the prudent moderation of Mr. Conant, agent before for the Dorchester merchants, quietly composed; that so meum and tuum, that divide the world, should not disturb the peace of good Christians, that came so far to provide a place where to live together in Christian amity and

concord.

In the same year were sent over several servants upon the joint stock of the Company, who, arriving there in an uncultivated desert, for want of wholesome diet and convenient lodgings, were many of them seized with the scurvy and other distempers, which shortened many of their days, and prevented many of the rest from performing any great matter of labor that year for advancing the work of the Plantation. Yet was the good hand of God upon them so far, as that something was done which tended to advantage; nor was, upon that account, an evil report brought upon the place by any of them, so as to discourage others from coming after them.

During this whole lustre of years, from 1625, there was little matter of moment acted in the Massachusetts, till the year 1629, after the obtaining the Patent; the former years being spent in fishing and trading by the agents of the Dorchester merchants, and some others of the West Country.'

In one of the fishing voyages about the year 1625, under the charge and command of one Mr. Hewes, employed by some of the West Country merchants, there arose a sharp contest between the said Hewes and the people of New Plymouth, about a fishing stage, built the year before about Cape Anne by Plymouth men, but was now, in the absence of the builders, made use of by Mr. Hewes's company, which the other, under the conduct of Captain Standish, very eagerly and peremptorily demanded for the Company of New Plymouth, having themselves obtained a useless Patent for Cape Anne about the year 1623, sent some of the ships, which their Adventurers employed to transport passengers over to them, to make fish there; for which end they had built a stage there, in the year 1624. The dispute grew to be very hot, and high words passed between them, which might have ended in blows, if not in blood and slaughter, 1 See page 109, note *.—H..

had not the prudence and moderation of Mr. Roger Conant, at that time there present, and Mr. Peirse's interposition, that lay just by with his ship, timely prevented. For Mr. Hewes had barricadoed his company with hogsheads on the stagehead, while the demandants stood upon the land, and might easily have been cut off; but the ship's crew, by advice, promising to help them build another, the difference was thereby ended. Captain Standish had been bred a soldier in the Low Countries, and never entered the school of our Savior Christ, or of John Baptist, his harbinger, or, if he was ever there, had forgot his first lessons, to offer violence to no man, and to part with the cloak rather than needlessly contend for the coat, though taken away without order. A little chimney is soon fired; so was the Plymouth Captain, a man of very little stature, yet of a very hot and angry temper. The fire of his passion soon kindled and blown up into a flame by hot words, might easily have consumed all, had it not been seasonably quenched.

In transactions of this nature were the first three years spent, in making way for the planting of the Massachu

setts."

CHAP. XIX.

Several planters transport themselves into New England; Ministers invited to join with them. The first Plantation in the Massachusetts, called Salem.

Now those that first promoted the design in England were not unmindful that this fair beginning being made, unless it were followed with proportionable endeavors for an orderly settlement of this, all would come to nothing, as the attempts of some others had done before; therefore were they very solicitous not without all due preparation to proceed in this solemn undertaking.

In the first place, therefore, they considered where to find two or three able ministers, to send over to them that or the next year; not doubting but if they could meet with any such, they should be sure not to fail of a

||consideration ||

considerable number of serious and religious people, that would be willing to go over with them in order to a Plantation, specially if there were any grounded hopes of a settled and orderly government, to direct, protect, and defend the people, and promote the cause of God and of religion amongst them, as well as their civil rights and liberties. Before that spring was over they were informed' of one Mr. Higginson, an eminent minister of Leicester, silenced for Nonconformity, of whom they were probably assured that he might be obtained to make a beginning that way. Upon an address made unto him by Mr. Humphry and Mr. White, he looked at it as a call from God, and as Peter did the message from Cornelius, a motion which he could not withstand; so as within a few weeks after this intimation of theirs, himself with his whole family were ready to take their flight into this American wilderness; with whom also was sent Mr. Skelton, a minister of Lincolnshire, another Nonconformist, as also Mr. Bright, a godly minister, though not altogether of the same persuasion as to church discipline.

2

With these three ministers came over sundry honest and well affected people, in several ships that were employed to transport planters into New England, in the year 1629; all who arrived safe at Naumkeag, intending to settle a Plantation there.

