Part 23
The Rev. Messrs. Mansfield and Veits were cast into gaol, and afterwards tried for high treason against America. Their real offence was charitably giving victuals and blankets to loyalists flying from the rage of drunken mobs. They were fined and imprisoned, to the ruin of themselves and families. The Rev. Messrs. Graves, Scovil, Debble, Nichols, Leaming, Beach, and divers others, were cruelly dragged through mire and dirt. In short, all the clergy of the Church were infamously insulted, abused, and obliged to seek refuge in the mountains, till the popular frenzy was somewhat abated.
In July, 1776, the Congress, having declared the independence of America, ordered the Commonwealth to be prayed for, instead of the King and royal family. All the loyal episcopal churches north of the Delaware were shut up, except those under the protection of the British army, and one in Newtown, in Connecticut, of which last the Rev. Mr. John Beach was the rector, whose gray hairs, adorned with loyal and christian virtues, overcame even the madness of the _Sober Dissenters_.
This faithful disciple disregarded the congressional mandate, and, praying for the King as usual, they pulled him out of his desk, put a rope about his neck, and drew him across the Osootonoc River at the tail of a boat, to cool his loyal zeal, as they called it; after which the old confessor was permitted to depart, though not without prohibition to pray longer for the King. But his loyal zeal was insuperable. He went to church and prayed again for the King, upon which the _Sober Dissenters_ again seized him, and resolved upon cutting out his tongue; when the heroic veteran said: “If my blood must be shed, let it not be done in the house of God.” The pious mob then dragged him out of the church, laid his neck upon a block, and swore they would cut off his head, and insolently cried out: “Now, you old devil, say your last prayer!” He prayed thus: “God bless King George, and forgive all his and my enemies.” At this unexpected and exalted display of christian patience and charity the mob so far relented as to discharge him, and never molest him afterwards for adhering to the liturgy of the Church of England and his ordination-oath; but they relaxed not their severities towards the other clergymen, because, they said, younger consciences are more flexible.
I cannot conclude this work without remarking what a contrast to the episcopal clergy of Connecticut, and especially the illustrious examples of the venerable Beach and Peters, was offered to many of those that were in the provinces south of the Delaware! In Connecticut, where they suffered everything but death for tenaciously adhering to their ordination-oaths, there some of them, with more enlarged consciences, were not ashamed to commit perjury in prayer and rebellion in preaching. Though, be it remembered, these expressions were decent when compared with those of the fanatics in New-England.
The following prayer, used by them before Congress after the declaration of independence, is likely to gratify the curiosity of my readers. It brought the clergymen into disgrace merely by its moderation:
“O Lord, our heavenly Father, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers of the earth, and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all kingdoms, empires, and governments: look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, upon these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor, and thrown themselves upon Thy gracious protection, desiring henceforth to be dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in council and valour in the field. Defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause, and, if they still persist in their sanguinary purposes, O let the voice of Thy unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their enervated hands in the day of battle. Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honourable Assembly. Enable them to settle things upon the best and surest foundation; that the scenes of blood may soon be closed; that order, harmony, and peace may effectually be restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst Thy people. Preserve the health of their bodies and the vigor of their minds; shower down upon them, and the millions they represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name, and through the merits, of Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Saviour. Amen.”
[42] Which is taken from a manuscript written by the Doctor himself and using his own language. This manuscript came into my hands only a few weeks ago, with many other documents relating to the Revolutionary War.--ED. NOTE.
INDEX.
A
Allen, Ethan, origin of his fame, 106; joins in the secret expedition against Ticonderoga, 257.
Amusements, 221.
Argal, Sir Samuel, compels the Dutch at Manhattan to submit, 12.
Arnold, Dr. Benedict, attacks Dr. Peters, 268.
Arran, Earl of, claims part of Connecticut, 27.
Ashford, 133.
Assembly, General, chosen by the people, 82; times of meeting, 83; their laws not to be repealed but by their own authority, 85; resolved to settle their lands on Susquehanna River, 96; hold a special meeting to consider the Stamp-act, 232; vote that the Governor do not take the oath required by it, 235; and treat the populace on its repeal, 239; conduct of, in regard to Colonel Street Hall and the revolters, 240-243.
B
Bays, two principal, 119.
Beach, the Rev. Mr., joins the Church of England, 167; ignominiously and most cruelly treated, his heroism, 274.
Bear, a she, and her cubs, killed by General Putnam, 133, 134.
Beauford, 161.
Bellamy, the Rev. Dr., some account of, 146.
Birds, 185, 186.
