USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Bradford's history "of Plimoth plantation" from the original manuscript > Part 1
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Gc 974.4 B72bra 1139001
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01100 6498
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/bradfordshistory00brad_0
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BRADFORD
BRADFORD'S HISTORY
"OF PLIMOTH PLANTATION."
FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT.
WITH A REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS INCIDENT TO THE RETURN OF THE MANUSCRIPT TO MASSACHUSETTS.
PRINTED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH, BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL COURT.
BOSTON : WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS, 18 POST OFFICE SQUARE. 1898.
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BRADFORD'S MANUSCRIPT BOSTON-The original manu- ript of William Bradford's The History of Plymouth antation" disappeared during e Revolutionary War. In 1885, was discovered in England d sent back to the United ates. This original work is w among the state archives Massachusetts.
INTRODUCTION.
1139001
To many people the return of the Bradford Manu- script is a fresh discovery of colonial history. By very many it has been called, incorrectly, the log of the " Mayflower." Indeed, that is the title by which it is described in the decree of the Consistorial Court of London. The fact is, however, that Governor Brad- ford undertook its preparation long after the arrival of the Pilgrims, and it cannot be properly considered as in any sense a log or daily journal of the voyage of the " Mayflower." It is, in point of fact, a history of the Plymouth Colony, chiefly in the form of annals, extending from the inception of the colony down to the year 1647. The matter has been in print since 1856, put forth through the public spirit of the Mas- sachusetts Historical Society, which secured a tran- script of the document from London, and printed it in the society's proceedings of the above-named year. As thus presented, it had copious notes, prepared with great care by the late Charles Deane; but these are not given in the present volume, wherein only such . comments as seem indispensable to a proper under- standing of the story have been made, leaving what-
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
ever elaboration may seem desirable to some future private enterprise.
It is a matter of regret that no picture of Governor Bradford exists. Only Edward Winslow of the May- flower Company left an authenticated portrait of him- self, and that, painted in England, is reproduced in this volume. In those early days Plymouth would have been a poor field for portrait painters. The people were struggling for their daily bread rather than for to-morrow's fame through the transmission of their features to posterity.
The volume of the original manuscript, as it was presented to the Governor of the Commonwealth and is now deposited in the State Library, is a folio measuring eleven and one-half inches in length, seven and seven-eighths inches in width and one and one-half inches in thickness. It is bound in parchment, once white, but now grimy and much the worse for wear, being somewhat cracked and considerably scaled. Much scribbling, evidently by the Bradford family, is to be seen upon its surface, and out of the confusion may be read the name of Mercy Bradford, a daughter of the governor. On the inside of the front cover is pasted a sheet of manilla paper, on which is written the following :-
" Consistory Court of the Diocese of London
In the matter of the application of The Honorable Thomas Francis Bayard, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
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INTRODUCTION.
in London of the United States of America, for the delivery to him, on behalf of the President and Citizens of the said States, of the original manuscript book entitled and known as The Log of the Mayflower.
Produced in Court this 25th day of March, 1897, and marked with the letter A.
HARRY W. LEE Registrar.
1 Deans Court
Doctors Commons"
Then come two manilla leaves, on both sides of which is written the decree of the Consistorial Court. These leaves and the manilla sheet pasted on the in- side of the front cover were evidently inserted after the decree was passed.
Next comes a leaf (apparently the original first leaf of the book), and on it are verses, signed " A. M.," on the death of Mrs. Bradford. The next is evidently one of the leaves of the original book. At the top of the page is written the following : -
This book was rit by govener William bradford and given to his son mager William Bradford and by him to his son mager John Bradford. rit by me Samuel bradford mach 20, 1705
At the bottom of the same page the name John Bradford appears in different handwriting, evidently written with the book turned wrong side up.
