USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Bradford's history "of Plimoth plantation" from the original manuscript > Part 16
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ward, so will it be in this case. A notable * experimente of this, they gave in your messengers presence, constraining ye company to promise that none of the money now gathered should be expended or imployed to ye help of any of us towards you. Now touching ye question propounded by you, I judg it not lawfull for you, being a ruling Elder, as Rom. 12. 7. 8. & 1. Tim. 5. 17. opposed to the Elders that teach & exhorte and labore in ye word and doctrine, to which ye sacrements are anexed, to administer them, nor convenient if it were lawfull. Whether any larned man will come unto you or not, I know not; if any doe, you must Consiliu capere in arena. Be you most hartily saluted, & your wife with you, both from me & mine. Your God & ours, and ye God of all his, bring us together if it be his will, and keep us in the mean while, and allways to his glory, and make us servisable to his majestie, and faithfull to the end. Amen. Your very loving brother, JOHN ROBINSON.
Leyden, Des : 20. 1623.
These things premised, I shall now prosecute ye pro- cedings and afairs here. And before I come to other things I must speak a word of their planting this year; they having found ye benifite of their last years harvest, and setting corne for their particuler, having therby with a great deale of patience over- come hunger & famine. Which maks me remember a saing of Senecas, Epis: 123. That a great parte of libertie is a well governed belly, and to be patiente in all wants. They begane now highly to prise corne as
* Notabe in MS.
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more pretious then silver, and those that had some to spare begane to trade one with another for smale things, by ye quarte, potle, & peck, &c .; for money they had none, and if any had, corne was prefered before it. That they might therfore encrease their tillage to better advantage, they made suite [116] to the Gov' to have some portion of land given them for continuance, and not by yearly lotte, for by that means, that which ye more industrious had brought into good culture (by much pains) one year, came to leave it ye nexte, and often another might injoye it; so as the dressing of their lands were the more sleighted over, & to lese profite. Which being well considered, their request was granted. And to every person was given only one acrre of land, to them & theirs, as nere ye towne as might be, and they had no more till ye 7. years were expired. The reason was, that they might be kept close together both for more saftie and defence, and ye better improvement of ye generall imployments. Which condition of theirs did make me often thinke, of what I had read in Plinie * of ye Romans first beginings in Romulus time. How every man contented him selfe with 2. Acres of land, and had no more assigned them. And chap. 3. It was thought a great reward, to receive at ye hands of ye people of Rome a pinte of corne. And long after, the greatest presente given to a Captaine yt had gotte a
* Plin : lib : 18. chap. 2.
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victory over their enemise, was as much ground as they could till in one day. And he was not counted a good, but a dangerous man, that would not contente him selfe with 7. Acres of land. As also how they did pound their corne in morters, as these people were forcte to doe many years before they could get a mille.
The ship which brought this supply, was speedily discharged, and with her mr. & company sente to Cap-Anne (of which place they had gott a patente, as before is shewed) on fishing, and because ye season was so farr spente some of ye planters were sent to help to build their stage, to their owne hinderance. But partly by ye latenes of ye year, and more espetialy by ye basnes of ye mr., one Baker, they made a poore viage of it. He proved a very drunken beast, and did nothing (in a maner) but drink, & gusle, and consume away ye time & his victails; and most of his company followed his example; and though Mr. William Peirce was to over see the busines, & to be mr. of ye ship home, yet he could doe no good amongst them, so as ye loss was great, and would have bene more to them, but that they kept one a trading ther, which in those times got some store of skins, which was some help unto them.