Bishop of London’s authority derided by an American judge, 144.
Bishops, their neglectful conduct in regard to America, 172; animadversions upon, 173; notices concerning, 61, 171, 172.
Blaxton, the Rev. Mr., particulars relating to, 51, _Note_.
Blue Laws, specimens of, 58.
Bolton, 139.
Boston, peninsula of, obtained and occupied by the Rev. Mr. Blaxton, 51, _Note_; town of, founded, 16; its port shut up, 256; attack meditated against it, 258; Neck fortified by General Gage, 258.
Bostwick, the Rev. Mr., attacked by the mob, 254.
Boundaries, disputes concerning, 99; of Connecticut, as at present allowed, 114.
Bribery disallowed, 222.
Briton, Mr., humourous story concerning him and a deacon’s daughter, 214.
Brown, the Rev. Mr., declares for the Church of England, 166.
Brownists set sail for America, and found Plymouth, 16.
Buckley, the Rev. John, some account of, 141.
Buckley, the Rev. Peter, character of, 142.
Bull-fly, description of, 187.
Bundling, singular custom of, justified, 224-229.
Byles, Dr. Mather, disingenuous treatment, 218.
C
Canaan, 147.
Cansey American Indians enjoy liberty in perfection, 110.
Canterbury, 135.
Caterpillars ravage the border of Connecticut River, 131.
Chandler, the Rev. Thomas Bradbury, where born, 133.
Charter, petitioned for privately, 66; obtained, 68; claim founded upon, and prevarications concerning it, 36; powers conferred by, 83, 84; strengthens notions of independence, 86; formally surrendered by the colony to Sir Edmund Andros, 89; regained by a mob, hid in a tree, and reassumed, 90; violated by George II., 102.
Chatham, 139.
Church of England, the first erected in Connecticut, 163; professors of the, number of, in 1770, 168, 169; reason of their great increase, 166; their zeal, 170; measures adverse to, 171.
Clergy, Episcopal, in Connecticut, morality of, 171; one punished for not observing the Sabbath agreeably to the notions of Sober Dissenters, 213; acquire immortal honour by adhering to their ordination-oaths, 260; immoral, anti-episcopal, and rebellious conduct of some of them in the southern provinces, 172-174.
Colchester, 141.
Colden, Lieutenant-Governor, of New-York, grants lands in Verdmont, 105.
Coldness of the winter in Connecticut accounted for, 176.
Comic Liturgy, acted in Connecticut on occasion of the Stamp-act, 231.
Commerce of Connecticut, 191.
Company for Propagating the Gospel in New-England, charter obtained for the, and abuse of it, 52, _Note_.
Connecticote, his kingdom, 135; his conduct toward the settlers, 53; his death, 57.
Connecticut, its latitude and longitude, 175; whence named, 15; three parties of English adventurers arrive in, 16; right to the soil of, considered, 31-35; civil and religious establishments and proceedings of the first English settlers, 37; forms a confederacy with New-Plymouth and Massachusets-Bay, 62; obtains a charter of incorporation, 68; divided into counties, townships, &c., 83; sketch of its religious-political free system since the Charter, 97-100; half the territory of, granted to the Duke of York, 75; its consequent loss of territory, 77, 101; dimensions of, as at present allowed, 114; description of, at large, 115; treatment English travelers met with then from landlords, 111; proceedings of, in regard to the Stamp-act, 229-245; to the Tea-act, 251; to that for shutting the port of Boston, 253; commits the first overt act of high treason, 254.
Connecticut River, description of, 115; astonishing narrows in it, 115, 116.
Contingencies, extraordinary allowance for, 198; of what sort some are, 220.
Convention, grand continental, of dissenting ministers at Newhaven, notices concerning, 160.
Cooper, the Rev. Miles, LL.D., narrowly escapes the fury of the mob in New-York, 258.
Cornwall, 147.
Cotton, the Rev. Mr., notices relating to, 50; _Note_, 138.
Council of Plymouth, their grant, 12.
Courts, instituted in Connecticut, 83, 84; cruelty of the ecclesiastical, in New-England, 128.
Coventry, 132.
Cuba, description of an animal so called, and extraordinary qualities of male and female, 183.
Cursette, Mrs., surprising discovery of her will, 153.
Customs of the people, 211; borrowed of the Indians, 223.
Cutler, the Rev. Dr., joins the Church of England, 166.
D
Dagget, the Rev. Mr. Naphthali, character of, 160.
Danbury, 168; burnt, 258.
Davenport, the Rev. John, arrives at Newhaven, 20; his church-system, 42, 43.
