unto them, the Vessel did not, immediately, stave to pieces, which if it had happened, they must have, one way or another, quickly perished. There they lay for divers Days, under abundance of bitter Weather, trying and hoping to get off their Vessel; and they solemnly set apart one Day for Prayer with Fasting, to obtain the Smiles of Heaven upon them in the midst of their Distresses; and this especially, That if they must go Ashoar, they might not, by any stress of Storm, lose the Provisions which they were to carry with them. They were at last convinced, that they must continue no longer on Board, and therefore, by the Seventh of November, they applied themselves, all Hands, to get their Pro- visions Ashoar upon the dismal Island, where they had nothing but a sad and cold Winter before them; which being accomplished, their Vessel overset so, as to take away from them all expectation of getting off the Island in it. Here they now built themselves Nine small Chimney-less things that they called Houses; to this purpose employing such Boards and Planks as they could get from their shattered Vessel, with the help of Trees, whereof that squalid Wilderness had enough to serve them; and they built a particular Store-House, wherein they carefully Lodg’d and Lock’d the poor quantity of Provisions, which though scarce enough to serve a very abstemious Company for one Month, must now be so stinted, as to hold out Six or Seven; and the Allowance agreed among them could be no better than for One Man, Two Biskets, half a pound of Pork, half a pound of Flower, one Pint and a quarter of Pease, and two Salt Fishes per Week. ‘This little Handful of Men were now a sort of Commonwealth, extraordinarily and miserably separated from all the 210 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA rest of Mankind; (but I believe, they thought little enough of an Utopia: Wherefore they consulted and concluded such Laws among themselves, as they judged necessary to their subsistence, in the doleful Condition whereinto the Providence of God had cast them; now Penitus toto divisos Orbe.+ They set up Good Orders, as well as they could, among themselves; and» besides their daily Devotions, they Observed the Lord’s Days, with more solemn Exercises of Religion. But it was not long before they began to feel the more mortal effects of the Straits whereinto they had been Reduced: Their short Commons, their Drink of Snow-Water, their Hard, and Wet, and Smoaky Lodg- ings, and their Grievous Despair of Mind, overwhelmed some of them at such a rate, and so ham-string’d them, that sooner than be at the pains to go abroad, and cut their one Fuel, they would lye after a Sottish manner in the Cold; these things quickly brought Sicknesses among them. The first of their Number who Died was their Doctor, on the 20th of December; and then they dropt away, one after another, till between Thirty and Forty of the Sixty were buried by their disconsolate Friends, whereof every one look’d still to be the next that should lay his Bones in that Forsaken Region. ‘These poor Men did therefore, on Monday the Twenty Seventh of January, keep a Sacred Fast (as they did, in some sort, a Civil one, every Day, all this while) to beseech of Almighty God, that his Anger might be turned from them, that he would not go on to cut them off in his Anger, that the Extremity of the 1“Utterly separated from all the world.” WILLIAM PHIPS 211 Season might be mitigated, and that they might be prospered in some Essay to get Relief as the Spring should Advance upon them; and they took Notice that God gave them a Gracious Answer to every one of these Petitions. But while the Hand of God was killing so many of this little Nation (and yet uncapable to become a Nation, for it was, Res unius 4tatis, populus virorum!') they apprehended, that they must have been under a most uncomfortable Necessity to kill One of their Company. Whatever Penalties they Enacted for other Crimes, there was One, for which, like that of Parricide among the Antients, they would have promised themselves, that there should not have been Occasion for any Punishments; and that was, the Crime of Stealing from the Common-Stock of their Provisions. Never- theless they found their Store-House divers times broken open, and their Provisions therefrom Stolen by divers unnatural Children of the Leviathan,” while it was not possible for them to preserve their feeble Store-House from the Stone-Waill-breaking Madness of these un- reasonable Creatures. This Trade of Stealing, if it had not been stopp’d by some exemplary Severity, they must in a little while, by Zot or Force, have come to have Canibally devoured one another; for there was nothing to be done, either at Fishing, or Fowling, or Hunting, upon that Rueful Island, in the depth of a Frozen Winter; and though they sent as far as they could upon Discovery, they could not find on the Island any Living thing in the World, besides themselves. Wherefore, though by an Act they made Stealing to 1“ A republic of one age and of men.” 2 The Leviathan, in obsolete usage, meant Satan. or. MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA be so Criminal, that several did Run the Gantlet for it, yet they were not far from being driven, after all, to make one Degree and Instance of it Capital. There was a wicked Jrishman among them, who had such a Voracious Devil in him, that after divers Burglaries upon the Store-House, committed by him, at last he Stole, and Eat with such a Pamphagous! Fury, as to Cram himself with no less than Eighteen Biskets at one Stolen Meal, and he was fain to have his Belly strok’d and bath’d before the Fire, lest he should otherwise have burst. This Amazing, and indeed Murderous Villany of the Jrishman, brought them all to their Wits Ends, how to defend themselves from the Ruin therein threatned unto them; and whatever Methods were proposed, it was feared that there could be no stop given to his Furacious Exorbitancies any way but One; he could not be past Stealing, unless he were past Hating too. Some think therefore they might have Sentenced the Wretch to Die, and after they had been at pains, upon Christian and Spiritual Accounts, to prepare him for it, have Executed the Sentence, by Shooting him to Death: Concluding Matters come to that pass, that if they had not Shot him, he must have Starved them unavoidably. Such an Action, if it were done, will doubtless meet with no harder a Censure, than that of the Seven Englishmen, who being in a Boat carried off to Sea from St. Christopher's, with but one Days Provision aboard for Seventeen, Singled out some of their Number by Lot, and Slew them, and Eat them; for which, when they were afterwards accused of Murder, the Court, in consideration of the inevitable Necessity, acquitted them. Truly the inevitable Necessity of Starving, without such an Action, 17, ¢., all-devouring. WILLIAM PHIPS 213 sufficiently grievous to them all, will very much plead for what was done (whatever it were!) by these poor Antecostians. And Starved indeed they must have been, for all this, if they had not Contrived and Per- formed a very desperate Adventure, which now remains to be Related. There was a very diminutive kind of Boat belonging to their Brigantine, which they recov- ered out of the Wreck, and cutting this Boat in Two, they made a shift, with certain odd Materials preserved among them, to lengthen‘it so far, that they could therein form a little Cuddy, where Two or Three Men might be stowed, and they set up a /ittle Mast, whereto they fastened a little Sail, and accommodated it with some other little Circumstances, according to their present poor Capacity. On the Twenty Fifth of March, Five of the Company Shipped themselves upon this Doughty Fly-Boaz, intending, if it were possible, to carry unto Boston the Tidings of their woful Plight upon Antecosta, and by help from their Friends there, to return with seasonable Succours for the rest. They had not Sail’d long before they were Hemm’d in by prodigious Cakes of Ice, _whereby their Boat sometimes was horribly wounded, and it was a Miracle that it was not Crush’d into a Thousand Pieces, if indeed a Thousand Pieces could have been Splintred out of so minute a Cock-Boat. They kept labouring, and fearfully Weather-beaten, - among enormous Rands! of Ice, which would ever now and then rub formidably upon them, and were enough to have broken the Ribs of the strongest Frigot that ever cut the Seas; and yet the signal Hand of Heaven so preserved this petty Boat, that by the Eleventh of April they had got a quarter of their way, and came to 1 Pieces. 214 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA an Anchor under Cape St. Lawrence, having seen Land but once before, and that about seven Leagues off, ever since their first setting out; and yet having seen the open and Ocean Sea not so much as once in all this while, for the Ice that still encompassed them. For their support in this Time, the little Provisions they brought with them would not have kept them alive; only they killed Seale upon the Ice, and they melted the upper part of the Ice for Drink; but fierce, wild, ugly Sea-Horses,! would often so approach them upon the Ice, that the fear of being devoured by them was not the least of their Exercises. The Day following they weig hed * Anchor betimes in the Morning but the Norwest Winds persecuted them, with the raised and raging Waves of the Sea, which almost continually poured into them; and Monstrous Islands of Ice, that seemed almost as big as Antecosta it self, would ever now and then come athwart them. In such a Sea they lived by the special assistance of God, until, by the Thirteenth of April, they got into an Island of Land, where they made a Fire, and killed some Fowl, and some Seale, and found some Goose-Eggs, and sup- plied themselves with what Billets of Wood were nec- essary and carriageable for them; and there they stayed until the Seventeenth. Here their Boat lying near a Rock, a great Sea hove it upon the Rock, so that it was upon the very point of oversetting, which if it had, she had been utterly disabled for any further Service, and they must have called that Harbour by the Name, which, I think, one a little more Northward bears, The Cape without Hope. There they must have ended their weary Days! But here the good Hand of God 1 Walruses. > Weighed. WILLIAM PHIPS 205 again interposed for them; they got her off; and though they lost their Compass in this Hurry, they sufficiently Repaired another defective one that they had aboard. Sailing from thence, by the Twenty-fourth of 4pril, they made Cape Brittoon;' when a thick Fog threw them into a new Perplexity, until they were safely gotten into the Bay of IJslands,? where they again wooded, and watred, and killed a few Fowl, and catched some Fish, and began to reckon themselves as good as half way home. They reached Cape Sables* by the Third of May, but by the Fifth all their Provision was again spent, and they were out of sight of Land; nor had they any prospect of catching any thing that lives in the Atlantick: which while they were lamenting one unto another, a stout Halibut comes up to the top of the Water, by their side; whereupon they threw out the Fishing-Line, and the Fish took the Hook; but he proved so heavy, that it required the help of several Hands to hale him in, and a thankful Supper they made on’t. By the Seventh of May seeing no Land, but having once more spent all their Provision, they were grown almost wholly hopeless of Deliverance, but then a Fishing Shallop of Cape Ann came up with them, Fifteen Leagues to the Eastward of that Cape. And yet before they got in, they had so Tempestuous a Night, that they much feared perishing upon the Rocks after all: But God carried them into Boston Harbour the Ninth of May, unto the great surprize of their Friends that were in Mourning for them: And there furnishing themselves with a Vessel fit for their Under- taking, they took a Course in a few Weeks more to 1 Breton. 2 Newfoundland. 3 Cape Sable. 216 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA fetch home their Brethren that they left behind them at Antecosta. But it is now time for us to return unto Sir William! $13. All this while C4NADA was as much written upon Sir William’s Heart, as CALLICE,' they said once, was upon Queen Mary’s.?, He needed not one to have been his daily Monitor about Canada: It lay down with him, it rose up with him, it engrossed almost all his thoughts; he thought the subduing of Canada to be the greatest Service that could be done for New- England, or for the Crown of England, in America. In pursuance whereof, after he had been but a few Weeks at Home, he took another Voyage for England, in the very depth of Winter, when Sailing was now dangerous; conflicting with all the Difficulties of a tedious and a terrible Passage, in a very little Vesscl, which indeed was like enough to have perished, if it had not been for the help of his generous Hand aboard, and his Fortunes 1n the bottom. Arriving per tot Discrimina,®? at Bristol, he hastned up to London; and made his Applications to their Majesties, and the Principal Ministers of State, for assistance to renew an Expedition against Canada, concluding his Representation to the King with such Words as these: ‘If Your Majesty shall graciously please to Com- ‘mission and Assist me, I am ready to venture my Life ‘again in your Service. And I doubt not, but by the ‘Blessing of God, Canada may be added unto the rest ‘of your Dominions, which will (all Circumstances ‘considered) be of more Advantage to the Crown of ‘England, than all the Territories in the West-Indies are. 1 Calais. * Mary I of England. 3 “Through so many dangers.” WILLIAM PHIPS 217, The Reasons here subjoined, are humbly Offered unio Your Majesties Consideration. ‘First, The Success of this Design will greatly add ‘to the Glory and Interest of the English Crown and ‘Nation; by the Addition of the Bever-Trade, and ‘Securing the Hudson’s Bay Company, some of whose ‘Factories have lately fallen into the Hands of the ‘French; and increase of English Shipping and Seamen, ‘by gaining the Fishery of Newfoundland; and by “consequence diminish the number of French Seamen, ‘and cut off a great Revenue from the French Crown. ‘Secondly, The Cause of the English in New-England, ‘their failing in the late Attempt upon Canada, was ‘their waiting for a Supply of Ammunition from Eng- ‘land until August; their long Passage up that River; ‘the Cold Season coming on, and the Small-Pox and ‘Fevers being in the Army and Fleet, so that they could ‘not stay Fourteen Days longer; in which time probably ‘they might have taken Quebeck; yet, if a few Frigots ‘be speedily sent, they doubt not of an happy Success; ‘the Strength of the French being small, and the Planters ‘desirous to be under the English Government. ‘Thirdly, The Jesuites endeavour to seduce the “Maqua’s, and other Indians (as is by them affirmed) “suggesting the Greatness of King Lewis, and the ‘Inability of King William, to do any thing against ‘the French in those Parts, thereby to engage them in ‘their Interests: In which, if they should succeed, not ‘only New-England, but all our American Plantations, “would be endangered by the great increase of Shipping, ‘for the French (built in New-England at easie rates) ‘to the Infinite Dishonour and Prejudice of the English ‘Nation. 218 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA But now, for the Success of these Applications, I must entreat the Patience of my Reader to wait until we have gone through a little more of our History. §14. The Reverend INCREASE MATHER be- holding his Country of New-England in a very Deplor- able Condition, under a Governour that acted by an Illegal, Arbitrary, Treasonable Commission, and In- vaded Liberty and Property after such a manner, as that no Man could say any thing was his own, he did, with the Encouragement of the Principal Gentlemen in the Country, but not without much Trouble and Hazard unto his own Person, go over to Whitehall in the Summer of the Year 1688. and wait upon King James, with a full Representation of their Muiseries. That King did give him Liberty of Access unto him, whenever he desired it, and with many Good Words promised him to relieve the Oppressed People in many Instances that were proposed: But when the Revolution had brought the Prince and Princess of Orange to the - Throne, Mr. Mather having the Honour divers times to wait upon the King, he still prayed for no less a Favour to New-England, than the full Restoration of their Charter-Priviledges: And Sir William Phips hap- pening to be then in England, very generously joined with Mr. Mather in some of those Addresses: Whereto His Majesty’s Answers were always very expressive of his Gracious Inclinations. Mr. Mather, herein assisted also by the Right Worshipful Sir Henry Ashurst, a most Hearty Friend of all such good Men as those that once filled New-England, solicited the Leading Men of both Houses in the Convention-Parliament, until a Bill for the Restoring of the Charters belonging to New-England, was fully passed by the Commons of WILLIAM PHIPS 219 England; but that Parliament being Prorogu’d, and then Dissolved, all that Sisyphean Labour came to nothing. The Disappointments which afterwards most wonderfully blasted all the hopes of the Petitioned Restoration, obliged Mr. Mather, not without the Concurrence of other Agents, now also come from New-England, unto that Method. of Petitioning the King for a New Charter, that should contain more than all the Priviledges of the Old; and Sir William Phips, now being again returned into England, lent his utmost assistance hereunto. The King taking a Voyage for Holland before this Petition was answered; Mr. Mather, in the mean while, not only waited upon the greatest part of the Lords of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Council, offering them a Paper of Reasons for the Confirmation of the Charter-Priviledges granted unto the Massachuset- Colony; but also having the Honour to be introduc’d unto the Queen, he assured Her Majesty, That there were none in the World better affected unto their Majesties Government than the People of New-England, who had indeed been exposed unto great Hardships for their being so; and entreated, that since the King had referred the New-English Affair unto the Two Lord Chief Justices, with the Attorney and Solicitor General, there might be granted unto us what they thought was reasonable. Whereto the Queen replied, That the Request was reasonable; and that she had spoken divers times to the King on the behalf of New-England; and that for her own part, she desired that the People there might not meerly have Justice, but Favour done to them. When the King was returned, Mr. Mather, being by the Duke of Devonshire brought into the King’s Presence on April 28. 1691. humbly pray d 220 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA His Majesties Favour to New-England; urging, That if their Old Charter-Priviledges might be restored unto them, his Name would be great in those Parts of the World as long as the World should stand; adding, Site : OUR Subjects there have been willing to veniure their Lives, that they may enlarge your Domin- ions; the Expedition to Canada was a Great and Noble Undertaking. May it please your Majesty, in your great Wisdom also to consider the Circumstances of that People, as in your Wisdom you have considered the Circumstances of England, and of Scotland. Jn New-England they differ from other Plantations; they are called Congregational and Presbyterian. So that such a Governour will not suit with the People of New-England, as may be very proper for other English Plantations. Two Days after this, the King, upon what was proposed by certain Lords, was very inquisitive, whether he might, without breach of Law, set a Gover- nour over New-England; whereto the Lord Chief Justice, and some others of the Council, answered, That whatever might be the Merit of the Cause, inasmuch as the Charter of New-England stood vacated by a Judgment against them, it was in the King’s Power to put them under what Form of Government he should think best for them. The King then said, ‘That he believed it would be ‘for the Advantage of the People in that Colony, to ‘be under a Governour appointed by himself: Never- ‘theless (because of what Mr. Mather had spoken to WILLIAM PHIPS 221 him) ‘He would have the Agents of New-England ‘nominate a Person that should be agreeable unto the ‘Inclinations of the People there; and notwithstanding ‘this, he would have Charter-Priviledges restored and ‘confirmed unto them. The Day following the King began another Voyage to Holland; and when the Attorney General’s Draught of a Charter, according to what he took to be His Majesties Mind, as expressed in Council, was presented at the Council-Board, on the Fighth of June, some Objections then made, procured an Order to prepare Minutes for another Draught, which deprived the New-Englanders of several Essential Priviledges in their other Charter. Mr. Mather put in his Objections, and vehemently protested, That he would sooner part with his Life, than consent unto those Minutes, or any thing else that should infringe any Liberty or Privi- ledge of Right belonging unto his Country; but he was answered, That the Agents of New-England were not Plenipotentiaries from another Soveraign State; and that if they would not submit unto the King’s Pleasure in the Settlement of the Country, they must take what would follow. The dissatisfactory Minutes were, by Mr. Mather’s Industry, sent over unto the King in Flanders; and the Ministers of State then with the King were earnestly applied unto, that every mistake about the good Settle- ment of New-England might be prevented; and the Queen her self, with her own Royal Hand, wrote unto the King, that the Charter of New-England might either pass as it was drawn by the Attorney General, or be deferred until his own Return. But after all, His Majesties Principal Secretary of State received a Signification of the King’s Pleasure, 20, MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA that the Charter of New-England should run in the Main Points of it as it was now granted: Only there were several Important Articles which Mr. Mather by his unwearied Solicitations obtained afterwards to be inserted. There were some now of the Opinion, that instead of submitting to this New Settlement, they should, in hopes of getting a Reversion of the Judgment against the Old Charter, declare to the Ministers of State, That they had rather have no Charter at all, than such an one as was now proposed unto Acceptance. But Mr. Mather advising with many unprejudiced Persons, and Men of the greatest Abilities in the King- dom, Noblemen, Gentlemen, Divines and Lawyers, they all agreed, that it was not only a lawful, but all Cir- cumstances then considered, a Needful thing, and a part of Duty and Wisdom to accept what was now offered, and that a peremptory refusal would not only bring an Inconveniency, but a Fatal, and perhaps, a Final Ruin upon the Country; whereof Mankind would lay the blame upon the Agents. It was argued, That such a Submission was no Surrender of any thing; that the Judgment, not in the Court of King’s Bench, but in Chancery against the Old Charter, standing on Record, the Pattern! was thereby Annihilated; that all attempts to have the Judgment against the Old Charter taken off, would be altogether in vain, as Men and Things were then disposed. It was further argued, That the Ancient Charter of New-England was in the Opinion of the Lawyers very Defective, as to several Powers, which yet were abso- 1 Patent, charter, WILLIAM PHIPS 222 lutely necessary to the subsistence of the Plantation: It gave the Government there no more Power than the Corporations have in England; Power in Capital Cases was not therein particularly expressed. It mentioned not an House of Deputies, or an Assem- bly of Representatives; the Governour and Company had thereby (they said) no Power to impose Taxes on the Inhabitants that were not Freemen, or to erect Courts of Admiralty. Without such Powers the Colony could not subsist; and yet the best Friends that New- England had of Persons most Learned in the Law, professed, that suppose the judgment against the Massachuset-Charter might be Reversed, yet, if they should again Exert such Powers as they did before the Quo Warranto against their Charter, a new Writ of Scire Facias would undoubtedly be issued out against them. It was yet further argued, That if an Act of Parlia- ment should have Reversed the Judgment against the Massachuset-Charter, without a Grant of some other Advantages, the whole Territory had been, on many Accounts, very miserably Incommoded: The Province of Main, with Hampshire, would have been taken from them; and Plymouth would have been annexed unto New-York; so that this Colony would have been squeezed into an Atom, and not only have been render’d Insignificant in its Trade, but by having its Militia also, which was vested in the King, taken away, its Insignificancies would have become out of measure humbling; whereas now, instead of seeing any Relief by Act of Parliament, they would have been put under a Governour, with a Commission, whereby ill Men, and the King’s and Country’s Enemies might probably have crept into Opportunities to have done Ten Thou- 224 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA sand ill things, and have treated the best Men in the Land after a very uncomfortable manner. It was lastly argued, That by the New Charter very great Priviledges were granted unto New-England; and in some respects greater than what they formerly enjoyed. The Colony is now made a Province, and their General Court, has, with the King’s Approbation, as much Power in New-England, as the King and Parlia- ment have in England. hey have all English Liberties, and can be touched by no Law, by no Tax, but of their own making. All the Liberties of their Holy Religion are for ever se ured,! and their Titles to their Lands, once for want of some Forms of Legal Convey- ance, contested, are now confirmed unto them If an ill Governour should happen to be imposed on them, what hurt could he do to them? None, except they themselves pleased; for he cannot make one Counsellor, or one Judge, or one Justice, or one Sheriff to serve his Turn: Disadvantages enough, one would think, to Discourage any ill Governour from desiring to be Stationed in those uneasie Regions. The People have a Negative upon all the Executive Part of the Civil Government, as well as the Legislative, which is a vast Priviledge, enjoyed by no other Plantation in America, nor by Ireland, no, nor hitherto by England it self. Why should all of this good be refused or despised, because of somewhat not so good attending it? The Despisers of so much good, will certainly deserve a Censure, not unlike that of Causabon,? upon some who did not value what that Learned Man counted highly valuable, Vix ilis optart quidquam peius potest, quam 1 Secured. 2 Causabon 1s either Isaac Casaubon (1559-1614) or Meric Casau- bon (1599-1671). Both were Swiss scholars and critics. WILLIAM PHIPS 226 ut fatuitate sua fruantur:' Much good may do them with their Madness! All of this being well considered, Sir William Phips, who had made so many Addresses for the Restoration of the Old Charter, under which he had seen his Country many Years flourishing, will be excused by all the World from any thing of a Fault, in a most unexpected passage of his Life, which is now to be related. Sir Henry Ashurst, and Mr. Mather, well knowing the agreeable Disposition to do Good, and the King and his Country Service, which was in Sir William Phips, whom they now had with them, all this while Prosecuting his Design for Canada, they did unto the Council-Board nominate him for the GOVERNOUR of New-England. And Mr. Mather being by the Earl of Nottingham introduced unto His Majesty, said, Sir, Do, in the behalf of New-England, most humbly | thank your Majesty, in that you have been pleased, by a Charter, to restore English Liberties unto them, to confirm them in their Properties, and to grant them some peculiar Priviledges. I doubt not, but that your Subjects there will demean themselves with that duti- ful Affection and Loyalty to your Majesty, as that you will see cause to enlarge your Royal Favours towards them. And I do most humbly thank your Majesty, in that you have been pleased to give leave unto those that are concerned for New-England to nominate their Gover- nour. Sir William Phips has been accordingly nominated 1 “Hardly anything worse can be hoped for them, than that they may have the fruit of their folly.” 226 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA by us at the Council-Board. He hath done a good Service for the Crown, by enlarging your Dominions, and reducing of Nova Scotia to your Obedience. I know that he will faithfully serve your Majesty to the utmost of his Capacity; and if your Majesty shall think fit to confirm him tn that place, it will be a further Obligation on your Subjects there. The Effects of all this was, that Sir William Phips was now invested with a Commission under the King’s Broad-Seal to be Captain General, and Governour in Chief over the Province of the Massachuset-Bay in New-England: Nor do I know a Person in the World that could have been proposed more acceptable to the Body of the People throughout New-England, and on that score more likely and able to serve the King’s Interests among the People there, under the Changes in some things unacceptable, now brought upon them. He had been a Gideon, who had more than once ven- tured his Life to save his Country from their Enemies; and they now, with universal Satisfaction said, Thou shalt rule over us. Accordingly, having with Mr. Mather kissed the King’s Hand on January 3d, 1691. he hastned away to his Government; and arriving at New-England the Fourteenth of May following, attended with the Non-such-Frigat, both of them were welcomed with the loud Acclamations of the long shaken and shatter’d Country, whereto they were now returned with a Settlement so full of happy Priviledges. $15. When Titus Flaminius had freed the poor Grecians from the Bondage which had long oppressed them, and the Herald Proclaimed among them the Articles of their Freedom, they cried out, 4 Saviour! WILLIAM PHIPS 227 A Saviour! with such loud Acclamations, that the very Birds fell down from Heaven astonish’d at the Cry. Truly, when Mr. Mather brought with him unto the poor New-Englanders, not only a Charter, which though in divers Points wanting what both he and they had wished for, yet for ever delivers them from Oppressions on their Christian and English Liberties, or on their Ancient Possessions, wherein ruining Writs of Intrusion had begun to Invade them all, but also a GOVERNOUR who might call New-England his own Country, and who was above most Men in it, full of Affection to the Interests of his Country; the sensible part of the People then caused the Sence of the Sal- vations thus brought them to reach as far as Heaven it self. The various little Humours then working among the People, did not hinder the Great and General Court of the Province to appoint a Day of Solemn THANKSGIVING to Almighty God, for Granting (as the Printed Order expressed it) a safe Arrival to his Excellency our Governour, and the Reverend Mr. Increase Mather, who have industriously endeavoured the Service of this People, and have brought over with them a Settlement of Government, 1n which their Majesties have graciously given us distinguishing Marks of their Royal Favour and Goodness. And as the obliged People thus gave Thanks unto the God of Heaven, so they sent an Address of Thanks unto Their Majesties, with other Letters of Thanks unto some Chief Ministers of State, for the Favourable Aspect herein cast upon the Province. Nor were the People mistaken, when they promised themselves all the kindness imaginable from this Governour, and expected, Under his shadow we shall 228 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA live easie among the Heathen: Why might they not look for Halcyon-days, when they had such a King’s- Fisher, for their Governour? Governour Phips had, as every raised and useful Person must have, his Envious Enemies; but the palest Envy of them, who turned their worst Enmity upon him, could not hinder them from confessing, That according to the best of his Apprehension, he ever sought the good of his Country: His Country quickly felt this on innumerable Occasions; and they had it eminently demonstrated, as well in his promoting and approving the Council’s choice of good Judges, Justices and Sher- iffs, which being once established, no Successor could remove them, as in his urging the General Assembly to make themselves happy by preparing a Body of good Laws as fast as they could, which being passed by him in his time, could not be nulled by any other after him. He would often speak to the Members of the general Assembly in such Terms as these, Gentlemen, You may make your selves as easie as you will for ever; consider what may have any tendency to your welfare; and you may be sure, that whatever Bills you offer to me, consistent vith the Honour and Interest of the Crown, I'll pass them readily; I do but seek Opportunities to serve you; had it not been for the sake of this thing, I had never accepted the Government of this Province; and whenever you have settled such a Body of good Laws, that no Person coming after me may make you uneaste, I shall desire not one Day longer to continue 1n the Government. Accordingly he ever passed every Act for the welfare of the Province proposed unto him; and instead of ever putting them upon Buying his Assent unto any good Act, he was much forwarder to give it, than they were to ask it: WILLIAM PHIPS 229 Nor indeed, had the Hunger of a Salary any such Impression upon him, as to make him decline doing all possible Service for the Publick, while he was not sure of having any Proportionable or Honourable Acknowledgments. But yet he minded the Preservation of the King’s Rights with as careful and faithful a Zeal as became a good Steward for the Crown: And, indeed, he studied nothing more than to observe such a Temper in all things, as to extinguish what others have gone to distinguish; even the Pernicious Notion of a separate Interest. There was a time when the Roman Empire was infested with a vast number of Governours, who were Infamous for Infinite Avarice and Villany; and referring to this time, the Apostle John had a Vision of People killed with the Beasts of the Earth. But Sir William Phips was none of those Governours; wonderfully contrary to this wretchedness was the Happiness of New-England, when they had Governour Phips, using the tenderness of a Father towards the People; and being of the Opinion, Ditare magis esse Regium quam Ditescere,' that it was a braver thing to enrich the People, than to grow rich himself. A Father, I said; and what if I had said an Angel too? If I should from Clemens Alexandrinus, from Theodoret, and from Jerom, and and [sic] others among the Ancients, as well as from Calvin, and Bucan, and Peter Martyr, and Chem- nitius, and Bullinger, and a Thousand more among the Moderns, bring Authorities for the Assertion, That each Country and Province is under the special Care of some Angel, by a singular Deputation of Heaven assigned thereunto, I could back them with a far greater Author- ity than any of them all. The Scripture it self does 1 “Tt is more king-like to enrich than to be enriched.” 