of such as refused, etc., and this order was confirmed by the general court [blank]). Other towns did the like, providing maintenance by several means.

By agreement of the commissioners, and the motions of the elders in their several churches, every family in each colony gave one peck of corn or twelve pence to the college at Cambridge.

5

1. (March) 25.] Another strange ac- 10 cident happened by fire about this time. One Mr. Peck and three others of Hingham, being about with others to remove to Seaconk (which was concluded by the commissioners of the United Colonies to 15 belong to Plymouth,) riding thither, they sheltered themselves and their horses in an Indian wigwam, which by some occasion took fire, and (although they were all four in it, and labored to their 20 utmost, etc.) burnt three of their horses to death, and all of their goods to the value of 50 pounds.

Also some children were killed, and others sore scorched with wearing 25 cloaths of cotton, which was very apt to take fire, and hard to be quenched; so as one man of Watertown being so cloathed, and taking fire by endeavoring to save his house being on fire, was 30 forced to run into a well to save his life.

1648

28. (June.)] The Welcome, of Boston, about 300 tons, riding before Charlestown, having in her eighty horses and 120 tons of ballast, in calm weather, fell a rolling, and continued so about twelve hours, so as though they brought a great weight to the one side, yet she would heel to the other, and so deep as they feared her foundering. It was then the time of the county court at Boston, and the magistrates hearing of it, and withal that one Jones (the husband of the witch lately executed) had desired to have passage in her to Barbadoes, and could not have it without such payment, etc., they sent the officer presently with a warrant to apprehend him, one of them saying that the ship would stand still as soon as he was in prison. And as the officer went, and was passing over the ferry, one said to him, you can tame men sometimes, can't you tame this ship? The officer answered, I have that here, that (it may be) will tame her, and make her be quiet; and with that showed his warrant. And at the same instant, she began to stop and presently staid, and after he was put in prison, moved no

more.

There appeared over the harbor at New Haven, in the evening, the form of the keel of a ship with three masts, to which were suddenly added all the tackling and sails, and presently after, upon the top of the poop, a man standing with one hand akimbo under his left side, and in his right hand a sword stretched out

the ship which was from the town arose a great smoke, which covered all the ship, and in that smoke she vanished away; but some saw her keel sink into the water. This was seen by many, men and women, and it continued about a quarter of an hour.

2. (April 13.)] Mr. Hopkins, the governor of Hartford upon Connecticut, came to Boston, and brought his wife 35 with him, (a godly young woman, and of special parts,) who was fallen into a sad infirmity, the loss of her understanding and reason, which had been growing upon her divers years, by occasion of 40 toward the sea. Then from the side of her giving herself wholly to reading and writing, and had written many books. Her husband, being very loving and tender of her, was loath to grieve her; but he saw his error, when it was too late. 45 For if she had attended her household affairs, and such things as belong to women, and not gone out of her way and calling to meddle in such things as are proper for men, whose minds are 50 stronger, etc., she had kept her wits, and might have improved them usefully and honorably in the place God had set her. He brought her to Boston, and left her with her brother, one Mr. Yale, a merchant, to try what means might be had here for her. But no help could be had.

55

Divers letters passed between Our governor and the Dutch governor about a meeting for reconciling the differences between our confederates of New Haven, etc., and him. But Mr. Bradford, the governor of Plymouth, (being one of the two whom the Dutch governor desired to refer the differences unto, being sent unto about it, came to Boston, and there excused himself, by bodily infirmities and other reasons, that he could not go to

Hartford that summer, but promised
(the Lord assisting) to prepare against
the middle of the (4) (June) next sum-
mer. So the governor (Mr. Hopkins
being then also at Boston) despatched
away letters presently to the Dutch
governor to certify him thereof, who re-
turned answer soon after, that he was
very sorry the meeting did not hold, and
professed his earnest inclination to
peace, and that he never had any thought
of war, and desired that in the mean
time all things might remain as they
were, neither encroaching upon others'
pretended limits, desiring withal that he 15
might meet the commissioners of the
colonies also to treat with them about
the Indian trade, which was much
abused, etc.

15. (6) (August 15.)] The synod 20
met at Cambridge by adjournment from
the (4) (June) last. Mr. Allen of Ded-
ham preached out of Acts 15, a very
godly, learned, and particular handling
of near all the doctrines and applications 25
concerning that subject with a clear dis-
covery and refutation of such errors,
objections, and scruples as had been.
raised about it by some young heads in
the country.

the synod, the representative of the churches of Christ in New England. The devil had formerly and lately attempted their disturbance and dissolu5 tion; but their faith in the seed of the woman overcame him and crushed his head.

The synod went on comfortably, and intended only the framing of a confeso sion of faith, etc., and a form of church discipline (not entertaining any other business). For the first, they wholly agreed with that which the assembly in England had lately set forth. For the other, viz., for discipline, they drew it by itself, according to the general practice of our churches. So they ended in less than fourteen days.

This month, when our first harvest was near had in, the pigeons came again all over the country, but did no harm, (harvest being just in,) but proved a great blessing, it being incredible what multitudes of them were killed daily. It was ordinary for one man to kill eight or ten dozen in half a day, yea five or six dozen at one shoot, and some seven or eight. Thus the Lord showed us, that he could make the same crea30 ture, which formerly had been a great chastisement, now to become a great blessing.

It fell out, about the midst of his sermon, there came a snake into the seat, where many of the elders sate behind the preacher. It came in at the door where people stood thick upon the stairs. 35 Divers of the elders shifted from it, but Mr. Thomson, one of the elders of Braintree, (a man of much faith,) trode upon the head of it, and so held it with his foot and staff with a small pair of 40 grains, until it was killed. This being so remarkable, and nothing falling out but by divine providence, it is out of doubt, the Lord discovered somewhat of his mind in it. The serpent is the devil; 45

About the midst of this summer, there arose a fly out of the ground, about the bigness of the top of a man's little finger, of brown color. They filled the woods from Connecticut to Sudbury with a great noise, and eat up the young sprouts of the trees, but meddled not with the corn. They were also between Plymouth and Braintree, but came no further. If the Lord had not stopped them, they had spoiled all our orchards, for they did some few.

