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An interesting tradition of the regicides is a part of the history of Hadley. During the dark days of "King Philip's War," the people had gathered in their meeting-house to observe a fast. While the service was in progress, the alarm was given of the approach of a large body of Indians. It was the custom for a part of the congregation to attend public worship under arms, and those who were on duty at this time bravely attempted to repel the sudden attack of
73
THE STORY OF THE REGICIDES.
1665.]
the savages. The battle from the first was very unequal in numbers ; and the Indians were gaining the advantage, when a man, venerable in years, and singular in his dress and appearance, came upon the scene, and directed the move- ments of the villagers with such skill, that the enemy were soon put to flight. The stranger at once disappeared, and the people very generally believed that an angel had been sent of God for their deliverance. Years afterwards it was known that the supposed heavenly messenger was Goffe the regicide.
Another of the judges of King Charles, at a later date, lived and died at New Haven. It is not known where Colonel John Dixwell spent the early years of his enforced captivity. He visited Goffe and Whalley at Hadley in 1665, and some time after this took up his residence in New Haven, under the assumed name of James Davids. He found a devoted friend in the Rev. James Pierpont, the second successor of Mr. Davenport in the ministry there. Their home-lots adjoined in the rear, and they were in the habit of meeting frequently for prolonged conversation at the fence that separated their yards. The minister's wife wondered that her husband should enjoy the company of this aged man so much ; but the answer to her question as to his friend and neighbor was simply, " He is a very know- ing and learned man."
During a visit of Sir Edmund Andros to New England, he spent a Sunday in New Haven.3 While in attendance upon public worship, his attention was arrested by the face and bearing of a venerable man sitting in one of the pews. At the close of the service he inquired of some one who the gentleman was. "He is a merchant living in town," was the reply. Sir Edmund, with his suspicions aroused, said, shaking his head, " I know he is not a merchant."
Mr. Davids did not attend the afternoon service !
At the death of Colonel Dixwell, his real name and char-
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
acter were made known ; but he requested that no monument should be erected at his grave giving his name and person, "lest his enemies might dishonor his ashes." In accordance with his wish, a plain stone marked his burial-place, in- scribed simply with the initials "J. D., Esq.," and giving his age and the date of his death.
1 A SEARCH-WARRANT was placed in the hands of persons in different towns. The writer of this note may be pardoned for taking interest in the fact that his ancestor, Thomas Sanford, one of the original planters of Milford, was ap- pointed by Governor Treat to aid in this search within the limits of that town.
2 THIS STORY, as a tradition, is re- lated by Hollister: "During their stay at Milford, there was brought over from England a ballad, written by some hair- brained, cavalier rhymer, placing the regicides in such a ludicrous light that a loyalist might be excused for laughing, or a Puritan for biting his lip, at the recital of it. This ballad, a girl who was an inmate of Mr. Tomkins's family, or who was in the habit of visiting the house, had committed to memory, and had learned to sing it, which she hap- pened to do in the chamber above the room occupied by the judges. They were so delighted with the song, that they used to beg their host to have it re- peated by the young ladies of the family,
who little knew what an interested audi- tory had been provided for them."
3 SIR EDMUND was never a welcome visitor at New Haven or Hartford. There is a tradition, that, on this very Sunday, the deacon gave out the fifty-second psalm to be sung, as found in Stern- hold and Hopkins's version, which runs thus : -
" Why dost thou, tyrant, boast abroad, Thy wicked works to praise ?
Dost thou not know there is a God, Whose mercies last always ?
Why dost thy mind yet still devise Such wicked wiles to warp ? Thy tongue untrue, in forging lies, Is like a razor sharp.
Thou dost delight in fraud and guile, In mischief, blood, and wrong;
Thy lips have learned the flattering style, O false, deceitful tongue !"
Andros called the deacon to an ac- count; but he gave as an excuse, that it was the usage of the church to sing the psalms in course, and the matter was dropped.
1662.]
NEW-HAVEN AND CONNECTICUT COLONIES. 75
CHAPTER XIII.
1662-1664.