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
The next is a leaf bearing the following, in the handwriting of Thomas Prince : -
TUESDAY, June 4-1728
Calling at Major John Bradford's at Kingston near Plimouth, son of Major Wm. Bradford formerly Dep Gov'r of Plimouth Colony, who was eldest son of Wm. Bradford Esq their 2nd Gov'r, & author of this History; ye sd Major John Bradford gave me several manuscript octavoes wh he assured me were written with his said Grandfather Gov'r Bradford's own hand. He also gave me a little Pencil Book wrote with a Blew lead Pencil by his sd Father ye Dep Gov'r. And He also told me yt He had lent & only lent his sd Grandfather Gov'r Brad- ford's History of Plimouth Colony wrote by his own Hand also, to judg Sewall ; and desired me to get it of Him or find it out, & take out of it what I thought proper for my New-England Chronology : wh I accordingly obtained, and This is ye sd His- tory : wh I found wrote in ye same Handwriting as ye Octavo manuscripts above sd.
THOMAS PRINCE.
N. B. I also mentioned to him my Desire of lodging this History in ye New England Library of Prints & manuscripts, wh I had been then collecting for 23 years, to wh He signified his willingness - only yt He might have ye Perusal of it while He lived. . T. PRINCE.
Following this, on the same page, is Thomas Prince's printed book-mark, as follows :-
This Book belongs to The New-England-Library, Begun to be collected by Thomas Prince, upon his entring Harvard-College, July 6 1703; and was given by
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INTRODUCTION.
On the lower part of a blank space which follows the word "by" is written : -
It now belongs to the Bishop of London's Library at Fulham.
There are evidences that this leaf did not belong to the original book, but was inserted by Mr. Prince.
At the top of the first page of the next leaf, which was evidently one of the original leaves of the book, is written in Samuel Bradford's hand, "march 20 Samuel Bradford;" and just below there appears, in Thomas Prince's handwriting, the following : -
But major Bradford tells me & assures me that He only lent this Book of his Grandfather's to Mr. Sewall & that it being of his Grandfather's own hand writing He had so high a value of it that he would never Part with ye Property, but would lend it to me & desired me to get it, which I did, & write down this that sd Major Bradford and his Heirs may be known to be the right owners.
Below this, also in Thomas Prince's handwriting, appears this line : -
" Page 243 missing when ye Book came into my Hands at 1st."
Just above the inscription by Prince there is a line or two of writing, marked over in ink so carefully as to be wholly undecipherable. On the reverse page of this leaf and on the first page of the next are written Hebrew words, with definitions. These are all in Gov-
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ernor Bradford's handwriting. On the next page ap- pears the following : -
Though I am growne aged, yet I have had a long- ing desire, to see with my own eyes, something of that most ancient language, and holy tongue, in which the Law, and oracles of God were write ; and in which God, and angels, spake to the holy patriarks, of old time; and what names were given to things, from the creation. And though I cañot attaine to much herein, yet I am refreshed, to have seen some glimpse here- of; (as Moses saw the Land of canan afarr of) my aime and desire is, to see how the words, and phrases lye in the holy texte ; and to dicerne some- what of the same for my owne contente.
J
Then begins the history proper, the first page of which is produced in facsimile in this volume, slightly reduced. The ruled margins end with page thirteen. From that page to the end of the book the writing varies considerably, sometimes being quite coarse and in other places very fine, some pages containing nearly a thousand words each. As a rule, the writing is upon one side of the sheet only, but in entering notes and subsequent thoughts the reverse is sometimes used. The last page number is 270, as appears from the facsimile reproduction in this volume of that page. Page 270 is followed by two blank leaves; then on
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INTRODUCTION.
the second page of the next leaf appears the list of names of those who came over in the " Mayflower," covering four pages and one column on the fifth page. The arrangement of this matter is shown by the fac- simile reproduction in this volume of the first page of these names. Last of all there is a leaf of heavy double paper, like the one in the front of the book containing the verses on the death of Mrs. Bradford, and on this last leaf is written an index to a few por- tions of the history.
For copy, there was used the edition printed in 1856 by the Massachusetts Historical Society. The proof was carefully compared, word for word, with the photographic facsimile issued in 1896 in both London and Boston. The value of this comparison is evident in that a total of sixteen lines of the original, omitted in the original first copy, is supplied in this edition. As the work of the Historical Society could not be compared, easily, with the original manu- script in London, these omissions, with sundry minor errors in word and numeral, are not unreasonable. The curious will be pleased to learn that the sup- plied lines are from the following pages of the man- uscript, viz. : page 122, eight lines; page 129, two lines ; the obverse of page 201, found on the last page of Appendix A, two lines; page 219, two
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lines ; pages 239 and 258, one line each. The pages of the manuscript are indicated in these printed pages by numerals in parentheses.
