USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Bradford's history "of Plimoth plantation" from the original manuscript > Part 22
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* 1629-30, March 8th, the second letter concerning the latter company of Leyden people. - Prince.
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their transportation from Holland to England, & their charges lying ther, and passages hither, with clothing provided for them. For I find by accounte for ye one company, 125. yeards of karsey, 127. ellons of linen cloath, shoes, 66. pr, with many other perticulers. The charge of ye other company is reckoned on ye severall families, some 50t., some 40"., some 30t., and so more or less, as their number & expencess were. And besids all this charg, their freinds & bretheren here were to provid corne & other provissions for them, till they could reap a crope which was long before. Those that came in May were thus maintained upward of 16. or 18. months, before they had any harvest of their owne, & ye other by proportion. And all they could doe in ye mean time was to gett them some housing, and prepare them grounds to plant on, against the season. And this charg of maintaining them all this while was litle less then ye former sume. These things I note more perticulerly, for sundry regards. First, to shew a rare example herein of brotherly love, and Christian care in performing their promises and covenants to their bretheren, too, & in a sorte beyonde their power; that they should venture so desperatly to ingage them selves to accomplish this thing, and bear it so cheer- fully ; for they never demanded, much less had, any repaymente of all these great sumes thus disbursed. 2ly. It must needs be that ther was more then of man in these acheevements, that should thus readily stire up
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ye harts of shuch able frinds to joyne in partnership with them in shuch a case, and cleave so faithfullie to them as these did, in so great adventures; and the more because the most of them never saw their faces to this day; ther being neither kindred, aliance, or other acquaintance or relations betweene any of them, then hath been before mentioned; it must needs be therfore the spetiall worke and hand of God. 3ly. That these poore people here in a wilderness should, notwithstanding, be inabled in time to repay all these ingagments, and many more unjustly brought upon them through the unfaithfullnes of some, and many other great losses which they sustained, which will be made manifest, if ye Lord be pleased to give life and time. In ye mean time, I cannot but admire his ways and workes towards his servants, and humbly desire to blesse his holy name for his great mercies hithertoo.
[166] The Leyden people being thus come over, and sundry of ye generalitie seeing & hearing how great ye charg was like to be that was that way to be expended, they begane to murmure and repine at it, notwith- standing ye burden lay on other mens shoulders ; espetially at ye paying of ye 3. bushells of corne a year, according to ye former agreemente, when ye trad was lett for ye 6. years aforesaid. But to give them contente herein allso, it was promised them, that if they could doe it in ye time without it, they would never demand it of them; which gave them good con-
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tente. And indeed it never was paid, as will appeare by ye sequell.
Concerning Mr. Allertons proceedings about ye in- larging & confirming of their patent, both yt at home & Kenebeck, will best appere by another leter of Mr. Sherleys; for though much time & money was expended aboute it, yet he left it unaccomplisht this year, and came without it. See Mr. Sherleys letter.
Most worthy & loving freinds, &c.
Some of your letters I received in July, & some since by Mr. Peirce, but till our maine bussines, ye patent, was granted, I could not setle my mind nor pen to writing. M. Allerton was so turrmoyled about it, as verily I would not nor could not have undergone it, if I might have had a thousand pounds ; but ye Lord so blessed his labours (even beyond expectation in these evill days) as he obtained ye love & favore of great men in repute & place. He got granted from ye Earle of Warwick & ST. Ferdinando Gorge all that Mr. Winslow desired in his letters to me, & more also, which I leave to him to relate. Then he sued to ye king to confirme their grante, and to make you a corporation, and so to inable you to make & execute lawes, in such large & ample maner as ye Massachusett plantation hath it ; which ye king graciously granted, referring it to ye Lord Keeper to give order to ye solisiter to draw it up, if ther were a presidente for it. So ye Lord Keeper furthered it all he could, and allso ye solissiter; but as Festus said to Paule, With no small sume of money obtained I this freedom; for by ye way many ridells must be resolved, and many locks must be opened with ye silver, ney, ye golden key. Then it was to come to ye Lord Treasurer, to have his warrente
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for freeing ye custume for a certaine time; but he would not doe it, but refferd it to ye Counsell table. And ther Mr. Allerton atended day by day, when they sate, but could not gett his petition read. And by reason of Mr. Peirce his staying with all ye passengers at Bristoll, he was forct to leave ye further prosecuting of it to a solissiter. But ther is no fear nor doubte but it will be granted, for he hath ye cheefe of them to freind; yet it will be marvelously need- full for him to returne by ye first ship yt comes from thence ; for if you had this confirmed, then were you compleate, and might bear such sway & goverment as were fitt for your ranke & place yt God hath called you unto; and stope ye moueths of base and scurrulous fellowes, yt are ready to question & threaten you in every action you [167.] doe. And besids, if you have ye custome free for 7. years inward, & 21. outward, ye charge of ye patent will be soone re- covered, and ther is no fear of obtaining* it. But such things must work by degrees ; men cannot hasten it as they would ; werefore we (I write in behalfe of all our partners here) desire you to be ernest with Mr. Allerton to come, and his wife to spare him this one year more, to finish this great & waighty bussines, which we conceive will be much for your good, & I hope for your posteritie, and for many generations to come.
