Part 13
S^r: Your large letter writen to M^r. Carver, and dated y^e 6. of July, 1621, I have received y^e 10. of Novemb^r, wherin (after y^e apologie made for your selfe) you lay many heavie imputations upon him and us all. Touching him, he is departed this life, and now is at rest [68] in y^e Lord from all those troubls and incoumbrances with which we are yet to strive. He needs not my appologie; for his care and pains was so great for y^e commone good, both ours and yours, as that therwith (it is thought) he oppressed him selfe and shortened his days; of whose loss we cannot sufficiently complaine. At great charges in this adventure, I confess you have beene, and many losses may sustaine; but y^e loss of his and many other honest and industrious mens lives, cannot be vallewed at any prise. Of y^e one, ther may be hope of recovery, but y^e other no recompence can make good. But I will not insiste in generalls, but come more perticulerly to y^e things them selves. You greatly blame us for keping y^e ship so long in y^e countrie, and then to send her away emptie. She lay 5. weks at Cap-Codd, whilst with many a weary step (after a long journey) and the indurance of many a hard brunte, we sought out in the foule winter a place of habitation. Then we went in so tedious a time to make provission to sheelter us and our goods, aboute w^ch labour, many of our armes & leggs can tell us to this day we were not necligent. But it pleased God to vissite us then, with death dayly, and with so generall a disease, that the living were scarce able to burie the dead; and y^e well not in any measure sufficiente to tend y^e sick. And now to be so greatly blamed, for not fraighting y^e ship, doth indeed goe near us, and much discourage us. But you say you know we will pretend weaknes; and doe you think we had not cause? Yes, you tell us you beleeve it, but it was more weaknes of judgmente, then of hands. Our weaknes herin is great we confess, therfore we will bear this check patiently amongst y^e rest, till God send us wiser men. But they which tould you we spent so much time in discoursing & consulting, &c., their harts can tell their toungs, they lye. They cared not, so they might salve their owne sores, how they wounded others. Indeed, it is our callamitie that we are (beyound expectation) yoked with some ill conditioned people, who will never doe good, but corrupte and abuse others, &c.
The rest of y^e letter declared how they had subscribed those conditions according to his desire, and sente him y^e former accounts very perticulerly; also how y^e ship was laden, and in what condition their affairs stood; that y^e coming of these [69] people would bring famine upon them unavoydably, if they had not supply in time (as Mr. Cushman could more fully informe him & y^e rest of y^e adventurers). Also that seeing he was now satisfied in all his demands, that offences would be forgoten, and he remember his promise, &c.
After y^e departure of this ship, (which stayed not above 14. days,) the Gove^r & his assistante haveing disposed these late co[=m]ers into severall families, as y^ey best could, tooke an exacte accounte of all their provissions in store, and proportioned y^e same to y^e number of persons, and found that it would not hould out above 6. months at halfe alowance, and hardly that. And they could not well give less this winter time till fish came in againe. So they were presently put to half alowance, one as well as an other, which begane to be hard, but they bore it patiently under hope of supply.
Sone after this ships departure, y^e great people of y^e Narigansets, in a braving maner, sente a messenger unto them with a bundl of arrows tyed aboute with a great sneak-skine; which their interpretours tould them was a threatening & a chaleng. Upon which y^e Gov^r, with y^e advice of others, sente them a round answere, that if they had rather have warre then peace, they might begine when they would; they had done them no wrong, neither did y^ey fear them, or should they find them unprovided. And by another messenger sente y^e sneake-skine back with bulits in it; but they would not receive it, but sent it back againe. But these things I doe but mention, because they are more at large allready put forth in printe, by M^r. Winslow, at y^e requeste of some freinds. And it is like y^e reason was their owne ambition, who, (since y^e death of so many of y^e Indeans,) thought to dominire & lord it over y^e rest, & conceived y^e English would be a barr in their way, and saw that Massasoyt took sheilter allready under their wings.