There are several errors in the paging of the origi- nal manuscript. Pages 105 and 106 are marked 145 and 146, and pages 219 and 220 are marked 119 and 120, respectively. Page 243 is missing.
Such as it is, the book is put forth that the public may know what manner of men the Pilgrims were, through what perils and vicissitudes they passed, and how much we of to-day owe to their devotion and determination.
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
LEGISLATURE.
xi
A
JOURNAL OF THE SENATE.
MONDAY, MAY 24, 1897.
The following message from His Excellency the Gov- ernor came up from the House, to wit :-
BOSTON, May 22, 1897.
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives.
I have the honor to call to your attention the fact that Wednesday, May 26, at 11 A.M., has been fixed as the date of the formal presentation to the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Bradford Manuscript History, recently ordered by decree of the Consistory Court of the Diocese of London to be returned to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the hands of the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard, lately Ambassador at the Court of St. James ; and to suggest for the favorable consideration of your honorable bodies that the exercises of presentation be held in the House of Representatives on the day and hour above given, in the presence of a joint convention of the two bodies and of invited guests and the public.
ROGER WOLCOTT.
Thereupon, on motion of Mr. Roe, -
Ordered, That, in accordance with the suggestion of His Excellency the Governor, a joint convention of the two branches be held in the chamber of the House
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
of Representatives, on Wednesday, May the twenty- sixth, at eleven o'clock A.M., for the purpose of wit- nessing the exercises of the formal presentation, to the Governor of the Commonwealth, of the Bradford Manuscript History, recently ordered by decree of the Consistory Court of the Diocese of London to be returned to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the hands of the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard, lately Ambassador at the Court of St. James; and further
Ordered, That the clerks of the two branches give notice to His Excellency the Governor of the adop- tion of this order.
Sent down for concurrence. (It was concurred with same date.)
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE.
JOURNAL OF THE SENATE.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 1897.
Joint Convention.
At eleven o'clock A.M., pursuant to assignment, the two branches met in
CONVENTION
in the chamber of the House of Representatives. On motion of Mr. Roe, -
Ordered, That a committee, to consist of three mem- bers of the Senate and eight members of the House of Representatives, be appointed, to wait upon His Excellency the Governor and inform him that the two branches are now in convention for the purpose of witnessing the exercises of the formal presentation, to the Governor of the Commonwealth, of the Bradford Manuscript History.
Messrs. Roe, Woodward and Gallivan, of the Senate, and Messrs. Pierce of Milton, Bailey of Plymouth, Brown of Gloucester, Fairbank of Warren, Bailey of Newbury, Sanderson of Lynn, Whittlesey of Pittsfield
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
and Bartlett of Boston, of the House, were appointed the committee.
Mr. Roe, from the committee, afterwards reported that they had attended to the duty assigned them, and that His Excellency the Governor had been pleased to say that he received the message and should be pleased to wait upon the Convention forthwith for the purpose named.
His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor and the Honorable Council, and by the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard, lately Ambassador of the United States at the Court of St. James's, the Honorable George F. Hoar, Sena- tor from Massachusetts in the Congress of the United States, and other invited guests, entered the chamber.
The decree of the Consistorial and Episcopal Court of London, authorizing the return of the manuscript and its delivery to the Governor, was read.
The President then presented the Honorable George F. Hoar, who gave an account of the manuscript and of the many efforts that had been made to secure its return.
The Honorable Thomas F. Bayard was then intro- duced by the President, and he formally presented the manuscript to His Excellency the Governor, who accepted it in behalf of the Commonwealth.
On motion of Mr. Bradford, the following order was adopted : -
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE.