Besides the three forementioned ministers, came over one Mr. R. Smith, soon after called to supply the place of a teaching elder at Plymouth. The prospect of New England did at that, time more resemble a wilderness, than a country whose fields were white unto the harvest, that needed laborers to be thrust thereinto.

The number of planters being at that time but few, and all resident at that one Plantation, two of their four ministers were supernumerary.

Naumkeag at that time received the Christian name of Salem. All that were present were ambitious to have an hand in the christening of this infant Plantation; for some, that liked not such affected names, had provided another, but "usus obtinuit," &c. for ever since, custom hath imposed that name, by which it is like to be known Acts, xi. 17.-H.

1 On March 23d.-H.

to after ages: the inhabitants being brought under the strong obligation, to live in love and peace one with another, as being the most expedient way to obtain the God of love and peace to be with them, as in a special manner he was, while Mr. Higginson continued amongst them, with Mr. Skelton. But of the four ministers that came hither this year, the Plantation needing but two, that are forementioned, to take care of its instruction, one of them was called to be pastor of the church at New Plymouth, viz. Mr. R. Smith, as was said before, to whom another was afterward added for an assistant, viz. Mr. R. Williams, who arrived here about the year 1631: an unhappy thing for them who had wanted the benefit, though not of a judge, yet of a teaching priest, near ten years, should after so long delay meet with so great a disappointment, as soon after they found by uncomfortable experience in them both. Concerning the fourth, viz. Mr. Bright, there is at this time little known, and therefore the less is to be said, although one who affected him never the better for his Conformity, gives this character of him; that he began to hew stones in the mountains wherewith to build, but when he saw all sorts of stones would not suit in the building, as he supposed, he, not unlike Jonah, fled from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Tarshish. The like character is as freely, by the same author, bestowed on another clergyman, called Mr. Blackstone, who on the like occasion, as he saith, betook himself to till the ground, wherein probably he was more skilled, or at least had a better faculty, than in the things pertaining to the house of God; as if he had retained no symbol of his former profession but a canonical coat. Antiquity was always wont to distinguish persons and places by their garb or habit, whose authority and example cannot well be questioned by the skeptics and juniors of the present age; but, indeed, for any one to retain only the outward badge of his function, that never could pretend to any faculty therein, or exercise thereof, is, though no honor to himself, yet a dishonor and disparagement to the order he would thereby challenge acquaintance with.

'See Davis's Morton, p. 145; and Prince, p. 258.-H.

> Johnson's History of New England, (sm. 4to. Lond. 1654,) p. 20.-H.

CHAP. XX.

Of the civil polity and form of government of the Massachusetts Company of New England, by Patent; * with the sending over their first Agent thither, viz. Mr. J. Endicot, Anno 1628.*

ORDER and government being as necessary to the uniting together and upholding a civil society, as is the foundation or the studs to support and conjoin the parts of a building, therefore it cannot be supposed that the chief undertakers, who had the honor to lay the foundation of this Colony, were not aware of a necessity to provide for that in the first place, as may be seen by the form of government they are directed unto in his Majesty's Royal Charter and Patent, confirmed by the great seal of England; wherein the Patentees, with their associates, are declared to be a "body politic incorporate" together, and "to hold [as] of the manor of East Greenwich, in free and common soccage, and not in capite, or knight's service," and are to be styled, "The Governor and Company of New England," and by that name to plead and be impleaded upon all occasions. To the Governor are to be added, a Deputy Governor and eighteen Assistants, who, with the rest of the Company free of the Corporation, have power to make orders and laws within themselves, for the good of the whole, not repugnant to the laws of England, and to correct and punish all offenders according to the said orders and laws, as is more at large described in the said Charter. But this Corporation or body of people, being but then an embryo, was willingly subject to, and governed by, those wholesome and known laws of the kingdom of England, acknowledging only its willing obedience to such rules and ordinances as were by the Corporation agreed upon as necessary for the carrying on of their present affairs, and yearly sent over from England, while the Charter remained, with the principal part of the Patentees, in England. They empowered Mr. John Endicot, as was said before, one of their number, to manage the company, sent over thither, as agent, in the year 1628,2 and him they appointed their Deputy Governor in the year 1629, according to his best discretion,

See this Charter in Hutchinson's Collection of Papers, pp. 1-23.-H. See page 109, note a.-H. 3 On April 30th.-H.