Dead, buried with their feet to the west, 123.
Debble, the Rev. Mr., cruelly treated, 274.
Derby, 162.
Dixwell, buried at Newhaven, 63, _Note_.
Douglas, Dr., some account of, 101.
Durham, 162.
Dutch, get footing on Manhattan Island, but are compelled to submit by Argal, 12; revolt, 15.
Dyer, Mr., takes active part in Stamp-act, 236.
E
East Haddam, 139.
East Windsor. _See_ Windsor, 139.
Eaton, Mr. Theophilus, arrives at Newhaven, 20; chosen Governor, 42; his true character, 150.
Election, management of, in Connecticut, 222.
Elliot, the Rev. Mr., some mention of, 129.
Endfield, 139.
Expenditure of Connecticut, 196.
Exports of Connecticut, 191.
F
Fairfield, 163; burnt, 260.
Farmington, 142.
Fenwick, George, Esq., first arrival at Saybrook, 17; his and associates’ right to settle in Connecticut discussed and disproved, 24-28; disposes of his property in America and returns to England, 49.
Fish of Connecticut, 189.
Fitch, Governor, his conduct on occasion of Stamp-act, 231, 235, 237, 240.
Franklin, Dr., notices concerning, 231, 232, 251.
Frogs, an amazing multitude, humourous story, 129.
G
Gage, General, arrives at Boston, 253; fortifies Boston Neck, 256; in danger of being surprised, 257.
Gates, Sir Thomas, and associates, account of their patent, 11.
Gavelkind, custom of, prevails in Connecticut, 220.
General Assembly. _See_ Assembly, 82.
General List, account and specimen of, 206.
Gibbs, the Rev. Mr., inhuman treatment of, 143.
Glastonbury, 149.
Glover, Mr., his concealment of Mrs. Cursette’s will, 152.
Glow-bug described, 188.
Goshen, 147.
Government, some account of, 198; the Clergy, Merchants, and Lawyers, the three grand parties in the State, 201.
Governments, bad policy of most, 245.
Graves, the Rev. Mr., cruel treatment of, 274.
Great Barrington, why obnoxious to the mob, 255.
Greensmith, Mrs., the first person executed as a witch in America, 136.
Greenwich, 163.
Grenville, George, Esq., mobbed, hung and burnt in effigy, 234, _Note_.
Grigson, Mr., extraordinary concealment of his will, 150.
Groton, 122.
Guilford described, 161.
H
Haddam, 139.
Hall, Colonel Street, chosen commander of the mob of revolters against the General Assembly, his conduct, and extraordinary speech, 240-243.
Hamilton, Marquis of, his title to part of Connecticut proved, 26.
Hancock, Mr., his opposition to the Tea-act, and artifice in disposing of his own stock, 251.
Hancock, John, Esq., his dishonourable conduct in regard to Mrs. Cursette’s will, 152, 153.
Harrington, 142.
Harrison, Peter, Esq., his spirited and honourable conduct in discovering Mr. Grigson’s will, 151.
Harrison, Major-General Thomas, hanged at Charing Cross, 141.
Hartland, 147.
Harvey, Mr. Joel, receives a premium from the Society of Arts in London, 147.
Haynes, John, settled at Hertford, 18; chosen Governor, 38, 39.
Hebron, description of, 139; refuses to contribute to the relief of the Bostonians, on the shutting up of their port, 262; town-meeting for collecting money, 263.
Hertford, first settlement there by the English, 16, 17; by what authority, 30; description of, 136; curiosities in, 137.
Hillhouse, William, present at interview with Governor Jonathan Trumbull, 267.
Hooker, Rev. Thomas, settles at Hertford, 18; his motive for quitting Massachusets-Bay, 29; Church-system, 39.
Howling wilderness, Connecticut improperly so called, 107.
Huet, the Rev. Mr., some mention of, 139.
Humble-bee, description of, 188.
Humility, a bird so called, described, 186.
I
Imports, 192.
Independence, idea of, strengthened by Charter, 86; symptoms of, manifested by the colonies, 229; not the wish of the common people, 260; formally declared by Congress, 274.
Indians, their mode of counting, 35, _Note_; number of them killed in Hispaniola, Porto Rico, and South America, and in Connecticut and Massachusets-Bay, 107; in the whole of North America and West Indies, 108; their aversion to the Protestant religion, 206.
Ingersoll, David, barbarously treated, 254.
Ingersoll, Jared, Esq., mobbed, and forced to resign his post of Stamp-master, 233; hung and burnt in effigy, 233, _Note_.
