third ship at the furthest, which caused him to come at this time to New England, to advise about the matter, whether they were not called to remove, and what place they could find convenient to remove unto. As to the first, seeing many were found well affected towards them, which gave hopes of a more plentiful harvest at hand, they were advised not to be hasty to remove, so long as they could stay upon any reasonable terms. For the place to remove unto, mention was made of a place lately propounded to them by one Capt. Sayle, who had not long before been in England, where he had procured an ordinance of parliament for the planting of the Bahama islands, (now called Eleutheria,) situate in the mouth of the gulph of Florida, and wanting means to carry it on, he prevailed with divers parliament men and others of London to undertake it, who drew up a covenant with articles, for all to engage in that would enter into the design. The first article was for liberty of conscience, wherein they provided that the civil magistrate should take no cognizance of matters of religion, (there being not a word of professing religion or maintaining any worship of God at all.) The captain also had his commission for governour but for three years only, and that they should be subordinate to such orders and directions as from time to time they should receive from the company in England, &c. Upon these terms they furnished him with all provisions and necessaries for the design, and some few persons embarked with him and sailed to the Somer Islands, where they took in Mr. Copeland, elder of the church, of near eighty years of age, and so many others as made the number seventy persons in the ship; but in the way to Eleutheria, one Capt. Butler made use of his liberty not to worship God in any distinct mode by himself, but to disturb them that did with his musick, thinking that playing on his viol was as acceptable to God as the praying of the rest; with which disturbance he made a faction that caused them to remove to another island, where their ship was lost with all their goods and provisions, so as they were forced to lie in the open air, and feed upon such fruits and wild creatures

as the islands afforded; but finding their strength to de cay, and life not likely to hold out therewith, Capt. Sayle made a shallop out of the wreck with which he went to Virginia, and would have persuaded the church there to have removed to Eleutheria, but they being orthodox and zealous for the truth, as their friends could not advise, so neither were themselves forward to accept of the motion. Mr. Harrison tarried a year or two in New England, and then went to England, and at last settled in Ireland, having taken the degree of a doctor; but what became of the church of Virginia or the planters of Eleutheria, there was no certain report, but it is to be feared they were so nipped in the bud, they never flourished much afterwards.

CHAP. LVII.

Memorable accidents in New England from the year 1646 to 1651.

THE people of New England at this time began to flourish much in building of ships and trafficking abroad, and had prospered very well in those affairs, and possibly began too soon to seek great things for themselves; however, that they might not be exalted overmuch in things of that nature, many afflictive dispensations were ordered to them in this lustre, which proved a day of great rebuke to New England; for the first news they heard from Europe in the year 1646, was the doleful report of two of their ships that were wrecked the winter before upon the coast of Spain, one of which was built in the country the former year by Capt. Hawkins, a shipwright of London, who had lived divers years in the country before, and had, with others, been encouraged to fall upon such dealing as he had formerly been acquainted with. At the last, he had built a stately ship at Boston, of 400 tons and upward, and had set her out with great ornament of carving and painting, and with much strength of ordnance. The first time she was rigged out for the sea, was on the 23d of November, 1645, when they set sail for Malaga, with another ship in her company, whereof

Mr. Karman was master. Capt. Hawkins his ship had many passengers, who chose rather to sail in her, though so far about, (because of her strength,) rather than to adventure in lesser vessels that went directly for England. Divers of them that were in her also, had been masters of ships themselves. But many times, according to the old proverb, the more cooks the worse broth, and the more masters the worse mariners; for when they came upon the coast of Spain, one evening, the weather fair and a full gale, some of the company deemed they saw land, or at least thought they heard the rut of the shore; but the more aged seamen, whose reckoning was not up, were loath to lose any of the fresh gale, and therefore made all the sail they could that night, hoping that if the wind stood all the next day, they might discern the land before the next; but they were presently upon the very shore before they were aware, and both ships, three hours before day that night, struck aground, and soon after broke a pieces. The Spaniards in the morning thought they were mazed, not being able to see the lights in the castle at Cadiz; but it was hidden from them, for they generally took them to be the lights in some ships, which they seemed to have discerned the day before, and not knowing but they might be enemies, prepared to fight against the morning.