THE UNION OF THE NEW - HAVEN COLONY WITH CONNECTICUT.
TE come now to the history of the union of the New- W
Haven colony with that of Connecticut. Both of these colonies, in their original settlement, occupied lands included in the great patent given by King James I. to the famous Plymouth Company.
In 1630 they conveyed their title to Robert Earl of War- wick ; and he conveyed it to Lord Say and Seal, with other distinguished men associated with him. This was the patent under which the Saybrook colony claimed a right to the sur- rounding country, that, while unrecognized by the people of Connecticut, no doubt made them more anxious to bring about the purchase from Colonel Fenwick, which has already been noticed.
The colonists were deeply interested in the stormy revo- lution in the mother country, of which Cromwell was the controlling spirit. They knew that the great Puritan leader cherished very kind feelings towards them, and at one time it seemed possible that he might make his home in the New- England wilderness. With the restoration of Charles the Second, the colonists were reminded that a king was again upon the English throne ; and, having hastened to recognize the royal authority, some of the principal citizens of Con- necticut thought that the time was ripe and opportune for
76
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1662.
seeking a charter that should define their rights and relation to the crown of England. This important business was in- trusted to the care of Governor Winthrop, as the agent of the colony.1 He at once set sail, and arrived in England in the summer of 1661. He met with a cordial welcome from old friends, and his polished manners and scholarly acquire- ments soon gained him an entrance to the highest and most influential circles of society. Connecticut was indeed fortu- nate in her representative, and in the time chosen to make her request.
Although suffering from the disabilities of age and illness, Lord Say and Seal showed a fatherly solicitude in advancing the interests of the commonwealth beyond the sea, with which his name had been connected in its earliest history. Personally, and through friends, he opened the way for Winthrop to meet the king in private consultation. A little incident, trivial in itself, is related in this connection. The JOHN WINTHROP. grandfather of Winthrop received a ring from the hand of Charles the First, in token of his esteem. This heirloom the grandson carried with him, and, at his first interview with the king, begged the privilege of returning it to him as a memorial of his father. The incident, at least, illustrates the delicate tact of the worthy representative of Connecticut, who understood that the way to secure the good will and attention of Charles the Second was through his feelings, and not his intellect.
On the 23d of April, 1662, the royal signature was ap- pended to the charter, of which the historian Bancroft says, " In regard to powers of government, it was extraordinary. It conferred on the colonists unqualified power to govern
1662.]
UNION OF NEW HAVEN AND CONNECTICUT. 77
themselves. They were allowed to clect all their own officers, to enact their own laws, to administer justice with- out appeals to England, to inflict punishments, to confer par- dons, and, in a word, to exercise every power, deliberative and active. The king, far from reserving a negative on the acts of the colony, did not even require that the laws should be transmitted for his inspection ; and no provision was made for the interference of the English Government in any event whatever. Connecticut was independent except in name." 2
The bounds of the territory, confirmed by the charter, were the same as in the patent of 1631, and included the whole of New Haven and a part of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Netherlands. As soon as the character of the charter was known, a few towns, connected with the New-Haven colony, expressed their desire to come under the jurisdiction of Connecticut. The most prominent citizens, however, of New Haven and adjacent townships, were sorely disturbed at what seemed to them an unjust attempt to destroy their commonwealth by a summary process of absorption. While manifest destiny favored the union, we can but admire the courage, dignity, and ability with which the position and rights of New Haven were asserted.3
The arrival at Boston of three ships of the royal navy bearing commissioners, and the conquest not long after of the Dutch, brought the vexatious discussion to an end. Town after town had renounced allegiance to New Haven, and joined Connecticut, until only three remained with her. They still remained firm in their determination to resist what they deemed the encroachment of their sister colony ; but when they saw that they must either go with her, or be ab- sorbed by New York, they decided that it was preferable to unite with Connecticut, than to remain under the direct rule of a royalist whom they thoroughly detested.
