The Lord hath brought forth our righteousnes; come, let us declare in Sion the work of the Lord our God. Jer: 51. 10. Let all flesh be still before the Lord; for he is raised up out of his holy place. Zach: 2. 13.

In this case, these poore people may say (among the thousands of Israll), When the Lord brougt againe the captivite of Zion, we were like them that dreame. Psa: 126. 1. The Lord hath done greate things for us, wherof we rejoyce. v. 3. They that sow in teares, shall reap in joye. They wente weeping, and carried precious seede, but they shall returne with joye, and bring their sheaves. v. 5, 6.

Doe you not now see the fruits of your labours, O all yee servants of the Lord that have suffered for his truth, and have been faithfull witneses of the same, and yee litle handfull amongst the rest, the least amongest the thousands of Israll? You have not only had a seede time, but many of you have seene the joyefull harvest; should you not then rejoyse, yea, and againe rejoyce, and say Hallelu-iah, salvation, and glorie, and honour, and power, be to the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments. Rev. 19. 1, 2.

But thou wilte aske what is the mater? What is done? Why, art thou a stranger in Israll, that thou shouldest not know what is done? Are not those Jebusites overcome that have vexed the people of Israll so long, even holding Jerusalem till Davids days, and been as thorns in their sids, so many ages; and now begane to scorne that any David should meadle with them; they begane to fortifie their tower, as that of the old Babelonians; but those proud Anakimes are throwne downe, and their glory laid in the dust. The tiranous bishops are ejected, their courts dissolved, their cannons forceless, their servise casheired, their ceremonies uselese and despised; their plots for popery prevented, and all their superstitions discarded and returned to Roome from whence they came, and the monuments of idolatrie rooted out of the land. And the proud and profane suporters, and cruell defenders of these (as bloody papists and wicked athists, and their malignante consorts) marvelously over throwne. And are not these greate things? Who can deney it?

But who hath done it? Who, even he that siteth on the white horse, who is caled faithfull, and true, and judgeth and fighteth righteously, Rev 19. 11. whose garments are dipte in blood, and his name was caled the word of God, v. 13. for he shall rule them with a rode of iron; for it is he that treadeth the winepress of the feircenes and wrath of God almighty. And he hath upon his garmente, and upon his thigh, a name writen, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. v. 15, 16. Hallelu-iah.

Anno Dom: 1646.

But that I may come more near my intendmente; when as by the travell and diligence of some godly and zealous preachers, and Gods blessing on their labours, as in other places of the land, so in the North parts, many became inlightened by the word of God, and had their ignorance and sins discovered unto them, and begane by his grace to reforme their lives, and make conscience of their wayes, the worke of God was no sooner manifest in them, but presently they were both scoffed and scorned by the prophane multitude, and the ministers urged with the yoak of subscription, or els must be silenced; and the poore people were so vexed with apparators, and pursuants,' and the comissarie courts, as truly their affliction was not smale; which, notwithstanding, they bore sundrie years with much patience, till they were occasioned (by the continuance and encrease of these troubls, and other means which the Lord raised up in those days) to see further into things by the light of the word of God. How not only these base and beggerly ceremonies were unlawfull, but also that the lordly and tiranous power of the prelats ought not to be submitted unto; which thus, contrary to the freedome of the gospell, would load and burden mens consciences, and by their compulsive power make a prophane mixture of persons and things in the worship of God. And that their offices and calings, courts and cannons, etc. were unlawfull and antichristian; being such as have no warrante in the word of God; but the same that were used in poperie, and still retained. Of which a famous author thus writeth in his Dutch com[men]taries. At the coming of king James into England; The new king (saith he) found their [there] established the reformed religion, according to the reformed religion of king Edward the 6. Retaining, or keeping still the

'Apparitors and pursuivants, officers of the ecclesiastical courts.

*"Em: meter: lib:25. fol. 119." (Note by Bradford.) The reference is to the Dutch history by Emanuel van Meteren, Commentarien ofte Memorien van den Nederlandtschen Staet, Handel, etc. (1610, etc.) The passage quoted is on fol. 472 of the edition of 1652.

spirituall state of the Bishops, etc. after the ould maner, much varying and differing from the reformed churches in Scotland, France, and the Neatherlands, Embden, Geneva, etc. whose reformation is cut, or shapen much nerer the first Christian churches, as it was used in the Apostles times.1

So many therfore of these proffessors as saw the evill of these things, in thes parts, and whose harts the Lord had touched with heavenly zeale for his trueth, they shooke of this yoake of antichristian bondage, and as the Lords free people, joyned them selves (by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in the felowship of the gospell, to walke in all his wayes, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavours, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them. And that it cost them something this ensewing historie will declare.

