P5 v^ :«»' ■0^ o > C3 cS* -i 0^ ■» ^■^ '/grm:'^^ 'V 0^ ' ^^ %.# - ^ '-^r. ^1 **-,■»„ v^ :« c"^ '^ < ^ ^ , .V .0 ^ ^' r^^&C/^"'' %. c.'^'^ .^^ . ._ '"°. ^ ^.^^^^ ^■^^ r^o^ ■t- . j^. .A %-^^ .^0 V ^ v\ .. ^ ' « >f .-^^ .0 ^ -^^ ^%^ ^ qN o^ \d^ 0^ ^^ -•'^" -^--y?:^^%'^^ ^%'^'K^\.^^.^ '^ - .0- .. "^^^ ''^.. ..^'o r- !>;■ />^MM^ - xO ., K^^^ S^'^ ,0 :^. .^' ^ijS^'^ ^ -j^' ':j. %" " --> ,^%. ' « «
-ing the country where the Pl\-mouth colony was planted, was nearly depopulated by a great plague. One of the early chroniclers has written! "Some of the ancient Indians, that are survi\'ing at the wTiting hereof. do aifirm that about some two or three years before the first English arrived here, they saw a blazing star, or comet, which was a forerunner of this sad mortality, for soon after it came upon them in extremity. Thus God made way for his people, by removing the heathen and planting thejn in the land." Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers, page 36. 5o A Frenchman who had been captured by the Indians and mistreated by them, upon learning their language told them God would punish them for their \^ickedness. "But they derided him and said they were so many that God could not kill them. His answer was. that though they w-ere never so many. God had many )A-a>-s to destroy them that they knew not. Shortly after his death came the plague. a disease they never heard of beiore. and mightily swept them away." Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers, page -ill. 60 — 70 'It has been supposed by some that our ancestors were not fortunate in the selection of their plantations, and that they would have found much better land on the other side of the bay. But this is a mistake, for no part of Mas- sachusetts could be better suited to their condition. Had they settled down upon a hard and heavj*. though rich soil, what could they ha\-e done with it? They had no ploughs, nor beasts of the plough, and >-et their chiel subsistance was to be derived from the ground. The Pl\-mouth lands were free, light, and easy of tillage, but 3S NOTES hard enough for poor pilgrims to dig and plant. The land yielded well, being new and unworn, And for fish, they could scarcsly have been better supplied; and the forests were as well supplied with game as elsewhere. Here they were also favored by the Prince of the country. The character of Massassoit was humane, and his friendship sincere. The treaty which he made with them, he faith- fully performed all his life long, whereas,in other localities, they might have fallen by savage violence. And, more- over. Divine Providence seems to have opened the door to the pilgrims at Plymouth by removing the native inhabitants, so as to make a place for their settlement there," Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers, page 28, note. 75 The Puritans, escaping from English persecution into Holland, settled in the city of Leyden. Many of them had been farmers living in the vicinity of the town of Scrooby, in England. At Leyden they took up weavihg, printing and other trades. 79 The Puritans remained about 10 years at Leyden, in Hol- land, before sailing for America. 89 John Carver, chosen by the Pilgrims for first Governor of Plymouth colony, died in the Spring of 1621. 90 Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during their first Winter and Spring in America, and, that the Indians might not know their weakness by counting the graves, the Puritans leveled the surface of the burial field and planted it to grain. 92 In March, 1621, an Indian speaking broken English came boldly among the Puritans. His name was Samosot. Soon afterwards he brought Squanto or Tisquantum, who could talk better English, and who remained with the Puritans until he died; and was of great holj) to them. Squanto brought Massassoit, the friendly Chief. Bradfords' History, page 110. 99—106 Bradford's History, pages 111—112. 109 John Weston, one of the merchants who helped the Pil- grims in London, brought over a colony of about "60 lusty 39 THE PURITANS men" in 1622, to start a colony of his own, and while he continued his voyage down to Virginia he left this large number of extra mouths all of the Summer of 1622, for the Puritans to feed, instead of bringing them needed assis- tance. Bradford's History, page 137. 110—125 Bradford's History, page 152. 131 — 148 The Puritans were too poor to pay for their own transpor- tation to America. A number of London merchants formed a stock company and their partly paid subscrip- tions furnished most of the first passage money. Part of it, however, had to be made up at the last minute before the ships' masters would put out to sea, by the sale of a quantity of the food supplies which the Puritans were taking with them. The merchants were known as the "Adventurers" and were under agreement to send supplies until the Colony became self supporting. This was not done, however, and nearly resulted several times, in dis- aster to the Colony. The Puritans had agreed that one- half of everything which they possessed at the end of six years, including lands and buildings, should belong to the Adventurers. 