The ship-carpenter that was sent them, was an honest and very industrious man, and followed his labour very dilligently, and made all that were im-
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ployed with him doe ye like; he quickly builte them 2. very good & strong shalops (which after did them greate service), and a great and strong lighter, and had hewne timber for 2. catches ; but that was lost, for he fell into a feaver in ye hote season of ye year, and though he had the best means ye place could aforde, yet he dyed; of whom they had a very [117] great loss, and were very sorie for his death. But he whom they sent to make salte was an ignorante, foolish, self- willd fellow ; he bore them in hand he could doe great matters in making salt-works, so he was sente to seeke out fitte ground for his purpose; and after some serch he tould ye Gov" that he had found a sufficente place, with a good botome to hold water, and otherwise very conveniente, which he doubted not but in a short time to bring to good perfection, and to yeeld them great profite ; but he must have 8. or ten men to be con- stantly imployed. He was wisht to be sure that ye ground was good, and other things answerable, and yt he could bring it to perfection ; otherwise he would bring upon them a great charge by imploying him selfe and so many men. But he was, after some triall, so confidente, as he caused them to send carpenters to rear a great frame for a large house, to receive ye salte & such other uses. But in ye end all proved vaine. Then he layed fault of ye ground, in which he was deceived; but if he might have the lighter to cary clay, he was sure then he could doe it. Now though
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ye Govr & some other foresaw that this would come to litle, yet they had so many malignant spirits amongst them, that would have laid it upon them, in their let- ters of complainte to ye adventurers, as to be their falte yt would not suffer him to goe on to bring his work to perfection ; for as he by his bould confidence & large promises deceived them in England that sente him, so he had wound him selfe in to these mens high esteeme hear, so as they were faine to let him goe on till all men saw his vanity. For he could not doe any thing but boyle salt in pans, & yet would make them yt were joynd with him beleeve ther was so grat a misterie in it as was not easie to be attained, and made them doe many unnecessary things to blind their eys, till they discerned his sutltie. The next yere he was sente to Cap-Anne, and ye pans were set up ther wher the fishing was; but before somer was out, he burte the house, and the fire was so vehemente as it spoyld the pans, at least some of them, and this was the end of that chargable bussines.
The 3ª. eminente person (which ye letters before men- tion) was ye minister which they sent over, by name Mr. John Lyford, of whom & whose doing I must be more large, though I shall abridg things as much as I can. When this man first came a shore, he saluted them with that reverence & humilitie as is seldome to be seen, and indeed made them ashamed, he so bowed and cringed unto them, and would have kissed their
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hands if they would have [118] suffered him ; * yea, he wept & shed many tears, blessing God that had brought him to see their faces ; and admiring ye things they had done in their wants, &c. as if he had been made all of love, and ye humblest person in ye world. And all ye while (if we may judg by his after cariags) he was but like him mentioned in Psa: 10. 10. That croucheth & boweth, that heaps of poore may fall by his might. Or like to that dissembling Ishmaell, t who, when he had slaine Gedelia, went out weeping and mette them yt were coming to offer incence in ye house of ye Lord; saing, Come to Gedelia, when he ment to slay them. They gave him ye best entertainment yey could, (in all simplisitie,) and a larger alowans of food out of ye store then any other had, and as the Govr had used in all waightie affairs to consulte with their Elder, Mr. Brewster, (togeither with his assist- ants,) so now he caled Mr. Liford also to counsell with them in their waightiest bussineses. Ater some short time he desired to joyne himselfe a member to ye church hear, and was accordingly received. He made a large confession of his faith, and an acknowledge- mente of his former disorderly walking, and his being intangled with many corruptions, which had been a burthen to his conscience, and blessed God for this opportunitie of freedom & libertie to injoye ye ordi- nances of God in puritie among his people, with many
* Of wch were many witneses.
+ Jer. 41. 6.
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more such like expressions. I must hear speake a word also of Mr. John Oldom, who was a copartner with him in his after courses. He had bene a cheefe sticler in ye former faction among ye perticulers, and an intelligencer to those in England. But now, since the coming of this ship and he saw ye supply that came, he tooke occasion to open his minde to some of ye cheefe amongst them heere, and confessed he had done them wrong both by word & deed, & writing into England ; but he now saw the eminente hand of God to be with them, and his blesing upon them, which made his hart smite him, neither should those in Eng- land ever use him as an instrumente any longer against them in any thing; he also desired former things might be forgotten, and that they would looke upon him as one that desired to close with them in all things, with such like expressions. Now whether this was in hipocrisie, or out of some sudden pange of conviction (which I rather thinke), God only knows. Upon it they shew all readynes to imbrace his love, and carry towards him in all frendlynes, and called him to counsell with them in all cheefe affairs, as ye other, without any distrust at all.