Thus much of this letter. It was dated ye 19. March, 1629.
By which it appears what progress was made herein, & in part what charge it was, and how left unfinished, and some reason of ye same; but in truth (as was
* This word is here substituted for recovering in the manuscript, on the authority of Bradford's Letter-Book.
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afterwards appehended) the meaine reason was Mr. Allerton's policie, to have an opportunitie to be sent over againe, for other regards; and for that end pro- cured them thus to write. For it might then well enough have been finshed, if not with yt clause aboute ye custumes, which was Mr. Allertons & Mr. Sherleys device, and not at all thought on by ye colony here, nor much regarded, yet it might have been done with- out it, without all queston, having passed ye kings hand ; nay it was conceived it might then have beene done with it, if he had pleased; but covetousnes never brings ought home, as ye proverb is, for this oppertunytie being lost, it was never accomplished, but a great deale of money veainly & lavishly cast away aboute it, as doth appear upon their accounts. But of this more in its place.
Mr. Alerton gave them great and just ofence in this (which I had omited * and almost forgotten), - in bringing over this year, for base gaine, that unworthy man, and instrumente of mischeefe, Morton, who was sent home but ye year before for his misdemenors. He not only brought him over, but to ye towne (as it were to nose them), and lodged him at his owne house, and for a while used him as a scribe to doe his bussines, till he was caused to pack him away. So he wente to his old nest in ye Massachusets, wher it was not long
* This paragraph is written on the reverse of the page immediately pre- ceding, in the original manuscript.
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but by his miscariage he gave them just occation to lay hands on him; and he was by them againe sent prisoner into England, wher he lay a good while in Exeter Jeole. For besids his miscariage here, he was vemently suspected for ye murder of a man that had adventured moneys with him, when he came first into New-England. And a warrente was sente from ye Lord Cheefe Justice to apprehend him, by vertue wherof he was by the Gov' of ye Massachusets sent into England ; and for other his misdemenors amongst them, they demolisht his house, that it might be no longer a roost for shuch unclaine birds to nestle in. Yet he got free againe, and write an infamouse & scurillous booke against many godly & cheefe men of ye cuntrie; full of lyes & slanders, and fraight with profane callumnies against their names and persons, and ye ways of God. After sundry years, when ye warrs were hott in England, he came againe into ye cuntrie, and was imprisoned at Boston for this booke and other things, being grown old in wickednes.
Concerning ye rest of Mr. Allertons instructions, in which they strictly injoyned him not to exceed above yt 50". in ye goods before mentioned, not to bring any but trading comodities, he followed them not at all, but did the quite contrarie; bringing over many other sorts of retaile goods, selling what he could by the way on his owne accounte, and delivering the rest, which he said to be theirs, into ye store; and for
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trading goods brought but litle in comparison ; excusing the matter, they had laid out much about ye Laiden people, & patent, &c. And for other goods, they had much of them of ther owne dealings, without present disbursemente, & to like effect. And as for passing his bounds & instructions, he laid it on Mr. Sherley, &c., who, he said, they might see his mind in his leters ; also that they had sett out Ashley at great charg; but next year they should have what trading goods they would send for, if things were now well setled, &c. And thus were they put off; indeed Mr. Sherley write things tending this way, but it is like he was overruled by Mr. Allerton, and harkened more to him then to their letters from hence.
Thus he further writs in ye former leter.
