Part 9

Loving freind, I have received from you some letters, full of affection & complaints, and what it is you would have of me I know not; for your crieing out, Negligence, negligence, negligence, I marvell why so negligente a man was used in y^e bussines. Yet know you y^t all that I have power to doe hear, shall not be one hower behind, I warent you. You have reference to M^r. Weston to help us with money, more then his adventure; wher he protesteth but for his promise, he would not have done any thing. He saith we take a heady course, and is offended y^t our provissions are made so farr of; as also that he was not made aquainted with our quantitie of things; and saith y^t in now being in 3. places, so farr remote, we will, with going up & downe, and wrangling & expostulating, pass over y^e so[=m]er before we will goe. And to speake y^e trueth, ther is fallen already amongst us a flatt schisme; and we are redier to goe to dispute, then to sett forwarde a voiage. I have received from Leyden since you wente 3. or 4. letters directed to you, though they only conscerne me. I will not trouble you with them. I always feared y^e event of y^e Amsterdamers striking in with us. I trow you must exco[=m]unicate me, or els you must goe without their companie, or we shall wante no quareling; but let them pass. We have reckoned, it should seeme, without our host; and, counting upon a 150. persons, ther cannot be founde above 1200^li. & odd moneys of all y^e venturs you can reckone, besids some cloath, stockings, & shoes, which are not counted; so we shall come shorte at least 3. or 400^li. I would have had some thing shortened at first of beare & other provissions in hope of other adventurs, & now we could have, both in Amsterd: & Kente, beere inough to serve our turne, but now we cannot accept it without prejudice. You fear we have begune to build & shall not be able to make an end; indeed, our courses were never established by counsell, we may therfore justly fear their standing. Yea, ther was a [36] schisme amongst us 3. at y^e first. You wrote to M^r. Martin, to prevente y^e making of y^e provissions in Kente, which he did, and sett downe his resolution how much he would have of every thing, without respecte to any counsell or exception. Surely he y^t is in a societie & yet regards not counsell, may better be a king then a consorte. To be short, if ther be not some other dispossition setled unto then yet is, we y^t should be partners of humilitie and peace, shall be examples of jangling & insulting. Yet your money which you ther must have, we will get provided for you instantly. 500^li. you say will serve; for y^e rest which hear & in Holand is to be used, we may goe scratch for it. For M^r.[T] Crabe, of whom you write, he hath promised to goe with us, yet I tell you I shall not be without feare till I see him shipped, for he is much opposed, yet I hope he will not faile. Thinke y^e best of all, and bear with patience what is wanting, and y^e Lord guid us all.

Your loving freind, ROBART CUSHMAN.

London, June 10. An^o: 1620.

I have bene y^e larger in these things, and so shall crave leave in some like passages following, (thoug in other things I shal labour to be more contracte,) that their children may see with what difficulties their fathers wrastled in going throug these things in their first begi[=n]ings, and how God brought them along notwithstanding all their weaknesses & infirmities. As allso that some use may be made hereof in after times by others in such like waightie imployments; and herewith I will end this chapter.

The 7. Chap.

_Of their departure from Leyden, and other things ther aboute, with their arivall at South hamton, were they all mete togeather, and tooke in ther provissions._