230 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA plainly assert it: And hence the most Learned Grotius, writing of Commonwealths, has a Passage to this pur- pose, His singulis, suos Attributos, esse Angelos, ex Daniele, magno consensu, &F Juder &F Christian veteres colligebant. But New-England had now, besides the Guardian- Angel, who more invisibly intended its welfare, a Governour that became wonderfully agreeable there- unto, by his whole Imitation of such a Guardian-Angel. He employed his whole Strength to guard his People from all Disasters, which threatned them either by Sea or Land; and it was remark’d, that nothing re- markably Disastrous did befal that People from the time of his Arrival to the Government, until there arrived an Order for his leaving it: (Except one thing which was begun before he entred upon the Govern- ment:) But instead thereof, the /ndians were notably defeated in the Assaults which they now made upon the English, and several French Ships did also very advantageously fall into his Hands; yea, there was by his means a Peace restored unto the Province, that had been divers Years languishing under the Hectic Feaver of a lingring War. And there was this one thing more that rendred his Government the more desirable; that whereas ’tis impossible for a meer Man to govern without some Error; whenever this Governour was advised of any Error in any of his Administrations, he would imme- diately retract it, and revoke it with all possible Inge- nuity; so that if any occasion of just Complaint arose, it was usually his endeavour that it should not long be complain’d of. 1“Old writers, both Jewish and Christian, agree, on the evidence of Daniel that individuals have angels assigned to them.” WILLIAM PHIPS 231 O, Felices nimium, sua st Bona, norant, Nov- rig ig But having ina Parenthesis newly intimated, that his Excellency, when he entred on his Government, found one thing that was remarkably Disastrous begun upon it: Of that one thing we will now give some ac- count. Reader, prepare to be entertained with as prodigious Matters as can be put into any History! And let him, that writes the next Thaumatographia Pneumatica,? allow to these Prodigies the chief place among the Won- ders. § 16. About the time of our Blessed Lord’s coming to reside on Earth, we read of so many possessed with Devils, that it is commonly thought the Number of such miserable Energumens® was then encreased above what has been usual in other Ages; and the Reason of that Increase has been made a Matter of some Enquiry. Now though the Devils might herein design by Preter- natural Operations to blast the Miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ, which point they gained among the Blasphemous Pharisees; and the Devils might herein also design a Villanous Imitation of what was coming to pass in the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherein God came to dwell in Flesh; yet I am not with- 1“QO most happy New Englanders, if they recognize their bless- ings.” Norant is probably for noscant. 2 “Wonders of the world of spirits.”” Cotton Mather’s own Wonders of the Invisible World is well described by “Thaumatographia Pneu- matica,” and he applies this title to Chapter VII of the Sixth Book of the Magnalia. 3 Persons possessed by devils. 252 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA out suspicion, that there may be something further in the Conjecture of the Learned Bartholinus hereupon, who says, It was Quod jude preter modum, Artibus Magicis dediti Demonem Advocaverint, the Jews, by the frequent use of Magical Tricks, called in the Devils among them. It is very certain, there were hardly any People in the World grown more fond of Sorceries, than that unhappy People; The Talmuds tell us of the little Parchments with Words upon them, which were their common Amulets, and of the Charms which they mut- terd over Wounds, and of the various Enchantments which they used against all sorts of Disasters whatso- ever. It is affirmed in the Talmuds, that no less than Twenty-four Scholars in one School were killed by Witchcraft; and that no less than Fourscore Persons were Hanged for Witchcraft by one Judge in one Day. The Gloss adds upon it, That the Women of Israel had generally fallen to the Practice of Witchcrafts; and therefore it was required, that there should be still chosen into the Council one skilful in the Arts of Sorcer- ers, and able thereby to discover who might be guilty of those Black Arts among such as were accused before them. Now the Arrival of Sir William Phips to the Govern- ment of New-England, was at a time when a Governour would have had Occasion for all the Skill in Sorcery, that was ever necessary to a Jewish Councellor; a time when Scores of poor People had newly fallen under a prodigious Possession of Devils, which it was then gen- erally thought had been by Witchcrafts introduced. It is to be confessed and bewailed, that many Inhabi- tants of New-England, and Young People especially, had been led away with little Sorceries, wherein they WILLIAM PHIPS 233 did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God; they would often cure Hurts with Spells, and practise detestable Conjurations with Sieves, and Keys, and Pease, and Nails, and Horse-shoes, and other Implements, to learn the things for which they had a forbidden and impious Curiosity. Wretched Books had stoln into the Land, wherein Fools were instructed how to become able Fortune-Tellers: Among which, I wonder that a blacker Brand is not set upon that Fortune-Telling Wheel, which that Sham-Scribler, that goes under the Letters of R. B. has promised in his Delights for the Ingenious, as an honest and pleasant Recreation:' And by these Books, the Minds of many had been so poisoned, that they studied this Finer Witchcraft, until, ’tis well, if some of them were not betray’d into what is Grosser, and more Sensible and Capital. Although these Diabolical Divinations are more ordinarily committed perhaps all over the whole World, than they are in the Country of New-England, yet, that being a Country Devoted unto the Worship and Service of the Lord JESUS CHRIST above the rest of the World, He signalized his Vengeance against these Wickednesses, with such extraordinary Dis- pensations as have not been often seen in other places. The Devils which had been so play’d withal, and, it may be, by some few Criminals more Explicitely engaged and imployed, now broke in upon the Country, after as astonishing a manner as was ever heard of. Some Scores of People, first about Salem, the Centre and First-Born of all the Towns in the Colony, and afterwards in several other places, were Arrested with many Preternatural Vexations upon their Bodies, and 1 Nathaniel Crouch, using the initials R. B. published his Delights for the Ingenious in London in 1684. 234 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA a variety of cruel Torments, which were evidently inflicted from the Demons, of the Invisible World. The People that were /nfected and Infested with such Demons, in a few Days time arrived unto such a Refin- ing Alteration upon their Eyes, that they could see their Tormentors; they saw a Devil of a Little Stature, and of a Tawny Colour, attended still with Spectres that appeared in more Humane Circumstances. These Tormentors tendred unto the afflicted a Book, requiring them to Sign it, or to Touch it at least, in token of their consenting to be Lifted in the Service of the Devil; which they refusing to do, the Spectres under the Command of that Blackman, as they called him, would apply themselves to Torture them with prodigious Molestations. The afflicted Wretches were horribly Distorted and Convulsed; they were Pinched Black and Blue: Pins would be run every where in their Flesh; they would be Scalded until they had Blisters raised on them; and a Thousand other things before Hundreds of Witnesses were done unto them, evidently Preternatural: For if it were Preternatural to keep a rigid Fast for Nine, yea, for Fifteen Days together; or if it were Preternatural to have one’s Hands ty’d close together with a Rope to be plainly seen, and then by unseen Hands presently pull’d up a great way from the Earth before a Croud of People; such Preternatural things were endured by them. But of all the Preternatural things which befel these People, there were none more unaccountable than those, wherein the prestigious Demons would ever now and then cover the most Corporeal things in the World with a Fascinating Mist of Invisibility. As now; a Person was cruelly assaulted by a Spectre, that, she said, run at her with a Spindle, though no Body else in the room WILLIAM PHIPS 235 could see either the Spectre or the Spindle: At last, in her Agonies, giving a snatch at the Spectre, she pulled the Spindle away; and it was no sooner got into her Hand, but the other Folks then present beheld that it was indeed a Real, Proper, Iron Spindle; which when they locked up very safe, it was nevertheless by the Demons taken away to do farther Mischief. Again, a Person was haunted by a most abusive Spectre, which came to her, she said, with a Sheet about her, though seen to none but her self. After she had undergone a deal of Teaze from the Annoyance of the Spectre, she gave a violent Snaich at the Sheet that was upon it; where-from she tore a Corner, which in her Hand immediately was beheld by alli that were present, a palpable Corner of a Sheet: And her Father, which was now holding of her, catch’d, that he might keep what his Daughter had so strangely seized; but the Spectre had like to have wrung his Hand off, by endeavouring to wrest it from him: However he still held it; and several times this odd Accident was re- newed in the Family. There wanted not the Oaths of good credible People to these particulars. Also, it is well known, that these wicked Spectres did proceed so far as to steal several Quantities of Money from divers People, part of which Individual Money was dropt sometimes out of the Air, before sufficient Spectators, into the Hands of the Afflicted, while the Spectres were urging them to subscribe their Covenant with Death. Moreover, Poisons to the Standers-by, wholly Invisible, were sometimes forced upon the Af- flicted; which when they have with much Reluctancy swallowed, they have swoln presently, so that the com- mon Medicines for Poisons have been found necessary to relieve them: Yea, sometimes the Spectres in the 236 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA struggles have so dropt the Pozsons, that the Standers-by have smelt them, and view’d them, and beheld the Pillows of the miserable stained with them. Yet more, the miserable have complained bitterly of burning Rags run into their forceably distended Mouths; and though no Body could see any such Clothes, or indeed any Fires in the Chambers, yet pres- ently the scalds were seen plainly by every Body on the Mouths of the Complainers. and not only the Smell, but the Smoke of the Burning sensibly fill’d the Chambers. Once more, the miserable exclaimed extreamly of Branding Irons heating at the Fire on the Hearth to mark them; now though the Sanders-by! could see no Irons, yet they could see distinctly the Print of them in the Ashes, and smell them too as they were carried by the not-seen Furies, unto the Poor Creatures for whom they were intended; and those Poor Creatures were thereupon so Stigmatized with them, that they will bear the Marks of them to their Dying Day. Nor are these the Tenth Part of the Prodigies that fell out among the Inhabitants of New-England. Flashy People may Burlesque these Things, but when Hundreds of the most sober People in a Country, where they have as much Mother-Wit certainly as the rest of Mankind, know them to be 7 rue, nothing but the absurd and froward Spirit of Sadducism? can Question them. I have not yet mentioned so much as one [hing that will not be justified, if it be required by the Oaths of more considerate Persons than any that can ridicule these odd Phenomena. But the worst part of this astonishing Tragedy is 1 Standers-by. * The spirit of the Sadducees, who denied the existence of angels and spirits. WILLIAM PHIPS 237 yet behind; wherein Sir William Phips, at last being dropt, as it were from the Machin of Heaven,' was an Instrument of easing the Distresses of the Land, now so darkned by the Wrath of the Lord of Hosts. There were very worthy Men upon the Spot where the assault from Hell was first made, who apprehended themselves call’d from the God of Heaven, to sift the business unto the bottom of it; and indeed, the continual Impressions, which the outcries and the havocks of the afflicted People that lived nigh unto them caused on their Minds, gave no little Edge to this Apprehension. The Persons were Men eminent for Wisdom and Virtue, and they went about their enquiry into the matter, as driven unto it by a Conscience of Duty to God and the World. They did in the first Place take it for granted, that there are Witches, or wicked Chil- dren of Men, who upon Covenanting with, and Commis- stoning of Evil Spirits, are attended by their Ministry to accomplish the things desired of them: To satisfie them in which Perswasion, they had not only the Assertions of the Holy Scripture; Assertions, which the Witch-Advocates cannot evade without Shifts, too foolish for any Prudent, or too profane for any Honest Man to use; and they had not only the well-attested Relations of the gravest Authors from Bodin to Bovet, and from Binsfeld to Bromhal and Baxter;? to deny all which, would be as reasonable as to turn the Chronicles of all Nations into Romances of Don Quixot and the Seven Champions;* but they had also an Ocular Demon- 1 Cf. “deus ex machina.” ? Mather might easily have extended indefinitely his list of learned writers who had upheld the reality of witchcraft. 3 The Famous History of the Seven Champions of Christendom, by Richard Johnston, a romance first printed in 1596. 238 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA stration in one, who a little before had been executed for Witchcraft, when Joseph Dudley, Esq; was the Chief Judge. There was one whose Magical Images were found, and who confessing her Deeds, (when a Jury of Doctors returned her Compos Mentts) actually shewed the whole Court, by what Ceremonies used unto them, she directed her Familiar Spirits how and where to Cruciate ! the Objects of her Malice; and the Experi- ments being made over and over again before the whole Court, the Effect followed exactly in the Hurts done to People at a distance from her. The Existence of such Witches was now taken for granted by those good Men, wherein so far the generality of reasonable Men have thought they ran well;? and they soon received the Confessions of some accused Persons to confirm them in it; but then they took one thing more for granted, wherein ’tis now as generally thought they went out of the Way. The Afflicted People vehemently accused several Persons in several Places, that the Spectres which afflicted them, did exactly resemble them; until the Importunity of the Accusations did provoke the Magistrates to examine them. When many of the accused came upon their Examination, it was found, that the Demons then a thousand ways abusing of the poor afflicted People, had with a marvellous exactness represented them; yea, it was found, that many of the accused, but casting their Eye on the afflicted, the af- fitcted, though their Faces were never so much another way, would fall down and lye in a sort of a Swoon, wherein they would continue, whatever Hands were laid upon them, until the Hands of the accused came to touch them, and then they would revive immediately: 1 Torment. 2 I. ¢,, they were right. WILLIAM PHIPS 230 aes And it was found, that various kinds of natural Actions, done by many of the accused in or to their own Bodies, as Leaning, Bending, Turning Awry, or Squeezing their Hands, or the like, were presently attended with the like things preternaturally done upon the Bodies of the afflicted, though they were so far asunder, that the afflicted could not at all observe the accused. It was also found, that the Flesh of the Afflicted was often Bitten at such a rate, that not only the Print of Teeth would be left on their Flesh, but the very Slaver of Spittle too: And there would appear just such a set of Teeth as was in the accused, even such as might be clearly distinguished from other Peoples. And usually the afflicted went through a terrible deal of seeming Difficulties from the tormenting Spectres, and must be long waited on, before they could get a Breathing Space from their Torments to give in their ‘Testimonies. Now many good Men took up an Opinion, That the Providence of God would not permit an Innocent Person to come under such a Spectral Representation; and that a concurrence of so many Circumstances would prove an accused Person to be in a Confederacy with the Demons thus afflicting of the Neighbours; they judged, that except these things might amount unto a Conviction, it would scarce be possible ever to Convict a Witch; and they had some Philosophical Schemes of Witchcraft, and of the Method and Manner wherein Magical Poisons operate, which further sup- ported them in their Opinion. Sundry of the accused Persons were brought unto their Trial, while this Opinion was yet prevailing in the Minds of the Judges and the Juries, and perhaps the most of the People in the Country, then mostly 240 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Suffering; and though against some of them that were Tried there came in so much other Evidence of their Diabolical Compacts that some of the most Judicious, and yet Vehement Opposers of the Notions then in Vogue, publickly declared, Had they themselves been on the Bench, they could not have Acquitted them; never- theless, divers were Condemned, against whom the chief Evidence was founded in the Spectral Exhibitions. And it happening, that some of the Accused coming to confess themselves Guilty, their Shapes were no more seen by any of the afflicted, though the Confession had been kept never so Secret, but instead thereof the Accused themselves became in all Vexations just like the Afflicted; this yet more confirmed many in the Opinion that had been taken up. And another thing that quickned them yet more to Act upon it, was, that the Afflicted were frequently entertained with Apparitions of Ghosts at the same time that the Spectres of the supposed Witches troubled them: Which Ghosts always cast the Beholders into far more Consternation than any of the Spectres; and when they exhibited themselves, they cried out of being Murdered by the Witchcrafts, or other Violences of the Persons represented in the Spectres. Once or Twice these Apparitions were seen by others at the very same time that they shew’d themselves to the afflicted; and seldom were they seen at all, but when something unusual and suspicious had attended the Death of the Party thus appearing. The afflicted People many times had never heard any thing before of the Persons appearing in Ghost, or of the Persons accused by the Apparitions; and yet the accused upon Examination have confessed the Murders of those very Persons, though these accused WILLIAM PHIPS 241 also knew nothing of the Apparitions that had come in against them; and the afflicted Persons likewise, without any private Agreement or Collusion, when successively brought into a Room, have all asserted the same 4 ppa- ritions to be there before them: These Murders did seem to call for an Enquiry. On the other Part, there were many Persons of great Judgment, Piety and Experience, who from the begin- ning were very much dissatisfied at these Proceedings; they feared lest the Devil would get so far into the Faith of the People, that for the sake of many Truths, which they might find him telling of them, they would come at length to believe all his Lies, whereupon what a Desolation of Names, yea, and of Lives also, would ensue, a Man might without much Witchcraft be able to Prognosticate; and they feared, lest in such an extraordinary Descent of Wicked Spirits from their High Places upon us, there might such Principles be taken up, as, when put into Practice, would unavoidably cause the Righteous to perish with the Wicked, and pro- cure the Blood-shed of Persons like the Gibeonites, whom some learned Men suppose to be under a false Pretence of Witchcraft, by Saul exterminated. However uncommon it might be for guililess Persons to come under such unaccountable Circumstances, as were on so many of the Accused, they held some things there are, which if suffered to be Common, would subvert Government, and Disband and Ruin Humane Society, yet God sometimes may suffer such Things to evene, that we may know thereby how much we are beholden to him for that restraint which he lays upon the Infernal Spirits, who would else reduce a World into a Chaos. They had already known of one at the Town of Groton hideously agitated by Devils, who in her Fits cried out 242 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA much against a very Godly Woman in the Town, and when that Woman approached unto her, though the Eyes of the Creature were never so shut, she yet mani- fested a violent Sense of her approach: But when the Gracious Woman thus Impeached, had prayed earnestly with and for this Creature, then instead of crying out against her any more, she owned, that she had in all been deluded by the Devil. They now saw, that the more the Afflicted were Hearkned unto, the more the numbér of the Accused encreased; until at last many scores were cried out upon, and among them, some, who by the Unblameableness, yea, and Service- ableness of their whole Conversation, had obtained the Just Reputation of Good People among all that were acquainted with them. The Character of the Afflicted likewise added unto the common Distaste; for though some of them too were Good People, yet others of them, and such of them as were most Flippent at Accusing, had a far other Character. In fine, the Country was in a dreadful Ferment, and wise Men foresaw a long Train of Dismal and Bloody Conequences. Hereupon they first advised, that the afflicted might be kept asunder in the closest Privacy; and one particular Person (whom I have cause to know) in pursuance of this Advice, offered himself singly to provide Accommodations for any six of them, that so the Success of more than ordinary Prayer with Fasting, might, with Patience, be experienced, before any other Courses were taken.! And Sir William Phips arriving to his Government, after this ensnaring horrible Storm was begun, did consult the neighbouring Ministers of the Province, who made unto his Excellency and the Council a return, 1 Mather here refers to himself. WILLIAM PHIPS 243 (drawn up at their desire by Mr. Mather the Younger,! as I have been inform’d) wherein they declared. We gudge, that in the Prosecution of these and all such Witchcrafts, there is need of avery Critical and Exquisite Caution: Lest by too much Credulity for things received only upon the Devil’s Authority, there be a Door opened for a long Train of miserable Consequences, and Satan get an Advantage over us; for we should not be Ignorant of his Devices. As in complaints upon Witchcrafts, there may be Matters of Enquiry, which do not amount unto Matters of Presumption; and there may be Matters of Presump- tion, which yet may not be reckoned Matters of Conviction; so tis necessary that all Proceedings thereabout be managed with an exceeding Tenderness towards those that may be complained of; especially if they have been Persons formerly of an unblemished Reputation. When the first Enquiry is made into the Circumstances of such as may lye under any just Suspicion of Witch- crafts, we could wish that there may be admitted as Little as 15 possible of such Noise, Company, and Openness, as may too hastily expose them that are Examined; and that there may nothing be used as a Test for the Trial of the Suspected, the lawfulness whereof may be doubted among the People of God: But that the Directions given by such judicious Writers as Perkins and Bernard, be consulted in such a Case. Presumptions, whereupon Persons may be committed, 1Cotton Mather. The “as I have been inform’d”’ is part of his attempt to retain his anonymity, since the life of Phips was first published with no author’s name. When it appeared in the Mag- nalia, Mather was known as its author, but he did not alter the phrasing of the original edition. 244 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA and much more Convictions, whereupon Persons may be condemned as guilty of Witchcrafts, ought certainly to be more considerable, than barely the accused Persons being represented by a Spectre to the afflicted: Inasmuch as it 1s an undoubted and a notorious Thing, that a Demon may, by God’s Permission, appear even to ill Purposes in the shape of an Innocent, yea, and a Virtuous Man: Nor can we esteem Alterations made 1n the Suffer- ers, by a look or touch of the accused, to be an infallible Evidence of Guilt; but frequently liable to be abused by the Devil’s Legerdemains. We know not whether some remarkable Affronts given to the Devils, by our dis-believing of those Testi- montes whose whole Force and Strength 1s from them alone, may not put a Period unto the Progress of a direful Calamity begun upon us, in the accusation of so many Persons, whereof, we hope, some are yet clear from the great Transgression /aid unto their Charge. The Ministers of the Province also being Jealous lest this Counsel should not be duly followed, requested the President of Harvard-Colledge to Compose and Publish (which he did) some Cases of Conscience refer- ring to these Difficulties: In which Treatise he did, with Demonstrations of incomparable Reason and Reading, evince it, that Satan may appear in the Shape of an Innocent and a Virtuous Person, to afflict those that suffer by the Dzabolical Molestations: And that the Ordeal of the Sight, and the Touch, is not a Conviction of a Covenant with the Devil, but liable to great Exceptions against the Lawfulness, as well as the Evidence of it: And that either a Free and Fair Con- fession of the Criminals, or the Oath of two Credible Persons proving such Things against the Person accused, as none but such as have a Familiarity with the Devil WILLIAM PHIPS 246 can know, or do, 1s necessary to the Proof of the Crime.! Thus, Cum misit Natura Feras, & Monstra per Orbem, Misit F Alciden qui Fera Monstra domet.” The Dutch and French Ministers in the Province of New York, having likewise about the same time their Judgment asked by the Chief Judge of that Province, who was then a Gentleman of New-England, they gave it in under their Hands, that if we believe no Vene fick Witchcraft, we must Renounce the Scripture of God, and the Consent of almost all the World; but that yet the Apparition of a Person afflicting another, is a very Insufficient Proof of a Witch; nor is it Inconsistent with the Holy and Righteous Government of God over Men, to permit the Affliction of the Neighbours, by Devils in the Shape of Good Men; and that a Good Name, obtained by a Good Life, should not be Lost by Meer Spectral Accusations. Now upon a Deliberate Review of these things, his Excellency first Reprieved, and then Pardoned many of them that had been Condemned; and there fell out several strange things that caused the Spirit of the Country to run as vehemently upon the Acquitting of all the accused, as it by mistake ran at first upon the Condemning of them. Some that had been zealously of the Mind, that the Devils could not in the Shapes 1 Increase Mather’s Cases of Conscience, here referred to, was a perfectly explicit statement of certain rules for trying witches, and if its counsels had been followed, many lives would have been saved. As it was, after it appeared, people quickly saw the errors of the ~ court and reformed them. 2 “When Nature sent animals and monsters throughout the world, she sent also Hercules to subjugate them.” 246 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA of good Men afflict other Men, were terribly Confuted, by having their own Shapes, and the Shapes of their most intimate and valued Friends, thus abused. And though more than twice [wenty had made such volun- tary, and harmonious, and uncontroulable Confessions, that if they were all Sham, there was therein the greatest Violation made by the Efhcacy of the Invisible World, upon the Rules of Understanding Humane Affairs, that was ever seen since God made Man upon the Earth, yet they did so recede from their Confessions, that it was very clear, some of them had been hitherto, in a sort of a Preternatural Dream, wherein they had said of themselves, they knew not what themselves. In fine, The last Courts that sate upon this Thorny Business, finding that it was impossible to Penetrate into the whole Meaning of the things that had hap- pened, and that so many unsearchable Cheats were interwoven into the Conclusion of a Mysterious Busi- ness, which perhaps had not crept thereinto at the Beginning of it, they cleared the accused as fast as they Tried them; and within a little while the afflicted were most of them delivered out of their Troubles also: And the Land had Peace restored unto it, by the God of Peace, treading Satan under Foot. Erasmus, among other Historians, does tell us, that at a Town in Ger- many, a Demon appearing on the Top of a Chimney, threatned that he would set the Town on Fire, and at length scattering some Ashes abroad, the whole Town was presently and horribly Burnt unto the Ground. Sir William Phips now beheld such Demons hideously scattering Fire about the Country, in the Exasperations which the Minds of Men were on these things rising unto; and therefore when he had well Canvased a Cause, which perhaps might have puzzled the Wisdom WILLIAM PHIPS 247 of the wisest Men on Earth to have managed, without any Error in their Administrations, he thought, if it would be any Error at all, it would certainly be the safest for him to put a stop unto all future Prosecutions, as far as it lay in him to do it. He did so, and for it he had not only the Printed Acknowledgments of the New-Englanders, who publickly thanked him, 4s one of the Tribe of Zebulun, raised up from among themselves, and Spirited as well as Commis- sioned to be the Steers-man of a Vessel befogg’d in the Mare Mortuum! of Witchcraft, zho now so happily steered her Course, that she escaped Shipwrack, and was safely again Moored under the Cape of Good Hope; and cut asunder the Circean Knot of Enchantment, more dificult to be Dissolved than the famous Gordian one of Old. But the QUEEN also did him the Honour to write unto him those Gracious Letters, wherein her Majesty commended his Conduct in these Inexplicable Matters. And I did right in calling these Matters Inexplicable. For if, after the Kingdom of Sweden (in the Year 1669, and 1670.) had some Hundreds of their Children by Night often carried away by Spectres to an Hellish _ Rendezvous, where the Monsters that so Spirited them, did every way Tempt them to Associate with them; and the Judges of the Kingdom, after extraordinary Supplications to Heaven, upon a strict Enquiry, were so satisfied with the Confessions of more than Twenty of the accused, agreeing exactly unto the Depositions of the afflicted, that they put several Scores of Wttches to Death, whereupon the Confusions came unto a Period; yet after all, the chiefest Persons in the King- dom would Question whether there were any W1tch- 1 “Dead Sea,” 248 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA crafts at all in the whole Affair; it must not be wondred at, if the People of New-England are to this Hour full of Doubts, about the Steps which were taken, while a War from the Invisible World was Terrifying of them; and whether they did not kill some of their own side in the Smoke and Nozse of this Dreadful War. And it will be yet less wondred at, if we consider, that we have seen the whole English Nation alarumed with a Plot, and both Houses of Parliament, upon good Grounds, Voting their Sense of it, and many Persons most justly Hang’d, Drawn and Quarterd, for their share in it: When yet there are enough, who to this Day will pretend, that they cannot comprehend how much of it is to be accounted Credible. However, having related these wonderful Passages, whereof, if the Veracity of the Relator in any one Point be contested, there are whole Clouds of Witnesses to vindicate it, I will take my leave of the Matter with an wholesome Caution of Lactantius, which, it may be, some other Parts of the World besides New-England may have occasion to think upon; FEfficiunt Demones, ut que non sint, sic tamen, quasi sint, conspicienda Hominibus exhibeant.