149 — 164 A good harvest in 1623, followed a day of prayer for rain when drought had threatened the Puritans with famine. They set apart a day for thanks after harvest, which in- augurated our present Thanksgiving Day. The abundant harvest gave the Colonists a surplus to trade to the In- dians for furs which Europe coveted. The Colonists also learned how to make wampum beads which the Indians coveted and could not get enough of. Pushing out for new territory in which to trade, they established them- selves as the first white traders on the Kennebeck river in Maine, where they prospered and began to glimpse a chance for paying off their debt to the Adventurers. Bradford's History, pages 152-235-223. 165 — 168 Captain Myles Standish was sent to England in 1625, but did not succeed in reaching an agreement on the debt with the Adventurers. In 1626, as Governor Bradford wrote, 40 NOTES "This year they sent Mr. Allerton into England, and gave him order to make a compensation with the Adventurers, upon as good terms as he could (unto which some way had been made the year before by Captain Standish) ; but yet injoyned him not to conclude absolutely till they knew the terms, and had well considered of them; but to drive it to as good an issue as he could, and refer the conclusion to them." An agreement was reached in 1627, by which the obligation was fixed at 1800 pounds, payable 200 pounds yearly. Governor Bradford wrote (page 215): "This agreement was very well liked of, and approved by all the plantations, and consented unto; though they knew not well how to raise the payment and discharge their other ingagements, and supply the yearly wants of the plantation, seeing they were forced for their necessities to take up money or goods at so high interests. Yet they undertook it, and 7 or 8 of the chiefs of the place be- came jointly bound for the payment of this 1800 li. (in the behalf of the rest) at the several days." The names of the undertakers of the debt, of the colony, were William Bradford, Myles Standish, Isaac Allerton, Edward Wins- low, William Brewster, John Rowland, John Alden and Thomas Prence. 169 The patent grant covered all of the territory from Cobise- conte, where Gardiner, Maine, now stands, to the falls or rapids of Ne-quam-kick, near the present Winslow, Maine, and 15 miles on each side of the river Kennebeck. "And by virtue of the authority to us derived by his said late Majesties Letters patents, to take, apprehend, siese, and make prise of all such persons, their ships and goods, as shall attempt to inhibite or trade with the savage people of that countrie within the severall precincts and limits of his and their several plantations, etc." Bradford's History, page 304. 171_175 John Rowland. According to tradition he married the daughter of John Carver, who was chosen to be their first Governor — "the chiefest servant of them all"— in whose family Rowland came in the Mayflower; Bradford says 41 THE PURITANS as a servant, but evidently not in a menial sense, judging from the prominent part which he took in affairs from the start. The daughter died before the voyage to America. The Mayflower encountered several severe storms, in one of which John Rowland was washed over board but was saved by his presence of mind in grasping and holding to a rope, "Ye Topsail Halliards we hung overboard," by which he was drawn on deck through "several fathoms" of the engulfing billows. — Signers of the Mayflower Com- pact, page 29. "One of the main beams of the midships was bowed and cracked, which put them to some fear that she would not be able to perform the voyage", but by a screw which one of the passengers happened to have "the said beam was brought into place again; which being done, and well se- cured by the carpenter, they resolved to hold on their voyage." Chronicles of the Pilgrim- Fathers, page 19. 193 — 199 "But that which was sad and lamentable, in two or three months' time half their com.pany died, especially in Jan- uary and February, being the depth of winter, wanting houses and other comforts, being infected with the scurvy and other diseases, which this long voyage and their in- commodate condition had brought upon them, so as there died, sometimes two, sometimes three, on a day, in the aforesaid time, that of one hundred and odd persons, scarce fifty remained. Of those that did survive in this tim.e of distress and calamity that was upon them, there was sometimes but six or seven sound persons, who (to their great commenda- tion be it spoke) spared no pains night to day to be help- ful to the rest." Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers, page 35. 200 "John Tillie and his wife both died a little after they came ashore; and their daughter Elizabeth married with John Rowland, and hath issue as is before noted." Bradford's History, page 412. 