The result that proved so happy in its after-blessings, was
78
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1664.
at the time a grievous affliction to many, and especially to the gifted Davenport, who in his old age mourned what seemed to him the ruin of his life-work and hopes. On the other side of the sea he had thought out the principles of the constitution of the colony, which he had helped to found in the wilderness, with those of like sentiments with himself. With untiring solicitude and marked ability, he had done his part as a leader in civil and religious affairs. It is easy to understand his feeling at the unexpected turn of fortune that brought New Haven and Connecticut together, and blotted out the distinctive life of the colony. Against the earnest wish of his church and congregation, he accepted an invita- tion to remove to Boston, where he died two years after- wards. There is no name in the early history of New Haven that can ever occupy a more distinguished place than that of John Davenport.
During the year 1664, in which the union was effected, the Dutch surrendered their possessions in New Netherlands to the English, and Connecticut gave up her claim to Long Island and Delaware in favor of the representatives of the Duke of York.
1 BANCROFT gives this beautiful trib. ute to the character of Winthrop: " As a child he had been the pride of his father's house; he had received the best instruction which Cambridge and Dublin could afford, and had perfected his edu- cation by visiting, in part at least, in the public service, not Holland and France only, in the days of Prince Maurice and Richelieu, but Venice and Constantino ple. As he travelled through Europe, he sought the society of men eminent for learning. Returning to England in the bloom of life, with the fairest prom- ise of advancement, he preferred to follow his father to the New World, regarding ' diversities of countries but as so many inns,' alike conducting to ' the journey's end.' When his father
became impoverished, the son, unso- licited and without recompense, relin- quished his inheritance, that ' it might be spent in furthering the great work' in Massachusetts ; himself, without wealth, engaging in the enterprise of planting Connecticut. Care for posterity seemed the motive to his actions. Understand- ing the springs of action, and the prin ciples that control affairs, he never attempted impracticable things, and noiselessly succeeded in all that he undertook. The New World was full of his praises. Puritans and Quakers and the freemen of Rhode Island were alike his eulogists. The Dutch at New York had confidence in his integrity, and it is the beautiful testimony of his own father, that ' God gave him favor in
1664.]
UNION OF NEW HAVEN AND CONNECTICUT. 79
the eyes of all with whom he had to do,' "
2 "'THE CHARTER procured from Charles II. was not regarded as a grant of new powers, but as a formal recogni- tion of the rights and privileges they had exercised from the first. The first draught of the charter itself, so far as it affected the liberties of the colony, was, in fact, prepared by the General Court in Hart- ford " (J. Hammond Trumbull).
3 WINTHROP showed great skill in his negotiations, but many things were in his favor. New Haven was disliked by the power near the throne on account of her Puritanism ; and her dilatory action in recognizing the authority of Charles II. was remembered against her, as well as the fact that the regicides had found shelter within her borders. A deeper diplomatic reason for favoring Connecti- cut is found in that it may have been
hoped that the union of the colonies would raise up a rival to Massachusetts, and result in breaking up the Confeder- acy. The opposition of New Haven to the Union was a source of regret and trouble to Winthrop. He had given as- surances that New Haven should have the liberty of choice; and he was not altogether pleased that his Connecticut friends, in their joy at securing the char- ter, should seek, by coercive methods, to compel their sister colony to unite with them. It is to be remembered, that while Davenport was so strongly opposed to the matter, and the pastor of the church in Branford induced almost his entire congregation to remove to Newark, N.J., rather than submit to Connecticut, there were many like Governor Leete, who thought it was perhaps for the best, and still others who were earnestly in favor of the Union.
80
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
1674-75.
CHAPTER XIV.
1664-1675.
EDMUND ANDROS, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK.
FTER the Duke of York had taken possession of New A Netherlands under the authority of the English crown, royal commissioners were appointed to look after its affairs. These gentlemen were also directed to visit New England, and make certain demands of the colonies that would re- mind the people that they were still the subjects of the king. These demands, being in accord with the spirit of the con- stitution of Connecticut, were at once obeyed. During the next eight years the most exciting topics of public interest pertained to questions of religious doctrine and administra- tion,1 and a fiery conflict of discussion with Rhode Island regarding boundary-lines.2
The reconquest of New York by the Dutch threatened to involve Connecticut in serious trouble ; but the stir of military preparations had scarcely begun when tidings came of the treaty of Westminster, by which Holland ceded New Nether- lands to England. The Dutch ships sailed out 3 of New- York Bay ; and the English frigates soon after sailed in. bringing the new governor of the province, Sir Edmund Andros. Within a short time, Andros sent word to the authorities at Hartford, that, in accordance with the patent recently given to the Duke of York, he considered all of the country lying west of the Connecticut River under his juris- diction.