Thus all things seemed to goe very comfortably and smothly on amongst them, at which they did much rejoyce ; but this lasted not [119] long, for both Oldom and he grew very perverse, and shewed a spirite of great malignancie, drawing as many into faction as
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they could; were they never so vile or profane, they did nourish & back them in all their doings; so they would but cleave to them and speak against ye church hear ; so as ther was nothing but private meetings and whisperings amongst them; they feeding themselves & others with what they should bring to pass in England by the faction of their freinds their, which brought others as well as them selves into a fools paradise. Yet they could not cary so closly but much of both their doings & sayings were discovered, yet outwardly they still set a faire face of things.
At lenght when ye ship was ready to goe, it was observed Liford was long in writing, & sente many letters, and could not forbear to comunicate to his intimats such things as made them laugh in their sleeves, and thought he had done ther errand suffi- ciently. The Govr and some other of his freinds know- ing how things stood in England, and what hurt these things might doe, tooke a shalop and wente out with the ship a league or 2. to sea, and caled for all Lifords & Oldums letters. Mr. William Peirce being mr. of ye ship, (and knew well their evill dealing both in England & here,) afforded him all ye assistance he could. He found above 20. of Lyfords letters, many of them larg, and full of slanders, & false accusations, tending not only to their prejudice, but to their ruine & utter subversion. Most of the letters they let pas, only tooke copys of them, but some of ye most materiall
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they sent true copyes of them, and kept ye originalls, least he should deney them, and that they might produce his owne hand against him. Amongst his let- ters they found ye coppyes of tow letters which he sent inclosed in a leter of his to Mr. John Pember- ton, a minster, and a great opposite of theirs. These 2. letters of which he tooke the coppyes were one of them write by a gentle-man in England to Mr. Brewster here, the other by Mr. Winslow to Mr. Robinson, in Holand, at his coming away, as ye ship lay at Gravs- end. They lying sealed in ye great cabin, (whilst Mr. Winslow was bussie aboute the affairs of ye ship,) this slye marchante taks & opens them, taks these coppys, & seals them up againe; and not only sends the coppyes of them thus to his friend and their adver- sarie, but adds thertoo in ye margente many scurrilous and flouting añotations. This ship went out towards eving, and in the night ye Govr retured. They were somwaht blanke at it, but after some weeks, when they heard nothing, they then were as briske as ever, thinking nothing had been knowne, but all was gone currente, and that the Gov" went but to dispatch his owne letters. The reason why the Govr & rest con- cealed these things the longer, was to let things ripen, that they [120] might ye better discover their intents and see who were their adherents. And ye rather because amongst ye rest they found a letter of one of their confederats, in wch was writen that Mr. Oldame
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& Mr. Lyford intended a reformation in church and commone wealth; and, as soone as the ship was gone, they intended to joyne togeather, and have the sacre- ments, &c.
For Oldame, few of his leters were found, (for he was so bad a scribe as his hand was scarce legible,) yet he was as deepe in ye mischeefe as the other. And thinking they were now strong enough, they begane to pick quarells at every thing. Oldame being called to watch (according to order) refused to come, fell out with ye Capten, caled him raskell, and beggerly raskell, and resisted him, drew his knife at him; though he offered him no wrong, nor gave him no ille termes, but with all fairnes required him to doe his duty. The Govr, hearing ye tumulte, sent to quiet it, but he ramped more like a furious beast then a man, and cald them all treatours, and rebells, and other such foule language as I am ashamed to remember ; but after he was clapt up a while, he came to him selfe, and with some slight punishmente was let goe upon his behaviour for further censure.
But to cutt things shorte, at length it grew to this esseue, that Lyford with his complicies, without ever speaking one word either to ye Gov", Church, or Elder, withdrewe them selves & set up a publick meeting aparte, on ye Lord's day; with sundry such insolente cariages, too long here to relate, begining now pub- likly to acte what privatly they had been long plotting.