At length, after much travell and these debats, all things were got ready and provided. A smale ship[U] was bought, & fitted in Holand, which was intended as to serve to help to transport them, so to stay in y^e cuntrie and atend upon fishing and shuch other affairs as might be for y^e good & benefite of y^e colonie when they came ther. Another was hired at London, of burden about 9. score; and all other things gott in readines. So being ready to departe, they had a day of solleme humiliation, their pastor taking his texte from Ezra 8. 21. _And ther at y^e river, by Ahava, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble ourselves before our God, and seeke of him a right way for us, and for our children, and for all our substance._ Upon which he spente a good parte of y^e day very profitably, and suitable to their presente occasion. The rest of the time was spente in powering out prairs to y^e Lord with great fervencie, mixed with abundance of tears. And y^e time being come that they must departe, they were accompanied with most of their brethren out of y^e citie, unto a towne sundrie miles of called Delfes-Haven, wher the ship lay ready to receive them. So they lefte y^t goodly & pleasante citie, which had been ther resting place near 12. years; but they knew they were pilgrimes,[V] & looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to y^e heavens, their dearest cuntrie, and quieted their spirits. When they [37] came to y^e place they found y^e ship and all things ready; and shuch of their freinds as could not come with them followed after them, and sundrie also came from Amsterdame to see them shipte and to take their leave of them. That night was spent with litle sleepe by y^e most, but with freindly entertainmente & christian discourse and other reall expressions of true christian love. The next day, the wind being faire, they wente aborde, and their freinds with them, where truly dolfull was y^e sight of that sade and mournfull parting; to see what sighs and sobbs and praires did sound amongst them, what tears did gush from every eye, & pithy speeches peirst each harte; that sundry of y^e Dutch strangers y^t stood on y^e key as spectators, could not refraine from tears. Yet comfortable & sweete it was to see shuch lively and true expressions of clear & unfained love. But the tide (which stays for no man) caling them away y^t were thus loath to departe, their Re[~v][=e]^d: pastor falling downe on his knees, (and they all with him,) with watrie cheeks co[=m]ended them with most fervente praiers to the Lord and his blessing. And then with mutuall imbrases and many tears, they tooke their leaves one of an other; which proved to be y^e last leave to many of them.

Thus hoysing saile,[W] with a prosperus winde they came in short time to Southhamton, wher they found the bigger ship come from London, lying ready, w^th all the rest of their company. After a joyfull wellcome, and mutuall congratulations, with other frendly entertainements, they fell to parley aboute their bussines, how to dispatch with y^e best expedition; as allso with their agents, aboute y^e alteration of y^e conditions. M^r. Carver pleaded he was imployed hear at Hamton, and knew not well what y^e other had don at London. M^r. Cushman answered, he had done nothing but what he was urged too, partly by y^e grounds of equity, and more espetialy by necessitie, other wise all had bene dasht and many undon. And in y^e begining he aquainted his felow agents here with, who consented unto him, and left it to him to execute, and to receive y^e money at London and send it downe to them at Hamton, wher they made y^e provissions; the which he accordingly did, though it was against his minde, & some of y^e marchants, y^t they were their made. And for giveing them notise at Leyden of this change, he could not well in regarde of y^e shortnes of y^e time; againe, he knew it would trouble them and hinder y^e bussines, which was already delayed overlong in regard of y^e season of y^e year, which he feared they would find to their cost. But these things gave not contente at presente. Mr. Weston, likwise, came up from London to see them dispatcht and to have y^e conditions confirmed; but they refused, and answered him, that he knew right well that these were not according to y^e first agreemente, neither could they yeeld to them without y^e consente of the rest that were behind. And indeed they had spetiall charge when they came away, from the cheefe of those that were behind, not to doe it. At which he was much offended, and tould them, they must then looke to stand on their owne leggs. So he returned in displeasure, and this was y^e first ground of discontent betweene them. And wheras ther wanted well near 100^li. to clear things at their going away, he would not take order to disburse a penie, but let them shift as they could. [38] So they were forst to selle of some of their provissions to stop this gape, which was some 3. or 4. score firkins of butter, which comoditie they might best spare, haveing provided too large a quantitie of y^t kind. Then they write a leter to y^e marchants & adventures aboute y^e diferances concerning y^e conditions, as foloweth.

Aug. 3. An^o: 1620.