81
ANDROS AT SAYBROOK.
1675.]
Ten years had scarcely passed since the boundaries of Connecticut had been carefully defined, by royal commis- sioners, as including New Haven and the towns west of it, and the demand of Andros was received with scornful aston- ishment. The governor and his council stood firm in their determination to resist this assault upon the rights of the colony. News having come to Connecticut of threatened danger from some Indians living beyond the eastern bounds of the colony, a messenger was sent to Andros. He at once made reply that he would make " the best of his way to Connecticut River, his Royal Highness's bounds there." The authorities at Hartford surmised that he was seizing this opportunity as a pretext to set foot on Connecticut soil, and assert the claim of the Duke of York to the territory west of the river.
Captain Thomas Bull was at once sent, with one hundred men, to occupy the fort at Saybrook, with instructions to treat Major Andros with great personal courtesy, but to resist any attempt that he might make to gain possession of the fort. "You are, in his Majesty's name," wrote the governor, " required to avoid striking the first blow ; but if they begin, you are to defend yourselves, and do your best to secure his Majesty's interest and the peace of the whole Colony." 4
As soon as favoring winds could carry him, Andros with two small vessels arrived off Saybrook, and anchored at the mouth of the river. He saw that his coming had been antici- pated, and that the colony proposed to resist his demands. At his request he was permitted to come on shore, where he was met by Captain Bull and his officers. After an ex- change of military courtesies, in the face of a direct protest, Andros commanded his secretary to read the papers that gave him pretended authority over all of the colony west of the river.
Captain Bull sternly commanded the clerk to stop. He still persisted. "Forbear," roared the doughty captain.
82
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1675.
"'What is your name? " sarcastically inquired Andros.
" My name is Bull, sir," was the dignified but somewhat irate reply.
" Bull," responded the governor. " It is a pity that your horns are not tipped with silver." 5
As soon as the reading of the obnoxious paper began, the Connecticut officers moved aside, and would not listen. Andros, disturbed at this action, said he would set sail at once if they did not wish him to stay. They told him that they " had no order to desire him to stay, but must now read something else ; " and forthwith the protest that had been prepared was read in his hearing. His anger by this time found vent in the retort, that this paper was a slander, and that the Connecticut authorities had done him a great wrong when his only purpose was to aid them. The officers declined to give him a copy of the protest, which he desired, but they parted with outward courtesy. A guard of honor marched with him to the water, and, as his vessels passed the fort, salutes were fired on both sides.
Soon after the visit of Andros at Saybrook, Connecticut was deeply agitated by the tidings that reached them of the opening tragedies of " King Philip's War." Philip was the son of Massasoit, the true friend of the early Massachusetts settlers. Unlike his father, his heart was filled with a spirit of murderous hate towards the whites. He was angry be- . cause of warnings and reprimands that he had received from the English, who more than suspected that he was plotting mischief. A savage thirst for blood and revenge seems to have been the motive that urged him to action. The coming of the colonists had been a help in many ways to the Indians. They had neither been crowded from their hunting-grounds, nor treated unjustly. The facts do not warrant the theory that Philip sought to wage a war of extermination against the whites because of their encroachments. He hated the Eng- lish, and certain fancied wrongs nursed the spirit of revenge
83
KING PHILIP'S WAR.
1675.]
that made him eager to do all in his power to injure them. He visited the scattered tribes in various parts of New England, and easily infused his spirit in the breast of those who, like himself, had a brutal lust for blood. There is no doubt but they cherished the hope, by united action, of bringing dismay and desolation to the hearts and homes of the settlers.