* But the Devils being thus vanquished, we shall next hear, that some of his most devoted and resembling Children are so too. §17. Asone of the first Actions done by Sir William, after he came to the Age of Doing, was to save the Lives of many poor People from the Rage of the Diabolical Indians in the Eastern Parts of the Country, so now he was come to the Government, his Mind was very vehemently set upon recovering of those Parts from 1 “Devils so work that things which are not appear to men as if they were real.” WILLIAM PHIPS 249 the Miseries, which a New and a Long War of the Indians had brought upon them’ His Birth and Youth in the Last, had rendred him well known unto the Indians there; he had Hunted and Fished many a weary Day in his Childhood with them; and when those rude Savages had got the Story by the End, that he had found a Ship full of Money, and was now become all one-a-King! ! ‘They were mightily astonished at it: But when they farther understood that he was become the Governour of New-England, it added a further Degree of Consternation to their Astonishment. He likewise was better acquainted with the Scituation of those Regions than most other Men; and he consider’d what vast Advantages might arise to no less than the whole English Nation, from the Lumber, and Fishery, and WNaval-stores, which those Regions might soon supply the whole Nation withal, if once they were well settled with good Inhabitants. Wherefore Governour Phips took the first Oppor- tunity to raise an Army, with which he Travelled in Person, unto the East Country, to find out and cut off the Barbarous Enemy, which had continued for near four Years together, making horrible Havock on the Plantations that lay all along the Northern Frontiers of New-England: And having pursued those worse than Scythian Wolves, till they could be no longer followed, he did with a very laudable S&ill, and unusual Speed, and with less Cost unto the Crown, than perhaps ever such a thing was done in the World, erect a strong Fort at Pemmaquid. This Fort he contrived so much in the very Heart of the Country now possessed by the Enemy, as very 1 Presumably Mather here quotes directly what the Indians said. “ All one-a~King”’ seems to mean, “ just like a king.” 250 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA much to hinder the several Nations of the Tawnies from Clanning together for the Common Disturbance; and his Design was, that a sufficient Garrison being here posted, they might from thence, upon Advice, issue forth to surprise that Ferocient! Enemy. At the same time he’would fain have gone in Person up the Bay of Funda,? with a convenient Force, to have spoiled the Nest of Rebellious Frenchmen, who being Rendezvouzed at St. John’s had a yearly Supply of Ammunition from £rance, with which they still supplied the Indians, unto the extream Detriment of the English; but his Friends for a long time would not permit him to expose himself unto the Inconveniencies of that Expedition. However, he took such Methods, that the /ndian Kings of the East, within a little while had their Stomachs brought down, to sue and beg for a Peace: And making their appearance at the New-Fort in Pemmaquid, Aug. 11. 1693. they did there Sign an Instrument, wherein, lamenting the Miseries which their Adherence to the French Counsels had brought them into, they did for themselves, and with the Consent of all the Indians from the River of Merrimack, to the most Easterly Bounds of all the Province, acknowledge their Hearty Subjection and Obedience unto the Crown of England, and Solemnly Covenant, Promise and Agree, to and with Sir William Phips, Captain General and Governour in Chief over the Province, and his Successors in that place, That they would for ever cease all Acts of Hostility towards the Subjects of the Crown of England, and hold a constant Friendship with all the English. That they would utterly abandon 1 Ferocious. * Bay of Fundy, a rig titer, a ae LE Il gO a acct i me WILLIAM PHIPS 251 the French Interests, and not Succour or Conceal any Enemy Indians, from Canada or elsewhere, that should come to any of their Plantations within the English Territories: That all English Captives, which they had among them, should be returned with all possible speed, and no Ransom or Payment be given for any of them: That Their Majesties Subjects the English, now should quietly enter upon, and for ever improve and enjoy all and singular their Rights of Lands, and former Possessions, within the Eastern Parts of the Province, without any Claims from any Indians or being ever disturbed therein: That all Trade and Commerce, which hereafter might be allowed between the English and the Indians, should be under a Regu- lation stated by an Act of the General Assembly, or as limited by the Governour of the Province, with the Consent and Advice of his Council. And that if any Controversie hereafter happen between any of the English and the Indians, no private Revenge was to be taken by the Jndians, but proper Applications to be made unto His Majesties Government, for the due remedy thereof: Submitting themselves herewithal to be Governed by His Majesties Laws. And for the Manifestation of their Sincerity in the Submission thus made, the Aypocritical Wretches delivered Hostages for their Fidelity; and then set their Marks and Seals, no less than Thirteen Sagamores of them, (with Names of more than a Persian length) unto this Instrument. The first Rise of this Indian War had hitherto been almost as dark as that of the River Nilus:! ’Vis true, if any Wild English did rashly begin to provoke and affront the Indians, yet the Indians had a fairer way 1 The course of the upper Nile was long unknown. 252 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA to obtain Justice than by Bloodshed: However, upon the New-English Revolution, the State of the War became wholly New: ‘The Government then employed all possible ways to procure a good Understanding with the Indians; but all the English Offers, Kindnesses, Courtesies were barbarously requited by them, with New Acts of the most perfidious Hostility. Notwith- standing all this, there were still some Nice People that had their Scruples about the Justice of the War; but upon this New Submission of the Indians, if ever those Rattle-snakes (the only Ratile-snakes, which, they say, were ever seen to the Northward of Merimack- River) should stir again, the most scrupulous Persons in the World must own, That it must be the most un- exceptionable piece of Justice in the World for to extinguish them. Thus did the God of Heaven bless the unwearied Applications of Sir William Phips, for the restoring of Peace unto New-England, when the Country was quite out of Breath, in its Endeavours for its own Preservation from the continual Outrages of an inaccessible Enemy, and by the Poverty coming 1n so like an armed Man, from the unsuccessfulness of their former Armies, that it could not imagine how to take one step further in its Wars. The most happy Respite of Peace beyond Merimack-River being thus procured, the Governour immediately set himself to use all possible Methods, that it might be Peace, like a River, nothing short of Everlasting. He therefore prevailed with Two or Three Gentle- men to join with him, in sending a Supply of Necessaries for Life unto the Indians, until the General Assembly could come together to settle the /ndian-Trade for the Advantage of the Publick, that the Indians might not by WILLIAM PHIPS 253 Necessity be driven again to become a French Propriety; altho’ by this Action, as the Gentlemen themselves were great Losers in their Estates, thus he himself declared unto the Members of the General Assembly, that he would upon Oath give an Account unto them of all his own Gains, and count himself a Gainer, if in lieu of all they would give him one Beaver-Hat. The same Gen- erosity also caused him to take many a tedious Voyage, accompanied sometimes with his Fidus Achates, and very dear Friend, Kinsman and Neighbour, Colonel John Philips, between Boston and Pemmaquid; and this in the bitter Weeks of the New-English, which is almost a Russian Winter. He was a sort of Confessor under such Torments of Cold, as once made the Martyrdom of Muria, and others, Commemorated in Orations of the Ancients; and the Snow and Ice which Pliny calls, The Punishment of Mountains, he chearfully endured, without any other Profit unto himself, but only the Pleasure of thereby establishing and continuing unto the People the Liberty to Sleep quietly in their warm Nests at home, while he was thus concerned for them abroad. Non mth1 sed Populo, the Motto of the Emperor Hadrian, was Engraved on the Heart of Sir William: NOT FOR MY SELF, BUT FOR MY PEOPLE: Or that of Maximin, Quo major, hoc Laboriosior, the more Honourable, the more Laborious. Indeed the Restlesness of his Travels to the Southern as well as the Eastern Parts of the Country, when the Publick Safety call’d for his Presence, would have made one to think on the Translation which the King of Portugal, on a very Extraordinary Occasion, gave the Fourth Verse in the Hundred and Twenty-first Psalm. He will not Slumber, nor will he suffer to Sleep the Keeper 254 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA of Israel. Nor did he only try to Cicurate 1 the Indians of the Fast, by other Prudent and Proper Treatments; but he also furnished himself with an /ndian Preacher of the Gospel, whom he carried unto the Eastward, with an Intention to Teach them the Principles of the Protestant Religion, and Unteach them the mixt Paganry and Popery which hitherto Diaboliz’'d them. To Un- teach them, I say; for they had been Taught, by the French Priests this among other things, that the Mother of our Blessed Saviour was a French Lady, and that they were Englishmen by whom our Saviour was Mur- dered; and that it was therefore a Meritorious thing to destroy the English Nation. The Name of the Preacher whom the Governour carried with him, was Nahauton, one of the Natives; and because the passing of such Expressions from the Mouth of a poor Indian, may upon some Accounts be worthy of Remembrance; let it be Remembred, that when the Governour propounded unto him such a Mission to the Eastern Indians, he replied, J know that I shall probably Endanger my Life, by going to Preach the Gospel among the Frenchified Indians; but I know that it will be a Service unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore I will venture to go. God grant that his Behaviour may be in all things, at all times, according to these his Expressions! While these things were doing, having Intelligence of a French Man of War expected at St. John’s, he dispatched away the Non-such-Frigat thither to intercept him; never- theless by the gross Negligence, and perhaps Cowardice of the Captain, who had lately come from England with Orders to take the Command of her, instead of one who had been by Sir William a while before put in, and one who had signalized himself by doing of notable 1 Tame. WILLIAM PHIPS 255 Service for the King and Country in it, the Frenchman arrived unladed, and went away untouch’d. ‘The Governour was extreamly offended at this notorious Deficiency; it cast him into a great Impatience to see the Nation so wretchedly served; and he would himself have gone to Saint John’s with a Resolution to Spoil that Harbour of Spoilers, if he had not been taken off, by being sent for home to Whitehall, in the very midst of his Undertakings. But the Treacherous Indians being potsoned with the French Enchantments, and furnished with brave New Coats, and New Arms, and all new Incentives to War, by the Man of War newly come in; they presently and perfidiously fell upon two English Towns, and Butchered and Captived many of the Inhabitants, and made a New War, which the New-Englanders know not whether it will end until either Canada become an English Province, or that State arrive, wherein they shall beat Swords into Plough-shares, and Spears into Purning-hooks. And no doubt, the taking off Sir William Phips was no small Encouragement unto the Indians in this Relapse, into the Villanies and Massacres of a New Invasion upon the Country. § 18. Reader, ’tis time for us to view a little more to the Life, the Picture of the Person, the Actions of whose Life we have hitherto been looking upon. Know then, that for his Exterior, he was one Tall, beyond the common Set of Men, and Thick as well as Tall, and Strong as well as Thick: He was, in all respects, exceed- ingly Robust, and able to Conquer such Difficulties of Diet and of Travel, as would have kill’d most Men alive: Nor did the Fat, whereinto he grew very much in his later Years, take away the Vigour of his Motions. 256 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA He was Well-set, and he was therewithal of a very Comely, though a very Manly Countenance: A Coun- tenance where any true skill in Physiognomy would have read the Characters of a Generous Mind. Wherefore passing to his /nterior, the very first thing which there offered it self unto Observation, was a most Incom- parable Generosity. And of this, besides the innumerable Instances which he gave in his usual Hatred of Dirty or Little Tricks, there was one Instance for which I must freely say, J never saw Three Men in this World that Equall’d him; this was his wonderfully Forgiving Spirit. In the vast Variety of Business, through which he Raced in his time, he met with many and mighty Injuries; but although I have heard all that the most venemous Malice could ever Hiss at his Memory, I never did hear unto this Hour, that he did ever once deliberately Revenge an Injury. Upon certain 4ffronts he has made sudden Returns that have shewed Choler enough, and he has by Blow, as well as by Word, chastised Incivilities: He was, indeed, sufficiently impatient of being put upon; and when Base Men, surprizing him at some Disadvantages (for else few Men durst have done it) have sometimes drawn upon him, he has, without the Wicked Madness of a Formal Duel, made them feel that he knew how to Correct Fools. Nevertheless, he ever declined a Deliberate Revenge of a Wrong done unto him; though few Men upon Earth have, in their Vicissitudes, been furnished with such frequent Opportunities of Revenge, as Heaven brought into the Hands of this Gentleman. Under great Provocations, he would commonly say, ’Tis no Matter, let them alone; some time or other they'll see their Weakness and Rashness, and have occasion for WILLIAM PHIPS 257 me to do them a Kindness: And they shall then see I have quite forgotten all their Baseness. Accordingly *twas remarkable to see it, that few Men ever did him a Mischief, but those Men afterwards had occasion for him to do them. a Kindness; and he did the Kindness with as forgetful a Bravery, as if the Mischief had never been done at all. The Emperor Theodosius himself could not be readier to Forgive,1 so worthily did he verifie that Observation. Quo quisque est Major, magis est Placabilis Ira, Et Faciles Motus, Mens Generosa capit.” In those Places of Power whereto the Providence of God by several Degrees raised him, it still fell out-so, that before his Rise thereunto he underwent such things as he counted very hard Abuses, from those very Persons over whom the Divine Providence afterwards gave him the Ascendant. By such Trials, the Wisdom of Heaven still prepared him, as David before him, for successive Advancements; and as he behaved himself with a marvellous Long- suffering, when he was Tried, by such Mortifications, thus when he came to be advanced, he convinced all Mankind, that he had perfectly Buried all the old Offences in an Eternal Amnesty. I was my Self an Ear-witness, that one, who was an Eye-witness of his Behaviour under such Probations of his Patience, did, long before his Arrival to that Honour, say unto him, Sir, Forgive those that give you these Vexations, and 1 An allusion to Theodosius I, who won over the Goths, by honors paid to their fallen leader, Athanaric. 2“The preater one is, the more one is placable in wrath, and a generous mind is easily moved.” 258 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA know that the God of Heaven intends, before he has done with you, to make you the Governour of New-England! And when he did indeed become the Governour of New-England, he shew’d that he still continued a Governour of himself, in his Treating all that had for- merly been in ill Terms with him, with as much Favour and Freedom, as if there had never happened the least Exasperations: Though any Governour that Kens Hobbianism,! can easily contrive Ways enough to wreak a Spite, where he owes it. It was with some Christian Remark, that he read the Pagan-story of the Renowned Fabius Maximus, who being preferred unto the highest Office in the Common- wealth, did, through a Zeal for his Country, overcome the greatest Contempts that any Person of Quality could have received. Muinutius the Master of the Horse, and the next Person in Dignity to himself, did first privately Traduce him, as one that was no Soldier, and less Politician; and he afterwards did both by Speeches and Letters prejudice not only the Army, but also the Senate against him, so that Minutius was now by an unpresidented ? Commission brought into an Equality with Fabius. All this while the great Fabius did not throw up his Cares for the Commonwea!th, but with a wondrous Equality of Mind endured equally the Malice of the Judges, and the Fury of the Commons; and when Minutius a while after was with all his Forces upon the Point of perishing by the victorious Arms of Hannibal, this very Fabius, not listening to the Dictates of Revenge, came in and helped him, and saved him; 17.¢., any governor that knows the doctrines of Hobbes, who ad- vocated arbitrary government. 2 Unprecedented. WILLIAM PHIPS 250 and so by a rare Virtue, he made his worst Adversaries the Captives of his Generosity. One of the Antients upon such an History, cried out, If Heathens can do thus much for the Glory of their Name, what shall not Christians do for the Glory of Heaven! And Sir William Phips did so much more than thus much, that besides his meriting the Glory of such a Name, as PHIPPIUS MAXIMUS,' he therein had upon him the Symptoms of a Title to the Glory of Heaven, in the Seal of his own Pardon from God. Nor was this Generosity in His EXCELLENCY the Governour of New-England, unaccompanied with many other Excel- lencies; whereof the Piety of his Carriage towards God is worthy to be first Mentioned. It is true, He was very Zealous for all Men to enjoy such a Liberty of Conscience, as he judged a Native Right of Mankind: And he was extreamly Troubled at the over-boiling Zeal of some good Men, who formerly took that wrong Way of reclaiming Hereticks by Per- secution. For this Generosity, it may be, some would have compared him unto Gallio, the Governour of Achaia, whom our Preachers, perhaps with Mistake enough, think to be condemned in the Scripture, for his not appearing to be a Judge, in Matters which indeed fell not under his Cognizance. And I shall be content that he be compared unto that Gentleman; for that Gallio was the Brother of Seneca, who gives this Character of him, That there was no Man who did not love him too little, if he could Love him any more; and, That there was no Mortal so Dear to any, as he was to all; and, That he hated all Vices, but none more than Flattery. But while the Generosity of Sir William caused 1 “The very great Phips.” 260 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA him to desire a Liberty of Conscience, his Piety would not allow a Liberty of Prophaneness, either to himself or others. He did not affect any mighty show of De- votion; and when he saw any that were evidently careful to make a show, and especially, if at the same Time they were notoriously Defective in the Duties of Common Justice or Goodness, or the Duties of the Relations wherein God had stationed them, he had an extream Aversion for them. | Nevertheless he did show a Consciencious Desire to observe the Laws of the Lord Jesus Christ in his Conversation; and he Conscienciously attended upon the Exercises of Devotion in the Seasons thereof, on Lectures, as well as on Lord’s Days, and in the Daily Sacrifice, the Morning and Evening Service of his own Family; yea, and at the Private Meetings of the Devout People kept every Fortnight in the Neighbourhood. Besides all this, when he had great Works before him, he would invite good Men to come and Fast and Pray with him at his House for the Success thereof; and when he had succeeded in what he had undertaken, he would prevail with them to come and keep a Day of Solemn Thansgiving [sic] with him. His Love to Almighty God, was indeed manifested by nothing more than his Love to those that had the /mage of God upon them; he heartily, and with real Honour for them, Loved all Godly Men; and in so doing, he did not confine Godliness to this or that Party, but where-ever he saw the Fear of God, in one of a Congregational, or Presbyterian, or Antipedobaptist,| or Episcopalian Perswasion, he did, without any Difference, express towards them a Reverent Affection. But he made no Men more welcome than those 1 One opposed to infant baptism; a Baptist. WILLIAM PHIPS 261 good Men, whose Office ’tis to promote and preserve Goodness in all other Men; even the Ministers of the Gospel: Especially when they were such as faithfully discharged their Office: And from these at any time, the least Admonition or Intimation of any good thing to be done by him, he entertained with a most obliging Alacrity. His Religion in truth, was one Principle that added Virtue unto that vast Courage, which was always in him to a Degree Heroical. Those terrible Nations which made their Descents from the Northern on the Southern Parts of Europe, in those Elder Ages, when so to swarm out was more frequent with them, were inspired with a Valiant Contempt of Life, by the Opinion wherein their Famous Odin instructed them. That their Death was but an Entrance into another Life, wherein they who died in Warlike Actions, were bravely Feasted with the God of War for ever: ’Yis inexpressible how much the Courage of those fierce Mortals was fortified by that Opinion. But when Sir William Phips was asked by some that observed his Valiant Contempt of Death, what it was that made him so little afraid of Dying, he gave a better grounded Account of it than those Pagans could; his Answer was, I do humbly believe, that the Lord Jesus Christ shed his Precious Blood for me, by his Death pro- curing my Peace with God: And what should I now be afraid of dying for? But this leads me to mention the Humble and Modest Carriage in him towards other Men, which accompanied this his Piety. There were certain Pomps belonging unto the several Places of Honour, through which he passed; Pomps that are very taking to Men of little Souls: But although he rose from so /itile, yet he discovered a Marvellous Contempt of those Airy things, 262 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA and as far as he handsomely could, he declined, being Ceremoniously, or any otherwise than with a Dutch Modesty waited upon. And it might more truly be said of him, than it was of Aristides, He was never seen the Prouder for any Honour that was done him from his Countrymen. Hence, albeit I have read that Complaint, made by a Worthy Man, I have often observed, and this not without some blushing, that even good People have had a kind of Shame upon them, to acknowledge their low beginning, and used all Arts to hide it. I could never observe the least of that Fault in this Worthy Man; but he would speak of his own low beginning with as much Freedom and Frequency, as if he had been afraid of having it for- gotten. It was counted an Humility in King Agathocles, the Son of a Potter, to be served therefore in Earthen Vessels, as Plutarch hath informed us: It was counted an Humility in Archbishop Willigis,! the Son of a Wheel- wright, therefore to have Wheels hung about his Bed- Chamber, with this Inscription, Recole unde Veneris, 1. e. Remember thy Original. But such was the Hu- mility and Lowliness of this Rising Man! Not only did he after his return to his Country in his Greatness, one Day, make a splendid Feast for the Ship-Carpenters of Boston, among whom he was willing at his Table to Commemorate the Mercy of God unto him, who had once been a Sh1p-Carpenter himself, but he would on all Occasions Permit, yea, Study to have his Meannesses * remembred. Hence upon frequent Occasions of Uneasiness in his Government, he would chuse thus to express 1 Archbishop of Mainz, 975-1011. 2 That is, his past low rank in the world. WILLIAM PHIPS 263 himself, Gentlemen, were it not that I am to do Service for the Publick, I should be much easier in returning unto my broad Ax again! And hence, according to the A ffable Courtesie which he ordinarily used unto all sorts of Persons, (quite contrary to the Asperity which the old Proverb expects in the Raised) he would particu- larly, when Sailing in sight of Kennebeck, with Armies under his Command, call the Young Soldiers and Sailors upon Deck, and speak to them after this Fashion; Young Men, It was upon that Hill that I kept Sheep a few Years ago; and since you see that Almighty God has brought me to something, do you learn to Fear God, and be Honest, and mind your Business, and follow no bad Courses, and you don’t know what you may come to! A Temper not altogether unlike what the advanced Shepherd had, when he wrote the Twenty-third Psalm; or when he Imprinted on the Coin of his Kingdom the Remembrance of his Old Condition: For Christianus Gerson, a Christianized Jew, has informed us, That on the one side of David’s Coin were to be seen his old Pouch and Crook, the Instruments of Shepherdy; on the other side were enstamped the Towers of Zion. In fine, our Sir William was a Person of so sweet a Temper, that they who were most intimately acquainted with him, would commonly pronounce him, The best Conditioned Gentleman in the World! And by the continual Discoveries and Expressions of such a Temper, he so gained the Hearts of them who waited upon him in any of his Expeditions, that they would commonly profess themselves willing still, to have gone with him to the end of the World. But if all other People found him so kind a Neighbour, we may easily infer what an Husband he was unto his Lady. Leaving unmentioned that Virtue of his Chastity, 264 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA which the Prodigious Depravation brought by the Late Reigns upon the Manners of the Nation, has made worthy to be mentioned as a Virtue somewhat Extraor- dinary;1 I shall rather pass on to say, That the Love, even to Fondness, with which he always treated her, was a Matter not only of Observation, but even of such Admiration, that every one said, The Age afforded not a kinder Husband! But we must now return to our Story. § 19. When Persons do by Studies full of Curiosity, seek to inform themselves of things about which the God of Heaven hath forbidden our Curious Enquiries, there is a marvellous Impression, which the Demons do often make on the Minds of those their Votaries, about the Future or Secret Matters unlawfully enquired after, and at last there is also an horrible Possession, which those Fatidic? Demons do take of them. ‘The Snares of Hell, hereby laid for miserable Mortals, have been such, that when | read the Laws, which Agellius afirms to have been made, even in Pagan Rome, against the Vaticinatores; * | wonder that no English Nobleman or Gentleman signalizes his regard unto Christianity, by doing what even a Roman Tully would have done, in promoting 4n Act of Parliament against that Paganish Practice of Judicial Astrology,* whereof, if such Men as Austin were now living, they would assert, The Devil first found it, and they that profess 1t are Enemies of Truth and of God. 1 An allusion to the moral decline in England during the Restora- tion period. 2 Prophetic. 3 “Soothsayers.” 4The supposed act of determining occult influences of the stars and planets on human lives and affairs. ° WILLIAM PHIPS 265 In the mean time, I cannot but relate a wonderful Experience of Sir William Phips, by the Relation wnereof something of an Antidote may be given against a Poison, which the Diabolical Figure-Flingers and Fortune-Tellers that swarm all the World over may insinuate into the Minds of Men. Long before Mr. Phips came to be Sir William, while he sojourned in in [sic] London, there came into his Lodging an Old 4s- trologer, living in the Neighbourhood, who making some Observation of him, though he had small or no Convzer- sation with him, did (howbeit by him wholly undesired) one Day send him a Paper, wherein he had, with Pre- tences of a Rule in Astrology for each Article, distinctly noted the most material Passages that were to befal this our Phips in the remaining part of his Life; it was particularly Asserted and Inserted, That he should be engaged in a Design, wherein by Reason of Enemies at Court, he should meet with much delay; that never- theless in the Thirty-Seventh Year of his Life, he should find a mighty Treasure; that in the Forty-First Year of his Life, his King should employ him in as great a Trust beyond Sea, as a Subject could easily have: That soon after this he should undergo an hard Storm from the Endeavours of his Adversaries to reproach him and ruin him; that his Adversaries, though they should go very near gaining the Point, should yet miss of doing so; that he should hit upon a vastly Richer Maiter than any that he had hitherto met withal; that he should continue Thirteen Years in his Publick Station, full of Action, and full of Hurry; and the rest of his Days he should spend in the Satisfaction of a Peaceable Retirement. Mr. Phips received this undesired Paper with Trouble and with Contempt, and threw it by among certain 266 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA loose Papers in the bottom of a Trunk, where his Lady some Years after accidentally lit upon it. His Lady with Admiration saw, step after step, very much of it accomplished; but when she heard from England, that Sir William was coming over with a Commission to be Governour of New-England, in that very Year of his Life, which the Paper specified; she was afraid of letting it lye any longer in the House, but cast it into the fire. Now the thing which I must invite my Reader to remark, is this, That albeit Almighty God may permit the Devils to Predict, and perhaps to Perform very many particular things to Men, that shall by such a Presump- tuous and Unwarrantable Juggle as Astrology (so Dr. Hail well calls it!) or any other Divination, consult them, yet the Devil! which foretel many True things, do commonly foretel some that are False, and it may be, propose by the things that are True to betray Men into some fatal Misbelief and Miscarriage about those that are False. Very singular therefore was the Wisdom of Sir William Phips, that as he ever Treated these Prophestes about him with a most Pious Neglect, so when he had seen all but the Two last of them very punctually fulfilled, yea, and seen the beginning of a Fulfilment unto the last but one also, yet when I pleasantly men- tioned them unto him, on purpose to 7'ry whether there were any occasion for me humbly to give him the serious Advice, necessary in such a Case to Anticipate the Devices of Satan, he prevented my Advice, by saying to me, Sir, [ do believe there might be a cursed Snare of Satan in those Prophesies: I believe Satan might have leave to foretel many things, all of which might come to 1 Devils. WILLIAM PHIPS 267 pass in the beginning, to lay me asleep about such things as are to follow, especially about the main Chance of all; I do not know but I am to die this Year: For my part, by the help of the Grace of God, I shall endeavour to live as if I were this Year to die. And let the Reader now attend the Event! § 20. “Tis a Similitude which I have Learned from no less a Person than the great Basil: That as the Eye sees not those Objects which are applied close unto it, and even lye upon it; but when the Objects are to some distance removed, it clearly discerns them: So, we have little sense of the Good which we have in our Enjoyments, until God, by the removal thereof, teach us better to prize what we once enjoyed. It is true, the Generality of sober and thinking People among the New-Englanders, did as highly value the Government of Sir William Phips, whilst he lived, as they do his Memory, since his Death; nevertheless it must be confessed, that the Blessing which the Country had in his indefatigable Zeal, to serve the Publick in all it’s Interests, was not so valued as it should have been. It was mention’d long since as a notorious Fault in Old Egypt, that it was Loguax &F Ingeniosa in Contume- liam Prefectorum Provincia; s1 quis forte vitaverit Culpam, Contumeliam non effugit:' And New-England has been at the best always too faulty, in that very Character, A Province very Talkative, and Ingenious for the vilifying of its Publick Servants. But Sir William Phips, who might in a Calm of the Commonwealth have administred all things with as General an Acceptance as any that have gone before 1 “Free-spoken and ingenious in slandering the rulers in the prov- : : ; re ince; if by chance anyone avoided guilt, he did not escape slander. 