Inhabitants in Connecticut, 190; their hospitality to strangers, 211; of the men, 223; of the women, 224.
Insects, 187.
J
Johnson, Dr. Samuel, character of, 161; declares for the Church of England, 167; treacherous embassy of his son, 258.
Joshua, a pretended sachem, 32.
K
Kent, 147.
Killingsley, 133.
Killingsworth, 129.
King’s statue, at New-York, destroyed, 259.
L
Latitude and longitude of Connecticut, 175.
Laws, Blue, specimen of, 58-60; other laws, 85.
Law-suits, amazing number of, 200; remarkable nature of some of them, 211.
Leaming, the Rev. Mr., cruelly treated, 274.
Lebanon, 132.
Litchfield described, 144.
Little Isaac, a nickname given to Americans, 189.
Lyme, 124.
M
Manners of the people, 211.
Mansfield, the Rev. Mr., tried for high treason, 274.
Mansfield, town, 132.
Manufactures of Connecticut, 190.
Mason, his claim to land in Connecticut, 33.
Massachusets-Bay, settled by Puritans, 16; loses part of its territory, 103.
Merret, his singular treatment, charged with incest, 127.
Middletown described, 138.
Milford, 161.
Mill, curious invention of Joel Harvey, 147.
Minister, Sober Dissenting, manner of settling and dismissing, 217.
Moodus, a pretended sachem, 32.
More, Sir Henry, begins to regrant Verdmont, 105.
Motte treacherously sent against Ticonderoga and Crown Point, 257.
Moyley, the Rev. Mr., fined for marrying a couple of his own parishioners, 144.
N
Neal, the Rev. Mr., his representation about Sunksquaw, Uncas, Joshua, Moodus, &c., exploded, 32-34, 56; refutation of his doctrine concerning synods, 125; a sacramental test, 202; the loyalty of New-Englanders, 204; his enmity against the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel exposed, 205; notice concerning, 33, 107.
Negro tried for castration, 85; negro slaves, 108.
Nell, Mr., 164.
New-England, the Massachusets county, first so called by Charles, Prince of Wales, 11; divisions of, 13; cause of its first settlement discussed, 107.
New-Fairfield, 147.
Newhampshire deprived of territory, 108.
Newhaven, first settled by the English, 20; totally without authority, 31; early proceedings, 56; Blue Laws, 58; state of, after the death of Cromwell, 62; accedes to the Charter, 69; particular description of, 147; a ship fitted out to secure a patent, and wonderful consequences, 149.
New-Hertford, 147.
New Lights, notices concerning, 99, 202-204.
New-London, described, 120; port of, well calculated for the grand emporium of Connecticut, 194.
New-Milford, 146.
Newtown, 168.
New-York, gains land from Connecticut, 77, 101; from Massachusets-Bay and Newhampshire, 103, 104; constitution of, subverted by the Sober Dissenters, 258.
Nichols, Colonel, deprives Connecticut of Long Island, 77.
Nichols, the Rev. Mr., cruelly treated, 274.
Norwalk, 163; burnt, 260.
Norwich, description of, 123.
O
Old Lights, notices concerning, 99, 202-205.
Oneko, King of Mohegan, 32.
Onions, vast quantity raised in Weathersfield, 188; beds of, weeded by the females, 138.
Osootonoc River, description of, 119.
P
Parsons, Hugh, found guilty of witchcraft, 137.
Penderson, Rev. Mr., joins the Church of England, 167.
Peters, the Rev. Hugh, account of himself and family, 50.
Peters, the Rev. Samuel, account of, 140; interview with Governor Trumbull, 266; escape from Portsmouth and Boston, 270; reward offered by John Hancock for his capture, 270.
Peters, Rev. Thomas, his arrival at Saybrook, 17; Church-system, 37; school, 49; character, 50; some particulars of his life, 50, _Note_.
Peters, William, particulars relating to, 50-52, _Note_.
Phelps, treacherously sent upon an expedition against Ticonderoga and Croton Point, 257.
Pitt, Mr., a Churchman, whipped for not attending meeting, 208.
Plainfield, 135.
Plymouth, New, founded, 16.
Pomeroy, Rev. Dr., character, 140; sent for by the Windham mob, 265.
Pomfret, 133.
Population, 190.
Pork, unfair dealing in, 193.
Potter, Deacon, unjustly convicted of bestiality, 154.
Poultry of Connecticut, 185.
Powwow, ancient Indian rite, celebration of, at Stratford described, 164.