But this made them y^e more carefully to looke to them selves, so as they agreed to inclose their dwellings with a good strong pale, and make flankers in convenient places, with gates to shute, which were every night locked, and a watch kept, and when neede required ther was also warding in y^e day time. And y^e company was by y^e Captaine and y^e Gov^r [70] advise, devided into 4. squadrons, and every one had ther quarter apoynted them, unto which they were to repaire upon any suddane alarme. And if ther should be any crie of fire, a company were appointed for a gard, with muskets, whilst others quenchet y^e same, to prevent Indean treachery. This was accomplished very cherfully, and y^e towne impayled round by y^e begining of March, in which evry family had a prety garden plote secured. And herewith I shall end this year. Only I shall remember one passage more, rather of mirth then of waight. One y^e day called Chrismasday, y^e Gov^r caled them out to worke, (as was used,) but y^e most of this new-company excused them selves and said it wente against their consciences to work on y^t day. So y^e Gov^r tould them that if they made it mater of conscience, he would spare them till they were better informed. So he led-away y^e rest and left them; but when they came home at noone from their worke, he found them in y^e streete at play, openly; some pitching y^e barr, & some at stoole-ball, and shuch like sports. So he went to them, and tooke away their implements, and tould them that was against his conscience, that they should play & others worke. If they made y^e keeping of it mater of devotion, let them kepe their houses, but ther should be no gameing or revelling in y^e streets. Since which time nothing hath been atempted that way, at least openly.
_Anno 1622._
At y^e spring of y^e year they had apointed y^e Massachusets to come againe and trade with them, and begane now to prepare for that vioag about y^e later end of March. But upon some rumors heard, Hobamak, their Indean, tould them upon some jealocies he had, he feared they were joyned w^th y^e Narighansets and might betray them if they were not carefull. He intimated also some jealocie of Squanto, by what he gathered from some private whisperings betweene him and other Indeans. But [71] they resolved to proseede, and sente out their shalop with 10. of their cheefe men aboute y^e begining of Aprill, and both Squanto & Hobamake with them, in regarde of y^e jelocie betweene them. But they had not bene gone longe, but an Indean belonging to Squantos family came runing in seeming great fear, and tould them that many of y^e Narihgansets, with Corbytant, and he thought also Massasoyte, were coming against them; and he gott away to tell them, not without danger. And being examined by y^e Gov^r, he made as if they were at hand, and would still be looking back, as if they were at his heels. At which the Governor caused them to take armes & stand on their garde, and supposing y^e boat to be still within hearing (by reason it was calme) caused a warning peece or 2. to be shote of, the which y^ey heard and came in. But no Indeans apeared; watch was kepte all night, but nothing was scene. Hobamak was confidente for Massasoyt, and thought all was false; yet y^e Gov^r caused him to send his wife privatly, to see what she could observe (pretening other occasions), but ther was nothing found, but all was quiet. After this they proseeded on their vioge to y^e Massachusets, and had good trade, and returned in saftie, blessed be God.
But by the former passages, and other things of like nature, they begane to see y^t Squanto sought his owne ends, and plaid his owne game, by putting y^e Indeans in fear, and drawing gifts from them to enrich him selfe; making them beleeve he could stur up warr against whom he would, & make peece for whom he would. Yea, he made them beleeve they kept y^e plague buried in y^e ground, and could send it amongs whom they would, which did much terrifie the Indeans, and made them depend more on him, and seeke more to him then to Massasoyte, which proucured him envie, and had like to have cost him his life. For after y^e discovery of his practises, Massasoyt sought it both privatly and openly; which caused him to stick close to y^e English, & never durst goe from them till he dyed. They also made good use of y^e emulation y^t grue betweene Hobamack and him, which made them cary more squarely. And y^e Gov^r seemed to countenance y^e one, and y^e Captaine y^e other, by which they had better intelligence, and made them both more diligente.
[72] Now in a maner their provissions were wholy spent, and they looked hard for supply, but none came. But about y^e _later end of May_, they spied _a boat_ at sea, which at first they thought had beene some Frenchman; but it proved a shalop which came from a ship which M^r. Weston & an other had set out a fishing, at a place called Damarins-cove, 40. leagues to y^e eastward of them, wher were y^t year many more ships come a fishing. This boat brought 7. passengers and some letters, but no vitails, nor any hope of any. Some part of which I shall set downe.