268 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA him, had the Disadvantage of being set at Helm in a time as full of Storm as ever that Province had seen; and the People having their Spirits put into a Tumult by the discomposing and distempering Variety of Disasters, which had long been rendring the time Calamitous, it was natural for them, as ’tis for all Men then, to be complaining; and you may be sure, the Rulers must in such Cases be always complained of, and the chief Complaints must be heaped upon those that are Commanders 1n Chief. Nor has a certain Proverb in Asia been improper in America, He deserves no Man’s good Word, of whom every Man shall speak well. Sir William was very hardly Handled (or Tongued at least) 1m the Liberty which People took to make most unbecoming and injurious Reflections upon his Conduct, and Bretawr against him, even for those very Actions which were not only Necessary to be done, but highly Beneficial unto themselves; and though he would ordinarily smile at their Frowardness, calling it his Country Pay, yet he sometimes resented it with some uneasiness; he seem’d unto himself sometimes almost as bad as Rolled about in Regulus’s Barrel; ? and had occasion to think on the Jtalian Proverb, To wait for one who does not come; to lye a Bed not able to sleep; and to find 1t 1mpossible to please those whom we serve; are three Griefs enough to kill a Man. But as Froward as the People were, under the Epe- demical Vexations of the Age, yet there were very few but would acknowledge unto the very Last, Jt will be hardly possible for us to see another Governour that shall more intirely Love and Serve the Country: Yea, had the Country had the Choice of their own Governour, ’tis 1 Regulus was tortured by being placed in a barrel or chest which was studded with nails pointing inward. WILLIAM PHIPS 269 judged their Votes, more than Forty to One, would have still fallen upon him to have been the Man: And the General Assembly therefore on all occasions renewed their Petitions unto the King for his Continuance. Nevertheless, there was a little Party of Men, who thought they must not sleep till they had caused him to fall: And they so vigorously prosecuted certain Articles before the Council-board at Whitehall against him, that they imagined they had gained an Order of His Majesty in Council, to suspend him immediately from his Government, and appoint a Commuttee of Persons nominated by his Enemies, to hear all Depositions against him; and so a Report of the whole to be made unto the King and Council. But His Majesty was too well informed of Sir Wil- liam’s Integrity to permit such a sort of Procedure; and therefore he signified unto His most Honourable Coun- cil, that nothing should be done against Sir William, until he had Opportunity to clear himself; and there- upon he sent His Royal Commands unto Sir William to come over. To give any retorting Accounts of the Principal Persons who thus adversaried him, would be a Thing so contrary to the Spirit of Sir William Phips himself, who at his leaving of New-England bravely declared that he freely forgave them all; and if he had returned thither again, would never have taken the least revenge upon them, that This alone would oblige me, if I had no other Obligations of Christianity upon me, to forbear it; and it may be, for some of them, it would be to throw Water upon a drowned Mouse. Nor need I to produce any more about the Articles which these Men exhibited against him, than 7/15; that it was by most Men believed, that if he would have connived at some Arbitrary Oppressions too much 270 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA used by some kind of Officers on the King’s Subjects, Few perhaps, or None of those Articles had ever been formed; and that he apprehended himself to be provided with a full Defence against them all. Nor did His Excellency seem loth to have had his Case Tried under the Brazen Tree of Gariac, if there had been such an one, as that mentioned by the Fabu- lous Murtadi, in his Prodigies of Egypt, a Tree which had Iron Branches with sharp Hooks at the end of them, that when any false Accuser approached, as the Fabel says, immediately flew at him, and stuck in him, until he had ceased Injuring his Adversary. Wherefore in Obedience unto the King’s Commands, he took his leave of Boston on the seventeenth of November, 1694. attended with all proper Testimonies of Respect and Honour from the Body of the People, which he had been the Head unto; and with Addresses unto their Majesties, and the Chief Ministers of State from the General Assembly, humbly imploring, that they might not be deprived of the Happiness which they had in such an Head. Arriving at Whitehall, he found in a few Days, that notwithstanding all the Impotent Rage of his Adversaries particularly vented and printed in a Villan- ous Libel, as well as almost in as many other ways as there are Mouths, at which Fyal! sometimes has vomited out its Infernal Fires, he had all Humane Assurance of his returning in a very few Weeks again the Governour of New-England. Wherefore there were especially two Designs, full of Service to the whole English Nation, as well as his own particular Country of New-England, which he applied his Thoughts unto. First, He had a new Scene 1 Fayal, a volcanic island in the Azores. WILLIAM PHIPS 271 of Action opened unto him, in an opportunity to supply the Crown with all Naval Stores at most easie Rates, from those Eastern Parts of the Massachuset Province, which through the Conquest that he had made thereof, came to be Inserted in the Massachuset-Charter. As no Man was more capable than he to improve this Opportunity unto a vast Advantage, so his Inclination to it was according to his Capacity. And he longed with some Impatience to see the King furnished from his own Dominions, with such floating and stately Castles, those Wooden-Walls of Great Britain, for much of which he has hitherto Traded with Foreign Kingdoms. Next, if | may say next unto this, he had an Eye upon Canada; all attempts for the reducing whereof had hitherto proved Abortive. It was but a few Months ago that a considerable Fleet, under Sir Francis Wheeler, which had been sent into the West-Indies to subdue Martenico,! was ordered then to call at New-England, that being recruited there, they might make a further Descent upon Canada; but Heaven frowned upon that Expedition, especially by a terrible Sickness, the most like the Plague of any thing that has been ever seen in America, whereof there Died, e’er they could reach to Boston, as I was told by Sir Francis himself, no less than Thirteen Hundred Sailers out of Twenty One, and no less than Ezghteen Hundred Soldiers out of Twenty-four. It was now therefore his desire to have satisfied the King, that his whole Interest in America lay at Stake, while Canada was in French Hands: And therewithal to have laid before several Noblemen and Gentlemen, how beneficial an Undertaking it would have been for them to have pursued the Canadian-Business, for 1 Martinique. pag 43 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA hot which the New-Englanders were now grown too Feeble; their Country being too far now, as Bede says England once was, Omni Milite & floride Juventutis Alacritate spoliata.* Besides these two Designs in the Thoughts of Sir William, there was a Third, which he had Hopes that the King would have given him leave to have pursued, after he had continued so long in his Government, as to have obtained the more General Welfare which he designed in the former Instances. I do not mean the making of New-England the Seat of a Spanish Trade, though so vastly profitable a thing was likely to have been brought about, by his being one of an Honourable Company engaged in such a Project. But the Spanish Wreck, where Sir William had made his first good Voyage, was not the Only, nor the Richest Wreck, that he knew to be lying under the Water. He knew particularly, that when the Ship which had Governour Boadilla Aboard, was cast away, there was, as Peter Martyr says, an entire Table of Gold of Three Thousand Three Hundred and Ten Pound Weight. The Duke of Albemarle’s Patent for all such Wrecks now expiring, Sir William thought on the Motto which is upon the Gold Medal, bestowed by the late King, with his Knighthood upon him, Semper Tibi pendeat Hamus:* And supposing himself to have gained sufh- cient Information of the right Way to such a Wreck, it was his purpose upon his Dismission from his Govern- ment, once more to have gone unto his old Fishing- Trade, upon a mighty Shelf of Rocks and Bank of Sands that lye where he had informed himself. 1“ Despoiled of young and active soldiery.” 2“ May your fish-hook always hang out.” WILLIAM PHIPS 273 But as the Prophet Haggai and Zechariah, in their Psalm upon the Grants made unto their People by the Emperors of Persia have that Reflection, Man’s Breath goeth forth, he returns to his Earth; in that very Day his thoughts perish. My Reader must now see what came of all these considerable Thoughts. About the middle of February, 1694. Sir William found himself indisposed with a Cold, which obliged him to keep his Chamber; but under this Indisposition he received the Honour of a Visit from a very Eminent Person at Whitehall, who upon sufficient Assurance, bad him Get well as fast as he could, for in one Months time he should be again dispatched away to his Government of New-England. Nevertheless his Distemper proved a sort of Malig- nant Feaver, whereof many about this time died in the City; and it suddenly put an End at once unto his Days and Thoughts, on the Eighteenth of February; to the extream surprize of his Friends, who Honourably Interr’d him in the Church of St. Mary Woolnoth, and with him, how much of New-England’s Happiness! § 21. Although he has now no more a Portion for ever in any Thing that is done under the Sun, yet Justice requires that his Memory be not forgotten. I have not all this while said He was Fauliless, nor am I unwilling to use for him the Words which Mr. Calamy had in his Funeral Sermon for the Excellent Earl of Warwick, It must be confessed, lest I should prove a Flatterer, he had his Infirmities, which I trust Jesus Christ hath covered with the Robe of his Righteousness: My Prayer to God is, that all his Infirmities may be Buried in the Grave of Oblivion, and that all his Virtues and Graces may Super- vive; although perhaps they were no /nfirmities in that Noble Person, which Mr. Calamy counted so. Nevertheless I must also say, That if the Anguish 274 | MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA of his Publick Fatigues threw Sir William into any Faults of Passion; they were but Faults of Passion soon Recall’d: And Spots being soonest seen in Ermin, there was usually the most made of them that could be, by those that were least Free themselves. After all, I do not know that I have been, by any personal Obligations or Circumstances, charmed into any Partiality for the Memory of this Worthy Man; but I do here, from a real Satisfaction of Conscience concerning him, declare to all the World, that I reckon him to have been really a very Worthy Man; that few Men in the World rising from so mean an Original as he, would have acquitted themselves with a Thousand Part of his Capacity or Integrity; that he left unto the World a notable Example of a Disposition to do Good, and encountred and overcame almost invincible Temp- tations in doing It. And I do most solemnly Profess, that I have most conscienciously endeavoured the utmost Sincerity and Veracity of a Christian, as well as an Historian, in the History which I have now given of him. I have not written of Sir William Phips, as they say Xenophon did of Cyrus, Non ad Historie Fidem, sed ad Effigiem vert imperit;! what should have been, rather than what really was. If the Envy of his few Enemies be not now Quiet, I must freely say it, That for many Weeks before he died, there was not one Man among his personal Enemies whom he would not readily and chearfully have done all the kind Offices of a Friend unto: Wherefore though the Gentleman in England that once published a Vindication of Sir William Phips against some of his Enemies, chose to put the Name of Publicans upon them, they must in this be counted 1“ Aiming not at truth of history, but at a picture of true empire.” WILLIAM PHIPS 275 worse than the Publicans of whom our Saviour says, They Love those that Love them. And I will say this further, That when certain Persons had found the Skull of a Dead Man, as a Greek Writer of Epigrams has told us, they all fell a Weeping, but only one of the Company, who Laughed and Flouted, and through an unheard-of Cruelty, threw Stones at it, which Stones wonderfully rebounded back upon the Face of him that threw them, and miserably wounded him: Thus if any shall be so Unchristian, yea, so Inhumane, as libellously to throw Stones at so deserved a Reputation as this Gentleman has died withal, they shall see a Just Rebound of all their Calumnies. But the Name of Sir WILLIAM PHIPS will be heard Honourably mentioned in the Trumpets of Immortal Fame, when the Names of many that Antip- athied him will either be Buried in Eternal Oblivion, without any Sacer Vates! to preserve them; or be remembred, but like that of Judas in the Gospel, or Pilate in the Creed, with Eternal Infamy. The old Persians indeed, according to the Report of Agathias, exposed their Dead Friends to be Torn in Pieces by Wild Beasts, believing that if they lay long unworried, they had been unworthy Persons; but all attempts of surviving Malice to demonstrate in that way the worth of this Dead Gentleman, give me leave to Rate off with Indignation. And I must with a like Freedom say, That great was the Fault of New-England no more to value a Person, whose Opportunities to serve all their Interests, though very Eminent, yet were not so Eminent as his Jclina- tions, If this whole Continent carry in its very Name of 1 “Sacred poet.” 276 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA AMERICA, an unaccountable Jngratitude unto that Brave Man who first led any numbers of Europeans thither, it must not be wondred at, if now and then a particular Country in that Continent afford some Instances of Ingratitude: But I must believe, that the Ingratitude of many, both to God and Man, for such Benefits as that Country of New-England enjoy’d from a Governour of their own, by whom they enjoyed great quietness, with very worthy Deeds done unto that Nation by his Providence, was that which hastned the Removal of such a Benefactor from them. However, as the Cyprians buried their Friends in Honey, to whom they gave Gall when they were Born; thus whatever Gall might be given to this Gentleman while he lived, I hope none will be so base, as to put any thing but Honey into their Language of him now after his Decease. And indeed, since ’tis a frequent thing among Men to wish for the Presence of our Friends, when they are dead and gone, whom, while they were present with us, we undervalued; there is no way for us to fetch back our Sir William Phips, and make him yet Living with us, but by setting up a Statue for him, as ’tis done in these Pages, that may out-last an ordinary Monument. Such was the Original Design of erecting Statues, and if in Venice there were at once no less than an Hundred and Sixty-two Marble, and Twenty-three Brazen Statues, erected by the Order, and at the Expence of the Publick, in Honour of so many Valiant Soldiers, who had merited well of that Commonwealth, I am sure New-England has had those, whose Merits call for as good an acknowledgment; and, whatever they did before, it will be well, if after Sir William Phips, they find many as meritorious as he to be so acknowledged. WILLIAM PHIPS 277 Now I cannot my self provide a better Statue for this Memorable Person, than the Words uttered on the occasion of his Death in a very great Assembly, by a Person of so Diffus’d and Embalm’d a Reputation in the Church of God, that such a Character from him were enough to Immortalize the Reputation of the Person upon whom he should bestow it. The Grecians employ’d still the most Honourable and Considerable Persons they had among them, to make a Funeral Oration in Commendation of Soldiers that had lost their Lives in the Service of the Publick: And when Sir William Phips, the Captain General of -New-England, who had often ventured his Life to serve the Publick, did expire, that Reverend Person, who was the President of the only University then in the English America,! Preached a Sermon on that Passage of the Sacred Writ, Isa. 57.1. Merciful Men are taken away, none considering that the Righteous are taken away from the Evil to come; and in it gave Sir William Phips the following Testimony. ‘This Province is Beheaded, and lyes a Bleeding. ‘A GOVERNOUR is taken away, who was a Merciful ‘Man; some think too Merciful: And if so, ’tis best ‘Erring on that Hand; and a Righteous Man; who, ‘when he had great Opportunities of gaining by /n- ‘sustice, did refuse to do so. ‘He was a known Friend unto the best Interests, ‘and unto the Churches of God: Not ashamed of owning ‘them: No, how often have I heard him expressing ‘his Desires to be an Instrument of Good unto them! ‘He was a Zealous Lover of his Country, if any Man in ‘the World were so: He exposed himself to serve it; ‘he ventured his Life to save it: In that, a true Nehe- 1 Increase Mather. 278 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA ‘miah, a Governour that sought the welfare of his ‘People. “He was one who did not seek to have the Govern- ‘ment cast upon him: No, but instead thereof to my ‘Knowledge he did several times Petition the King, ‘that this People might always enjoy the great Privi- ‘ledge of chusing their own Governour; and | have heard ‘him express his Desires, that it might be so, to several ‘of the Chief Ministers of State in the Court of England. ‘He is now Dead, and not capable of being Flattered: ‘But this I must testifie concerning him, That though ‘by the Providence of God I have been with him at “Home and Abroad, near at Home, and afar off, by ‘Land and by Sea, J never saw him do any evil Action, ‘or heard him speak any thing unbecoming a Christian. “The Circumstances of his Death seem to intimate ‘the Anger of God, in that he was in the Midst of his ‘Days removed; and I know (though Few did) that he ‘had great Purposes in his Heart, which probably would “have taken Effect, if he had lived a few Months longer, ‘to the great Advantage of this Province; but now he ‘is gone, there is not a Man Living in the World ‘capacitated for those Undertakings; New-England “knows not yet what they have lost! The Recitation of a Testimony so great, whether for the Author, or the Matter of it, has now made a Statue for the Governour of New-England, which Nec poterit Ferrum, nec edax abolere vetustas.} And there now remains nothing more for me to do about it, but only to recite herewithal a well-known Story related by Suidas, That an Envious Man, once going to pull down a Statue which had been raised unto 1 “No sword nor greedy time can destroy.” WILLIAM PHIPS 279 the Memory of one whom he maligned, he only got this by it, that the Statue falling down, knock’d out his Brains. But Poetry as well as History must pay it’s Dues unto him. If Cicero’s Poem intituled, Quadrige, wherein he did with a Poetical Chariot extol the Exploits of Cesar in Britain to the very Skies, were now Extant in the World, I would have Borrowed some Flights of That at least, for the Subject now to be Adorned. But instead thereof, let the Reader accept the ensuing Elegy. | SL TLL Se a aa I RONG ELE DEATH OF Sir William Jabhtps, Kne. Late Captain General and Governour in Chief of the Province of the Massachuset-Bay in New-England, Who Expired in London, Feb. 18. 1695. And to Mortality a Sacrifice Falls He, whose Deeds must Him Immortalize! Ejoice Messieurs; Netops! rejoice; ’tis true, R Ye Philistines, none will rejoice but You: Loving of All He Dy’d; who Love him not Now, have the Grace of Publicans forgot. Our Almanacks foretold a great Eclipse, This they foresaw not, of our greater PHIPS. PHIPS our great Friend, our Wonder, and our Glory, The Terror of our Foes, the World’s rare Story. England will Boast him too, whose Noble Mind Impell’d by Angels, did those Treasures find, Long in the Bottom of the Ocean /ard, Which her Three Hundred Thousand Richer made, By Silver yet ne’er Canker’d, nor defil’d By Honour, nor Betray’d when Fortune smil’d. Since this bright Phoebus visited our Shoar, 1“ Messieurs”—the French, Phips’ enemies. Netop is an Indian word, used by Indians in greeting one another. 280 WILLIAM PHIPS 281 We saw no Fogs but what were rais’d before: Those vanish’d too; harrass’d by Bloody Wars Our Land saw Peace, by his most generous Cares. The Wolvish Pagans at his dreaded Name, Tam’d, shrunk before him and his Dogs became! Fell Moxus and fierce Dockawando fall,! Charm’d at the Feet of our Brave General. Fly-blow the Dead, Pale Envy, let him not (What Hero ever did?) escape a Blot. All is Distort? with an Inchanted Eye, And Heighth will make what's Right still stand awry. He was, Oh that He was! His Faults we'll tell, Such Faults as these we knew, and lik’d them well. Just to an Injury; denying none Their Dues; but Self-denying oft his own. Good to a Miracle; resolv’'d to do Good unto All, whether they would or no. To make Us Good, Great, Wise, and all Things else, He wanted but the Gift of Miracles. On him, vain Mob, thy Mischiefs cease to throw; Bad, but alone in This, the Times were so. Stout to a Prodigy; living in Pain To send back Quebeck-Bullets once again. Thunder, his Musick, sweeter than the Spheres, Chim’d Roaring Canons in his Martial Ears. Frigats of armed Men could not withstand, ’Twas try’d, the Force of his one Swordless Hand: Hand, which in one, all of Briareus had, And Hercules’s twelve Toils but Pleasures made. 1 Moxus and Dockawando, (or Madockawando) were Indian chiefs. 2 Distorted. 282 MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA Too Humble; in brave Stature not so Tall, As low in Carriage, stooping unto all. Rais’d in Estate, in Figure and Renown, Not Pride; Higher, and yet not Prouder grown. Of Pardons full; ne’er to Revenge at all, Was that which He would Satisfaction call. True to his Mate; from whom though often flown. A Stranger yet to every Love but one. Write Him not Childness,! whose whole People were Sons, Orphans now, of Hts Paternal Care. Now lest ungrateful Brands we should incur, Your Salary we'll pay in Tears, GREAT SIR! To England often blown, and by his Prince Ofien sent laden with Preferments thence. Preferr'd each Time He went, when all was done That Earth could do, Heaven fetch’d Him to a Crown. ’Tis He: With Him Interr’d how great designs! Stand Fearless now, ye Eastern Firrs and Pines. With Naval Stores not to enrich the Nation, Stand, for the Universal Conflagration. Mines, opening unto none but Him, now stay Close under Lock and Key, till the Last Day: In this, like to the Grand Aurifick Stone, By any but Great Souls not to be known. And Thou Rich Table, with Bodilla lost, In the Fair Galeon, on our Spanish Coast. In weight Three Thousand and Three Hundred Pound, But of pure Massy Gold, lye Thou, not found, Safe, since He’s laid under the Earth asleep, Who learnt where Thou dost under Water keep. ' Childless. WILLIAM PHIPS 283 But Thou Chief Loser, Poor NEW-ENGLAND, speak Thy Dues to such as did thy Welfare seek, The Governour that vow’d to Rise and Fall With Thee, Thy Fate shows in His Funeral. Write now His Epitaph, ’twill be Thine own, Let it be this, A PUBLICK SPIRIT ’s GONE. Or, but Name PHIPS; more needs not be exprest; Both Englands, and next Ages, tell the Rest. 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Datihag . \ ) att ow tee ; i ive : ‘ i ; 7 ‘ ' Y Py ; Paris a ! \ ay - - r : ghte or 7 wy; es : ; , aa i Sati ' Tt 3 o\ A Z a4 Wy 7 ee ay | SELECTIONS FROM “THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER” THE PREFACE Rexicio PuiLtosopuica; ! OR, THE Christian Philosopher: BEING A Commentary, of the more Modern and Certain PHILosopHy,’” upon that Instruction, Jos xxxvi. 24. Remember that thou magnify His Work which Men behold. of the World, are what I now propose to exhibit; in brief Essays to enumerate some of them, that He may be glorified in them: And in- deed my Essays may pretend unto no more than some of them; for, Theophilus? writing, of the Crea- tion, to his Friend Antolycus, might very justly say, That if he should have a Thousand Tongues, and live a Thousand Years, yet he were not able to describe the admirable Order of the Creation, Sa To trrepBarrov peryeBos kat Tov TAOUTOY copias TOU Meov, Such a Tran- f NHE Works of the Glorious GOD in the Creation 1“Philosophic (or Scientific) Religion.” 2 Philosophy in the sense of science in general. 3 Theophilus of Antioch, died 1g0 A. D. 285 286 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER scendent Greatness of God, and the Riches of his Wisdom appearing in 1t! Chrysostom, I remember, mentions a Twofold Book of GOD; the Book of the Creatures, and the Book of the Scriptures: GOD having taught first of all us dua mpayuatov, by his Works, did it afterwards da | ypappatov, by his Words. We will now for a while _ read the Former of these Books, ’twill help us in reading the Latter: They will admirably assist one another. The Philosopher being asked, What his Books were; answered, Totius Entis Naturalis Universitas. All Men are accommodated with that Publick Library. Reader, walk with me into it, and see what we shall find so legible there, that he that runs may read it. Be- hold, a Book, whereof we may agreeably enough use the words of honest #gardus;: Lectu hic omnibus facilis, etst nunquam legere didicerint, &F communis est omnibus, omniumque ocults expositus.” THE INTRODUCTION HE Essays now before us will demonstrate, that Philosophy is no Enemy, but a mighty and wondrous Incentive to Religion; and they will exhibit that PHtLosopHicaL RELIGION, which will carry with it a most sensible Character, and _ vic-| torious Evidence of a reasonable Service. GLORY | 1 “The natural university of all the existing universe.” 2 “Here is reading easy for everyone even though they have not learned to read, and it is open to all, and set out before everyone’s eyes,” THE INTRODUCTION 287 TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, and GOOD-WILL TOWARDS MEN, animated and exercised; and a Spirit of Devotion and of Charity inflamed, in such Methods as are offered in these Essays, cannot but be attended with more Benefits, than any Pen of ours can declare, or any Mind conceive. In the Dispositions and Resolutions of Piety thus enkindled, a Man most effectually shews himself a Man, and with unutterable Satisfaction answers the grand Enp of his Being, which is, To glorify GOD. He discharges also the Office of a Priest for the Creation, under the Influences of an admirable Saviour, and therein asserts and assures his Title unto that Priest- hood, which the Blessedness of the future State will very much consist in being advanced to. The whole World is indeed a Temple of GOD, built and filled by that Almighty Architect; and in this Temple, every such one, affecting himself with the Occasions for it, | | will speak of His Glory. He will also rise into that Superior Way of Thinking and of Living, which the Wisest of Men will chuse to take; which the more Polite Part of Mankind, and the Honourable of the Earth, will esteem it no Dishonour for them to be acquainted with. Upon that Passage occurring in the best of Books, Ye Sons of the Mighty, ascribe unto the Lord Glory and Strength; it is a Gloss and an Hint of Munster, which carries with it a Cogency: Nihil est tam sublime, tamque magnificum, quod non teneatur laudare tS magnif- icare Deum Creatorem suum.! Behold, a_ Religion, which will be found without Controversy; a Religion, which will challenge all possible Regards from the High, as well as the Low, among the People; I will 1“Nothing is so sublime or magnificent as not to be bound to magnify and praise the Lord, its creator.” = a 288 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER resume the Term, a ParLosopHicaL RELIGION: And yet how Evangelical! In prosecuting this Intention, and in introducing al- most every Article of it, the Reader will continually find some Author or other quoted. This constant Method of Quoting, ’tis to be hoped, will not be censured, as proceeding from an Ambition to intimate and boast a Learning, which the Messteurs du Port-Royal: have rebuked; and that the Humour for which /ustin reproached Julian, will not be found in it: Quis hec audiat, {5 non ipso nominum strepitu terreatur, si est ineruditus, qualis est hominum multitudo, 9 existimet te aliquem magnum qui hec scire potueris?? Nor will there be discernible any Spice of the impertinent Van- ity, which La Bruyere hath so well satirized: ‘Herillus “will always cite, whether he speaks or writes. He makes ‘the Prince of Philosophers to say, That Wine inebriates; ‘and the Roman Orator, That Water temperates it. If he ‘talks of Morality, it is not he, but the Divine Plato, ‘who afhirms, That Virtue is amiable, and Vice odious. “The most common and trivial things, which he himself ‘1s able to think of, are ascribed by him to Latin and ‘Greek Authors.’ But in these Quotations, there has been proposed, first, a due Gratitude unto those, who have been my Instructors; and_ indeed, something within me would have led me to it, if Pliny, who is one of them, had not given me a Rule; Ingenuum est profitert per quos profeceris.* It appears also but a piece ‘ Port-Royal, a famous community in France, including among its members some of the most learned men of the 17th century. * “Who can hear this and not be frightened by the very sound of the names—provided he is not learned, as most men are not—and who but will consider you great because you know so much?” * “Tt is noble to acknowledge by whom you have profited.” THE INTRODUCTION 289 of Justice, that the Names of those whom the Great GOD has distinguished, by employing them to make those Discoveries, which are here collected, should live and shine in every such Collection. Among these, let it be known, that there are especially Two, unto whom I have been more indebted, than unto many others; the Industrious Mr. Ray, and the Inquisitive Mr. DeruaM; Fratrum dulce par:' upon whom, in divers Paragraphs of this Rhapsody,” I have had very much of my Subsistence; (I hope without doing the part of a Fidentinus upon them) and I give thanks to Heaven for them. *Tis true, some Scores of other Philosophers have been consulted on this Occasion; but an Industry so applied, has in it very little to bespeak any Prazses for him that has used it: He earnestly renounces them, and sollicits, that not only he, but the Greater Men, who have been his Teachers, may disappear before the Glorious GOD, whom these Essays are all written to represent as worthy to be praised, and by whose Grace we are what we are; nor have we any thing but what we have received from Him. A considerable Body of Men (if the Jansenists* may now be thought so) in France, have learnt of Monsieur Pascal, to denote themselves by the French Impersonal Particle On; and it was his opinion, that an honest Man should not be fond of naming himself, or using the word I, and ME; that Christian Piety will annihilate our I, and Mg, and Human Civility will suppress it, and conceal it. 1“ A sweet pair of brothers.” See Introduction, pages xlix—l. 2 A collection, a literary work without definite form. 3 A school of Roman Catholic theologians, whose views dominated Port-Royal. 290 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Most certainly there can be very little Pretence to an I, or Me, for what is done in these Essays. ’Tis done, and entirely, by the Help of God: This is all that can be pretended to. There is very little, that may be said, really to be performed by the Hand that is now writing; but only the Devotionary Part of these Essays, tho they are not altogether destitute of American Communications: And if the Virtuoso’s, and all the Genuine Philosophers of our Age, have approved the Design of the devout Ray and Deruam, and others, in their Treatises; it cannot be distasteful unto them, to see what was more generally hinted at by those Excellent Persons, here more particularly carried on, and the more special Flights of the true PHiLosopHicaL RELIGION exemplified. Nor will they that value the Essays of the memorable Antients, Theodoret, and Nazianzen, and Ambrose, upon the Works of the six Days, count it a Fault, if among lesser Men in our Days, there be found those who say, Let me run after them. 1 remember, when we read, Praise is comely for the Upright, it is urged by Kimchz, that the Word whichwe render comely, signifies desirable, and acceptable; and the Sense of that Sentence is, that Qut recti sunt, aliud nihil desiderant quam Laudem Gloriam Dei.'/ Sure I am, such Essays as these, to ob- serve, and proclaim, and publish the Praises of the Glorious GOD, will be desirable and acceptable to all that have a right Spirit in them; the rest, who are blinded, are Fools, and unregardable: As littlé to be regarded as a Monster flourishing a Broomstick! Vix illis optari quidquam pejus potest, quam ut fatuitate sua fruantur.? 1 “The righteous desire nothing but the praise and glory of God.” 2 “Hardly anything worse can be hoped for them, than that they may have the fruit of their folly.” THE INTRODUCTION 291 For such Centaurs to be found in the Tents of professed Christianity!—Good God, unto what Times hast thou reserved us! If the self-taught Philosopher will not, yet Abubeker, a Mahometan Writer, by whom such an one was exhibited more than five hundred Years ago, will rise up in the Judgment with this Generation, and con- demn tt. Reader, even a Mahometan will shew thee one, without any Teacher, but Reason in a serious View of Nature, led on to the Acknowledgment of a Glorious GOD. Of a Man, supposed as but using his Rational Faculties in viewing the Works of GOD, even the Mahometan will tell thee; ‘There appeared unto him ‘those Fooststeps of Wisdom and Wonders in the ‘Works of Creation, which affected his Mind with an “excessive Admiration; and he became hereby assured, ‘that all these things must proceed from such a Volun- ‘tary Agent as was infinitely perfect, yea, above all ‘Perfection: such an one to whom the Weight of the ‘least Atom was not unknown, whether in Heaven or ‘Earth. Upon his viewing of the Creatures, whatever ‘Excellency he found of any kind, he concluded, it must “needs proceed from the Influence of that / oluntary “Agent, so illustriously glorious, the Fountain of Being, ‘and of Working. He knew therefore, that whatsoever ‘Excellencies were by Nature in Him, were by so ‘much the greater, the more perfect, and the more ‘lasting; and that there was no proportion between ‘those Excellencies which were in Him, and those ‘which were found in the Creatures. He discerned ‘also, by the virtue of that more Noble Part of his, ‘whereby he knew the necessarily existent Being, that ‘there was in him a certain Resemblance thereof: And ‘he saw, that it was his Duty to labour by all: manner “of Means, how he might obtain the Properties of 292 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER ‘that Being, put on His Qualities, and imitate His ‘Actions; to be diligent and careful also in promoting ‘His Will; to commit all his Affairs unto Him, and ‘heartily to acquiesce in all those Decrees of His which ‘concerned him, either from within, or from without: ‘so that he pleased himself in Him, tho he should “afflict him, and even destroy him.’ I was going to say, O Mentis auree Verba bracteata!' But the Great Alsted instructs me, that we Christians, in our valuable Citations from them that are Strangers to Christianity, should seize upon the Sentences as containing our Truths, detained in the hands of Unjust Possessors; and he allows me to say, Audite Ciceronem, quem Natura docuit.2 However, this | may say, God has thus far taught a Mahometan! And this I will say, CAristian, beware lest a Mahometan be called in for thy Condem- nation! Let us conclude with a Remark of Minutius Felix: ‘If so much Wisdom and Penetration be requisite to ‘observe the wonderful Order and Design in the Struc- ‘ture of the World, how much more were necessary ‘to form it!’ If Men so much admire Philosophers, because they discover a small Part of the Wisdom that made all things; they must be stark blind, who do not admire that Wisdom itself! 1 “Q golden words of a golden mind.” 2 “Hear Cicero, whom Nature taught.” 3 Marcus Minucius Felix, Latin apologist for Christanity, in the third century. OF THE EARTH 293 ESSAY XXIII. Of the Eartu. ‘ke Lord by Wisdom has founded the Earth. A poor Sojourner on the Earth now thinks it his Duty to behold and admire the Wisdom of his glorious Maker there. The £arth, which is the Basis and Support of so many Vegetables and Animals, and yields the alimen- tary Particles, whereof Water is the Vehicle, for their Nourishment: Quorum omnium (as Tully saith well) incredibilis Multitudo, insatiabilt Varietate distingut- tur.} The various Moulds and Soils of the Earth declare the admirable Wisdom of the Creator, in making such a provision for a vast variety of Intentions. God said, Let the Earth bring forth! And yet, Nec vero Terre ferre omnes omnia possunt.” a It is pretty odd; they who have written de Arte Combinatoria, reckon of no fewer than one hundred and seventy-nine Muillions, one thousand and sixty different sorts of Earth: But we may content ourselves with Sir John Evelyn’s Enumeration, which is very short of that.® However, the Vegetables owe not so much of their Life and Growth to the Larth itself, as to some agree- , able Juices or Salts lodg’d in it. Both Mr. Boyle and Van Helmont, by Experiments, found the Earth scarce 1“QOf all these an incredible number, divided with inexhaustible variety.” 2 “Not all lands can bear all things.” 3 Mather here draws on Evelyn’s Terra, whence he takes his reference to the De Arte Combinatoria. 294 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER at all diminished when Plants, even Trees, had been for divers Years growing in it. The Strata of the Earth, its Lays and Beds, afford surprizing Matters of Observation: the Objects lodged in them; the Uses made of them; and particularly the Passage they give to sweet Waters, as being the Calan- ders! wherein they are sweetned. It is asserted that these are found all to lie very much according to the Laws of Gravity. Mr. Derham went far to demonstrate this Assertion. The vain Colts of Asses, that fain would be wise, have cavill’d at the unequal Surface of the Earth, have open’d against the Mountains, as if they were superfluous Excrescences; but Warts deforming the Face of the Earth, and Proofs the Earth is but an Heap of Rubbish and Ruins. Pliny had more of Religion in him. The sagacious Dr. Halley has observed, That the Ridges of Mountains being placed thro the midst of their Continents, do serve as Alembicks, to distil fresh Waters in vast Quantities for the Use of the World: And their Heights give a Descent unto the Streams, to run gently, like so many Veins of the Macrocosm, to be the more beneficial to the Creation. The genera- tion of Clouds, and the distribution of Rains, accom- modated and accomplished by the Mountains, is indeed so observable, that the learned Scheuchzerand Creitlovius can’t forbear breaking out upon it witha Mirati summam Creatoris Sapientiam! ” | What Rivers could there be without those admirable Tools of Nature! Vapours being raised by the Sun, acting on the Sur- 17. e., colanders, strainers. 2 “Wonderful is the lofty wisdom of the Creator.”” The quotation and the names of the two authorities, are taken direct from Derham. OFF TAEPEARTA 295 face of the Sea, as a Fire under an Alembick, by rarefy- ing of it, makes the lightest and freshest Portions thereof to mse first; which Rarefaction is made (as Dr. Cheyne observes)! by the insinuation of its active Parti- cles among the porous Parts thereof, whereby they are put into a violent Motion many different ways, and so are expanded into little Bubbles of larger Dimensions than formerly they had; and so they become specifically lighter, and the weightier Atmosphere buoys them up. The Streams of these Vapours rest in places where the Air is of equal Gravity with them, and are carried up and down the dimosphere by the course of that Air, till they hit at last against the sides of the Mountains, and by this Concussion are condensed, and thus become heavier than the Air they swum in, and so gleet down the rocky Caverns of these Mountains, the inner parts whereof being hollow and stony, afford them a Bason, until they are accumulated in sufficient Quantities, to break out at the first Crany: whence they descend into Plains, and several of them uniting, form Rivulets; and many of those uniting, do grow into Rivers. This is the Story of them; this their Pedigree! Minerals are dug out of Mountains; which, if they were sought only in level Countries, the Delfs would be so flown with Waters, that it would be impossible to make Addits or Soughs to drein them.? Here is, as Olaus Magnus expresses it, Inexhausta pretiosorum Metallorum ubertas.® A German Writer, got upon the Mountains, gives this Account of them: Sunt ceu tot naturales Fornaces €hymi- 1 Mather refers to Dr. George Cheyne’s Philosophical Principles of Religion, Natural and Revealed. 2 Delf =a ditch; addits and soughs = drains, gutters. ® “Tnexhaustible plenty of precious minerals.” 296 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER ce, in quibus Deus varia Metalla 9 Mineralia excoqutt €F maturat.! The Habitations and Situations of Mankind are made vastly the more comfortable for the Mountains. There is a vast Variety of Plants proper to the Mountains: and many Animals find the Mountains their most proper places to breed and feed in. The highest Hills a Refuge to the wild Goats! A Point Mr. Ray has well spoken to. They report that Hippocrates did usually repair to the Mountains for the Plants, by which he wrought the chief of his Cures. Mountains also are the most convenient Boundaries to Territories, and afford a Defence unto them. One calls them the Bulwarks of Nature, cast up at the Charges of the Almighty; the Scorns and Curbs of the most victorious Armies. Vhe Barbarians in Curtius* were confidently sensible of this! Yea, we may appeal to the Senses of all Men, whether the grateful Variety of Hills and Dales be not more pleasing than the largest continued Plains. "Tis also a salutary Conformation of the Earth; some Constitutions are best suited above, and others below. Truly these massy and lofty Piles can by no means be spared. Galen, thou shalt chastize the Pseudo-Christians, whe reproach the Works of God. Say! Accusandi sané mead Sententia hic sunt Sophiste, quit cium nondum inventre neque exponere Opera Nature queant, eam tamen inertia atque inscitia condemnant.® 1 “They are like so many natural chemical furnaces in which God tempers and ripens various metals and minerals.” 2 Quintus Curtius, historian. 3 “Those sophists are blameable, who, since they cannot discover or make clear the works of nature, condemn it from laziness and ignorance.” OF THE EARTH 297 Say now, O Man, say, under the sweet Constraints of Demonstration, Great GOD, the Earth is full of thy Goodness! And Dr. Grew shall carry on the more general Obser- vation for us. “How little is the Mischief which the “Air, Fire, or Water sometimes doth, compared with ‘the innumerable Uses to which they daily serve? Be- “sides the Seas and Rivers, how many wholesome Springs “are there for one that is poisonous? Are the Northern “Countries subject to Cold? They have a greater ‘plenty of Furs to keep the People warm. Would those “under or near the Lme be subject to Heat? They have ‘a constant Kasterly Breeze, which blows strongest in ‘the Heat of the Day, to refresh them: And with this “Refreshment without, they have a variety of excellent ‘Fruits to comfort and cool them within. How admir- ‘ably are the Clouds fed with Vapours, and carried ‘about with the Winds, for the gradual, equal, and ‘seasonable watering of most Countries? And in ‘those which have less Rain, how abundantly is the ‘want of that supplied with noble Rivers?’ Even the subterraneous Caverns have their Uses. And so have the Ignivomous Mountains: Those terrible things are Spiracles, to vent the Vapours, which else might make a dismal Havock. Dr. Woodward observes, That tho Places which are very subject unto Larth- quakes usually have these Volcano’s, yet without these fiery Vents their Earthquakes would bring more tremen- dous Desolations upon them. Those two flammivomous Mountains, Vesuvius and 4Stna, have sometimes terrified the whole World with their tremendous Eruptions. Vesuvius transmitted its frightful Cinders as far as Constantinople, which obliged the Emperor to leave the City; and Historians tell us 298 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER there was kept an Anniversary Commemoration of it. Kircher has given us a Chronicle of what furious things have been done by ina; the melted Matter which one time it poured forth, spreading in breadth six Miles, ran down as far as Catanea,' and forced a Passage into the Sea. Asia abounds in these Volcano’s. Africa is known to have eight at least. In America ’tis affirmed that there are not less than fifteen, among that vast Chain of Mountains called the Andes. One says, ‘Nature ‘seems here to keep house under ground, and the ‘Hollows of the Mountains to be the Funnels or Chim- ‘neys, by which the fuliginous Matter of those ever- lasting Fires ascends.’ The North too, that seems doom’d unto eternal Cold, has its famous Hecla. And Bartholomew Zenet? found one in Greenland, yet nearer to the Pole; the Effects whereof are very surprizing. A reasonable and religious Mind cannot behold these formidable Mountains, without some Reflections of this importance: Great GOD, who knows the Power of thine Anger? Or what can stand before the powerful Indignation of that God, who can kindle a Fire in his Anger that shall burn to the lowest Hell, and set on fire the Foundations of the Mountains! The Volcano’s would lead us to consider the Earth- quakes, wherein the Earth often suffers violent, and sometimes very destructive Concussions. The History of Earthquakes would be a large, as well as a sad Volume. Whether a Colluctation® of Minerals 4 Catania: 2 Possibly a reference to Nicolo Zeno, who, in the 14th century is said to have gone to Greenland, and to have discovered a volcano there. 3 Conflict. OF THE EARTH 299 in the Bowels of the Earth is the cause of those direful Convulsions, may be considered: As we know a Com- position of Gold which Aqua Regia has dissolved; Sal Armoniack, and Salt of Tartar, set on fire, will with an horrible crack break thro all that is in the way. But Mankind ought herein to tremble before the Justice of God. Particular Cities and Countries, what fear- ful Desolations have been by Earthquakes brought upon them! The old sinking of Helice and Buris, absorbed by Earthquakes into the Sea, mention’d by Ovid, or the twelve Cities that were so swallow’d up in the Days of Tiberius, are small things to what Earthquakes are to do on our Globe; yea, have already done. I know not what we shall think of the huge Atlantis, men- tioned by Plato, now at the bottom of the Atlantick Ocean: But I know Varenius thinks it probable, that the Northern Part of America was joined unto Ireland, till Earthquakes made the vast and amazing Separa- tion. Others have thought so of England and France; of Spain and Africa; of Italy and Sicily. Ah, Sicily! Art thou come to be spoken of? No longer ago than t’other day what a rueful Spectacle was there exhibited in the Island of Sicily by an Earth- quake,’ in which there perished the best part of two hundred thousand Souls! Yea, Ammianus Marcellinus tells us, in the Year 365, Horrendi Tremores per omnem Orbis Ambitum grassati sunt.” O Inhabitants of the Earth, how much ought you to fear the things that will bring you into ill Terms with the Glorious GOD! Fear, lest the Pit and the Snare 1 Probably the earthquakes in January, 1693. 2 “Fearful shakings went through all the surface of the earth.” 300 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER be upon you! Against all other Strokes there may some Defence or other be thought on: There is none against an Earthquake! It says, Tho they hide in the top of Carmel, J will find them there! But surely the Earthquakes | have met with will effectually instruct me to avoid the Folly of setting my Heart inordinately on any Earthly Possessions or En- joyments. Methinks I hear Heaven saying Surely he will receive this Instruction! A modern Philosopher speaks at this rate, “We do ‘not know when and where we stand upon good Ground: ‘It would amaze the stoutest Heart, and make him ‘ready to die with Fear, if he could see into the sub- ‘terraneous World, and view the dark Recesses of Nature ‘under ground; and behold, that even the strongest ‘of our Piles of Building, whose Foundation we think ‘is laid firm and fast, yet are set upon an Arch or ‘Bridge, made by the bending Parts of the Earth one ‘upon another, over a prodigious Vault, at the bottom “of which there lies an unfathomable Sea, but its upper ‘Hollows are filled with stagnating Air, and with Ex- ‘pirations of sulphureous and bituminous Matter. ‘Upon such a dreadful Abyss we walk, and ride, and “sleep; and are sustained only by an arched Roof, which “also is not in all places of an equal Thickness.’ Give me leave to say, I take Earthquakes to be very moving Preachers unto worldly-minded Men: Their Address may be very agreeably put into the Terms of the Prophet; O Earth, Earth, Earth, hear the Word of the Lord! ‘Chrysostom did well, among his other Epithets, to ‘call the Earth our Table; but it shall teach me as ‘well as feed me: May I be a Deipnosophist! upon it. 1“ A master of the art of dining.” OF THE EARTH 301 ‘Indeed, what is the Earth but a Theatre, as has ‘been long since observed? Jn quo Infinita & I[llustria, ‘Providentia, Bonitatis, Potentie ac Sapientie Divine Spectacula contemplanda!' But I must not forget that ‘this Earth is very shortly to be my sleeping-place; it has a Grave waiting for me: I will not fear to go down, ‘for thou hast promised, O my Saviour, to bring me up ¢ = >] again. APPEN DIX. g. Aving arrived thus far, I will here make a Pause, and acknowledge the Shine of Heaven on our Parts of the Earth, in the Improvements of our modern Philosophy. To render us the more sensible hereof, we will propose a few Points of the Mahometan Philosophy, or Secrets reveal’d unto Mahomet, which none of his Followers, who cover so much of the Earth at this Day, may dare to question. The Winds; ’tis an Angel moving his Wings that raises them. The Flux and Reflux of the Sea, is caused by an Angel’s putting his Foot on the middle of the Ocean, which compressing the Waves, the Waters run to the Shores; but being removed, they retire into their proper Station. Falling Stars are the Firebrands with which the good Angels drive away the bad, when they are too saucily inquisitive, and approach too near the Verge of the Heavens, to eves-drop the Secrets there. Thunder is nothing else but the cracking of an Angel's 1 “Tn which are to be contemplated infinite and glorious spectacles of the Divine providence, goodness, power, and wisdom.” 302 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Whip, while he slashes the dull Clouds into such and such places, when they want Rains to fertilize the Earth. Eclipses are made thus: The Sun and Moon are shut in a Pipe, which is turned up and down; from each Pipe is a Window, by which they enlighten the World; but when God is angry at the Inhabitants of it for their Transgressions, He bids an Angel clap to the Window, and so turn the Light towards Heaven from the Earth: for this Occasion Forms of Prayer are left, that the Almighty would avert his Judgments, and restore Light unto the World. The thick-skull’d Prophet sets another Angel at work for Earthquakes; he is to hold so many Ropes tied unto every Quarter of the Globe, and when he is commanded, he is to pull; so he shakes that part of the Globe: and if a City, or Mountain, or Tower, is to be overturned, then he tugs harder at the Pulley, till the Rivers dance, and the Valleys are filled with Rubbish, and the Waters are swallowed up in the Precipices. May our Devotion exceed the Mahometan as much as our Philosophy! ESSAY XXIV. Of Macnetism. Macnetism of the Earth. A Principle very dif- ferent from that of Gravity. The Operations of this amazing Principle, are princi- pally discovered in the communion that Jon has with the Loadstone; a rough, coarse, unsightly Stone, but of more Value than all the Diamonds and Jewels in the Universe. G i an unaccountable thing there is as the OF MAGNETISM 303 It is observed by Sturmius, That the attractive Quality of the Magnet was known to the Antients, even beyond all History. Indeed, besides what Pliny says of it, Aristotle speaks of Thales, as having said, the Stone has a Soul, 6tt Tov ovdnpov Kivel’ because it moves Tron. It was Roger Bacon who first of all discovered the Verticity of the Magnet, or its Property of pointing to- wards the Pole, about four hundred Years ago. The Communication of its Vertue to Jron was first of all discovered by the Jtalians. One Gora first lit up- on the Use of the Mariner’s Compass, about A. C. 1300. After this, the various Declination of the Needle under different Meridians, was discovered by Cabot and Nor- man. And then the Variation of the Declination, so as to be not always the same in one and the same place, by Hevelius, Auzot, Volckamer, and others.’ The inquisitive Mr. Derham says, The Variation of the Variation was first found out by our Gellibrand, A. Cp 1634. And he himself has added a further Discovery; That as the Common Needle is continually varying towards the East and West, so the Dipping Needle varies up and down, towards the Zenith, or fromwards, with a magnetick Tendency, describing a Circle round the Pole of the World, or some other Point; a Circle, whereof the Radius is about 13 Degrees. In every Magnet there are two Poles, the one pointing to the North, and the other to the South. The Poles, in divers Parts of the Globe, are diversly inclined towards the Center of the Earth. 1 All three of these scientists had communicated papers to the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, whence Mather draws much of his material about magnets. 304 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER These Poles, tho contrary to one another, do mu- tually help towards the Magnet’s Attraction, and sus- pension of ron. If a Stone be cut or broke into ever so many pieces, there are these two Poles in each of the pueces. If two Magnets are spherical, one will conform itself to the other, so as either of them would do to the Earth; and after they have so turned themselves, they will endeavour to approach each other: but placed in a contrary Position, they avoid each other. If a Magnet be cut thro the Axis, the Segments of the Stone, which before were joined, will now avoid and fly each other. If the Magnet be cut by a Section perpendicular to its Axis, the two Points, which before were conjoined, will become contrary Poles; one in one, t’other in t’other Segment. Iron receives Vertue from the Magnet, by application to it, or barely from an approach near it, tho it do not touch it; and the Jron receives this Vertue variously, according to the Parts of the Stone it is made to approach to. The Magnet loses none of its own Vertue by com- municating any to the Jron. ‘This Vertue it also com- municates very speedily; tho the longer the Jron joins the Stone, the longer its communicated Vertue will hold. And the better the Magnet, the sooner and stronger the communicated Vertue. Steel receives Vertue from the Magnet better than Iron. A Needle touch’d by a Magnet, will turn its Ends the same way towards the Poles of the World as the Magnet will do it. But neither of them conform their Poles exactly to those of the World; they have usually OF MAGNETISM 305 some Variation, and this Variation too in the same place is not always the same. A Magnet will take up much more Jron when arm’d or cap’d than it can alone. And if the Iron Ring be suspended by the Stone, yet the magnetical Particles do not hinder the Ring from turning round any way, to the Right or Left. The best Magnet, at the least distance from a lesser or a weaker, cannot draw to it a piece of Iron adhering actually to a much weaker or lesser Stone; but if it come to touch it, it can draw it from the other. But a weaker Magnet, or even a little piece of Iron, can draw away or separate a piece of Jron contiguous to a better and greater Magnet. In our Northern Parts of the World, the South Pole of a Loadstone will raise more Iron than the North Pole. A Plate of Iron only, but no other Body interposed, can impede the Operation of the Loadstone, either as to its attractive or directive Quality. The Power and Vertue of the Loadstone may be 1m- pair’d by lying long in a wrong posture, as also by Rust, and Wet, and the like. A Magnet heated red-hot, will be speedily deprived of its attractive Quality; then cooled, either with the South Pole to the North, in an horizontal position, or with the South Pole to the Earth in a perpendicular, it will change its Polarity; the Southern Pole becoming the Northern, and vice versa. By applying the Poles of a very small Fragment of a Magnet to the opposite vigorous ones of a larger, the Poles of the Fragment have been speedily changed. Well temper’d and harden’d Iron Tools, heated by Attrition, will attract Filings of Iron and Steel. The Iron Bars of Windows, which have stood long 306 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER in an erect position, do grow permanently magnetical; the lower ends of such Bars being the Northern Poles, and the upper the Southern. Mr. Boyle found English Oker, heated red-hot, and cooled in a proper posture, plainly to gain a magnetick Power. The illustrious Mr. Boyle, and the inquisitive Mr. Derham, have carried on their Experiments, till we are overwhelmed with the Wonders, as well as with the Numbers of them. That of Mr. Derham, and Grimaldi, That a piece of well-touch! Iron Wire, upon being bent round in a Ring, or coiled round upon a Stick, loses its Verticity; is very admirable. The Strength of some Loadstones is very surprizing. Dr. Lister? saw a Collection of Loadstones, one of them weighed naked not above a Dram, yet it would raise a Dram and half of Iron; but being shod, it would raise one hundred and forty and four Drams. A smooth Loadstone, weighing 65 Grains, drew up 14 Ounces; that is, 144 times its own weight. A Loadstone that was no bigger than an Hazel-nut, fetch’d up an huge bunch of Keys. The Effluvia of a Loadstone seem to work in a Circle. What flows from the North Pole, comes round, and enters the South Pole; and what flows from the South Pole, enters the North Pole. Tho a minute Loadstone may have a prodigious force, yet it 1s very strange to see what a short Sphere of Activity it has; it affects not the Jron sensibly above an Inch or two, and the biggest little more than a 1 Probably a misprint for “ well-touched,” 7. ¢., well magnetized. 2 Dr. Martin Lister, 1638?-1712, published in 1698 an account of his travels. OF MAGNETISM 307 Foot or two. The magnetick Effluvia make haste to return to the Stone that emitted them, and seem afraid of leaving it, as a Child the Mother before it can go alone. On that astonishing Subject, The Variation of the Compass, what if we should hear the acute Mr. Halley’s ' _ Proposals? He proposes, That our whole Globe should be looked upon as a great Magnet, having four magnetical Poles, or Points of Attraction, two near each Pole of the Equator. In those Parts of the World which lie near adjacent unto any one of these magnetical Poles, the Needle is governed by it; the nearer Pole being always predominant over the remoter. The Pole which at present is nearest unto Britain, lies in or near the Meridian of the Lands-end of England, and not above seven Degrees from the Artick Pole. By this Pole the Variations in all Europe, and in Tartary, and in the North Sea, are principally governed, tho’ with some regard to the other Northern Pole, which is in a Meridian passing about the middle of Calefornia,? and about fifteen-Degrees from the North Pole of the World. To this the Needle pays its chief respect in all the North _ America, and in the two Oceans on either side, even from the Azores Westward, unto Japan, and further. The two Southern Poles are distant rather further from the South Pole of the World; the one is about sixteen Degrees therefrom, and is under a Meridian about twenty Degrees to the Westward of the Magellanick 1Edmund Halley, the astronomer, 1656-1742, communicated to the Royal Society an article on “a theory of the variation of the magnetical compass,” printed in the Society’s Philosophical Trans- actions, vol. xill. ? I. ¢., the old Mexican province of California. 308 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Streights; this commands the Needle in all the South America, in the Pacifick Sea, and in the greatest part of the Ethiopick Ocean. The fourth and last Pole seems to have the greatest Power and the largest Dominions of all, as it is the most remote from the Pole of the World; for ’tis near twenty Degrees from it, in the Meridian which passes thro Hollandia Nova, and the Island Celebes. This Pole has the mastery in the South part of Africa, in Arabia, and the Red Sea, in Persia, in India, and its Islands, and all over the Indian Sea, from the Cape of Good Hope Eastwards, to the middle of the great South Sea, which d vides Asia from America. Behold, the Disposition of the magnetical Vertue, as It is throughout the whole Globe of the Earth at this day! But now to solve the Phenomena! We may reckon the external Parts of our Globe as a Shell, the internal as a Nucleus, or an inner Globe included within ours; and between these a fluid Medium, which having the same common Center and Axis of diurnal Rotation, may turn about with our Earth every four and twenty Hours: only this outer Sphere having its turbinating Motion some small matter either swifter or slower than the internal Ball, and a very small difference becoming in length of Time sensible by many Repetitions; the internal Parts will by degrees recede from the external, and not keeping pace with one another, will appear gradually to move, either East- wards or Westwards, by the difference of their Motions. Now if the exterior Shell of our Globe should be a Magnet, having its Poles at a distance from the Poles of diurnal Rotation; and if the internal Nucleus be likewise a Magnet, having its Poles in two other places, distant also from the Axis, and these latter, by a slow OF MAGNETISM 309 and gradual Motion, change their place in respect of the external, we may then give a reasonable account of the four magnetical Poles, and of the Changes of the Needle’s Variations. Who can tell but the final Cause of the Admixture of the magnetical Matter in the Mass of the terrestrial Parts of our Globe, should be to main- tain the concave Arch of this our Shell? Yea, we may suppose the Arch lined with a magnetical Matter, or to be rather one great concave Magnet, whose two Poles are fixed in the Surface of our Globe? Sir Isaac Newton has demonstrated the Moon to be more solid than our Earth, as nine to five; why may we not then suppose four Ninths of our Globe to be Cavity? Mr. Halley allows there may be Inhabitants of the lower Story, and many ways of producing Light for them. ‘The Medium itself may be always luminous; or the concave Arch may shine with such a Substance as does invest the Surface of the Sun; or they may have peculiar Luminaries, whereof we can have no Idea: As Virgil and Claudian enlighten their Elysian Fields; the latter, Amissum ne crede Diem; sunt altera nobis Sydera; sunt Orbes alii; Lumenque videbis Purius, Elysiumque magis mirabere Solem.* The Diameter of the Earth being about eight thou- sand English Miles, how easy ’tis to allow five hundred Miles for the Thickness of the Shell! And another five hundred Miles for a Medium capable of a vast Atmosphere, for the Globe contained within it! But it’s time to stop, we are got beyond Human Pene- 1“Do not suppose that light is lost; there are other stars for us, and other courses, and you shall see a clearer light and wonder at the sun of Elysium.” 310 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER tration; we have dug as far as ’tis fit any Conjecture should carry us! It is a little surprizing that the Orb of the Activity of Magnets, as Mr. Derham observes, 1s larger or lesser at different times. There is a noble and a mighty Loadstone reserved in the Repository at Gresham- College, which will keep a Key, or other piece of Jron, suspended unto another, sometimes at the distance of eight or ten Foot from it, but at other times not above four. [A Digression, if worthy to be called so]] §. But is it possible for me to go any further without making an Observation, which indeed would ever now and then break in upon us as we go along? Once for all; Gentlemen Philosophers, The MAGNET has quite puzzled you. It shall then be no indecent Anticipation of what should have been observed at the Conclusion of this Collection, here to demand it of you, that you glorify the infinite Creator of this, and of all things, as incomprehensible. You must acknowl- edge that Human Reason is too feeble, too narrow a thing to comprehend the infinite God. The Words of our excellent Boyle deserve to be recited on this Occasion: ‘Such is the natural Imbecillity of the Human ‘Intellect, that the most piercing Wits and excellent ‘Mathematicians are forced to confess, that not only ‘their own Reason, but that of Mankind, may be ‘puzzled and nonplus’d about Quantity, which ‘is an Object of Contemplation natural, nay, mathe- ‘matical. Wherefore why should we think it unfit ‘to be believed, and to be acknowledged, that in the ‘Attributes of God [it may be added, and in His Dis- “pensations towards the Children of Men] there should be “some things which our finite Understandings cannot OF MAGNETISM 311 ‘clearly comprehend? And we who cannot clearly ‘comprehend how in ourselves two such distant Na- ‘tures, as that of a gross Body and an immaterial Spirit ‘should be so united as to make up one Man, why ‘should we grudge to have our REAson Pupil to an ‘omniscient Instructor, who can teach us such things, ‘as neither our own mere Reason, nor any others, ‘could ever have discovered to us?’ I will now single out a few plain Mathematical In- stances wherein, Sirs, you will find your finest Reason so transcended, and so confounded, that it is to be hoped a profound Humility in the grand Affairs of our holy Religion will from this time for ever adorn you. Mr. Robert Jenkin’ discoursing on the Reasonableness of the Christian Religion, gives two Instances how much we may lose ourselves in the Speculation of material things. First, Nothing seems more evident, than that all Matter is divisible; yea, the least Particle of Matter must be so, because it has the Nature and Essence of Matter: it can never be so divided that it shall cease to be Matter. But then, on the other side, it is plain, Matter cannot be infinitely divisible; because whatever is divisible, is divisible into Parts; and no Parts can be infinite, because no Number can be so. A numberless Number is a Contradiction; all Parts are capable of being numbred; they are more or fewer, odd or even. It is not enough to say, that Matter is only capable of such a Division, but never can be actually divided tnto infinite Parts; for the Parts into which it is divisible must be actually existent, tho they be not actually divided. And last of all to say, these Parts of Matter are indef- 1 Robert Jenkin, 1656-1727, master of St. John’s College, Cam- bridge. 