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It was now thought high time (to prevent further mischeefe) to calle them to accounte; so ye Gov" called a courte and sumoned the whol company to appeare. And then charged Lyford & Oldom with such things as they were guilty of. But they were stiffe, & stood resolutly upon ye deneyall of most things, and required proofe. They first alledged what was write to them out of England, compared with their doings & pactises hear; that it was evident they joyned in plotting against them, and disturbing their peace, both in respecte of their civill & church state, which was most injurious; for both they and all ye world knew they came hither to injoye ye libertie of their conscience and ye free use of Gods ordinances ; and for yt end had ventured their lives and passed throwgh so much hardshipe hithertoo, and they and their freinds had borne the charg of these beginings, which was not small. And that Lyford for his parte was sent over on this charge, and that both he and his great family was maintained on ye same, and also was joyned to ye church, & a member of them; and for him to plote against them & seek their ruine, was most unjust & perfidious. And for [121] Oldam or any other that came over at their owne charge, and were on ther perticuler, seeing they were received in curtesie by the plantation, when they came only to seeke shelter & protection under their wings, not being able to stand alone, that they, (according to ye fable,)
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like the Hedghogg whom ye conny in a stormy day in pittie received into her borrow, would not be content to take part with her, but in the end with her sharp pricks forst the poore conny to forsake her owne bor- row; so these men with the like injustice indevored to doe ye same to thos that entertained them.
Lyford denyed that he had any thing to doe with them in England, or knew of their courses, and made other things as strange that he was charged with. Then his letters were prodused & some of them read, at which he was struck mute. But Oldam begane to rage furiously, because they had intercepted and opened his letters, threatening them in very high language, and in a most audacious and mutinous maner stood up & caled upon ye people, saying, My maisters, wher is your harts? now shew your courage, you have oft complained to me so & so; now is ye time, if you will doe any thing, I will stand by you, &c. Thinking yt every one (knowing his humor) that had soothed and flattered him, or other wise in their discontente uttered any thing unto him, would now side wth him in open rebellion. But he was deceived, for not a man opened his mouth, but all were silent, being strucken with the injustice of ye thing. Then ye Govr turned his speech to Mr. Lyford, and asked him if he thought they had done evill to open his letters; but he was silente, & would not say a word, well knowing what they might reply. Then ye Govr shewed the people he did it as
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a magistrate, and was bound to it by his place, to prevent ye mischeefe & ruine that this conspiracie and plots of theirs would bring on this poor colony. But he, besids his evill dealing hear, had delte trecherusly with his freinds yt trusted him, & stole their letters & opened them, and sent coppies of them, with dis- gracefull añotations, to his freinds in England. And then ye Govr produced them and his other letters un- der his owne hand, (which he could not deney,) and caused them to be read before all ye people; at which all his freinds were blanke, and had not a word to say.
It would be too long & tedious here to inserte his letters (which would almost fill a volume), though I have them by me. I shall only note a few of ye cheefe things collected out of them, with ye answers to them as they were then given; and but a few of those many, only for instance, by which the rest may be judged of.
[121*] 1. First, he saith, the church would have none to live hear but them selves. 21y. Neither are any willing so to doe if they had company to live els- wher.
Ans : Their answer was, that this was false, in both ye parts of it; for they were willing & desirous yt any honest men may live with them, that will cary them selves peacably, and seek ye comone good, or at least doe them no hurte. And againe, ther are many that
* 121 is repeated in the paging of the original.
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will not live els wher so long as they may live with them.
2. That if ther come over any honest men that are not of ye seperation, they will quickly distast them, &c.
A. Ther answer was as before, that it was a false callumniation, for they had many amongst them that they liked well of, and were glad of their company ; and should be of any such like that should come amongst them.
3. That they excepted against him for these 2. doc- trins raised from 2. Sam : 12. 7. First, that ministers must sume times perticulerly apply their doctrine to spetiall persons ; 2ly, that great men may be reproved as well as meaner.
A. Their answer was, that both these were without either truth or colour of ye same (as was proved to his face), and that they had taught and beleeved these things long before they knew Mr. Liford.
4. That they utterly sought ye ruine of ye perticu- lers ; as appeareth by this, that they would not suffer any of ye generall either to buy or sell with them, or to exchaing one comoditie for another.