Beloved freinds, sory we are that ther should be occasion of writing at all unto you, partly because we ever expected to see y^e most of you hear, but espetially because ther should any differance at all be conceived betweene us. But seing it faleth out that we cannot conferr togeather, we thinke it meete (though brefly) to show you y^e just cause & reason of our differing from those articles last made by Robart Cushman, without our comission or knowledg. And though he might propound good ends to himselfe, yet it no way justifies his doing it. Our maine diference is in y^e 5. & 9. article, concerning y^e deviding or holding of house and lands; the injoying wherof some of your selves well know, was one spetiall motive, amongst many other, to provoke us to goe. This was thought so reasonable, y^t when y^e greatest of you in adventure (whom we have much cause to respecte), when he propounded conditions to us freely of his owne accorde, he set this downe for one; a coppy wherof we have sent unto you, with some additions then added by us; which being liked on both sids, and a day set for y^e paimente of moneys, those of Holland paid in theirs. After y^t, Robart Cushman, M^r. Peirce, & M^r. Martine, brought them into a better forme, & write them in a booke now extante; and upon Robarts shewing them and delivering M^r. Mullins a coppy therof under his hand (which we have), he payd in his money. And we of Holland had never seen other before our coming to Hamton, but only as one got for him selfe a private coppy of them; upon sight wherof we manyfested uter dislike, but had put of our estats & were ready to come, and therfore was too late to rejecte y^e vioage. Judge therfore we beseech you indiferently of things, and if a faulte have bene co[=m]ited, lay it wher it is, & not upon us, who have more cause to stand for y^e one, then you have for y^e other. We never gave Robart Cushman comission to make any one article for us, but only sent him to receive moneys upon articles before agreed on, and to further y^e provissions till John Carver came, and to assiste him in it. Yet since you conceive your selves wronged as well as we, we thought meete to add a branch to y^e end of our 9. article, as will allmost heale that wound of it selfe, which you conceive to be in it. But that it may appeare to all men y^t we are not lovers of our selves only, but desire also y^e good & inriching of our freinds who have adventured your moneys with our persons, we have added our last article to y^e rest, promising you againe by leters in y^e behalfe of the whole company, that if large profits should not arise within y^e 7. years, y^t we will continue togeather longer with you, if y^e Lord give a blessing.[X] This we hope is sufficente to satisfie any in this case, espetialy freinds, since we are asured y^t if the whole charge was devided into 4. parts, 3. of them will not stand upon it, nether doe regarde it, &c. We are in shuch a streate at presente, as we are forced to sell away 60^li. worth of our provissions to cleare y^e Haven, & withall put our selves upon great extremities, scarce haveing any butter, no oyle, not a sole to mend a shoe, [39] nor every man a sword to his side, wanting many muskets, much armoure, &c. And yet we are willing to expose our selves to shuch eminente dangers as are like to insue, & trust to y^e good providence of God, rather then his name & truth should be evill spoken of for us. Thus saluting all of you in love, and beseeching the Lord to give a blesing to our endeavore, and keepe all our harts in y^e bonds of peace & love, we take leave & rest,

Yours, &c.

Aug. 3. 1620.

It was subscribed with many names of y^e cheefest of y^e company.

At their parting M^r. Robinson write a leter to y^e whole company, which though it hath already bene printed, yet I thought good here likwise to inserte it; as also a breefe leter writ at y^e same time to M^r. Carver, in which y^e tender love & godly care of a true pastor appears.

My dear Brother,--I received inclosed in your last leter y^e note of information, w^ch I shall carefuly keepe & make use of as ther shall be occasion. I have a true feeling of your perplexitie of mind & toyle of body, but I hope that you who have allways been able so plentifully to administer comforte unto others in their trials, are so well furnished for your selfe as that farr greater difficulties then you have yet undergone (though I conceive them to have been great enough) cannot oppresse you, though they press you, as y^e Aspostle speaks. The spirite of a man (sustained by y^e spirite of God) will sustaine his infirmitie, I dout not so will yours. And y^e beter much when you shall injoye y^e presence & help of so many godly & wise bretheren, for y^e bearing of part of your burthen, who also will not admitte into their harts y^e least thought of suspition of any y^e least negligence, at least presumption, to have been in you, what so ever they thinke in others. Now what shall I say or write unto you & your goodwife my loving sister? even only this, I desire (& allways shall) unto you from y^e Lord, as unto my owne soule; and assure your selfe y^t my harte is with you, and that I will not forslowe my bodily coming at y^e first oppertunitie. I have writen a large leter to y^e whole, and am sorie I shall not rather speak then write to them; & the more, considering y^e wante of a preacher, which I shall also make sume spurr to my hastening after you. I doe ever co[=m]end my best affection unto you, which if I thought you made any doubte of, I would express in more, & y^e same more ample & full words. And y^e Lord in whom you trust & whom you serve ever in this bussines & journey, guid you with his hand, protecte you with his winge, and shew you & us his salvation in y^e end, & bring us in y^e mean while togeather in y^e place desired, if shuch be his good will, for his Christs sake.