312 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER inite, but not infinite, is only to confess we know not what to say. Secondly, We all agree that all the Parts into which the Whole is divided, being taken together are equal to the Whole. But it seems any single Part is equal to the Whole. Itis granted, that in any Circle a Line may be drawn from every Point of the Circumference to the Center. Suppose the Circle to be the Equator, and a million lesser Circles are drawn within the Equator, about the same Center, and then a right Line drawn from every Point of the Equator to the Center of the Globe; every such right Line drawn from the Equator to the Center, must of necessity cut thro the million lesser Circles, about the same Center: consequently there must be the same number of Points in a Circle a million of times less than the Equator, as there is in the Equator itself. The lesser Circles may be multiplied into as many as there are Points in the Diameters; and so the least Circle imaginable may have as many Points as the greatest; that is, be as big as the greatest, as big as one that is millions of times as big as itself. Yet more; What will you say to this? Let a Radius be moved as a Radius upon a Circle; ’tis a Case of Dr. Grew’s proposing: whether we suppose it wholly moved, or but in part, the Supposition will bring us to an Absurdity; if it be in a part movent,! and in a part quiescent, it will be a curve Line, and no Radius; if it be wholly movent, then it moves either about or upon the Center; if it moves about it, it then comes short of it, and so again is no Radius: it cannot move upon it, because all motion having parts, there can be no motion upon a Poznt. More yet; We cannot conceive how the Perimeter 1 Moving. OF MAGNETISM 313 of a Circle, or other curve Figure, can consist without being infinitely angular; for the parts of a Line are Lines: But we cannot conceive how those Lines can have, as here they have, a different direction, and there- fore an inclination, without making an Angle. And yet if you suppose a Circle to be angular, you destroy the Definition of a Circle, and the Theorems depending on it. Once more; I will offer a Case of my own. The Line on which I am now writing is a Space between ‘vo Points; it will be doubtless allowed me, that my Pen in passing over this Line, from the one point unto the other, must pass over the half of the Line before 1t passes over the whole; and so the half of the remaining half, and so the half of the quarter that remains: so still the half of the remaining space, the half before the whole; and yet when it comes to execution, you find ‘t is not so. If the Position you allowed me had been true, my Pen would not have reach’d unto the end of the Line before the End of my Life; or in a Term wherein it might have written ten Books as big as old Zoroaster’s, or more Manuscripts than ever were in the Alexandrian Library. It is then evident, that all Mankind is to this day ‘n the dark as to the ultimate Parts of Quantity, and of Motion. Go on my learned Grew, and maintain [who more fit than one of thy recondite Learning?] that there is hardly any one thing in the World, the Essence whereof we can perfectly comprehend. But then to the natural Imbecillity of Reason, add the moral Depravations of it, by our Fall from God, and the Ascendant which a corrupt and vicious Will has obtain’d over it, how much ought this Consideration to warn us against the Conduct of an unhumbled Understanding in things relating to the 314 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Kingdom of God? I am not out of my way, I have had a Magnet all this while steering of this Digression: I am now returning to that. §]. God forbid I should be, Tam Lapis ut Lapidi Numen inesse putem.’ To fall down before a Stone, and say, Thou art a God, would be an Idolatry, that none but a Soul more senseless than a Stone could be guilty of. But then it would be a very agreeable and ac- ceptable Homage unto the Glorious GOD, for me to see much of Him-in such a wonderful Stone as the Macnet. They have done well to call it the Loadstone, that is to say, the Lead-stone: May it lead me unto Thee, O my God and my Saviour! Magnetism is in this like to Gravity, that it leads us to GOD, and brings us very near to Him. When we see Magnetism in its Operation, we must say, This is the Work of God! And of the Stone, which has proved of such vast use in the Affairs of the Waters that cover the Sea, and will eer long do its part in bringing it about that the Glory of the Lord shall cover the Earth, we must say, Great God, this 1s a wonderful Gift of Thine unto the World! I do not propose to exemplify the occasional Reflections which a devout Mind may make upon all the Creatures of God, their Properties, and Actions, and Relations; the Libri Elephantini? would not be big enough to contain the thousandth part of them. If it were law- ful for me here to pause with a particular Exercise upon the Loadstone, my first Thoughts would be those of the 1 “Such a stone as to think that there is in a stone any divine authority.” * The elephantine books were made up of ivory tablets on which were kept certain governmental records of the ancient Romans. “Elephantine” means “made of ivory” but Mather takes it here as referring to “elephantine”’ size. OF MAGNETISM 315 holy Scudder,' whose Words have had a great Impression on me ever since my first reading of them in my Child- hood: ‘An upright Man is like a Needle touch’d with ‘the Loadstone; tho he may thro boisterous Temptations ‘and strong Allurements oftentimes look towards the ‘Pleasure, Gain and Glory of this present World, yet ‘because he is truly touch’d with the sanctifying Spirit ‘of God, he still inclineth God-ward, and hath no Quiet ‘till he stand steady towards Heaven.’ However, to animate the Devotion of my Christian Philosopher, I will here make a Report to him. The ingenious Ward wrote a pious Book, as long ago as the Year 1639, entitled, Magnetis Reductorium Theologicum.? ‘The Design of his Essay, is, to lead us from the Considera- tion of the Loadstone, to the Consideration of our Saviour, and of his incomparable Glories; whereof | the Magnet has in it a notable Adumbration. In his Introduction he has a Note, worthy to be transcribed here, as religiously asserting the Design, of which our whole Essay is a Prosecution. Hic precipuus 9 poten- tissimus Creaturarum omnium Finis est, cum Scale nobis ‘f Ale fiunt, quibus Anime nostrae supra Dumeta 9 Sterquilinia Mundi hujus volitantes, facilius ad Celum ascendunt, t9 ad Deum Creatorem aspirant.® For what is now before us, if our Ward may be our Adviser; Chris- tian, in the Loadstone drawing and lifting up the fron, behold thy Saviour drawing us to himself, and raising 1 Henry Scudder, divine and writer, who died about 1659. 2 Samuel Ward, who died in 1643, was the brother of Nathaniel Ward, who wrote in New England the famous Simple Cobler of Aggawamm. 3“This is the special and most important end of all creatures, since stairs and wings are made for us, by which our souls, flying above the thorn-bushes and dunghills of this world, may ascend to Heaven and aspire toward God the Creator.” 316 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER us above the secular Cares and Snares that ruin us. In its ready communication of its Vertues, behold a shadow of thy Saviour communicating his holy Spirit to his chosen People; and his Ministers more particu- larly made Partakers of his attractive Powers. When Silver and Gold are neglected by the Loadstone, but coarse Iron preferred, behold thy Saviour passing over the Angelical World, and chusing to take our Nature upon him. The Jron is also undistinguished, whether it be lodged in a fine Covering, or whether it be lying in the most squalid and wretched Circumstances; which invites us to think how little respect of Persons there is with our Saviour. However, the Iron should be cleansed, it should not be rusty; nor will our Saviour embrace those who are not so far cleansed, that they are at least willing to be made clean, and have his Files pass upon them. The /rom is at first merely passive, then it moves more feebly towards the Stone; anon upon Contact it will fly to it, and express a marvellous Affection and Adherence. Is not here a Picture of the Dispositions in our Souls towards our Saviour? It is the Pleasure of our Saviour to work by Instruments, as the Loadstone will do most when the Mediation of a Steel Cap is used about it. After all, whatever is done, the whole Praise is due to the Loadstone alone. But there would be no end, and indeed there should be none, of these Meditations! Our Ward in his Dedi- cation of his Book to the King, has one very true Compliment. Hoc ausim Majestati tue bona fide spondere; si unicus unicum possideres, Mundi totius te facile Monarcham efficeret.1 But what a Great KING 1“ This I might venture to promise in good faith to your Majesty: that if you alone possessed the only magnet, you might easily make yourself ruler of the whole world.” OF MINERALS 317 is He, who is the Owner, yea, and the Maker of all the Magnets in the World! JI am a Great KING, saith the Lord of Hosts, and my Name 1s to be feared among the Nations! May the Loadstone help to carry it to them. ESSAY XXV. Of MINERALS. () i UM Dei Cognitionem (says my dear Arndt) quilibet ex sincero erga Deum amore © gratitudine sibt acquirere studeat, ut sciat, que Deus nostri causa creaverit.1 He smiles at the trifling Logicians, who, totam etatem inter inanes Subtilitates transigentes,” wholly taken up with Trifles, overlook the glorious Works of God. Our Earth is richly furnished with a Tribe of Minerals, called so because dug out of Mines; and because dug, therefore also called Fossils. Many things to be written of these, ought to have a Nimok * in the Margin! The adventitious Fossils, which are but the Exuvie of Animals have been erroneously thought a sort of peculiar Stones. These must be excluded. But then the Natives of the Earth are to be found in a vast variety. The inquisitive Dr. Woodward? has prepared us a noble Table of them. 4 1 “Tet everyone seek to acquire knowledge of the works of God, out of a true love and gratitude toward Him, in order to know what He created on our account.” 2 “Spending all their time in trifling subtleties.” 3 Mather’s “Nimok,” is probably a misprint for Nichols. To read “ch”? as “m” and “Is” as “k” is easy, in his handwriting. Thomas Nichols, who flourished about 1650, wrote three books on gems and precious stones. 4“ Parts sloughed off.” 5 John Woodward, geologist and physician, published in 1695 his Essay toward a Natural History of the Larth, 318 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER There are near twenty several sorts of Earth. Of these, besides the Potter’s Earth, and the Fuller’s Earth, how exceedingly useful is the Chalk to us! ’Tis a TokuypnaToy,} There are above a dozen several sorts of Stones, that are found in larger Masses. What Vessels, what Buildings, what Ornaments, do these afford us; especially the Slate, the Marble, the Free-stone, and the Lime-stone? How helpful the Warming-stone? How needful the Grind-stone and Mill-stone? To the Service of our Maker we have so many Calls from the Stones themselves, [for if Men should be silent at proclaiming the Glory of God, the very Stones would speak] that a learned and a pious German so addresses us: Audis tibi loquentes Lapides; tu ne sis Lapis in hac parte, sed ipsorum Vocem audi, &9 in illis Vocem Dei.? The Whetstone gives me a particular Admonition, which I have somewhere met with: Multi multa docent alios, qu@ ipst prestare nequeunt.s The worst Motto for a Divine that can be! Lord, save me from it! How astonishing the Figures, which Dr. Robinson and Mr. Ray report, as naturally delineated upon several kinds of Stones; almost every thing in Nature described in them, so as could not be out-done by any Sculptor or Painter! The Colaptice,4 such as no Human Shill could arise to! 1 “Something useful in many ways.” 2“You hear the stones speaking; be not a stone but hear their voice and in them the voice of God.” 8 “Many teach much to others, which they themselves can not do well.” 4 Carving. OF MINERALS 319 Yea, in Stones there has been sometimes found so much of an Human Shape, that every thing really in it has been astonished at it. Zeiler and Kircher mention some famous Rocks, which so resemble Monks, that all People call them so. Olaus Wormius was Possessor of a large Stone, which had exactly the Head, Face, Neck and Shoulders of a Man. Monconnys and others relate the several Parts of a Man, which many Stones have exactly exhibited.1_ Oh! how happy we, 1f Men and Stones had less Resemblance! There are many sorts of Stones found in lesser Masses. Of these there are many who do not exceed the hardness of Marble. Seven or eight of these are of an indeterminate Figure. Twice as many have a determinate Figure. Among these the Wonders of the Osteo-colla, to join and heal our broken Brones [sic]. But then there are others which do exceed Marble in hardness. To this Article belong those that are usually called Gems or precious Stones. (Pebbles and Flints are of the 4 gate-kind.| Some of these are opake. Three of the opake have a Body of one Colour. Here the Wonders of the Nephritick Stone! Three of the opake have different Colours mixed in the same Body. Here the Wonders of the Blood-stone! Some are pellucid. 1Qlaus Worm (Wormius), 1588-1654, was a Danish physician. Balthasar de Monconys, 1611-1665, was a French traveller to the Orient. Martin Zeiller was a German geographer, and writer of books of travel in the 17th century. Kircher is probably Athanasius Kircher, 1602-1680, German antiquary and writer. 320 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Two with Colours changeable, according to their dif- ferent position in the Light. Nine or ten with Colours permanent. Some are diaphanous. Two yellow (or partaking of it.) Three red. Three blue. Two green. Four without any Colours. ‘But an excellent Writer observing, Deus est Figu- ‘lus Lapidum,} carries on his Observation, That the “God who makes precious as well as common Stones, has ‘made Men with as much of a Difference, and not al- “together without such a Proportion.’ ‘Good God, Thy heavenly Graces in the Soul are brighter ‘ Jewels than any that are dug out of the Earth! A poor “Man may be adorn’d with these; those who are so, ‘they shall be mine, saith the Lord, in the Day when I “make up my Jewels.’ ‘How often have I seen a Jewel in the Snout of a ‘Swine! ‘And how many Counterfeits in the World!’ There are seven sorts of Salts to be met withal. But the Salt of our Table, of how much consequence this to us! The Uses of it are too many to be by any reckoned: Very many are well known to all. To which add the Experience which Bickerus affirms the Army of the Emperor Charles V. had, that they must have perish’d on the African Shore, if they had not found a Grain of Salt in their Mouths; an Antidote not only against Thirst, but Hunger too. He deserves to be herded with the Creatures, which 1“ God is the potter who makes the stones.”’ OF MINERALS 321 Animam habent pro Sale,’ who shall be so insipid an Animal, as to be insensible that the Benefits of Salt call for very great Acknowledgments. My God, save me from what would render me unsavory Salt! There are three liquid Bitumens, six or seven solid. There are about a dozen metallick Minerals. Mercury is one of these, but how astonishing an one! ‘The Particles whereof how small, how smooth, how solid! The Corpuscles of it have Diameters much less than those of dir; yea, than those of Water; and not much greater than those of Light itself! At last we come to Metals; Iron, with its Attendants; Tin, Lead, Copper, Silver and Gop. ‘I shall not consider the Reasons which moved ‘Cardan? to assert that Metals have a Soul; but I am ‘sure that I myself have a Soul, and am one that is ‘reasonable; if so, what can be more agreeable to me, ‘than a Consideration which I find hinted by a curious ‘Writer of natural Theology: We should admire the ‘Munificence of one who would bestow a considerable ‘Quantity of enriching Metals upon us. But then ‘how much cause have we to adore the Munificence ‘of our bountiful GOD, who has enrich’d us with ‘Metals in so vast a Quantity, and with so much ‘Profusion from His hidden Treasures! Quotusquisque ‘est qui non videt, quid Ratio officti sur postulat?’* How amazingly serviceable is our Jron to us! In our mechanical Arts, in our Agriculture, in our Navigation, in our Architecture; in all, I say, all our Business! What a sordid Life do those Barbarians lead, who are kept 1 “Have a desire for salt.” 2 Girolamo Cardan, Italian philosopher and scientist, 1501-1576. 3 “ How few are the men, who do not see what reason demands.” S22 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER ignorant of it! Unthankful for this, O Man, you deserve Heaven should become as /ron over you. It is from GOD that the Metals of most necessary Uses are the most plentiful; others that may be better spared, there is a rarity of them. That one single Metal, Iron, as Dr. Grew observes, it sets on foot above an hundred sorts of manual Oper- ations. Tho the Love of Money be the Root of all Evil, yet the ingenious Dr. Cockburn has discoursed very justly on the vast Importance whereof the Use of Money is to Mankind. And indeed where the Use of Money has not been introduced, Men are brutish and savage, and nothing that is good has been cultivated. There is a surprizing Providence of GOD in keeping up the Value of Gold and Silver, notwithstanding the vast Quantities dug out of the Earth in all Ages, ever since the Trade begun of effodiuntur Opes;! and so continuing them fit Materials to make Money of. Among the marvellous Qualities of Gold, its Ductility deserves to have a particular Notice taken of it. The Wire-drawers, to every 48 Ounces of Silver, allow one of Gold. Now two Yards of the superfine Wire weigh a Grain. In the Length of 98 Yards there are 49 Grains of Weight. A single Grain of Gold covers the said 98 Yards. The r1ooooth part of a Grain is above one third of an Inch long, which yet may be actually divided into ten; and so the 1oooooth part of a Grain of Gold may be visible without a Microscope. It is a marvellous thing that Gold, after it has been divided by corrosive Liquors into invisible Parts, yet may presently be so precipitated, as to appear in its own golden Form again. 1“ Riches are dug,” 7. ¢., the trade of mining. tee, eae OF MINERALS a2 But, as Dr. Grew observes, the same Immutability which belongs to the Composition of Gold, much more belongs to the Principles of Gold, and of all other Bodies, when their Composition is destroyed. Dampzter,' an ingenious Traveller all round the Globe, has an Observation; J know no Place where Gold 1s found, but what is very unhealthy. ‘Possessor of Gold! Beware lest the Observation be ‘verified in the unhealthy Influences of thy Gold upon ‘thy Mind; and lest the Jove of it betray thee into ‘many foolish and hurtful Lusts, which will drown thee ‘in Destruction and Perdition.’ ‘The Auri sacra Fames*is the worst of all Distempers.’ My God, I bless Thee; I know something that 15 better than fine Gold, something that cannot be gotten for Gold, neither shall Silver be weighed for the Price thereof. If Gold could speak, it would rebuke the [dolatry wherewith Mankind adores it, in much such Terms as I find a devout Writer assigning to it. Non Deus sum, sed Dei Creatura; Terra mtht Mater. Ego servio tibi, ut tu servias Creatori.® q. ‘Finally, The antient Pagans not only worshipped ‘the Host of Heaven, [justly called Zabians]* but what- ‘soever they found comfortable to Nature, they also ‘deified, even, Quodcunque juvaret.© The River Nilus ‘too must at length become a Deity; yea, Nascuntur ‘in hortis Numina.’ ® 1 William Dampier, 1652-1715, English voyager. 2“ Accursed hunger for gold.” 3“*T am not God, but a creature of God; the earth is my mother. I serve thee, that thou mayst serve the Creator.”’ 4 Zabians, or Sabians, a religious sect. In erroneous use the name was applied to star-worshippers, as it is here. 5 “Whatever was pleasing.” 6 “Gods are born in gardens.” 324 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER ‘And according to Pliny, a Man that helps a Man ‘becomes a God. ‘God save us from the Crime stigmatiz’d by our “Apostle, to adore the Creatures more than the Creator! “By no means let us be as Philo speaks, Koopov paddov ‘n KoopoTdLov Oavudoarvtes, more admiring the World, than the maker of the World,’ ‘We will glorify the GOD who has bestowed things ‘upon us; for the Silver 1s mine, and the Gold is mine, “saith the Lord of Hosts.’ ESSAY XXVI. Of the VEGETABLES. HE Contrivance of our most Glorious Creator, in the VEGETABLES growing upon this Globe, cannot be wisely observed without Admira- tion and Astonishment. We will single out some Remarkables, and glorify our GOD! First, In what manner is Vegetation performed? And how is the Growth of Plants and the Increase of their Parts carried on? The excellent and ingenious Dr. John Woodward* has, in the way of nice Experiment, brought this thing under a close Examination. It is evident that Water is necessary to Vegetation; there is a Water which ascends the Vessels of the Plants, much after the way of a Filtration; and the Plants take up a larger or lesser Quantity of this Fluid, according to their Dimensions. The much greater part of that fluid Mass which is conveyed to the Plants, does not abide there, but exhale thro them up into the Aimos- '. Cf. John Woodward’s “Some Thoughts and Experiments con- cerning Vegetation,” in Philosophical Transactions, vol. xxi. OF THE VEGETABLES 325 phere. Hence Countries that abound with bigger Plants are obnoxious to greater Damps, and Rains, and inconvenient Humidities. But there is also a terrestrial Matter which is mixed with this Water, and ascends up into the Plants with the Water: Something of this Matter will attend Water in all its motions, and stick by it after all its Percolations. Indeed the Quantity of this terrestrial Matter, which the Vapours carry up into the Atmosphere, is very fine, and not very much, but it is the truest and the best prepared vegetable Matter; for which cause it is that Rain-water is of such a singular Fertility. *~Tis true there is in Water a mineral Matter also, which is usually too scabrous, and ponderous, and inflexible, to enter the Pores of the Roots. Be the Earth ever so rich, ’tis observed little good will come of it, unless the Parts of it be loosened a little, and separated. And this probably is all the use of Nitre and other Salts to Plants, to loosen the Earth, and separate the Parts of it. It is this terrestrial Matter which fills the Plants; they are more or less nourished and augmented in proportion, as their Water conveys a greater or lesser quantity of proper terrestrial Matter to them. Nevertheless ‘tis also probable that in this there is a variety; and all Plants are not formed and filled from the same sort of Corpus- cles. Every Vegetable seems to require a peculiar and specifick Matter for its Formation and Nourishment. If the Soil wherein a Seed is planted, have not all or most of the Ingredients necessary for the Vegetable to subsist upon, it will suffer accordingly. Thus Wheat sown upon a Tract of Land well furnish’d for the Supply of that Grain, will succeed very well, perhaps for divers Years, or, as the Husbandman expresses it, as long as the Ground is in heart; but anon it will produce no 326 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER more of that Corn; it will of some other, perhaps of Barley: and when it will subsist this no more, still Oats will thrive there; and perhaps Pease after these. When the Ground has lain fallow some time, the Rain will pour down a fresh Stock upon it; and the care of the Tiller in manuring of it, lays upon it such things as are most impregnated with a Supply for Vegetation. It is observ’d that Spring-water and Rain-water contain pretty near an equal charge of the vegetable Matter, but River-water much more than either of them; and hence the Inundations of Rivers leave upon their Banks the fairest Crops in the World. It is now plain that Water is not the Matter that composes Vegetables, but the Agent that conveys that Maiter to them, and introduces it into the several parts of them. Where- fore the plentiful provision of this Fluid supplied to all Parts of the Earth, is by our Woodward justly celebrated with a pious Acknowledgment of that natural Provi- dence that superintends over the Globe which we inhabit. The Parts of Water being exactly spherical, and subtile beyond all expression, the Surfaces perfectly polite, and the Intervals being therefore the largest, and so the most fitting to receive a foreign Matter into them, it is the most proper Instrument imaginable for the Service now assign’d-to it. And yet Water would not perform this Office and Service to the Plants, if it be not assisted with a due quantity of Heat; Heat must concur, or Vegetation will not succeed. Hence as the Heat of several Seasons affords a different face of things, the same does. the Heat of several Climates. The hotter Countries usually yield the larger Trees, and in a greater variety. And in warmer Countries, if there be a re- mission of the usual Heat, the Production will in pro- portion be diminish’d. OF THE VEGETABLES 327 That I may a little contribute my two Mites to the illustration of the way wherein Vegetation 1s carried on,~— I will here communicate a couple of Experiments lately made in my Neighbourhood. : My Neighbour planted a Row of Hills in his Field with our Indian Corn, but such a Grain as was colour’d red and blue; the rest of the Field he planted with Corn of the most usual Colour, which is yellow. Tothe most Windward-side this Row infected four of the next neighbouring Rows, and part of the fifth, and some of the sixth, to render them colour’d like what grew on itself. But on the Leeward-side no less than seven or eight Rows were so colour’d, and some smaller impres- sions were made on those that were yet further distant. The same Neighbour having his Garden often robb’d of the Squashes growing in it, planted some Gourds among them, which are to appearance very like them, and which he distinguish’d by certain adjacent marks, that he might not be himself imposed upon; by this means the Thieves ’tis true found a very bitter Sauce, but then all the Squashes were so infected and embit- ter’d, that he was not himself able to eat what the Thieves had left of them. That most accurate and experienc’d Botanist Mr. Ray has given us the Plants that are more commonly met withal, with certain characteristick Notes, wherein he establishes twenty-five Genders of them. These Plants are to be rather stiled Herbs. But then of the Trees and Shrubs, he distinguishes five Classes that have their Flower disjoined and remote from the Fruit, and as many that have their Fruzt and Flower contiguous. How unaccountably is the Figure of Plants pre- served? And how unaccountably their Growth deter- 328 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER mined? Our excellent Ray flies to an intelligent plastick Nature, which must understand and regulate the whole Oeconomy. Every particular part of the Plant has its astonishing Uses. The Roots give it a Stability, and fetch the Nourishment into it, which lies in the Earth ready for it. The Fibres contain and convey the Sap which carries up that Nourishment. The Plant has also larger Vessels, which entertain the proper and specifick Juice of it; and others to carry the Air for its necessary respiration. The outer and inner Bark defend it from Annoyances, and contribute to its Augmentation. The Leaves embrace and preserve the Flower and Frutt as they come to their explication. But the principal use of them, as Malpight, and Perault, and Mariotte,' have observed, is, to concoct and prepare the Sap for the Nourishment of the Fruit, and of the whole Plant; not only that which ascends from the Root, but also what they take in from without, from the Dew, and from the Rain. For there is a regress of the Sap in Plants from above downwards; and this descendent Juice is that which principally nourishes both Fruit and Plant, as has been clearly proved by the Experi- ments of Signior Malpight and Mr. Brotherton. How agreeable the Shade of Plants, let every Man say that sits under his own Vine, and under his own Fig-tree! . How charming the Proportion and Pulchritude of the Leaves, the Flowers, the Fruits, he who confesses not, must be, as Dr. More says, one sunk into a forlorn pitch of Degeneracy, and stupid as a Beast. Our Saviour says of the Lillies (which some, not 1 Mather here is drawing from Ray’s Wisdom of God, Part I, whence he derives these references to other authors. OF THE VEGETABLES 329 without reason, suppose to be Tulips) that Solomon in all his Glory was not arrayed like one of these. And it is observed by Spigelius, that the Art of the most skilful Painter cannot so- mingle and temper his Colours, as exactly to imitate or counterfeit the native ones of the Flowers of Vegetables. Mr. Ray thinks it worthy a very particular Observa- tion, that Wheat, which is the best sort of Grain, and affords the wholesomest Bread, is in a singular manner patient of both Extremes, both Heat and Cold, and will grow to maturity as well in Scotland, and in Den- mark, as in Egypt, and Guiney, and Madagascar. It scarce refuses any Climate. And the exceeding Fertility of itis by a Pagan Pliny acknowledged as an Instance of the Divine Bounty to Man, Quod co maxime Hominem alat;' one Bushel in a fit Soil, he says, yielding one hundred and fifty. A German Divine so far plays the Philosopher on this Occasion, as to propose it for a Singularity in Bread, that totum Corpus sustentat, adeo, ut in unica Bucella, omnium Membrorum totius externi Corporis, nutrimentum contineatur, illiusque Vis per totum Corpus sese diffundat.? A Friend of mine had thirty-six Ears of Rye growing from one Grain, and on one Stalk. But of our Indian Corn, one Grain of Corn will pro- duce above a thousand. And of Guiney*® Corn, one Grain has been known to produce ten thousand. The Anatomy of Plants, as it has been exhibited by 1 “Because he feeds man chiefly with it.” Ray, in whose book Mather found this quotation, has “lit.” 2“T+ sustains all the body, to such a degree that in one bushel is contained nutriment for all the members of the whole body, and its strength is spread through all the body.” Mather adds this quota- tion to what he finds in Ray. 3 Guinea, 330 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER the incomparable Curiosity of Dr. Grew, what a vast Field of Wonders does it lead us into! The most inimitable Structure of the Parts! The particular Canals, and most adapted ones, for the conveyance of the lymphatick and essential Juices! The Air-Vessels in all their curious Coylings! The Coverings which befriend them, a Work un- speakably more curious in reality than in appearance! The strange Texture of the Leaves, the angular or circular, but always most orderly Position of their Fibres; the various Foldings, with a Duplicature, a Multiplicature, the Fore-rowl, the Back-rowl, the Tre- rowl; the noble Guard of the Films interposed! The Flowers, their Gaiety and Fragrancy; the Pe- rianthium or Empalement of them; their curious Fold- ings in the Calyx before their Expansion, with a close Couch or a concave Couch, a single Plait or a double Plait, or a Plait and Couch together, or a Rowl, or a Spire, or Plait and Spire together; and their luxuriant Colours after their Foliation, and the expanding of their Petala! The Stamina, with their Apices; and the Stylus (called the 4itire by Dr. Grew) which is found a sort of Male Sperm, to impregnate and fructify the Seed! At last the whole Rudiments and Lineaments of the Parent-Vegetable, surprizingly lock’d up in the little compass of the Fruit or Seed! } Gentlemen of Leisure, consult my illustrious Doctor, peruse his Anatomy of Plants, ponder his numberless Discoveries; but all the while consider that rare Person as inviting you to join with him in adoring the God of 1 The substance of the nine preceding paragraphs comes directly from Derham’s Physico-Theology, in which Mather found the refer- ences to Grew. OF THE VEGETABLES 331 his Father, and the God who has done these excellent things, which ought to be known 11 all the Earth. Signior Malpighi has maintain’d it with cogent Arguments, that the whole Plant is actually in the Seed; and he answers the grand Objection against it, which is drawn from a degeneracy of one Plant some- times into another. One of his Answers is, Ex morboso £3 monstroso affectu, non licet intferre permanentem sta- tum a Natura intentum.* But there is no Objection to be made against Ocular Observation. Shew us, Lewenhoeck, how it is? He will give us to see, a small Particle no bigger than a Sand, contain the Plant, and all belonging to it, all actually in that little Seed; yea, in the Nux vomica it appears even to the naked Eye, and in an astonishing Elegancy! Dr. Cheyne expresses himself with good assurance upon it: ‘We are certain that the Seeds of Plants are nothing ‘but little Plants perfectly formed, with Branches and “Leaves duly folded up, and involved in Membranes, ‘or surrounded with Walls proper to defend them in ‘this tender state from external Injuries; and Vegetation ‘is only the unfolding and extending of these Branches ‘and Leaves, by the force of Juices raised by Heat in ‘the slender Tubes of the Plant.’ Those capillary Plants, which all the Antients, and some of the Moderns, have taken to be destitute of Seeds, are by Bauhinus and others now pronounced Spermatophorous. Mr. Ray says, Hanc Sententiam verissimam esse Autopsia convincit.” 1“Tt is not permissible to infer from an abnormal and monstrous eo; oe ° 33 condition the permanent state designed by Nature.” Here as before, Mather simply takes the quotation from Derham. The same applies to the quotation from Lewenhoeck, which follows. 