Whereas, In the presence of the Senate and of the House of Representatives in joint convention assembled, and in accordance with a decree of the Consistorial and Episcopal Court of London, the manuscript of Brad- ford's "History of the Plimouth Plantation" has this day been delivered to His Excellency the Governor of the Commonwealth by the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard, lately Ambassador of the United States at the Court of St. James's ; and
Whereas, His Excellency the Governor has accepted the said manuscript in behalf of the Commonwealth ; therefore, be it
Ordered, That the Senate and the House of Repre- sentatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts place on record their high appreciation of the generous and gracious courtesy that prompted this act of inter- national good-will, and express their grateful thanks to all concerned therein, and especially to the Lord Bishop of London, for the return to the Common- wealth of this precious relic; and be it further
Ordered, That His Excellency the Governor be re- quested to transmit an engrossed and duly authenti- cated copy of this order with its preamble to the Lord Bishop of London.
His Excellency, accompanied by the other dignita- ries, then withdrew, the Convention was dissolved, and the Senate returned to its chamber.
Subsequently a resolve was passed (approved June
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
10, 1897) providing for the publication of the history from the original manuscript, together with a report of the proceedings of the joint convention, such report to be prepared by a committee consisting of one mem- ber of the Senate and two members of the House of Representatives, and to include, so far as practicable, portraits of His Excellency Governor Roger Wolcott, William Bradford, the Honorable George F. Hoar, the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard, the Archbishop of Can- terbury and the Lord Bishop of London; facsimiles of pages from the manuscript history, and a picture of the book itself; copies of the decree of the Con- sistorial and Episcopal Court of London, the receipt of the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard for the manu- script, and the receipt sent by His Excellency the Governor to the Consistorial and Episcopal Court; an account of the legislative action taken with reference to the presentation and reception of the manuscript; the addresses of the Honorable George F. Hoar, the Honorable Thomas F. Bayard and His Excellency Governor Roger Wolcott; and such other papers and illustrations as the committee might deem advisable ; the whole to be printed under the direction of the Secre- tary of the Commonwealth, and the book distributed by him according to directions contained in the resolve.
Senator Alfred S. Roe of Worcester and Represent- atives Francis C. Lowell of Boston and Walter L. Bouvé of Hingham were appointed as the committee.
DECREE
OF THE
CONSISTORIAL AND EPISCOPAL
COURT OF LONDON.
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DECREE.
MANDELL by Divine Permission LONDON'S LORD BISHOP OF LONDON - To REGISTRY The Honorable THOMAS FRANCIS BAY- ARD Ambassador Extraordinary and OF BISHOP Plenipotentiary to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria at the Court of Saint James's in London and To The Governor and Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States of America Greeting - WHEREAS a Petition has been filed in the Registry of Our Consistorial and Episcopal Court of London by you the said Honorable Thomas Francis Bayard as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipoten- tiary to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria at the Court of Saint James's in London on behalf of the President and Citizens of the United States of America wherein you have alleged that there is in Our Custody as Lord Bishop of London a certain Manuscript Book known as and entitled "The Log of the Mayflower " containing an account as narrated by Captain William Bradford who was one of the Company of Englishmen who left England in April 1620 in the ship known as "The Mayflower" of the circumstances leading to the prior Settlement of
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
that Company at Leyden in Holland their return to England and subsequent departure for New England their landing at Cape Cod in December 1620 their Settlement at New Plymouth and their later history for several years they being the Company whose Set- tlement in America is regarded as the first real Colo- nisation of the New England States and wherein you have also alleged that the said Manuscript Book had been for many years past and was then deposited in the Library attached to Our Episcopal Palace at Ful- ham in the County of Middlesex and is of the great- est interest importance and value to the Citizens of the United States of America inasmuch as it is one of the earliest records of their national History and contains much valuable information in regard to the original Settlers in the States their family history and antecedents and that therefore you earnestly desired to acquire possession of the same for and on behalf of the President and Citizens of the said United States of America AND WHEREIN you have also alleged that you are informed that We as Lord Bishop of London had fully recognised the value and interest of the said Manuscript Book to the Citizens of the United States of America and the claims which they have to its possession and that We were desirous of transferring it to the said President and Citizens AND WHEREIN you have also alleged that you are advised and believe that the Custody of documents in