Amen. Yours, &c. Jo: R.

July 27. 1620.

This was y^e last letter y^t M^r. Carver lived to see from him. The other follows.

[Y]Lovinge Christian friends, I doe hartily & in y^e Lord salute you all, as being they with whom I am presente in my best affection, and most ernest longings after you, though I be constrained for a while to be bodily absente from you. I say constrained, God knowing how willingly, & much rather then otherwise, I would have borne my part with you in this first brunt, were I not by strong necessitie held back for y^e present. Make accounte of me in y^e mean while, as of a man devided in my selfe with great paine, and as (naturall bonds set a side) having my beter parte with [40] you. And though I doubt not but in your godly wisdoms, you both foresee & resolve upon y^t which concerneth your presente state & condition, both severally & joyntly, yet have I thought it but my duty to add some furder spurr of provocation unto them, who rune allready, if not because you need it, yet because I owe it in love & dutie. And first, as we are daly to renew our repentance with our God, espetially for our sines known, and generally for our unknowne trespasses, so doth y^e Lord call us in a singuler maner upon occasions of shuch difficultie & danger as lieth upon you, to a both more narrow search & carefull reformation of your ways in his sight; least he, calling to remembrance our sines forgotten by us or unrepented of, take advantage against us, & in judgmente leave us for y^e same to be swalowed up in one danger or other; wheras, on the contrary, sine being taken away by ernest repentance & y^e pardon therof from y^e Lord sealed up unto a mans conscience by his spirite, great shall be his securitie and peace in all dangers, sweete his comforts in all distresses, with hapie deliverance from all evill, whether in life or in death.

Now next after this heavenly peace with God & our owne consciences, we are carefully to provide for peace with all men what in us lieth, espetially with our associats, & for y^e watchfullnes must be had, that we neither at all in our selves doe give, no nor easily take offence being given by others. Woe be unto y^e world for offences, for though it be necessarie (considering y^e malice of Satan & mans corruption) that offences come, yet woe unto y^e man or woman either by whom y^e offence cometh, saith Christ, Mat. 18. 7. And if offences in y^e unseasonable use of things in them selves indifferent, be more to be feared then death itselfe, as y^e Apostle teacheth, 1. Cor. 9. 15. how much more in things simply evill, in which neither honour of God nor love of man is thought worthy to be regarded. Neither yet is it sufficiente y^t we keepe our selves by y^e grace of God from giveing offence, exepte withall we be armed against y^e taking of them when they be given by others. For how imperfect & lame is y^e work of grace in y^t person, who wants charritie to cover a multitude of offences, as y^e scriptures speake. Neither are you to be exhorted to this grace only upon y^e co[=m]one grounds of Christianitie, which are, that persons ready to take offence, either wante charitie, to cover offences, of wisdome duly to waigh humane frailtie; or lastly, are grosse, though close hipocrites, as Christ our Lord teacheth, Mat. 7. 1, 2, 3, as indeed in my owne experience, few or none have bene found which sooner give offence, then shuch as easily take it; neither have they ever proved sound & profitable members in societies, which have nurished this touchey humor. But besids these, ther are diverse motives provoking you above others to great care & conscience this way: As first, you are many of you strangers, as to y^e persons, so to y^e infirmities one of another, & so stand in neede of more watchfullnes this way, least when shuch things fall out in men & women as you suspected not, you be inordinatly affected with them; which doth require at your hands much wisdome & charitie for y^e covering & preventing of incident offences that way. And lastly, your intended course of civill comunitie will minister continuall occasion of offence, & will be as fuell for that fire, excepte you dilligently quench it with brotherly forbearance. And if taking of offence causlesly or easilie at mens doings be so carefuly to be avoyded, how much more heed is to be taken y^t we take not offence at God him selfe, which yet we certainly doe so oft[=e] as we doe murmure at his providence in our crosses, or beare impatiently shuch afflictions as wherwith he pleaseth to visite us. Store up therfore patience against y^e evill day, without which we take offence at y^e Lord him selfe in his holy & just works.