These people became 2. distincte bodys or churches,' and in regarde of distance of place did congregate severally; for they were of sundrie townes and vilages, some in Notingamshire, some of Lincollinshire, and some of Yorkshire, wher they border nearest togeather. In one of these churches (besids others of note) was Mr John Smith, a man of able gifts, and a good preacher, who afterwards was chosen their pastor. But these afterwards falling into some errours in the Low Countries, ther (for the most part) buried them selves, and their names."

But in this other church (which must be the subjecte of

"The reformed churches shapen much neerer the primitive patterne then England, for they cashered the Bishops with al their courts, cannons, and ceremoneis, at the first; and left them amongst the popish tr. to ch wch they pertained." (Note by Bradford. The last word in the note is uncertain in the manuscript.) 2See the editor's Introduction.

Rev. John Smyth, preacher to the city of Lincoln, became about 1606 a Separatist, and pastor of a Separatist church at Gainsborough. With it he migrated to Amsterdam in 1608. There, after various changes of doctrine and practice respecting baptism, the church divided in 1609. The majority, under Rev. Thomas Helwys, returned to England in 1613. Smyth died in Amsterdam in 1612. The minority of the church, his adherents, became absorbed among the Mennonites and other Dutch.

our discourse) besids other worthy men, was Mr. Richard Clifton,' a grave and reverend preacher, who by his paines and dilligens had done much good, and under God had ben a means of the conversion of many. And also that famous and worthy man Mr. John Robinson, who afterwards was their pastor for many years, till the Lord tooke him away by death. Also Mr. William Brewster' a reverent man, who afterwards was chosen an elder of the church and lived with them till old age.

But after these things they could not long continue in any peaceable condition, but were hunted and persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as fleabitings in comparison of these which now came upon them. For some were taken and clapt up in prison, others had their houses besett and watcht night and day, and hardly escaped their hands; and the most were faine to flie and leave their howses and habitations, and the means of their livelehood. Yet these and many other sharper things which affterward befell them, were no other then they looked for, and therfore were the better prepared to bear them by the assistance of Gods grace and spirite. Yet seeing them selves thus molested, and that ther was no hope of their continuance ther, by a joynte consente they resolved to goe into the Low-Countries, wher they heard was freedome of Religion for all men; as also how sundrie from London, and other parts of the land, had been exiled and persecuted for the same cause, and were gone thither, and lived at Amsterdam, and in other places of the land. So affter they had continued togeither aboute a year, and kept their meetings every Saboth in one place or other, exercising the worship of God amongst them selves, notwithstanding all the dilligence and malice of their advers

'Richard Clyfton was born in Normanton, Derbyshire. In 1586 he became rector of Babworth in Nottinghamshire. He afterwards became pastor of the Pilgrim church in Scrooby and went with the church to Amsterdam in 1608. He remained in Amsterdam when the church removed to Leyden, and died there May 20, 1616. See the Introduction.

saries, they seeing they could no longer continue in that condition, they resolved to get over into Holland as they could; which was in the year 1607. and 1608.; of which more at large in the next chap.

2. Chap.

Of their departure into Holland and their troubls ther aboute, with some of the many difficulties they found and mete withall.1

Ano. 1608.

BEING thus constrained to leave their native soyle and countrie, their lands and livings, and all their freinds and famillier acquaintance, it was much, and thought marvelous by many. But to goe into a countrie they knew not (but by hearsay), wher they must learne a new language, and get their livings they knew not how, it being a dear place, and subjecte to the misseries of warr,' it was by many thought an adventure almost desperate, a case intolerable, and a misserie worse then death. Espetially seeing they were not aquainted with trads nor traffique, (by which that countrie doth subsiste,) but had only been used to a plaine countrie life, and the inocente trade of husbandrey. But these things did not dismay them (though they did some times trouble them) for their desires were sett on the ways of God, and to injoye his ordinances; but they rested on his providence, and knew whom they had beleeved. Yet this was not all, for though they could not stay, yet were they not suffered to goe, but the ports and havens were shut against them, so as

'See the Introduction.

"The war of Dutch independence, begun in 1567, continued till interrupted by the truce of April, 1609. 3 I. e., handicrafts.

"The ports were not closed especially against the Pilgrims, but, under a royal proclamation, emigrants to Virginia, their presumed destination, were forbidden to embark without a royal license.