M^r. Carver, in my last leters by y^e Fortune, in whom M^r Cushman wente, and who I hope is with you, for we daly expecte y^e shipe back againe. She departed hence, y^e begining of July, with 35. persons, though not over well provided with necesaries, by reason of y^e parsemonie of y^e adventurers.[AQ] I have solisited them to send you a supply of men and provissions before shee come. They all answer they will doe great maters, when they hear good news. Nothing before; so faithfull, constant, & carefull of your good, are your olde & honest freinds, that if they hear not from you, they are like to send you no supplie, &c. I am now to relate y^e occasion of sending _this ship_, hoping if you give credite to my words, you will have a more favourable opinion of it, then some hear, wherof Pickering is one, who taxed me to mind my owne ends, which is in part true, &c. _M^r. Beachamp and my selfe_ bought _this litle ship_, and have set her out, partly, if it may be, to uphold[AR] y^e plantation, as well to doe others good as our selves; and partly to gett up what we are formerly out; though we are otherwise censured, &c. This is y^e occasion we have sent _this ship_ and these passengers, on our owne accounte; whom we desire you will frendly entertaine & supply with shuch necesaries as you cane spare, and they wante, &c. And among other things we pray you lend or sell them some seed corne, and if you have y^e salt remaining of y^e last year, that y^u will let them have it for their presente use, and we will either pay you for it, or give you more when we have set our salt-pan to worke, which we desire may be set up in one of y^e litle ilands in your bay, &c. And because we intende, if God plase, [73] (and y^e generallitie doe it not,) _to send within a month another shipe_, who, having discharged her passengers, _shal goe to Virginia_, &c. And it may be we shall send a _small ship to abide with you_ on y^e coast, which I conceive may be a great help to y^e plantation. To y^e end our desire may be effected, which, I assure my selfe, will be also for your good, we pray you give them entertainmente in your houses y^e time they shall be with you, that they may lose no time, but may presently goe in hand to fell trees & cleave them, to y^e end lading may be ready and our ship stay not.
Some of y^e adventurers have sent you hearwith all some directions for your furtherance in y^e co[=m]one bussines, who are like those S^t. James speaks of, y^t bid their brother eat, and warme him, but give him nothing; so they bid you make salt, and uphold y^e plantation, but send you no means wherwithall to doe it, &c. By _y^e next_ we purpose _to send more people on our owne accounte_, and _to take a patente_; that if your peopl should be as unhumane as some of y^e adventurers, not to admite us to dwell with them, which were extreme barbarisme, and which will never enter into my head to thinke you have any shuch Pickerings amongst you. Yet to satisfie our passengers I must of force doe it; and for some other reasons not necessary to be writen, &c. I find y^e generall so backward, and your freinds at Leyden so could, that I fear you must stand on your leggs, and trust (as they say) to God and your selves.
Subscribed, your loving freind, THO: WESTON.
Jan: 12. 1621.
Sundry other things I pass over, being tedious & impertinent.
All this was but could comfort to fill their hungrie bellies, and a slender performance of his former late promiss; and as litle did it either fill or warme them, as those y^e Apostle James spake of, by him before mentioned. And well might it make them remember what y^e psalmist saith, Psa. 118. 8. _It is better to trust in the Lord, then to have confidence in man._ And Psa. 146. _Put not you trust in princes_ (much less in y^e marchants) _nor in y^e sone of man, for ther is no help in them._ v. 5. _Blesed is he that hath y^e God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in y^e Lord his God._ And as they were now fayled of suply by him and others in this their greatest neede and wants, which was caused by him and y^e rest, who put so great a company of men upon them, as y^e former company were, without any food, and came at shuch a time as they must live almost a whole year before any could [74] be raised, excepte they had sente some; so, upon y^e pointe they never had any supply of vitales more afterwards (but what the Lord gave them otherwise); for all y^e company sent at any time was allways too short for those people y^t came with it.