A 4. thing ther is carfully to be provided for, to witte, that with your co[=m]one imployments you joyne co[=m]one affections truly bente upon y^e generall good, avoyding as a deadly [41] plague of your both co[=m]one & spetiall comfort all retirednes of minde for proper advantage, and all singularly affected any maner of way; let every man represe in him selfe & y^e whol body in each person, as so many rebels against y^e commone good, all private respects of mens selves, not sorting with y^e generall conveniencie. And as men are carfull not to have a new house shaken with any violence before it be well setled & y^e parts firmly knite, so be you, I beseech you, brethren, much more carfull, y^t the house of God which you are, and are to be, be not shaken with unnecessarie novelties or other oppositions at y^e first setling therof.

Lastly, wheras you are become a body politik, using amongst your selves civill govermente, and are not furnished with any persons of spetiall eminencie above y^e rest, to be chosen by you into office of goverment, let your wisdome & godlines appeare, not only in chusing shuch persons as doe entirely love and will promote y^e co[=m]one good, but also in yeelding unto them all due honour & obedience in their lawfull administrations; not behoulding in them y^e ordinarinesse of their persons, but Gods ordinance for your good, not being like y^e foolish multitud who more honour y^e gay coate, then either y^e vertuous minde of y^e man, or glorious ordinance of y^e Lord. But you know better things, & that y^e image of y^e Lords power & authoritie which y^e magistrate beareth, is honourable, in how meane persons soever. And this dutie you both may y^e more willingly and ought y^e more conscionably to performe, because you are at least for y^e present to have only them for your ordinarie governours, which your selves shall make choyse of for that worke.

Sundrie other things of importance I could put you in minde of, and of those before mentioned, in more words, but I will not so farr wrong your godly minds as to thinke you heedless of these things, ther being also diverce among you so well able to admonish both them selves & others of what concerneth them. These few things therfore, & y^e same in few words, I doe ernestly co[=m]end unto your care & conscience, joyning therwith my daily incessante prayers unto y^e Lord, y^t he who hath made y^e heavens & y^e earth, y^e sea and all rivers of waters, and whose providence is over all his workes, espetially over all his dear children for good, would so guide & gard you in your wayes, as inwardly by his Spirite, so outwardly by y^e hand of his power, as y^t both you & we also, for & with you, may have after matter of praising his name all y^e days of your and our lives. Fare you well in him in whom you trust, and in whom I rest.

An unfained wellwiller of your hapie success in this hopefull voyage, JOHN ROBINSON.

This letter, though large, yet being so frutfull in it selfe, and suitable to their occation, I thought meete to inserte in this place.

All things being now ready, & every bussines dispatched, the company was caled togeather, and this letter read amongst them, which had good acceptation with all, and after fruit with many. Then they ordered & distributed their company for either shipe, as they conceived for y^e best. And chose a Governor & 2. or 3. assistants for each shipe, to order y^e people by y^e way, and see to y^e dispossing of there provissions, and shuch like affairs. All which was not only with y^e liking of y^e maisters of y^e ships, but according to their desires. Which being done, they sett sayle from thence aboute y^e 5. of August; but what befell them further upon y^e coast of England will appeare in y^e nexte chapter.

The 8. Chap.

_Off the troubls that befell them on the coaste, and at sea being forced, after much trouble, to leave one of ther ships & some of their companie behind them._