Ans : This was a most malicious slander and voyd of all truth, as was evidently proved to him before all men ; for any of them did both buy, sell, or exchaing with them as often as they had any occation. Yea, and allso both lend & give to them when they wanted ; and this the perticuler persons them selves could not
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deney, but freely confest in open court. But ye ground from whence this arose made it much worse, for he was in counsell with them. When one was called before them, and questioned for receiving pow- der and bisket from ye guner of ye small ship, which was ye companys, and had it put in at his window in the night, and allso for buying salt of one, that had no right to it, he not only stood to back him (being one of these perticulers) by excusing & extenuating his falte, as long as he could, but upon this builds this mischeeous & most false slander: That because they would not suffer them to buy stolne goods, ergo, they sought their utter ruine. Bad logick for a devine.
5. Next he writs, that he chocked them with this ; that they turned [122] men into their perticuler, and then sought to starve them, and deprive them of all means of subsistance.
A. To this was answered, he did them manifest wrong, for they turned none into their perticuler; it was their owne importunitie and ernest desire that moved them, yea, constrained them to doe it. And they apealed to ye persons them selves for ye truth hereof. And they testified the same against him be- fore all present, as allso that they had no cause to complaine of any either hard or unkind usage.
6. He accuseth them with unjust distribution, and writeth, that it was a strang difference, that some have bene alowed 16". of meale by ye weeke, and others
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but 4". And then (floutingly) saith, it seems some mens mouths and bellies are very litle & slender over others.
Ans : This might seeme strange indeed to those to whom he write his leters in England, which knew not ye reason of it; but to him and others hear, it could not be strange, who knew how things stood. For the first comers had none at all, but lived on their corne. Those wch came in ye Anne, ye August before, & were to live 13. months of the provissions they brought, had as good alowance in meal & pease as it would extend too, ye most part of ye year; but a litle be- fore harvest, when they had not only fish, but other fruits began to come in, they had but 4". having their libertie to make their owne provisions. But some of these which came last, as ye ship carpenter, and samiers, the salte-men & others that were to fol- low constante imployments, and had not an howers time, from their hard labours, to looke for any thing above their alowance; they had at first, 16" alowed them, and afterwards as fish, & other food coued be gott, they had as balemente, to 14. &. 12. yea some of them to 8. as the times & occasions did vary. And yet those which followed planting and their owne occasions, and had but 41. of meall a week, lived better then ye other, as was well knowne to all. And yet it must be remembered that Lyford & his had allwais the highest alowance.
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Many other things (in his letters) he accused them of, with many aggravations; as that he saw exseeding great wast of tools & vesseles; & this, when it came to be examened, all ye instance he could give was, that he had seen an old hogshed or too fallen to peeces, and a broken how or tow lefte carlesly in ye feilds by some. Though he also knew that a godly, honest man was appointed to looke to these things. But these things & such like was write of by him, to cast dis- grace & prejudice upon them; as thinking what came from a [123] minister would pass for currente. Then he tells them that Winslow should say, that ther was not above 7. of ye adventurers yt souight ye good of ye collony. That Mr. Oldam & him selfe had had much to doe with them, and that ye faction here might match ye Jesuits for politie. With many ye like greevious complaints & accusations.
1. Then, in the next place, he comes to give his freinds counsell and directtion. And first, that ye Leyden company (Mr. Robinson & ye rest) must still be kepte back, or els all will be spoyled. And least any of them should be taken in privatly somewher on ye coast of England, (as it was feared might be done,) they must chaing the mr. of ye ship (Mr. William Peirce), and put another allso in Winslows stead, for marchante, or els it would not be prevented.
2. Then he would have such a number provided as might oversway them hear. And that ye perticulers
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should have voyces in all courts & elections, and be free to bear any office. And that every perticuler should come over as an adventurer, if he be but a servante ; some other venturing 10"., ye bill may be taken out in ye servants name, and then assigned to ye party whose money it was, and good covenants drawn betweene them for ye clearing of ye matter ; and this (saith he) would be a means to strengthen this side ye more.
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