THOMAS MORTON (1575-1646)

The negative side of the Puritan argument was furnished by one Thomas Morton, an English adventurer, a lawyer by profession, who established himself at the Mount Wollaston, or Merry Mount, settlement in 1625, and began to exploit the Indians after the manner that was to be so common in later years. Undoubtedly he introduced the natives to "fire-water," and sold them fire-arms, and undoubtedly he was as immoral generally as the usual trader in savage lands. His conduct was exceedingly annoying to the Plymouth Puritans, especially his flaunted adherence to the Church of England prayer-book and ritual, and his hilarious observance of May Day assisted by Indian squaws. Accordingly Captain Miles Standish in 1627 was sent forcibly to abate the settlement as an intolerable nuisance.

Morton's only book, written about 1634 after his four different sojourns in America, during one of which he spent a year in prison at Boston, was published in 1637 with the title the New English Canaan. As noted on its title page, it is in three parts: "The first Booke setting forth the originall of the Natives, their Manners and Customes, together with their tractable Nature and Love towards the English. The second Booke setting forth the natural Indowments of the Country, and what staple Commodites it yealdeth. The third Booke setting forth, what people are planted there, their prosperity, what remarkable accidents have happened since the first planting of it, together with their Tenents and practise of their Church." The book probably was produced as propaganda against the Puritans at the time when their charter was threatened. It is a coarsely clever work, and amid the tremendously serious tomes of the Puritan divines it is an element of lightness and facetious worldliness that stands out strangely distinct, but it is too prejudiced and too full of inaccuracies to be of real value. One needs only to compare Bradford's account of the Miles Standish raid with Morton's to realize its radical defects. The episode has furnished material for later writers, Hawthorne finding in it the theme for his "The May-pole of Merry Mount" and Motley for his novels Morton's Hope and Merry Mount. It is a curious fact that the first poem known to have been made in New England is Morton's bacchanal song, "sung," as he has recorded, "with a chorus, every man bearing his part; which they performed in a dance, hand in hand about the May-pole, whiles one of the company sung, and filled out the good liquor like gammedes and Jupiter."

This harmless mirth made by young men (that lived in hope to have wives brought over to them, that would save them a labor to make a voyage to fetch any over) was much distasted of the precise Seperatists; that keep much ado, about the tithe of mint

and cummin, troubling their brains more than reason would require about things that are indifferent; and from that time sought occasion against my honest Host of Ma-re Mount to overthrow his undertakings, and to destroy his plantation quite and clear.

OF A GREAT MONSTER SUPPOSED
ΤΟ BE AT MA-RE-MOUNT;

things; which indeede had beene done by such a person, but was of their conspiracy; mine host demaunded of the conspirators who it was that was author of 5 that information, that seemed to be their ground for what they now intended. And because they answered they would not tell him, hee as peremptorily replyed, that hee would not say whether he had,

AND THE PREPARATION 10 or he had not done as they had bin inMADE TO DESTROY IT

[From New English Canaan, Book III, Chap, XV.]

The Seperatists, envying the prosperity 15 and hope of the Plantation at Ma-re Mount, (which they perceaved beganne to come forward, and to be in a good way for gaine in the Beaver trade,) conspired together against mine Host 20 especially, (who was the owner of that Plantation,) and made up a party against him; and mustred up what aide they could, accounting of him as of a great Monster.

formed.

The answere made no matter, (as it seemed,) whether it had bin negatively or affirmatively made; for they had resolved that hee should suffer, because, (as they boasted,) they were now become the greater number: they had shaked of their shackles of servitude, and were become Masters, and masterles people.

It appears they were like beares whelpes in former time, when mine hosts plantation was of as much strength as theirs, but now, (theirs being stronger,) 25 they, (like overgrowne beares,) seemed monsterous. In 'breife, mine host must indure to be their prisoner until they could contrive it so that they might send him for England, (as they said,) there to suffer according to the merrit of the fact which they intended to father upon him; supposing, (belike,) it would proove a hainous crime.

35

Many threatening speeches were given. out both against his person and his Habitation, which they divulged should be consumed with fire: And taking advantage of the time when his company, 30 (which seemed little to regard theire threats,) were gone up into the Inlands to trade with the Salvages for Beaver, they set upon my honest host at a place called Wessaguscus, where, by accident, they found him. The inhabitants there were in good hope of the subvertion of the plantation at Mare Mount, (which they principally aymed at;) and the rather because mine host 40 was a man that indeavoured to advaunce the dignity of the Church of England; which they, (on the contrary part,) would laboure to vilifie with uncivile termes: enveying against the sacred 45 like the Trojans when they had the cus

booke of common prayer, and mine host that used it in a laudable manner amongst his family, as a practise of piety.

There hee would be a meanes to bring 50 sacks to their mill, (such is the thirst after Beaver,) and helped the conspiratores to surprise mine host, (who was there all alone;) and they chargded him, (because they would seeme to have some reasonable cause against him to sett a glosse upon their mallice,) with criminall

55

Much rejoycing was made that they had gotten their capital enemy, (as they concluded him;) whome they purposed to hamper in such sort that hee should not be able to uphold his plantation at Ma-re Mount.

The Conspirators sported themselves at my honest host, that meant them no hurt, and were so joccund that they feasted their bodies, and fell to tippeling as if they had obtained a great prize;

tody of Hippeus pinetree horse.