Having laid their plans with great secrecy, the war broke out with such concerted fury that within a few days the settlements along a line of two hundred miles suffered terri- bly ; the heaviest blows falling upon the scattered towns in Western Massachusetts. After a brief delay caused by the controversy with Andros, Connecticut responded, with her usual alacrity, to the call for assistance.6 Major Robert Treat was placed in command of the troops who did garri- son duty above Springfield until called to march against the Narragansetts. In the attack upon the stronghold of the Narragansetts, hidden in an almost impenetrable swamp, the soldiers of Connecticut acted a foremost part. They pressed their way into the fort at points of extreme danger, where the fire was deadliest, and fought with stubborn valor until their victory was complete. Out of three hundred men, forty were killed, and as many were wounded. The extreme cold added greatly to the suffering.7 The power of Philip was broken ; and in the following summer he was tracked to his lair at Mount Hope, and killed by troops under the com- mand of Major Church. During these months, many settle- ments suffered from the raids 8 of the Indians ; and, even after the death of Philip, they attacked a few places.
Governor Winthrop was chosen one of the commissioners to represent Connecticut in the Congress of the United Colo- nies in May, 1676. He went to Boston upon this errand in the early spring, and was there taken sick, and died after a brief illness.
The name of John Winthrop is inseparably woven into
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1676.
some of the most interesting chapters in the early history of Connecticut. His influence, at a critical period, was great ; and with rare tact and wisdom he labored to advance the interests and welfare of the Commonwealth that he lived to see strong and prosperous. Time has added lustre to his fair fame, and the progress of events proved the ability with which he conducted difficult negotiations. It has been the fashion, in some quarters, to disparage the character and service of the younger Winthrop in comparing him with his distinguished father, the governor of Massachusetts. With- out detracting in the least from the reputation of that able and good man, we contend, that, measured by every standard of true greatness, the son does not stand in the shadow of his honored sire. His generous and affable spirit enabled him to win the friendship and good will of others, but this kindly feeling never moved him from the path of rectitude. With the courteous manners of a cavalier, he combined a Puritan love and loyalty to truth and righteousness, that made him both a wise and successful leader.
1 THESE questions grew out of the agitation of matters of discipline respect- ing church membership and baptism. In the early history of the colonial churches, all of whom were Congrega- tional in polity, only those who had made public profession of a personal spiritual experience were admitted to the privilege of baptism for themselves and their chil- dren. At this period, there was a grow- ing party in Connecticut, especially at Hartford, who favored the custom and rights granted by the state churches of England and Scotland. This system provided that all persons of good moral character in a parish, who made " a cer- tain public profession of Christian faith and Christian obedience, including a formal covenant with God and with the Church, which at the same time was to be understood as implying no profession of any Christian experience, might have
the privilege of baptism for their house- holds, and of access to the Lord's table." This was afterwards known as the Ilulf- way Covenant Plan. Davenport was earnestly opposed to this innovation, and its advocacy by certain prominent parties in Connecticut added to his sorrow over the absorption of New Haven into that colony.
2 THESE discussions in regard to boundary-lines have little general inter- est now; but, when under debate, they caused great excitement and much hard feeling. Connecticut claimed, that, by the Warwick patent and the charter of Charles II., the eastern bounds of the State commenced at Narragansett Bay. Rhode Island said very truthfully, that this left her a pitiful bit of territory. The Connecticut fathers did not consider this argument very strong, and were alert in asserting their rights and driving
85
THE NARRAGANSETT FORT.
out intruders. In 1671 a controversy between Massachusetts and Connecticut, regarding the northern boundary-line, was settled by the former colony, con- senting to an addition of some miles of territory to Connecticut. Even down to the present day, the boundary-lines of the State remained undecided. Those inter- ested in these matters will find them fully and carefully stated in a beautiful monograph prepared by Mr. Clarence W. Bowen, entitled " The Boundary Disputes of Connecticut."
3 THE citizens of New York, catching the temper of their hot-headed governor, at first declared that they would not " surrender, but keep up by fighting so long as they could stand on one leg, and fight with one hand."
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