2“ Examination proves this opinion to be very true.” Quoted from Derham. ey THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Fr. Cesius claims to be the first who discovered the Seeds of these Plants, with the help of a Microscope. One Mr. Cole has prosecuted the Observation, and is astonished at the small Dimensions of the Seeds. The Boxes or Vessels that hold the Seeds are not half, per- haps not a quarter, so big as a Grain of Sand; and yet an hundred Seeds are found in one of these. Tantam Plantam é tantillo Semine produci attentum Observatorem merito 1n Admuirationem rapiat! } Sir Thomas Brown observes, That of the Seeds of Tobacco a thousand make not one Grain; (tho Otto de Gueric, as I remember, says, fifty-two Cyphers with one Figure will give the Number of those, which would fill the Space between us and the Stars!) A Plant which has extended its Empire over the whole World, and has a larger Dominion than any of all the Vegetable Kingdom.” Ten thousand Seeds of Harts-tongue hardly make the Bulk of a Pepper-corn. But now, as Dr. Grew notes, the Body, with the Covers of every Seed, the ligneous and parenchymous Parts of both, the Fibres of those Parts, the Principles of those Fibres, and the homo- geneous Particles of those Principles, being but mod- erately multiplied one by another, afford an hundred thousand millions of Atoms formed in the Space of a Pepper-corn. But who can define how many more! The Uses of Trees in various Works were elegantly celebrated, as long ago as when Theophrastus wrote his fifth Book of the History of Plants. And what stately Trees do sometimes by their glorious 1“That so great a plant is produced from so small a seed, drives the attentive watcher rightly to wonder.” Quoted from Derham. 2 Otto von Guericke was a German scientist, 1602-1686. The rest of the paragraph seems to be drawn from Sir Thomas Browne’s Garden of Cyrus. ’ Mather seems here to be using Grew’s Anatomy of Plants. OF THE VEGETABLES 333 Height and Breadth recommend themselves to a more singular Observation with us! The Cabbage-tree' an hundred and forty or fifty Foot high, as if it were aspiring to afford a Diet to the Regions above us; how noble a Spectacle! The Trees which are found sometimes near twenty Foot, or perhaps more, in circumference, what capacious Canoes do they afford, when the Traveller makes them change their Element? Near Scio there is an Island called Long-Island, and on this Island (as Jo. Pitts? tells us) there is a Tree of a prodigious bigness; under it are Coffee-houses, and many Shops of several Intentions, and several Fountains of Water; and it has near forty Pillars of Marble and of Timber to support the Branches of it. It is a Tree famous to a Proverb all over Turkey. Even the most noxious and the most abject of the Vegetables, how useful are they! As of the Bramble Dr. Grew notes, If it chance to prick the Owner, it will also tear the Thief. Olaus Magnus admires the Benefits which the rotten Barks of Oaks give to the Northern People, by the Shine, with which they do in their long Nights direct the Traveller. And Dr. Merret cele- brates the Thistles, and the Hop-strings, for the Glass afforded by their Ashes! ° The frugal Bit of the old Britons, which in the bigness of a Bean satished the most hungry and thirsty Appe- tite, is now thrown into the Catalogue of the Res deperdite.* 1 A name given to various palm-trees. 2 Joseph Pitts, 1663-1735, English traveller and writer. 3 All the references in this paragraph are from Derham. 4 “Things which are lost.” Speed, History of Great Britaine, (1611), 167, says that the Britons could live “with a kind of meat no bigger then a beane” after eating which they did not hunger or thirst. 334 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER The peculiar Care which the great God of Nature has taken for the Safety of the Seed and Fruit, and so for the Conservation of the Plant, is by my ingenious Derham considered as a loud Invitation to His Praises. They which dare shew their Heads all the Year, how securely is their Seed or Fruit lock’d up in the Winter in their Gems,! and well cover’d with neat and close Tunicks there! Such as dare not expose themselves, how are they preserved under the Coverture of the Earth, till invited out by the kindly Warmth of the Spring! When the Vegetable Race comes abroad, what strange Methods of Nature are there to guard them from In- conveniences, by making some to lie down prostrate, by making others, which were by the Antients called ZEschynomene, to close themselves up at the Touch of Animals, and by making the most of them to shut up under their guard in the cool of the Evening, especially if there be foul Weather approaching; which is by Gerhard * therefore called, The Countryman’s Weather- wiser! What various ways has Nature for the scattering and the sowing of the Seed! Some are for this end winged with a light sort of a Down, to be carried about with the Seed by the Wind. Some are laid in springy cases, which when they burst and crack, dart their Seed to a distance, performing therein the part of an Husband- man. Others by their good Qualities invite them- selves to be swallowed by the Birds, and being fertiliz’d by passing thro their Bodies, they are by them trans- ferred to places where they fructify. Theophrastus 1 Buds. 2 John Gerard, 1545-1612, English herbalist. Quoted from Der- ham. OF THE VEGETABLES 555 affirms this of the Misletoe; and Tavernier of the Nutmeg. Others not thus taken care for, do, by their Usefulness to us, oblige us to look after them. It is a little surprizing, that Seeds found in the Gizzards of Wild-fowl, have afterwards sprouted in the Earth; and Seeds left in the Dung of the Cattel. The Seeds of Marjoram and Strammonium, carelesly kept, have grown after seven Years. How nice the provision of Nature for their Support in standing and growing, that they may keep their Heads above ground, and administer to our Intentions! There are some who stand by their own Strength; and the ligneous parts of these, tho’ like our Bones, yet are not, like them, inflexible, but of an elastick nature, that they may dodge the Violence of the Winds: and their Branches at the top very commodiously have a tendency to an hemispherical Dilatation, but within such an Angle as makes an AXquilibration there. An ingenious Observer upon this one Circumstance, cannot forbear this just Reflection: 4 visible Argument that the plastick Capacities of Matter are govern d by an all-wise and infinite Agent, the native Strictnesses and Regularities of them plainly shewing from whose Hand they come. And then such as are too weak to stand of themselves, tis wonderful to see how they use the Help of their Neighbours, address them, embrace them, climb up about them, some twisting themselves with a strange convolving Faculty, some catching hold with Claspers and Tendrels, which are like Hands to them; someé striking in rooty Feet, and some emitting a natural Glue, by which they adhere to their Supporters. But, Oh! the glorious Goodness of our GOD in all these things! Lend us thy Pen, O industrious Ray, to declare a little of it. Plantarum usus latissime patet, 336 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER & in omni Vite parte occurrit. Sine illis caute, sine ilis commode, non vivitur, at nec vivitur omnino: quecun- que ad victum necessaria sunt, quecunque ad Delicias faciunt, é locupletissimo suo Penu abunde subministrant. Quanto ex 115 Mensa innocentior, mu ndior, salubrior, quam ex Animalium Cede &F Laniena! Homo cert? Natura Animal carnivorum non est; nullis ad Predam © Rapinam armis instructum; non Dentibus exertis €9 serratis, non Unguibus aduncis. Manus ad Fructus colligendos, Dentes- ad mandendos comparati. Non legimus et ante Diluvium Carnes ad esum concessas. At non victum tantum nobis suppeditant, sed &F Vestitum, F Medicinam, &F Domicilia, aliaque A:dificia, &F Navigia, © Supellectilem, &F Focum, €¥% Oblectamenta Sensuum Animique. Ex his Naribus Odoramenta €9 Suffumigia parantur: Horum Flores inenarrabili Colorum 9 Sche- matum Varietate &% Elegantia Oculos exhilarant, €3 suavissima Odorum quos expirant Fragantia, Spiritus recreant. Horum Fructus, Gule illecebre Mensas secundas instruunt, & languentem Appetitum excitant. Laceo Virorem Oculis Amicum, quem per Prata, Pascua, Agros, Sylvas spatiantibus objiciunt; &£ Umbras quas contra 4:stum & Solis Ardores prebent.} 1“The use of plants is most pleasantly displayed, and occurs in every part of life. Without them one could not live prudently or con- veniently, or, indeed, at all. They afford from their rich store what- ever is necessary for food and whatever ministers to delight. With them how much less offensive and how much cleaner and more health- ful is a feast, than one with the slaughtering and butchering of ani- mals. Man certainly is not naturally carniverous, he is not supplied with weapons for plundering and preying, nor with bare,’ sharp teeth, or hooked nails. His hands are prepared for gathering fruit, and his teeth for chewing it. We do not learn that flesh was lawful food for him before the flood. Plants supply not only food for us but also clothing, medicine, houses and other buildings, ships, furni- ture, the hearth-fire, and the delights of the senses and the mind. OF THE VEGETABLES 337 Indeed all the Plants in the whole Vegetable Kingdom are every one of them so useful, as to rise up for thy Condemnation, O Man, who dost little Good in the World. But sometimes the Uses of one single Plant are so many, so various, that a wise Man can scarce behold it without some Emulation as well as Admiration, or without some wishing, that if a Metamorphosis were to befal him, it might be into one of these. Plutarch reports, that the Babylonians out of the Palm-tree fetch’d more than three hundred several sorts of Commodities. The Coco-iree supplies the Indians with Bread, and Water, and Wine, and Vinegar, and Brandy, and Milk, and Oil, and Honey, and Sugar, and Needles, and Thread, and Linnen, and Clothes, and Cups, and Spoons, and Besoms, and Baskets, and Paper, and Nails; Timber, Coverings for their Houses; Masts, Sails, Cordage, for their Vessels; add, Medicines for their Diseases; and what can be desired more? This is more expressively related in the Hortus Malabaricus, published by the illustrious Van Draakenstein. The Aloe Muricata yields the Americans all that their Necessities can call for. Dela Vega and Margrave will inform us how this alone furnishes them with Houses and Fences, and Weapons of many sorts, and Shoes, and Clothes, and Thread, and Needles, and Wine, and Honey, and Utensils that cannot be numbred. They prepare odors and scents for the nostrils; their flowers please the eye with endless variety and grace of color and form, and their sweet fragrances refresh the spirits. ‘Their fruits make rich feasts with tempting flavors, and stimulate flagging appetite. I say nothing of the friendly greenness they offer to the eyes of those who walk, by means of their meadows, pastures, fields, woods, and the shade they afford against heat and the brightness of the sun.” Mather takes this quotation as it is given by Derham. 1 The reference is from Ray’s Wisdom of God. 338 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Hernandes will assure us, Planta hec unica, quicquid Vite esse potest necessarium facile prestare potest, si esset rebus humanis modus. } What a surprizing Diversity from the Cinnamon-tree! Some will have the Plantane to be the King of all Fruit, tho the Tree be little more than ten Foot high, and raised not from Seed, but from the Roots of the old ones. The Fruzt a delicate Butter, and often the whole Food that a whole Family will subsist upon. Among the Uses of Plants, how surprizing an one is that, wherein we find them used for Cisterns, to pre- serve Water for the needy Children of Men! The Dropping-tree in Guiney, and on some Islands, is instead of Rains and Springs to the Inhabitants. The Banduca Cingatensium, at the end of its Leaves has long Sacks or Bags, containing a fine limpid Water, of great use to the People when they want Rains for eight or ten Months together. The wild Pine, describ’d by Dr. Sloane, has the Leaves, which are each of them two Foot and an half long, and three Inches broad, so inclosed one within another, that there is formed a large Bason, fit to contain a considerable quantity of Water (Dampier says, the best part of a Quart) which in the rainy Season falling upon the utmost parts of the spreading Leaves, runs down by Channels into the Bottle, where the Leaves bending inwards again, come so close to the Stalk, as to hinder the Evaporations of the Water. In the mountainous, as well as in the dry and low Woods, when there is a scarcity of Water, this Reservatory is not only necessary and sufficient for the nourishment 1“This one plant can furnish easily whatever can be necessary for human life.” If the first part of the paragraph is from Ray, the quotation is taken from Derham. OF THE VEGETABLES 339 of the Plant itself, but it is likewise of marvellous ad- vantage unto Men and Birds, and all sorts of Insects, who then come hither in Troops, and seldom go away without Refreshment. What tho there are venomous Planis? An excellent Fellow of the College of Physicians makes a just Remark: ‘Aloes has the Property of promoting Hemorrhages; ‘but this Property is good or bad, as it is used; a Med:- ‘cine or a Poison: And it is very probable that the most ‘dangerous Poisons, skilfully managed, may be made ‘not only innocuous, but of all other Medicines the most ‘effectual.’ } What admirable Effects of Opium well smegmatized!? Even poisonous Plants, one says of them, It may be reasonably supposed that they draw into their visible Bodies that malignant Juice, which, if diffused thro the other Plants, would make them less wholesome and fit for Nourishment. In the Delights of the Garden ’tis not easy to hold a Mediocrity. They afford a Shadow for our celestial Paradise. The King of Persia has a Garden called Paradise upon Earth. The antient Romans cultivated them to a degree of Epicurism. Some confined their Delights to a single Vegetable, as Cato, doting on his Cabbage. The Tulipists are so set upon their gaudy Flower, that the hard Name and Crime of a Tulipo- mania, is by their own Professors charged upon them; a little odd the Humour of those Gentlemen, who affected Plantations of none but venomous Vegetables.° But finally, the vast Uses of Plants in Medicine, are those which fallen and feeble Mankind has cause to 1 The quotation is from Grew’s Cosmologia Sacra. 2 Cleansed, scoured. : 9 3 Mather draws here from Sir Thomas Browne’s Garden of Cyrus. 340 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER consider, with singular Praises to the merciful God, who so pities us under the sad Effects of our Offences. Among the eighteen or twenty thousand Vegetables, we have ever now and then a single one, which is a Polychrest,' and almost a Panacea; or at least such an one as obliges us to say of it, as Dr. Morton speaks of the Cortex Peruvianus; ’tis Antidotus in Levamen Azrumnarum Vite humane plurimarum divinitus con- cessa. And, In Sanitatem Gentium proculdubio a Deo optimo maximo condita.” Among the Antients there were several Plants that bore the Name of Hercules, called Heracleum, or Heraclea; probably, as Le Clerc thinks, to denote the extraordinary Force of the Plants, which they compared to the Strength of Hercules. Cabbage was to the Romans their grand Physick, as well as Food, for six hundred Years together. Mallows has been esteemed such an universal Medi- cine, as to be called Malva Omnimorbia.? Every body has heard, Cur moriatur homo cut Salvia crescit in hortis? 4 The six favourite Herbs distinguish’d by Sir William Temple ° for the many Uses of them, namely, Sage, and Rue, and Saffron, and Alehoof, and Garlick, and Elder, if they were more frequently used, would no doubt 1 Something useful for many purposes. ?““An antidote divinely granted for the relief of many distresses of human life,” and “established doubtless by the great and good God for the health of nations.” “Cortex peruvianus,” Peruvian bark, is quinine. Mather draws here from Derham. 3 “ Mallow of all diseases.” *“ Why should a man die who has sage in his garden?” Cf. the English proverb, “He that would live for aye must eat sage in May.” ® In his essay Of Health and Long Life. OF THE VEGETABLES 341 be found vastly beneficial to such as place upon Health the Value due to such a Jewel. The French do well to be such great Lovers of Sorrel, and plant so many Acres of it; it is good against the Scurvy, and all ill Habits of Body. The Persuasion which Mankind has imbib’d of Tobacco being good for us, has in a surprizing manner prevail’d! What incredible Millions have suck’d in an Opinion, that it is an useful as well as a pleasant thing, for them to spend much of their Time in drawing thro a Pipe the Smoke of that lighted Weed! It was in the Year 1585, that one Mr. Lane carried over from Virginia some Tobacco, which was the first that had ever been seen in Europe; ! and within an hundred Years the smoking of it grew so much into fashion, that the very Customs of it brought four hundred thousand Pounds a Year into the English Treasury. It is doubtless a Plant of many Virtues. The Oint- ment made of it is one of the best in the Dispensatory. The Practice of smoking it, tho a great part of them that use it might very truly say, they find neither Good nor Hurt by it; yet it may be fear’d it rather does more Hurt than Good. ‘May God preserve me from the indecent, ignoble, ‘criminal Slavery, to the mean Delight of smoking a ‘Weed, which I see so many carried away with. And “¢ ever I should smoke it, let me be so wise as to do it, ‘not only with Moderation, but also with such Employ- ‘ments of my Mind, as I may make that Action afford ‘me a Leisure for!’ 1 Ralph Lane, first governor of Virginia, with Sir Francis Drake brought from Virginia tobacco and pipes, and handed them over to Sir Walter Raleigh. Lane is said to have been the first English smoker. 342 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Methinks Tobacco is but a poor Nepenthe, tho the Takers thereof take it for such an one. It is to be feared the caustick Salt in the Smoke of this Plant, convey'd by the Salival Juice into the Blood, and also the Vellication! which the continual use of it in Snuff gives to the Nerves may lay Foundations for Diseases in Millions of unadvised People, which may be commonly and erroneously ascribed to some other Original. It is very remarkable, that our compassionate God has furnish’d all Regions with Plants peculiarly adapted for the relief of the Diseases that are most common in those Regions. ’Tis Mr. Ray’s Remark, Tales Plantarum Species in quacunque Regione a Deo creantur, quales Hominibus {9 Animalibus ibidem natis maxime conventunt.” Yea, Solenander affirms, that from the Quantity of the Plants most plentifully growing in any place, he could give a probable Guess what were the Distem- pers which the People there were most of all sub- ject to. Benerovinus has written a Book, on purpose to shew that every Country has every thing serving to its Oc- casions, and particularly Remedies for all the Distempers which it may be afflicted with.3 Can we be any other than charmed with the Goodness appearing in it, when we see the Plants every where starting out of the Earth, and hear their courteous Invitation, Feeble Man, I am a Remedy, which our 1 Trritation. 2“Such species of plants are created by God in each district as are most suited to the men and animals native there.” Mather takes the quotation from Derham. 3 The references to Solenander and Benerovinus are taken from Derham. OF THE VEGETABLES 343 gracious Maker has provided for thy Feebleness; take me, know me, use me, thou art welcome to all the Good that 1s to be found in me! Yea, such are the Virtues of the Vegetable World, that it is no rare thing to see a whole Book written on the Virtues of one single Vegetable. How long is Rosenbergius on the Rose, in his Rhodo- logia! Whitaker will have the Vine to be the Tree of Life, in his Treatise on the Blood of it. Alsted has entertained us with a yet greater variety on that Plant of Renown." I was going to mention the Anatomia Sambuct, written by a German Philosopher. But I presently call to mind such a vast Number of Treatises published, each of them on one single Vegeta- ble, by the Nature Curiosi? of Germany, that a Catalogue would be truly too tedious to be introduced. If the Coral may pass for a Vegetable, Garencieres* has obliged us with a whole Treatise upon it. But then we have one far-fetch’d and dear-boughi Plant, on which we have so many Volumes written, that they alone almost threaten to become a Library. TEA is that charming Plant. Read Pecklinus’s* Book de Potu Thea, and believe the medicinal and balsamick Virtues of it; it strengthens the Stomach, it sweetens the Blood, it revives the Heart, and it refreshes the Spirits, and is a Remedy against a World of Distempers. 1 Johann Carl Rosenberg, physician, fl. c. 1625. Tobias Whitaker, who died in 1666, was the author of The Tree of Humane Life, or the Bloud of the Grape, a defense of wine, published in 1638; Johann Heinrich Alsted, 1588-1638, encyclopedic writer and reformed theo- logian. 2 Scientists. 3 Théophile de Garencieres, 1615-1670, French physician. 4 Johannes Pechlin, 1646-1706, Dutch physician. 344 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Then go to Waldschmidt,1 and you'll find it also to brighten the Jntellectuals. When Prose has done its part, our Tate? will bring in Verse to celebrate the sovereign. Virtues of it. Innocuos Calices, §5 Amicam Vatibus Herbam Vimque datam Folio.’ At last it shall be the very @ea 4 of the Poet. Whilst TEA, our Sorrows safely to beguile, Sobriety and Mirth does reconcile: For to this Nectar we the Blessing owe, T'o grow more wise as we more chearful grow. There is a Curiosity observed by Mr. Robinson of Ousby, that should not be left unmentioned; it is, that Birds are the natural Planters of all sorts of Trees; they disseminate the Kernels on the Earth, which brings them forth to perfection. Yea, he affirms, that he hath actually seen a great Number of Crows together planting a Grove of Oaks; they first made little Holes in the Earth with their Bills, going about and about, till the Hole was deep enough, and then they dropt in the Acorn, and cover’d it with Earth and Moss. At the time of his writing, this young Plantation was growing up towards a Grove of Oaks, and of an height for the Crows to build their Nests in. ‘Probably Johann Jacob Waldschmidt, 1644-1689, German phy- sician and medical writer. ? Nahum Tate, 1652-1715. ’ “Harmless cups, and the herb friendly to poets, and the power given by the leaf.” The lines are from the title-page of Tate’s Panacea, (London, 1700). ** Goddess.” The lines quoted are from Tate’s “The Tea-Table,” printed at the end of his Panacea. OF THE VEGETABLES 346 In Virginia there is a Plant called The James-Town- Weed, whereof some having eaten plentifully, turn’d Fools upon it for several Days; one would blow up a Feather in the Air, another dart Straws at it; a third sit stark naked, like a Monkey, grinning at the rest; a fourth fondly kiss and paw his Companions, and snear in their Faces. In this frantick State they were confined, lest they should kill themselves, tho there appear’d nothing but Innocence in all their Actions. After eleven Days they return’d to themselves, not remembring any thing that had pass’d. My Friend, a Madness more sensless than that with which this Vegetable envenoms the Eaters of it, holds thee in the stupefying Chains thereof, if thou dost not behold in the whole Vegetable Kingdom such Works of the glorious Creator, as call for a continual Admira- tion. q. It is a notable Stroke of Divinity methinks which Pliny falls upon, Flores Odoresque indiem gignit Natura, magna (ut palam est) Admonitione hominum.’ ‘The Man began to be cured of his Blindness, who ‘could say, I see Men, like Trees, walking. That Man ‘is yet perfectly blind who does not see Men, like Trees, ‘first growing and flourishing, then withering, decaying, ‘dying.’ ‘The Rape Anthropomorphe, and some other Plants, ‘that have grown with much of an Human Figure, to ‘be fancied on them, have been odd things. But there ‘are Points wherein all Plants will exhibit something ‘of the Human Figure.’ ‘The Parts of Plants analogous to those in an Human ‘Body, are notably enumerated by Alsted in his Theologia 1“ Nature brought forth flowers and fragrance in a day, as a great example, which is plain, to men,” 346 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER ‘Naturalis. The Analogy between their States and ‘ours would be also as profitable as reasonable a Subject ‘of Contemplation.’ ‘And I hope the Revival of the Plants in the Spring ‘will carry us to the Faith of our own Resurrection “from the Dead.’ ‘And of the Recovery which the Church will one day ‘see from a Winter of Adversity; the World from a ‘Winter of Impiety: The Earth shall one day be filled ‘with the Fruits of Righteousness, however barren and ‘horrid may be the present Aspect of it.’ ‘A Man famous in his day (and in ours too) thought ‘himself well accommodated for devotionary Studies, ‘tho he says, Nullos se aliquando Magistros habuisse ‘nist Quercus &9 Fagos.”} ‘I will hear these Field-Preachers, their loud Voice ‘to me from the Earth, is the same with what would ‘be uttered by Angels flying thro the midst of Heaven; ‘Fear God, and glorify him! ‘One thus articulates the Vegetable Sermons: Ecce ‘nos, O increduli filti hominum, nuper mortut eramus, at ‘nunc reviximus. Vetus nostrum Corpus ac Vestimentum “deposuimus, 9 nove Creature facte sumus. Facite vos ‘nunc aliquid simile.2 And again, Dum in hac miserrima “Vita estis, nolite de Corpore esse solliciti; nostri memores “estote, quas Creator honestissime coloratis V. estibus induit, ‘quotannis per tot Millenarios, jam inde ab exordio ‘Mund1.2 And once more, Ecce vires nostra, non nobis 1“ He had never any masters except the oaks and beeches.” *“Lo, unbelieving sons of men, we were lately dead but now we live again. We put off our old bodies and garments and are made new creatures. Do you now the same.” *“Do not be concerned for your bodies while you are in this miserable world. Be mindful of us, whom God has dressed nobly in OF THE VEGETABLES 347 ‘ipsis, sed vobis deserviunt. Non nostro Bono floremus, ‘sed vestro. Imo Divina Bonitas vobis floret per nos, ut ‘dicere possitis, Dei Benignitatem in nobis florere, suoque ‘Qdore suavissimo vos recreare.’* ‘A famous German Doctor of Philosophy declares, ‘that he found it impossible for him to look upon the ‘Vegetable World without those Acclamations, Psalm ‘oxxxix. 6. The Knowledge of these things is too wonder- ‘ful for me, 1t 15 high, I cannot attain to 1t.’ ‘The pious Arndt observes, that every Creature 1s ‘enstamp’d with Characters of the Divine Goodness, ‘and brings Testimonies of a good Creator. Our Vine ‘so calls upon us, Scias, O homo, hanc Liquoris met Sua- ‘vitatem, qua Cor tuum recreo, a Creatore meo esse? Our ‘Bread so calls upon us, Vis ista, qua famem sublevo, a ‘Creatore meo, 3 vestro mihi obtigit.® It is a Saying of “Austin’s, Deum Creaturas singulas guttula Divine sue ‘Bonitatis aspersisse, ut per illas homint bene Pele ‘NX devout Writer treats us with such a Thought ‘as this: Our God is like a tender Father, who, when ‘the Infant complies not presently with his Calls, ‘allures him with the Offer of pleasant Fruits to him. ‘Not that the Child should stop in the Love of the colored garments yearly through so many ages since the beginning of the world.” 1 “To, our strength is devoted not to ourselves but to you. We do not bloom for our own good, but for yours. Yes, the divine goodness blooms for you through us, in order that you may say that the benev- olence of God flowers in us and that His sweetness refreshes you.” 2 “Know, O man, that the sweetness of my juice, by which I cheer your heart, is from my creator.” 3 “That power by which I relieve hunger, falls to my lot from my creator and yours.” 4“God has sprinkled individual creatures with a little drop of his divine goodness, in order that through them men might be well off.”’ 348 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER ‘A pple, the Plumb, the Pear, but be by the Fruits drawn ‘to the Love and Obedience of the Father that gives ‘them. Our heavenly Father calling on us in his Word, "gives us also Rain from Heaven, and fruitful Seasons, ‘to engage our Love and Obedience. Que sané Beneficia ‘aliud nihil sunt, quam tot manus €8 Nuncit Det, parati ‘ad ipsum Deum nos deducere, wliusque amorem altius ‘amimis nostris insinuare, ut wpsum tandem Datorem “in Creaturis & Donis suscipere discamus.’ 4 ‘Among other Thoughts of Piety upon the Vegetable ‘World, some have allow’d a room for this; the strong ‘Passion in almost all Children for Fruit; by ten- ‘dring Fruits to them, you may draw them to any thing ‘in the World. May not this be a lasting Signature ‘of the first Sin, left upon the Minds of our Children! ‘An Appetite for the forbidden Fruit. When we see ‘our Children greedy after Fruits, a remembrance ‘and repentance of that Sin may be excited in us.’ Add this: Quid prodest ope Creaturarum vivere, si Deo non vivitur? * A good Thought of a German Writer: Sol & Luna, totusqgue Mundus Sydereus, luce sua Deum collaudunt. Terra Deum laudat, dum viret €9 floret. Sic Hlerbe & Flosculi Opificis sui Omntpotentiam &9 Sapien- tiam commendant Odore, Pulchritudine, &% Colorum varia Pictura: Aves Cantu €9 Modulatione; Arbores Fructibus; Mare Piscibus; omnes Creature laudant Deum, dum illius mandata exequuntur. Colloquuntur nobiscum per divint- 1“ Which benefits are nothing but so many hands and messengers of God, designed to lead us to God himself, and to instil in our minds a loftier love of Him, in order that we may learn to recognize Him, the Giver, in His creatures and gifts.” 2“ What is the use of living with riches of the world, if one does not live with God?” OF MAN 349 tus 1psis insitas Proprietates, manifestantes opificem suum, €F exhortantes nos ad ipsum laudandum.' ESSAY XXXII. Of MAN [From page 294 of the original edition, to the end of the book.| Q. Hear now the Conclusion of the Matter. Yo en- kindle the Dispositions and the Resolutions of PIETY in my Brethren, is the Intention of all my ESSAYS, and must be the Conclusion of them. Atheism is now for ever chased and hissed out of the World, every thing in the World concurs to a Sentence of Banishment upon it. Fly, thou Monster, and hide, and let not the darkest Recesses of Africa itself be able to cherish thee; never dare to shew thyself in a World where every thing stands ready to overwhelm thee! A BEING that must be superior to Matter, even the Creator and Governor of all Matter, is every where so conspicuous, that there can be nothing more monstrous than to deny the God that is above. No System of Atheism has ever yet been offered among the Children of Men, but what may presently be convinced of such Inconststences, that a Man must ridiculously believe nothing certain before he can imagine them; it must be a System of Thangs 1“The sun and moon, and all the universe, praise God by their light. The Earth praises God, when it flowers and is green. So the grass and the little flowers commend their maker’s omnipotence and wisdom by their fragrance, beauty, and the varied painting of their colors. The birds praise God with song and melody; the trees, with fruit; the sea, with fish; all creatures praise Him while they carry out His commands. They talk to us by means of the properties divinely given them, displaying His handiwork, and urging us to praise Him.” 350 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER which cannot stand together! A Bundle of Contradictions to themselves, and to all common Sense. I doubt it has been an inconsiderate thing to pay so much of a Compliment to Atheism, as to bestow solemn Treatises full of learned Arguments for the Refutation of a delir- tous Phrenzy, which ought rather to be put out of countenance with the most contemptuous Indignation. And I fear such Writers as have been at the pains to put the Objections of Atheism into the most plausible Terms, that they may have the honour of laying a Devil when they have raised him, have therein done too unadvisedly. However, to so much notice of the raving Atheist we may condescend while we go along, as to tell him, that for a Man to question the Being of a GOD, who requires from us an Homage of Affection, and Wonderment, and Obedience to Himself, and a perpetual Concern for the Welfare of the Human Society, for which He has in our Formation evidently suited us, would be an exalted Folly, which undergoes especially two Con- ‘demnations; it is first condemned by this, that every Part of the Universe is continually pouring in something for the confuting of it; there is not a Corner of the whole World but what supplies a Stone towards the Infliction of such a Death upon the Blasphemy as justly belongs to it: and it has also this condemning of it, that Men would soon become Canibals to one another by embrac- ing it; Men being utterly destitute of any Principle to keep them honest in the Dark, there would be no Integrity left in the World, but they would be as the Fishes of the Sea to one another, and worse than the creeping Things, that have no Ruler over them. Indeed from every thing in the World there is this Voice more audible than the loudest Thunder to us; God hath spoken, and these two things have I heard! First, Believe and OF MAN 351 adore a glorious GOD, who has made all these Things, and know thou that He will bring thee into Judgment! And then be careful to do nothing but what shall be for the Good of the Community which the glorious GOD has made thee a Member of. Were what God hath spoken duly regarded, and were these two things duly complied with, the World would be soon revived into a desirable Garden of God, and Mankind would be fetch’d up into very comfortable Circumstances; till then the World continues in a wretched Condition, full of doleful Crea- tures, with wild Beasts crying in its desolate Houses, Dragons in its most pleasant Palaces. And now declare, O every thing that is reasonable, declare and pronounce upon it whether it be possible that Maxims absolutely necessary to the Subsistence and Happiness of Mankind, can be Falsities? There is no possibility for this, that Cheats and Lyes must be so necessary, that the Ends which alone are worthy of a glorious GOD, cannot be attain’d without having them imposed upon us! Having dispatch’d the Atheist, with bestowing on him not many Thoughts, yet more than could be deserved by such an Jdiot; I will proceed now to propose two general Strokes of Piety, which will appear to a Christian Philosopher as unexceptionable as any Proposals that ever were made to him. First, the Works of the glorious God exhibited to our View, ’tis most certain they do bespeak, and they should excite our Acknowledgments of His Glories appeat- ing in them: the Great GOD is infinitely gratified in beholding the Displays of His own infinite Power, and Wisdom, and Goodness, in the Works which He has made; but it is also a most acceptable Gratifica- tion to Him, when such of His Works as are the rational Beholders of themselves, and of the rest, shall with 352 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER devout Minds acknowledge His Perfections, which they see shining there. Never does one endued with Reason do any thing more evidently reasonable, than when he makes every thing that occurs to him in the vast Fabrick of the World, an Incentive to some agree- able Efforts and Salleys of Religion. What can any Man living object against the Piety of a Mind awaken’d by the sight of God in His Works, to such Thoughts as these: Verily, there is a glorious GOD! Verily, the GOD who does these things is worthy to be feared, worthy to be loved, worthy to be relied on! V. erily, all possible Obedience 1s due to such a GOD; and most abominable, most inexcusable is the Wickedness of all Rebellion against Him! A Mind kept under the Impression of such Thoughts as these, is an holy and a noble Mind, a Temple of God, a Temple filled with the Glory of God. There is nothing but what will afford an Occasion for the Thoughts; the oftner a Man improves the Occasion, the more does he glorify GOD, and answer the chief End of Man; and why should he not see occasion for it, by visiting for this purpose the several Classes of the Creatures (for Discipulus in hac Scholé erit Pertpateti- cus)! as he may have opportunity for so generous an Exercise! But since the horrid Evil of all Sin js to be inferred from this; it is a Rebellion against the Laws of the glorious GOD, who is the Maker and the Ruler of all Worlds; and it is a disturbance of the good Order wherein the glorious Maker and Ruler of all Things has placed them all; how much ought a quickned Horror of Sin to accompany this Contemplation, and produce this most agreeable Resolution, My God, I will for ever fear to offend thy glorious M ajesty! Nor is this all the Improvement which we are to make of what we see in 1 “A disciple of this school must be a Peripatetic.” the Works of God; in our improving of them, we are | to accept of the Rebuke which they give to our Pre- sumption, in pretending to criticize upon the dark things which occur in the Dispensations of His Prowmdence; there is not any one of all the Creatures but what has those fine things in the Texture of it, which have never yet been reached by our Searches, and we are as much at a loss about the Intent as about the Texture of them; as yet we know not what the glorious God intends in His forming of those Creatures, nor what He has to do in them, and with them; He therein proclaims this Expectation, Surely they will fear me, and receive Instruction. And the Point wherein we are now in- structed is this: ‘What! Shall I be so vain as to be ‘dissatisfied because I do not understand what is done ‘by the glorious GOD in the Works of His Providence!’ O my Soul, hast thou not known, hast thou not heard concerning the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the Ends of the Earth, that there is no searching of His Understanding? And then, secondly, the CHRIST of God must not be forgotten, who is the Lord of all. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of CHRIST, of which Iwill agirm constantly, that if the Philosopher do not call it in, he paganzzes, and leaves the finest and brightest Part of his Work unfinished. Let Colerus! persuade us if he can, that in the Time of John Frederick the Elector of Saxony there was dug up a Stone, on which there was a Repre- sentation of our crucified Saviour; but I cannot forbear saying, there is not a Stone any where which would not look black upon me, and speak my Condemnation, if my Philosophy should be so vain as to make me lay aside my Thoughts of my enthroned Saviour. Let 1 Johann Jacob Coler, 16th century German theologian and writer. 354 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER Lambecius,' if he please, employ his Learning upon the Name of our Saviour CHRIST, found in Letters naturally engraven at the bottom of a large 4 gate-Cup, which is to be seen among the Emperor’s Curiosities; I have never drank in that Cup, however I can more easily believe it than I can the Crucifixus ex Radice Crambres enatus,” or the Imago V irginis cum Filiolo, in Minera Ferri expressa,’ and several more such things, which the Publishers of the German Ephemerides* have mingled with their better Entertainments: but I will assert, that a glorious CHRIST is more to be considered in the Works of Nature than the Philosopher is generally aware of; and my CHRISTIAN Philosopher has not fully done his Part, till He who is the First-born of every Creature be come into Consideration with him. Alsted mentions a Siclus Jud@o-Christianus,®> which had on one side the Name JESUS, with‘ the Face of our Saviour, and on the other the Words that signify the King Messiah comes with Peace, and God becomes a Man; and Leusden® says he had a couple of these Coins in his possession. I have nothing to say on the behalf of the Zeal in those Christianized Jews, who probably were the Authors of these Coins, a Zeal that boil’d into so needless an Expression of an Homage, that indeed 1 Peter Lambeck, 1628-80, German historian. 2 “The crucifix springing from a cabbage root.” Mather misprints “crambres” for ‘‘crambes.”’ 4“ Tmage of the Virgin and Child moulded in iron ore.” 4'The “German Ephemerides” was as cientific periodical in Ger- many, Miscellanea Curiosa sive Ephemeridum Medico-Physicarum Germanicarum, etc. Cotton Mather refers to articles in the volume for 1670. *“ A Jewish-Christian shekel (coin).” ® Johann Leusden, 1624-1699, Dutch scholar, and friend of Cotton Mather’s father. OF MAN 355 cannot be too much expressed in the instituted ways of it to a Redeemer, whose Kingdom 15 not of this World: but this I will say, all the Creatures in this World are part of His Kingdom; there are no Creatures but what are His Medals, on every one of them the Name of JESUS is to be found inscribed. Celebrate, OQ Danhaver,! thy Granatilla, the Peruvian Plant, on which a strong Imagination finds a Representation of the Instruments employed in the Sufferings of our Saviour, and espe- cially the bloody Sweat of His Agonies; were the Repre- sentation as really and lively made as has been imagined, I would subscribe to the Epigram upon it, which concludes: Flos hic ita forma vincit omnes Flosculos, Ut totus optet esse Spectator Oculus.’ But I will, with the Exercise of the most solid Reason, by every part of the World, as well as the Vegetables, be led to my Saviour. A View of the Creation is to be taken, with suitable Acknowledgments of the glorious CHRIST, in whom the eternal Son of God has personally united Himself to ONE of His Creatures, and becomes on Ais account propitious to all the rest; our Piety indeed will not be Christianity if HE be left unthought upon. This is HE, of whom we are instructed, Col. 1. 16, 17. All things were created by Him, and for Him; and He 1s before all things, and by Him all things consist. It is no contemptible Thought wherewith De Sabunde has entertained us: Productio Mundi a Deo facta de Nthilo, arguit aliam productionem, summam, occultam, ©&9 1 Johann Conrad Danhawer, 1603-1666, German theologian. 2“ This flower so surpasses all others in its form that every eye may wish to see it.” 356 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER aternam in Deo, que est de sua propria Natura, in qua producitur Deus de Deo, &¥ per quam ostenditur summa [rinitas 1n Deo. And certainly he that as a Father does produce a Son, but as an Artist only produce an House, has a Value for the Son which he has not for the House; yea, we may say, if GOD had not first, and from Eternity, been a Father to our Saviour, He would never have exerted Himself as an Artist in that Fabrick, which He has built by the Might of His Power, and for the Honour of His Majesty! The Great Sir Francis Bacon has a notable Passage in his Confession of Faith: I believe that God is so holy, as that it 1s impossible for Him to be pleased in any Creature, tho the Work of his own Hands, without beholding of the same in the Face of a Mediator; without which it was wmpossible for Him to have descended to any Work of Creation, but He should have enjoyed the blessed and individual Society of three Persons in the Godhead for ever; but out of His eternal and infinite Goodness and Love purposing to become a Creature, and communicate with His Creatures, He ordained in His eternal Counsel that one Person of the Godhead should be united to one Nature, and to one particular of His Creatures; that so in the Person of the Mediator the true Ladder might be fixed, whereby God might descend to His Creatures, and Hts Creatures ascend to Him. It was an high Flight of Origen,? who urges, that our High-Priest’s having tasted of Death, trép TAVTOS, FOR ALL, is to be extended even to the very Szars, 1“ The creation of the world, made by God from nothing, shows that there is another creation, high, secret, and eternal, in God, which is of His own nature, in which God is created from God, and by which is made plain the Trinity in God.” Raymond de Sebonde, d. 1432, was a Spanish physician, author of Theologia Naturalis. * Alexandrian Christian writer of the 2d and 3d centuries. OF MAN 357 which would otherwise have been impure in the sight of God; and thus are ALL THINGS restored to the Kingdom of the Father. Our Apostle Paul in a famous Passage to the Colossians [1. 19, 20.] may seem highly to favour this Flight. One says upon it, ‘If this be so, ‘we need not break the Glasses of Galileo, the Spots ‘may be washed out of the Sun, and total Nature ‘sanctified to God that made it.’ Yea, the sacred Scriptures plainly and often invite us to a Conception, which Dr. Goodwin has chosen to deliver in such Terms as these: ‘The Son of God per- ‘sonally and actually existing as the Son of God with “God, afore the World or any Creature was made, He ‘undertaking and covenanting with God to become ‘a Man, yea, that Man which He hath now taken up ‘into one Person with Himself, as well for this End, ‘as for other Ends more glorious; God did in the Fore- ‘knowledge of that, and in the Assurance of that Coven- ‘nant of His, proceed to the creating of all things which ‘He hath made; and without the Intuition of this, or ‘having this in His Eye, He would not have made any ‘thing which He hath made.’ O CHRISTIAN, Jift up now thine Eyes, and look from the place where thou art to all Points of the Com- pass, and concerning whatever thou seest, allow that all these things were formed for the Sake of that Glorious- One, who is now God manifest in the Flesh of our JESUS; ’tis on His Account that the eternal Godhead has the Delight in all these things, which preserves them in their Being, and grants them the Help, in the obtaining whereof they continue to this day. But were they not all made by the hand, as well as for the Sake of that Glorious-ONE? They were verily so. Omy JESUS, it was that Son of God who now dwells 358 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER in thee, in and by whom the Godhead exerted the Power, which could be exerted by none but an all-powerful GO), in the creating of the World! He is that Worp of GOD by whom all things were made, and without whom was not any thing made that was made. This is not all that we have to think upon; we see an incomparable Wisdom of GOD in His Creatures; one cannot but presently infer, What an incomprehensi- ble Wisdom then in the Methods and Affairs of that Redemption, whereof the glorious GOD has laid the Plan in our JESUS! Things which the Angels desire to look into. But, O evangelized Mind, go on, mount up, soar higher, think at this rate; the infinite Wisdom which formed all these things 1s peculiarly seated in the Son of God; He is that reflexive Wisdom of the eternal Father, and that Image of the invisible God, by whom all things were created; in Him there is after a peculiar manner the original [dea and Archetype of every thing that offers the infinite Wisdom of God to our Admiration. Wherever we see the Wisdom of God admirably shining before us, we are invited to such a Thought as this; this Glory is originally to be found in thee, O our Imman- uel! *Tis in Him transcendently. But then ’tis impossi- ble to stop without adding, How glorious, how wondrous, how lovely art thou, O our-Saviour! Nor may we lay aside a grateful Sense of this, that as the Son of God is the Upholder of all Things in all Worlds, thus, that it is owing to his potent Intercession that the Sin of Man has made no more havock on this our World. This our World has been by the Sin of Man so perverted from the true Ends of it, and rendred full of such loath- some and hateful Regions, and such Scelerata Castra,} that the Revenges of God would have long since rendred 1“Wicked settlements.” OF MAN As it as a fiery Oven, if our blessed JESUS had not inter- ceded for it: O my Saviour, what would have become of me, and of all that comforts me, 1f thy Interposition had not preserved us! We will add one thing more: Tho the one GOD in His three Subsistences be the Governor as well as the Creator of the World, and so the Son of God ever had what we call the natural Government of the World, yet upon the Fall of Mankind there 1s a mediatory Kingdom that becomes expedient, that so guilty Man, and that which was Jost, may be brought to God; and the sin- gular Honour of this mediatory Kingdom is more 1mme- diately and most agreeably assign’d to the Son of God, who assumes the Man JESUS into His own Person, and has all Power in Heaven and Earth given to Him; all things are now commanded and ordered by the Son of God in the Man upon the Throne, and this to the Glory of the Father, by whom the mediatory Kingdom is erected, and soconferred. This peculiar Kingdom thus managed by the Son of God in our JESUS, will cease when the illustrious Ends of it are all accomplished, and then the Son of God no longer having such a distinct Kingdom of His own, shall return to those eternal Circumstances, wherein He shall reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, blessed for ever. In the mean time, what Creatures can we behold without being obliged to some such Doxology as this; O Son of God, incarnate and enthroned in my JESUS, this is part of thy Do- minion! What a great King art thou,and what a Name hast thou above every Name, and how vastly extended 1s thy Dominion! Dominion and Fear is with thee, and there is no Number of thine Armies! All the Inhabitants of the Earth, and their most puissant Emperors, are to be reputed as nothing before thee! 360 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER But then at last I am losing myself in such Thoughts as these: Who can tell what Uses our Saviour will put all these Creatures to at the Restitution of all things, when He comes to rescue them from the Vanity which as yet captivates them and incumbers them; and His raised People in the new Heavens will make their Visits to a new Earth, which they shall find flourishing in Paradi- saick Regularities? Lord, what thou meanest in them, I know not now, but I shall know hereafter! I go on, Who can tell how sweetly our Saviour may feast His chosen People in the Future State, with Exhibitions of all these Creatures, in their various Natures, and their curious Beauties to them? Lord, I hope for an eternally pro- gressive Knowledge, from the Lamb of God successively leading me to the Fountains of it! [ recover out of my more conjectural Prognostications, with resolving what may at present yield to a serious Mind a Satisfaction, to which this World knows none superior: When in a way of occasional Reflection | employ the Creatures as my Teachers, I will by the Truths wherein those ready Monitors instruct me, be led to my glorious JESUS; I will consider the Truths as they are in JESUS, and count my Asceticks deficient, till [ have some Thoughts of HIM and of His Glories awakened in me. To conclude, It is a good Passage which a little Treatise entitled, Theologia Ruris, or, The Book of Nature, breaks off withal, and I might make it my Conclusion: ‘If we mind Heaven whilst ‘we live here upon Earth, this Earth will serve to conduct ‘us to Heaven, thro the Merits and Mediation of the ‘Son of God, who was made the Son of Man, and came ‘thence on purpose into this lower World to convey us ‘up thither.’ I will finish with a Speculation, which my most OF MAN 361 valuable Dr. Cheyne has a little more largely prosecuted and cultivated. All intelligent compound Beings have their whole Entertainment in_these three Principles, the DESIRE, the OBJECT, and the SENSATION arising from the Congruity between them; this Analogy is preserved full and clear thro the Spiritual World, yea, and thro the material also; so universal and perpetual an Analogy can arise from nothing but its Pattern and Archetype in the infinite God or Maker; and could we carry it up to the Source of it, we should find the TRINITY of Persons in the eternal GODHEAD admirably exhibited to us. In the GODHEAD we may first apprehend a Desire, an infinitely active, ardent, powerful Thought, proposing of Satisfaction; let this represent GOD the FATHER: but it is not possible for any Object but God Himself to satisfy Himself, and fill His Desire of Happiness; therefore HE Himself reflected in upon Himself, and contemplating His own infinite Perfec- tions, even the Brightness of His Glory, and the express Image of His Person, must answer this glorious Inten- tion; and this may represent to us GOD the SON. Upon this Contemplation, wherein GOD Himself does behold, and possess, and enjoy Himself, there cannot but arise a Love, a Joy, an Acquiescence of God Himself within Himself, and worthy of a God; this may shadow out to us the third and the last of the Principles in this mysterious Ternary, that is to say, the Holy SPIRIT. Tho these three Relations of the Godhead in itself, when derived analogically down to Creatures, may appear but Modifications of a real Subsistence, yet in the supreme Infinitude of the Divine Nature, they must be infinitely real and living Principles. ‘Those which are but Relations when transferred to created Beings, are 362 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER glorious REALITIES in the infinite God. And in this View of the Holy Trinity, low as it is, it is impossible the SON should be without the FATHER, or the FATHER without the SON, or both without the Holy SPIRIT; it is impossible the SON should not be nec- essarily and eternally begotten of the FATHER, or that the Holy SPIRIT should not necessarily and eternally proceed both from Him and from the SON. Thus from what occurs throughout the whole Creation, Reason forms an umperfect Idea of this incomprehen- sible Mystery. But it is time to stop here, and indeed how can we go any further! FINIS “POLITICAL FABLES.” I. THE NEW SETTLEMENT OF THE BIRDS IN NEW ENGLAND. The birds had maintained good order among them- selves for several years, under the shelter of charters by Jupiter granted to several flocks among them: but heaven, to chastise many faults too observable in its birds, left them to be deprived of their ancient settle- ments. There were birds of all sorts in their several flocks; for some catched fish, some lived upon grains; the woodpeckers also made a great figure among them; some of them scraped for their living with their claws; and many supplied their nests, from beyond sea. Geese you may be sure there were good store, as there are everywhere. Moreover, when they had lost their charters, those poetical birds called harpies became really existent, and visited these flocks, not so much that they might build nests of their own, as plunder and pull down the nests of others. 2. There were many endeavours used by an eagle and a goldfinch, afterwards accompanied with two more, —no less deserving the love of all the flocks, than de- sirous to serve their interest,—that flew into Jupiter's palace, for the resettlement of good government among the birds. These endeavours did for awhile prosper no further than to stop the inroads of harpies or locusts; but at length Jupiter’s court was willing that Jupiter's grace, which would have denied nothing for the advan- tage of them, whose wings had carried them a thousand leagues to serve his empire, should not be hindered from 363 364 POLITICAL FABLES giving them a comfortable settlement, though not exactly 1n their old forms. 3- Upon this there grew a difference of opinion be- tween some that were concerned for the welfare of the birds. Some were of opinion, that if Jupiter would not reinstate the birds in all their ancient circumstances, they had better accept of just nothing at all, but let all things be left for the harpies to commit as much rapine as they were doing when they were ejecting every poor bird out of his nest, that would not, at an excessive rate, produce a patent for it; and when Canary birds! domineered over all the flocks. Others were of opinion, that the birds ought rather thankfully to accept the offers of Jupiter; and if anything were yet grievous, they might shortly see a fitter season to ask further favours, especially considering that Jupiter made them offer of such things as all the other American birds would part with more than half the feathers on their backs to purchase. He offered that the birds might be everlastingly confirmed in their titles to their nests and fields. He offered that not so much as a twig should be plucked from any tree the birds would roost upon, without their own consent. He offered that the birds might constantly make their own laws, and annually choose their own rulers. He offered that all strange birds might be made uncapable of a seat in their council.2 He offered that it should be made impossible for any to disturb the birds in singing of their songs to the praise of their Maker, for which they had sought liberty in the wilderness. Finally, he offered that the king’s-fisher should have his commission to be their governour until they had settled what good orders 1“ Canary bird” was a slang term for rogue. “Strange birds” = non-citizens. BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND 365 among them they pleased; and that he should be more concerned than ever now to defend them from the French kites that were abroad. The king’s-fisher indeed was to have his negative upon the birds, but the birds were to have a negative too upon the king’s- fisher; and this was a privilege beyond what was en- joyed by the birds in any of the plantations, or even in Ireland itself. 4. The birds, not being agreed in their opinion, resolved that they would refer it to reasonable crea- tures to advise them upon this question—which of these was to be chosen; but when the reasonable creatures heard the question, they all declared none that had any reason could make any question of it. II]. THE ELEPHANT’S CASE A LITTLE STATED. When Jupiter had honoured the elephant with a commission to be governour over the wilderness, there were certain beasts that began to quarrel with him for accepting that commission. The chief matter of mutter among themselves was to this purpose: They had nothing to say against the elephant; he was as good as he was great; he loved his king and country better than himself, and was as universally beloved. But (they said) they feared he was but a shoeing-horn; in a year or two either Isgrim the wolf, or Bruin the bear, would succeed him. Jupiter’s commissions may come into such hands as will most cruelly oppress those, whom Jupiter most graciously designs to protect. 2. The elephant understood these growlings, and assembling the malecontents, he laid these charms upon them: “My countrymen, ’tis I that have kept off the shoe, whereof ye are so afraid. I had refused the 366 POLITICAL FABLES commission for your government, if I had not seen that you had certainly come into Isgrim’s or Bruin’s hands upon my refusal. My desire is, that Jupiter may have the satisfaction of seeing you saved from the dangers of perishing either by division among yourselves, or by invasion from abroad, was what caused me to accept my commission. Besides, Jupiter hath now favoured you with such circumstances, that if Isgrim or Bruin themselves should come, they could not hurt you without your own consent. They might not raise one tax, or make one law, or constitute one civil office, or send one soldier out of the province, without your concurrence. And if, after all that I have done for you, not only employing of my purse, but also venturing my life to serve you, you have no better name for me than a shoeing-horn, yet I have at least obtained this for you, that you have time to shape your foot, so as, whatever shoe comes, it shall sit-easy upon you.” 3. Upon this the whole forest, with grateful and cheerful hearts, gave thanks unto the elephant; and they aspired to such an exercise of reason, in this as well as in other cases, that they might not be con- demned to graze under Nebuchadnezer’s belly. Til. MERCURY’S NEGOTIATION. Mercury had been long diverted from his desired employment of carrying messages between earth and heaven, by his agency in Jupiter’s palace on the behalf of the sheep, for whom he was willing to do the kindness of a shepherd. It grieved his heart within him to see the beasts of prey breaking in upon the sheep, after their folds had been by the foxes broken down. 2. He laboured with an assiduous diligence to get MERCURY’S NEGOTIATION 367 the sheep accommodated in all their expectations: but after long waiting and seeking to get their folds rebuilt after the old fashion, he found it necessary to comply with such directions as Jupiter, by the advice of Janus, had given for the new shaping of the folds; otherwise he saw the poor sheep had been left without any folds at all; and he could not but confess, the new modelling of the folds would more effectually defend them, in these days of common danger, from the wolves, though some inconveniences in it had caused him always to use all means for the sheep’s better satisfaction. 3. When Mercury returned to the sheep, he found them strangely metamorphosed from what they were, and miserably discontented. He found that such things as the sheep would have given three quarters of the fleece on their backs to have purchased, when he first went from them, they were now scarce willing to accept of. He found that there were, (though a few,) which had the skins of sheep on them, and yet, by their claws and growls, were indeed, he knew not what. He was ready to inquire, whether no mad dogs had let fall their slaver upon the honest sheep, since he found here and there one begun to bark like them, and he feared whether these distempers might not hinder their ever being folded more. 4. Orpheus had an harp, which sometimes formerly had reduced the beasts unto a temper little short of reason, and being jealous lest the hard censures bleated out against Mercury (as if he had been the cause of their new forms now brought upon the folds) might produce ill effects, he improved his harp upon this occasion. I don’t remember the rhythm of his notes, but the reason was to this purpose: “Pray, all you friends, which of Mercury’s administrations is it 368 POLITICAL FABLES whereat you are so much offended? Are you angry because he evidently ventured the ruin of his person and family by the circumstances of his first appearance in Saturn’s palace for you? Are you angry because, for divers years together, he did, with an industry indefatigable to a prodigy, solicit for the restoration of your old folds; but with a vexation like that of Sysiphus, who was to roll a great stone up an high hill, from whence he was presently kicked down, so that the labour was all to begin again? Are you angry because he has employed all the interest which God has wonder- fully given him with persons of the greatest quality, to increase the number of your powerful friends: addressing the king and queen, the nobility, the con- vention and the parliaments, until the resettling of your old folds was most favourably voted for you? Is your anger because the signal hand of heaven over- ruled all these endeavours? Or is your displeasure that he hath cost you a little money to support his negotiations? I am to tell you, that he spent two hundred pounds of his own personal estate in your service—never like to be repaid. He made over all his own American estate, that he might borrow more to serve you. At length he has obtained in boon for your college, and in the bounty, which he lately begged of the royal Juno, (a bounty worth more than fourteen or sixteen hundred pounds sterling,) got more for you than he has yet expended for your agency. Had you not starved your own cause, you had never missed so much as you say you have of your own expectations. Besides, how came you to have your title to all your lands and properties confirmed for ever? Not one of you doth own one foot of land, but what you are now beholden to Mercury for your being undisturbed in it. MERCURY’S NEGOTIATION 369 Are you displeased because you have not a reversion of the judgment against your folds? It was none of his fault; and had such a thing happened, you had then been far more miserable than you are now like to be: for both Plymouth and the eastern provinces had been most certainly put under a commission government;. so likewise had Hampshire; and if they should have a Brellin,! yet his government would have reached as far south as Salem itself. How finely had your flock been deprived of your trade by this, and squeezed into an atom! Nor could you have proceeded again, as formerly, upon your charter, without being quo- warrantoed. Are you displeased because he did accept of Jupiter’s offers? I say he did not accept, and the way is left open for you to recover all the liberties you would have, when you see a time to move in a legal way for it. Yea, he did absolutely reject as many of the offers as he could, and procured them to be altered. The rest he did not refuse, because you had infallibly been left open to a western condition,” if he had gone on to protest. Moreover you yourselves had _ for- bidden him to refuse. Are you troubled because your liberties, whether as Christians or as Englishmen, are fully secured? Are you troubled because you have privileges above any part of the English nation what- soever, either abroad or at home? Are you troubled that your officers are to be for ever your own; so that, if you please, you may always have your judges as at the first, and the counsellors as at the beginning! Is 1 Probably this is a misprint for Bruin, the bear, who, in the Rey- nard story, conspired to make himself King in place of the lion. Or, it may bea misprint for Belin, the ram, a character in the same story. 2“ Western” is used in the not unusual sense of “ declining,” “near- ing the end.” 370 POLITICAL FABLES it your trouble that by being without your charter, you are put into a condition to do greater and better things for yourselves than the charter did contain, or could have done? Did any man living more zealously oppose those one or two things that you account undesirable, than this faithful Mercury, at whom you fret for those things? Or must very much good be frowardly thrown away, because ’tis not all? If you would have more, don’t blame your Mercury that you have so much.”—So sang Orpheus, and, for the better harmony of the musick, eleven more of the celestial choristers! joined with him in it. 5. The sound of those things caused the sheep to be a little better satisfied; but Mercury was not much concerned whether they were or no, for he looked else- where for all the reward of his charitable undertakings; and he knows, he that would do froward sheep a kind- ness must do it them against their wills; only he wished the sheep would have a care of all snakes in the grass, who did mischief by insinuating, and employed their hisses to sow discord. IV. An additional STORY OF THE DOGS AND THE WOLVES, the Substance of which was used, an hundred and fifty Years ago, by Melancthon,? to unite the Protestants. The wolves and the dogs were going to meet each other in a battle, upon a certain old quarrel that was between them; and the wolves, that they might know the strength of the dogs aforehand, sent forth a scout. 2. The scout returned, and informed the wolves that the dogs were more numerous than they. Neverthe- 1 See Introduction, Section V. ? Philipp Melancthon, the great German reformer. THE DOGS AND THE WOLVES 371 less, he bid them not be discouraged; for the dogs were not only divided into three or four several bodies, which had little disposition to help one another, but also they were very quarrelsome among themselves. One party was for having the army formed one way, and another party another. Some were not satisfied in their com- manders; and the commanders themselves had their emulations. Nor did they want those among them, that accounted it more necessary to lie down where they were, and hunt and kill flees, than march forth to subdue wolves abroad. In short, there was little among them but snapping and snarling at one another; And therefore, said he, monsieurs,' let’s have at them: we shall easily play the wolf upon them that have played the dog upon one another. 3. 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Mtg AO TE Se aa Ta BL ANN CN Eg It PE Aa AF LAPIS EME SSE IO pean apg al eat et EEL BN DR EA AE NO ates oe ee roe zs : ok ne ae EE RF gegen go Fn ang nee 4 £ BO ne AAEM GD ah ATO LTA OOD SA Oa : pei ie “ sont eee ~ 4 Pte EE LO En tp ay ha ARR AA Se i OR eRin iy AO B LI HN Pee el alee s En aT rik Ee a eh SE “ Pred Rie PE ae: By etn elk I Sa ie eR Ie ee ol ~ oer - “< ° a 2 8 PO Wee EE LE ig COD Ba OO I ete al aE POO GI SRO LIEN IT I 9 wih + = eer ee ater Senet arene oie a hoy” Te ne eee Tae

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