Nineteen of the company were drowned; amongst whom was one Mr. Coytmore, an expert seaman, and Mr. Karman, the master of the other vessel. Time and chance happeneth to all men. The most likely means are often disappointed. Amongst them that were lost, was one Pratt and his wife, that had lived divers years in New England in much discontent, and went now to provide better for himself in his old age, fearing he might come to want afterward; but now he wanted nothing but a grave, being buried in the rude waters amongst others that needed not to have gone so long a voyage to have hastened their death, which lies in wait to meet the sons of men in every turning of their lives. Their ships grounded two or three miles off the shore, but divine Providence so ordering, they were heaved by the seas

near the dry land before their ships fell quite a pieces. In the morning the common people of Cadiz Island came upon them, and pillaged the passengers of some goods which more merciful waves had suffered them to save; but those of the city did entertain the poor passengers, stript of all, with much kindness; and an English ship in the harbour clothed many of them, and took in as many passengers as his ship could stow, for which a full reward was wished might be given unto them. The governour of the island gave the captain 500 pounds for the wreck of his ship, which was some encouragement for him to begin his hopes anew. But God was pleased to cross him again in the same kind and place the next year; for going for London he found much favour with his creditors and other friends, so as they employed him again for Malaga the next spring, but then being just come out of the strait's mouth, they were taken with such a violent tempest as drave his ship and three or four more upon the same place where he was wrecked the former year. No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them in this life, when all things come alike to all, and the same events oft times happen to the righteous which do to the wicked, that we may learn not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth the sons of men richly all things to enjoy.

Another ship, built at Cambridge, in New England, and sailing for the Canaries in the year 1645, was set upon by an Irish man of war, which had seventy men and twenty pieces of ordnance; the New England ship had but fourteen pieces and about thirty men. They were grappled and boarded, and forced to fight side by side near a whole day; but a shot taking in the steerage of the Irishman, they could not bring her to any more; by which accident they escaped their hands, notwithstanding they had received one shot between wind and water, which had much endangered them, but that God preserved them, so as they got off clear, and lost but two men in the fight, yet was damnified in her merchandize between two and three hundred pounds.

Another deplorable loss befel New England the same

year, wherein New Haven was principally concerned, and the southern parts of the country; for the inhabitants of that town, being Londoners, were very desirous to fall into a way of traffick, in which they were better skilled than in matters of husbandry; and to that end had built a ship of 100 tons, which they freighted for London, intending thereby to lay some foundation of a future trade; but either by the ill form of her building, or by the shifting of her lading, (which was wheat, which is apt to shift its place in storms,) the vessel miscarried, and in her seventy persons, some of whom were of the principal part of the inhabitants, with all the wealth they could gather together. The loss of persons and goods was sadly bewailed by all that colony, it being attended with so many solemn circumstances that they were all at a loss to know how to understand the mind of God therein, but were forced after all to acquiesce in the sovereignty and wisdom of the Almighty, who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will, and rendereth to none account of his ways. God can make contentment with poverty greater gain to his people than riches and wealth without his presence and blessing.

One Capt. Cromwell, in the year 1646, (about ten years before, he had been a common seaman in the Massachusetts,) having been out with one Capt. Jackson, upon a privateering design, (or in king James his phrase, committing of a splendidum furtum,) with a commission from the earl of Warwick, and having a commission of deputation from that captain, had taken four or five Spanish vessels, and in some of them great riches, and intending for New England to empty himself there when he was full, where he had been supplied when he was empty, was by strange providence driven into Plymouth, where they tarried about fourteen days, and had opportunity with the psalmist, (if with the same spirit,) to disperse and give liberally to the poor; for that sort of men are observed to spend as freely and lightly as they get. It fell out while they were there, that a drunken fellow (who had been in continual quarrels all the voyage,) drew his rapier upon the captain, when he was reproved by him