42 NOTES 203 Desire Minter came in the Mayflower as a member of Governor John Carver's family, to which family John Rowland also belonged. Bradford's History, page 407. 249 — 254 Daniel Defoe, best known as the author of "Robinson Crusoe" was at one time a popular essayist. In his "Shortest Way with the Dissenters" he wrote (about 1700) : "The first execution of the Laws against Dissenters in England, was in the days of King James I; and what did it amount to? Truly, the worst they suffered was, at their own request, to let them go to New England, and erect a new colony; and give them great privileges, grants, and suitable powers; keep them under protection, and defend them against all invaders; and receive no taxes or revenue from them! "This was the cruelty of the Church of England! Fatal lenity! It was the ruin of that excellent Prince, King Charles I Had he so rooted the Puritans from the face of the land, which he had an opportunity early to have done; they had not had the power to vex the Church, as since they have done." 250 Human greed is such that it has crystalized into the proverb "Give an inch, will take an ell." 255—262 The writings of Thomas Carlyle, 265 In 1650, William Bradford wrote (Bradfords' History, page 410) "John Howland, married the daughter of John Tillie, Elizabeth, and they are both now living and have 10 children, now all living; and their eldest daughter hath 4 children. And their 2 daughter, 1 all living; and other of their children mariagable. So 15 are come of them." John Hov/land was born about 1593, and died at Plymouth March 5, 1673. He married at Plymouth before 1624, Elizabeth Tilley, who was born about 1607, and died at Swansea, Dec. 31, 1687. 267 "This year (1627) it pleased God to visit Plymouth with an infectious fever, of which many fell very sick, and up- wards of twenty died, men, women, and children, and 43 THE PURITANS sundry of them were of their ancient friends; amongst the rest, Mr. Samuel Fuller then died, after he had much helped others, and was a comfort to them; he was their surgeon and physician, and did much good in his place, being not only useful in his faculty, but otherwise, as he was a godly man, and served Christ in the office of a deacon in the church for many years, and forward to do good in his place, and was much missed after God removed him out of this world." Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers, page 117. 268 "Desire Minter returned to her friends, and proved not very well, and died in England,." Bradford's History, page 410. 273 The Puritans, needing a larger boat to hold more goods on their trading trips, and the ship-carpenter who built the two small boats which they had, being dead, an ingenious house-carpenter of their colony "tooke one of the bigest of their shallops and sawed her in the middle,and so length- ened her some 5 or 6 foote, and strengthened her with timbers, and so builte her up, and laid a deck on her; and so made her a conveniente and wholesome vessell, very fitt and comfortable for their use, which did them service 7 years after." Bradford's History, page 213. 277—304 Bradford's History, pages 304 to 309. The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. 2 page 11, gives the following account of the "Hocking affair" which happened in April, 1634: "Mr John Howland went up to him (Hocking) with our barke and charged the said Hocking to waye his Ankchors and depart who answered hee would not with fowle speeches. Mr. Howland tould him that hee would not now suffer him ther to ride, John Hocking demanded what he would doe whether he would shoot; Mr. Howland answered no but he would put him from thence and ordered three of his men goe cutt his cable, and bad Moses Talbott goe with them who accordingly went very reddyly and brought the Canow to Hockings cable he being upon the deck came with a carbine & a postole 44 NOTES in his hand Sz presently presented his piece at Thomas Savory but the Canow with the tide was put nere the bow of the barke which Hocking seeing presently put his piece almost to Moses Talbotts head, which Mr. Rowland seeing called to him desiring him not to shut his man but take himselfe for his mark saying his men did but that whihc hee commanded them and therefore desired him not to hurt any of them if any wrong was done it was him- selfe that did it and therefore coled again to him to take him for his marke saying he stod very fayer but Hocking would not heare nor looke towards our barke but presently shooteth Moses in the head, and presently tooke up his pistell in his hand but the lord stayed him from doing any further hurt by a shot from our barke him.self was presently strooke dead being shott neare the same place in the head wher he had murderously shot Moses." 45 %;'-'/;^-..% ^ "'^^Z .-'^i^?)," ;'*..^'^: - 8 1 \ \ vv ^ •^^^%.. :> \^ -^A .^^^^^N ,-^ > '" ^>^^<^-"/';^-«,v-'-"\>^.=.-> ^..^^' /^" .••^'- .^«i,^,. .gf&^'. U. ,•*.■* ,^J\%^ A^^% •^. >.^^ -*^ ."I #^ c N° -f. .* s