Ther came allso _by y^e same ship_ other leters, but of later date, one from M^r. Weston, an other from a parte of y^e adventurers, as foloweth.
M^r. Carver, since my last, to y^e end we might y^e more readily proceed to help y^e generall, at a meeting of some of y^e principall adventurers, a proposition was put forth, & alowed by all presente (save Pickering), to adventure each man y^e third parte of what he formerly had done. And ther are some other y^t folow his example, and will adventure no furder. In regard wherof y^e greater part of y^e adventurers being willing to uphold y^e bussines, finding it no reason that those y^t are willing should uphold y^e bussines of those that are unwilling, whose backwardnes doth discourage those that are forward, and hinder other new-adventurers from coming in, we having well considered therof, have resolved, according to an article in y^e agreemente, (_that it may be lawfull by a generall consente of y^e adventurers & planters, upon just occasion, to breake of their joynte stock_,) to breake it of; and doe pray you to ratifie, and confirme y^e same on your parts. Which being done, we shall y^e more willingly goe forward for y^e upholding of you with all things necesarie. But in any case you must agree to y^e artickls, and send it by y^e first under your hands & seals. So I end
Your loving freind, THO: WESTON.
Jan: 17. 1621.
Another leter was write from part of y^e company of y^e adventurers to the same purpose, and subscribed with 9. of their names, wherof M^r. Westons & M^r. Beachamphs were tow. Thes things seemed strang unto them, seeing this unconstancie & shufling; it made them to thinke ther was some misterie in y^e matter. And therfore y^e Gov^r concealed these letters from y^e publick, only imparted them to some trustie freinds for advice, who concluded with him, that this tended to disband & scater them (in regard of their straits); and if M^r. Weston & others, who seemed to rune in a perticuler way, should come over with shiping so provided as his letters did intimate, they most would fall to him, to y^e prejudice of them selves & y^e rest of the adventurers,[AS] their freinds, from whom as yet they heard nothing. And it was doubted whether he had not sente [75] over shuch a company in y^e former ship, for shuch an end. Yet they tooke compassion of those 7. men which _this ship, which fished to y^e eastward, had kept till planting time was over_, and so could set no corne; and allso wanting vitals, (for y^ey turned them off w^{th}out any, and indeed wanted for them selves,) neither was their salt-pan come, so as y^ey could not performe any of those things which M^r. Weston had apointed, and might have starved if y^e plantation had not succoured them; who, in their wants, gave them as good as any of their owne. _The ship wente to Virginia_, wher they sould both ship & fish, of which (it was conceived) M^r. Weston had a very slender accounte.
_After this came another of his ships_, and brought letters dated y^e 10. of Aprill, from M^r. Weston, as followeth.
M^r. Bradford, these, &c. _The Fortune_ is arived, of whose good news touching your estate & proce[=e]ings, I am very glad to hear. And how soever he was robed on y^e way by y^e Frenchmen, yet I hope your loss will not be great, for y^e conceite of so great a returne doth much animate y^e adventurers, so y^t I hope some matter of importance will be done by them, &c. As for my selfe, I have sould my adventure & debts unto them, so as I am quit[AT] of you, & you of me, for that matter, &c. Now though I have nothing to pretend as an adventurer amongst you, yet I will advise you a litle for your good, if you can apprehend it. I perceive & know as well as another, y^e dispositions of _your adventurers_, whom y^e hope of gaine hath drawne on to this they have done; and yet I fear y^t hope will not draw them much furder. Besids, _most of them are against the sending of them of Leyden, for whose cause this bussines was first begune_, and some of y^e most religious (as M^r. Greene by name) excepts against them. So y^t my advice is (you may follow it if you please) that you forthwith break of your joynte stock, which you have warente to doe, both in law & conscience, for y^e most parte of y^e adventurers have given way unto it by a former letter. And y^e means you have ther, which I hope will be to some purpose by y^e trade of this spring, may, with y^e help of some freinds hear, bear y^e charge of tr[=a]sporting those of Leyden; and when they are with you I make no question but by Gods help you will be able to subsist of your selves. But I shall leave you to your discretion.