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the nature of public or ecclesiastical records belong- ing to the See of London is vested in the Consis- torial Court of the said See and that any disposal thereof must be authorised by an Order issued by the Judge of that Honorable Court And that you there- fore humbly prayed that the said Honorable Court would deliver to you the said Manuscript Book on your undertaking to use every means in your power for the safe transmission of the said Book to the United States of America and its secure deposit and custody in the Pilgrim Hall at New Plymouth or in such other place as may be selected by the President and Senate of the said United States and upon such conditions as to security and access by and on behalf of the English Nation as that Honorable Court might determine AND WHEREAS the said Petition was set down for hearing on one of the Court days in Hilary Term to wit Thursday the Twenty fifth day of March One thousand eight hundred and ninety seven in Our Consistorial Court in the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul in London before The Right Worshipful Thomas Hutchinson Tristram Doctor of Laws and one of Her Majesty's Counsel learned in the Law Our Vicar Gen- eral and Official Principal the Judge of the said Court and you at the sitting of the said Court appeared by Counsel in support of the Prayer of the said Petition and during the hearing thereof the said Manuscript Book was produced in the said Court by Our legal
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
Secretary and was then inspected and examined by the said Judge and evidence was also given before the Court by which it appeared that the Registry at Fulham Palace was a Public Registry for Historical and Ecclesiastical Documents relating to the Diocese of London and to the Colonial and other possessions of Great Britain beyond the Seas so long as the same remained by custom within the said Diocese AND WHEREAS it appeared on the face of the said Man- uscript Book that the whole of the body thereof with the exception of part of the last page thereof was in the handwriting of the said William Bradford who was elected Governor of New Plymouth in April 1621 and continued Governor thereof from that date excepting between the years 1635 and 1637 up to 1650 and that the last five pages of the said Manu- script which is in the handwriting of the said Wil- liam Bradford contain what in Law is an authentic Register between 1620 and 1650 of the fact of the Marriages of the Founders of the Colony of New England with the names of their respective wives and the names of their Children the lawful issue of such Marriages and of the fact of the Marriages of many of their Children and Grandchildren and of the names of the issue of such marriages and of the deaths of many of the persons named therein And after hearing Counsel in support of the said applica- tion the Judge being of opinion that the said Manu-
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script Book had been upon the evidence before the Court presumably deposited at Fulham Palace some- time between the year 1729 and the year 1785 during which time the said Colony was by custom within the Diocese of London for purposes Ecclesiastical and the Registry of the said Consistorial Court was a legiti- mate Registry for the Custody of Registers of Mar- riages Births and Deaths within the said Colony and that the Registry at Fulham Palace was a Registry for Historical and other Documents connected with the Colonies and possessions of Great Britain beyond the Seas so long as the same remained by custom within the Diocese of London and that on the Dec- laration of the Independence of the United States of America in 1776 the said Colony had ceased to be within the Diocese of London and the Registry of the Court had ceased to be a public registry for the said Colony and having maturely deliberated on the Cases precedents and practice of the Ecclesiastical Court bearing on the application before him and having regard to the Special Circumstances of the Case De- creed as follows- (1) That a Photographic facsimile reproduction of the said Manuscript Book verified by affidavit as being a true and correct Photographic re- production of the said Manuscript Book be deposited in the Registry of Our said Court by or on behalf of the Petitioner before the delivery to the Petitioner of the said original Manuscript Book as hereinafter
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PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.
ordered- (2) That the said Manuscript Book be delivered over to the said Honorable Thomas Francis Bayard by the Lord Bishop of London or in his Lordship's absence by the Registrar of the said Court on his giving his undertaking in writing that he will with all due care and diligence on his arrival from England in the United States convey and deliver in person the said Manuscript Book to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States of America at his Official Office in the State House in the City of Boston and that from the time of the delivery of the said Book to him by the said Lord Bishop of London or by the said Registrar until he shall have delivered the same to the Governor of Massachusetts he will retain the same in his own Per- sonal custody - (3) That the said Book be deposited by the Petitioner with the Governor of Massachusetts for the purpose of the same being with all convenient speed finally deposited either in the State Archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the City of Boston or in the Library of the Historical Society of the said Commonwealth in the City of Boston as the Governor shall determine - (4) That the Gov- ernors of the said Commonwealth for all time to come be officially responsible for the safe custody of the said Manuscript Book whether the same be deposited in the State Archives at Boston or in the Historical Library in Boston aforesaid as well as for
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