Prayer of some of the Episcopal clergy in the southern provinces before Congress, 275.
Presbyterians, disliked and ill-treated by Sober Dissenters, 135, 199.
Preston, 123.
Produce of Connecticut, 178.
Pumpkin, hair cut by the shell, 153, 154.
Pumpkin-heads, a name given to New-Englanders, 153.
Putnam, General, curious anecdotes of, 133; kills a bear and cubs, 134; his narrow escape from Indians, 134; terrible to them, 135; alarms the country in a letter concerning Admiral Graves and General Gage, 262.
Q
Quackery triumphant, 145.
Quaker, shrewd retort of one upon his judges, 99.
Quinnipiog, kingdom, 147; refuses to grant land to the settlers, and is murdered, 56.
R
Rattlesnake, some account of, 188; use of skin, 223.
Reading, 168.
Rebellion, true sources of, in America, 247.
Religion, the established, 84, 85.
Reptiles, 188.
Revenue, 196; objections against raising, in America, 244.
Rhode-Island, infamous law of the General Assembly, 169.
Ridgfield, 168; burnt, 259.
Rivers, the three principal, described, 114-118.
Rivington, Mr., plundered, 258.
S
Sabbath, rigidly observed, 213; how broken by an Episcopal clergyman, 213.
Salary of the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Treasurer, &c., 198.
Salisbury, 147.
Sandeman, Rev. Mr., doctrine of, 168.
Sassacus, Sachem of the Pequods, his kingdom and character, 119, 120.
Saybrook, founded, 16; described, 124; its civil and religious establishments, 37; early proceedings, 46; enters the confederacy, 62; refuses to send agents to England to oppose the king, 49; forms an alliance with Hertford, 49; and joins in a secret application for a Charter, 64.
Saybrook platforms, some account of the, 155.
Scovil, the Rev. Mr., cruel treatment of, 274.
Sealbury, Rev. Dr., taken prisoner, 258.
Sects, religious, in Connecticut, some account of the, 198.
Sharon, famous for a mill, 147.
Ship, wonderful story of one fitted out in Newhaven, 149.
Sick, horrid mode of visiting, 219.
Skunk, description and wonderful property of the, 184.
Smith, Rev. Mr., notices of, 53, 138.
Smith, William, notices concerning, 100-102, 105, 113, 175.
Sober Dissenters, religion of, in Connecticut, 85; their uncandid conduct toward Episcopalians, Anabaptists, Quakers, &c., in regard to parish rates, 207; and their severe treatment of Mr. Gibbs for refusing to pay them, 148; their humanity to sick strangers and persons shipwrecked, 219; partial support, 219.
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, notices concerning, 52, _Note_, 105, 167, 170-175, 205.
Soil, 178.
Sommers, 139.
Stafford, the New-England “Bath,” 142.
Stamp-Act, proceedings and opinions relating to, in Connecticut, 229.
Stirling, Earl of, his claim in Connecticut, 25.
Stonington, 122.
Stratford, description of, 163.
Stratford River, 118.
Strong, Rev. Nehemiah, 160.
Suffield, 139.
Sunksquaw, a pretended sachem, 32.
Superstition, striking instance, 200.
Symsbury mines, account of, 142.
T
Tarbox, Capt. David, remark on leaving Governor Trumbull’s house, 267.
Tea, act of sending, to America opposed, 251.
Temple, Mr., seditious letters imputed to, 251.
Test, sacramental, unnecessary in New-England, 202.
Thames River described, 114.
Ticonderoga, secret expedition against, 258.
Tolland, 139.
Torrington, 147.
Travellers, English, how treated by landlords, 111.
Tree-frog, agility of, 189.
Trumbull, Governor, furnishes a dress for the effigy of Mr. Grenville, 233, _Note_; writes an insidious letter to General Gage, 256; adds to an alarming one of General Putnam’s, 262; and spirits up the mob against the loyalists, 264; writes the eighteen articles for Dr. Peters to sign, 264; his reply to Dr. Peters when asking protection from the Windham mob, 266.
Trumbull, David, in command of the Windham mob, 264; handing Dr. Peters the document containing high treason, to sign, 264; his remark upon Dr. Peters refusing to sign it, 265.
Tryon, Governor, his character, 113; escapes the mob at New-York, 258; leaves Danbury, 258; Ridgfield, 259; releases the prisoners at Newhaven, 260; leaves Fairfield and Norwalk, 260.
U
Uncas, a pretended sachem, 32.
Union, 132.
V
Verdmont, account of, 106.
Viets, Rev. Mr., tried for high treason, 274.