I desired diverce of y^e adventurers, as M^r. Peirce, M^r. Greene, & others, if they had any thing to send you, either vitails or leters, to send them _by these ships_; and marvelling they sent not so much as a letter, I asked our passengers what leters they had, and with some dificultie one of them tould me he had one, which was delivered him with [76] great charge of secrecie; and for more securitie, to buy a paire of new-shoes, & sow it betweene y^e soles for fear of intercepting. I, taking y^e leter, wondering what mistrie might be in it, broke it open, and found this treacherous letter subscribed by y^e hands of M^r. Pickering & M^r. Greene. Wich leter had it come to you^r hands without answer, might have caused y^e hurt, if not y^e ruine, of us all. For assuredly if you had followed their instructions, and shewed us that unkindness which they advise you unto, to hold us in distruste as enimise, &c., it might have been an occasion to have set us togeather by y^e eares, to y^e distruction of us all. For I doe beleeve that in shuch a case, they knowing what bussines hath been betweene us, not only my brother, but others also, would have been violent, and heady against you, &c. I mente to have setled y^e people I before and now send, with or near you, as well for their as your more securitie and defence, as help on all occasions. But I find y^e adventurers so jealous & suspitious, that I have altered my resolution, & given order to my brother & those with him, to doe as they and him selfe shall find fitte. Thus, &c.
Your loving friend, THO: WESTON.
Aprill 10. 1621.
_Some part of Mr. Pickerings letter before mentioned._
To M^r. Bradford & M^r. Brewster, &c.
My dear love remembred unto you all, &c. The company hath bought out M^r. Weston, and are very glad they are freed of him, he being judged a man y^t thought him selfe above y^e generall, and not expresing so much y^e fear of God as was meete in a man to whom shuch trust should have been reposed in a matter of so great importance. I am sparing to be so plaine as indeed is clear against him; but a few words to y^e wise.
M^r. Weston will not permitte leters to be sent in _his ships_, nor any thing for your good or ours, of which ther is some reason in respecte of him selfe, &c. His brother Andrew, whom he doth send as principall _in one of these ships_, is a heady yong man, & violente, and set against you ther, & y^e company hear; ploting with M^r. Weston their owne ends, which tend to your & our undooing in respecte of our estates ther, and prevention of our good ends. For by credible testimoney we are informed his purpose is to come to your colonie, pretending he comes for and from y^e adventurers, and will seeke to gett what you have in readynes [77] into _his ships_, as if they came from y^e company, & possessing all, will be so much profite to him selfe. And further to informe them selves what spetiall places or things you have discovered, to y^e end that they may supres & deprive you, &c.
The Lord, who is y^e watchman of Israll & slepeth not, preserve you & deliver you from unreasonable men. I am sorie that ther is cause to admonish you of these things concerning this man; so I leave you to God, who bless and multiply you into thousands, to the advancemente of y^e glorious gospell of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Fare well.
Your loving freinds, EDWARD PICKERING. WILLIAM GREENE.
I pray conceale both y^e writing & deliverie of this leter, but make the best use of it. _We hope to sete forth a ship our selves with in this month._
_The heads of his answer._
M^r. Bradford, this is y^e leter y^t I wrote unto you of, which to answer in every perticuler is needles & tedious. My owne conscience & all our people can and I thinke will testifie, y^t my end in sending _y^e ship Sparrow_ was your good, &c. Now I will not deney but ther are many of our people rude fellows, as these men terme them; yet I presume they will be governed by such as I set over them. And I hope not only to be able to reclaime them from y^t profanenes that may scandalise y^e vioage, but by degrees to draw them to God, &c. I am so farr from sending rude fellows to deprive you either by fraude or violence of what is yours, as I have charged y^e m^r. of y^e _ship Sparrow_, not only to leave with you 2000. of bread, but also a good quantitie of fish,[AU] &c. But I will leave it to you to consider what evill this leter would or might have done, had it come to your hands & taken y^e effecte y^e other desired.