APPENDIX C.

LETTERS OF REV. NATHANIEL WARD.

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NATHANIEL WARD TO JOHN WINTHRop Jr.1

(The letter begins with remarks about Mr. Hall.)

"Our towne of late, but somewhat too late, haue bene carefull on whome they bestowe lotts, being awakned therto by the confluence of many ill & doubtfull persons, & by their behaviour since they came, in drinking & pilferinge: I pray, if you speake with Mr. Hall, advise him to suffer no priuate drinking in his howse, wherin I heare lately he hath bene to blame. The reasons which moue our freemen to be very considerate in disposall of lotts & admission of people to vs are thes: ffirst, we conceive the lesse of Satan's kingdome we haue in our towne, the more of God's presence & blessinge we may expect.

2 ly. we haue respect to the creditt of our Church & towne, from which we heare there are too many vniust detractions in the bay, to serue their owne ends. 3 ly. we consider our towne as a by or port towne of the land remote from neighbours, & had neede to be strong & of a homogeneous spirit & people, as free from dangerous persons as we may. Lastly, our thoughts & feares growe very sadd to see such multitudes of idle & profane young men, servants & others, with whome we must leave our children, for whose sak & safty we came over, & who came with vs from the land of their nativity, their freinds & many other comforts, which their birthright intitled them to, relying vpon our loue, wisdome & care, to repay them all in this wildernes either in specie or compensations; but I must confesse it sinks vs almost to the graue to looke vpon the next generation, to whome we must leaue them & the fruite of our adventures, labours & counsells; we knowe this might haue bene easily prevented by due & tymely care of such as had the opportunity in their hand, & if it be not yet remedied, we & many others must not only say with grief, we haue made an ill change, even from the snare to the pitt, but must meditate some safer refuge, if God will afford it; but I hope he will cause light to shine out of darkness & glorifie his strenght in the weaknes of men; & do that which seemes to be past all doing. We haue our eyes upon you

1 Mass. Hist. Coll., Fourth Series, vol. VII.

magistrats to helpe vs; & now, good Sir, giue me leaue with patience to tell you, as I did before you went to England, that your absence hath bredd vs much sorrowe, & your still going from vs to Connecticote doth much discourage vs. I feare your tye or obligation to this state, & in speciall to this towne, is more than you did well consider when you ingaged your self another way; & I feare your indeauors that way will not be operae ac spei pretium. I am in a dreame, att least not awake, if it be the way of God for so many to desert this place, turning their backs upon vs, & to seeke the good of their cattell more then of comth & my thoughts are that God doth iustly rebuke our state by the losse of so many men, vessells & victualls, in a tyme of dearthe, for their facility in giving way to their departure; for your part we looke & long for you here, & are in a misery for the want of you. The Lord bring you in his season, & in the meane tyme afford you his presence & blessinge whereuer you are: & so I rest Your worships in all truth of loue

NATHL WARDE

Ipswich, Dec. 24.

I forgett not my due respect to your father, mother & wife. I heare Mr. Coddington hath the sale & disposall of much provision come in this shipp. I intreate you to do so much as to speake to him in my name to reserve some meale & malt & what victuals els he thinks meete, till our Riuer be open; our Church will pay him duely for it. I am very destitute, I haue not above six bushells corne left & other things answerable.

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NATHANIEL WARD TO JOHN WINTHROP.1

To our much honoured Governor att Boston.

Sir:

I thanke you very much for your loue and liberality by Mr. Rawson, you sent me more then I desired. I haue 2 more earnest requests to you. 1. That you would please to advise throughly with the counsell, whether it will not be of ill consequence to send the Court business to the common consideration of the freemen. I feare it will too much exauctorate the power of that Court to prostrate matters in that manner. I suspect both Commonwealth & Churches haue discended to lowe already; I see the spirits of people runne high & what they gett they hould. They may not be denyed their proper & lawfull liberties, but I question whether it be of God to interest the inferiour sort in that which should be reserued inter optimates penes quos est sancire leges. If Mr. Lachford haue writt them out, I would be glad to peruse one of his copies, if I may receiue them.

The other is that you would not passe your promise, nor giue any 1 Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., Fourth Series, vol. VII.

incouragment concerning any plantation att Quichichacke, or Penticutt,1 till myself & some others either speake or write to you about it, which shalbe done so soone as our counsilles & contrivalls are ripened. In too much hast, I comitt you & your affaires to the guidance of God, in whom I rest. Your worships in all Christian service

NATHL. WARDE.

There is a necessity that the Covenant, if it be agreed vpon, should be considered & celebrated by the seuerall congregations & townes, & happily the [.. ..] but I dare not determyne concerning the latter.

I meane of putting it to the suffrage of the people.

Sir:

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NATHANIEL WARD TO JOHN WINTHROP2

To the Worshipfull our Gouernour att Boston.

We are bold to continue our suite concerning the plantation I lately mentioned to you; our company increases apace from diuers townes, of very desirable men, whereof we desire to be very choise: this next weeke, if God hinder vs not, we purpose to view the places & forthwith to resort to you, & in the meane tyme we craue your secrecy & rest

We haue alreddy more than 20 families of very good Christians, purposed to goe with vs, if God will, & we heare of more.

Our neighbour townes are much greiued to see the lauish liberality of the Court in giving away the Countrye. Some honest men of our towne affirme that in their knowledge there are 68 townes in England, within as litle compasse as the bounds of Ipswich; I knowe neere 40-where I dweltRowley is larger than Ipswich, 9 or 10 miles longe, & will haue other plantations within it, tributaries to it, & intend as we heare, to stretch their wings much farther yet, & will spoile Qutchicqute vtterly, if not Pentucket. We earnestly pray you to prevent it. We shuld incourage many

1 The editor of the Historical Society Publications assigns this letter to 1639. "The brief reference to "Quichichacke" and "Penticutt", subsequently Andover and Haverwas explained four days after in a letter from Giles Firmin, the son-in-law of Ward, then living at Ipswich, to Gov. Winthrop, giving full particulars respecting their plans for a new settlement and craving the privilege of selecting either of the two places named above, so soon as the season would permit an examination of them. This informal application was followed May 13, 1640, as we learn from our Colony Records, by a petition from Ward and others to the Government, asking permission to begin a new plantation on the Merrimack, which resulted in the settlement of Haverhill: the Rev. John Ward, the son of of Nathaniel, being the first minister of the place."

2 Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., Fourth Series, vol. vII.