I see what you write in your leters concerning ye over- coming & paying of our debts, which I confess are great, and had need be carfully looked unto; yet no doubt but we, joyning in love, may soone over-come them; but we must follow it roundly & to purposs, for if we pedle out ye time of our trad, others will step in and nose us. But we know yt you have yt aquaintance & experience in ye coun- trie, as none have the like; wherfore, freinds & partners, be no way discouraged with ye greatnes of ye debt, &c., but let us not fulfill ye proverbe, to bestow 12ª. on a purse, and put 6ª. [168] in it; but as you and we have been at great charg, and undergone much for setling you ther, and to gaine ex- perience, so as God shall enable us, let us make use of it. And think not with 50}. pound a yeare sent you over, to rayse shuch means as to pay our debts. We see a possi-
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billitie of good if you be well supplied, and fully furnished ; and cheefly if you lovingly agree. I know I write to godly and wise men, such as have lerned to bear one an others infirmities, and rejoyce at any ones prosperities ; and if I were able I would press this more, because it is hoped by some of your enimies, that you will fall out one with another, and so over throw your hopfull bussines. Nay, I have heard it crediblie reported, yt some have said, that till you be disjoynted by discontents & factions * amongst your sellves, it bootes not any to goe over, in hope of getting or doing good in those parts. But we hope beter things of you, and that you will not only bear one with another, but banish such thoughts, and not suffer them to lodg in your brests. God grant you may disappointe ye hopes of your foes, and procure ye hartie desire of your selves & freinds in this perticuler.
By this it appears that ther was a kind of concurrance betweene Mr. Allerton and them in these things, and that they gave more regard to his way & course in these things, then to ye advise from hence; which made him bould to presume above his instructions, and to rune on in ye course he did, to their greater hurt after- wards, as will appear. These things did much trouble them hear, but they well knew not how to help it, being loath to make any breach or contention hear aboute; being so premonished as before in ye leter above recited. An other more secrete cause was here- with concurrente ; Mr. Allerton had maried ye daughter of their Reverend Elder, Mr. Brewster (a man beloved
* Fractions in the manuscript.
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& honoured amongst them, and who tooke great paines in teaching & dispenceing ye word of God unto them), whom they were loath to greeve or any way offend, so as they bore with much in that respecte. And with all Mr. Allerton carried so faire with him, and procured such leters from Mr. Sherley to him, with shuch ap- plause of Mr. Allertons wisdom, care, and faithfullnes, in ye bussines; and as things stood none were so fitte to send aboute them as he; and if any should suggest other wise, it was rather out of envie, or some other sinister respecte then other wise. Besids, though pri- vate gaine, I doe perswade my selfe, was some cause to lead Mr. Allerton aside in these beginings, yet I thinke, or at least charitie caries me to hope, that he intended to deale faithfully with them in ye maine, and had such an opinion of his owne abillitie, and some experience of ye benefite that he had made in this singuler way, as he conceived he might both raise him selfe an estate, and allso be a means to bring in such profite to Mr. Sherley, (and it may be ye rest,) as might be as lickly to bring in their moneys againe with advantage, and it may be sooner then from the generall way; or at least it was looked upon by some of them to be a good help ther unto; and that neither he nor any other did intend to charge ye generall accounte with any thing that rane in perticuler; or yt Mr. Sherley or any other did purposs but yt ye generall should be first & fully supplyed. I say charitie
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makes me thus conceive; though things fell out other wise, and they missed of their aimes, and ye generall suffered abundantly hereby, as will afterwards apear.
[169] Togeither herewith sorted an other bussines contrived by Mr. Allerton and them ther, wthout any knowledg of ye partners, and so farr proceeded in as they were constrained to allow therof, and joyne in ye same, though they had no great liking of it, but feared what might be ye evente of ye same. I shall relate it in a further part of Mr. Sherley's leter as foloweth.
I am to aquainte you that we have thought good to joyne with one Edward Ashley (a man I thinke yt some of you know) ; but it is only of yt place wherof he hath a patente in Mr. Beachamps name; and to that end have furnished him with larg provissions, &c. Now if you please to be partners with us in this, we are willing you shall; for after we heard how forward Bristoll men (and as I hear some able men of his owne kindrid) have been to stock & sup- ply him, hoping of profite, we thought it fitter for us to lay hould of such an opportunitie, and to keep a kind of runing plantation, then others who have not borne ye burthen of setling a plantation, as we have done. And he, on ye other side, like an understanding yonge man, thought it better to joyne with those yt had means by a plantation to supply & back him ther, rather then strangers, that looke but only after profite. Now it is not knowne that you are partners with him; but only we 4., Mr. Andrews, Mr. Beachamp, my selfe, & Mr. Hatherley, who desired to have ye patente, in consideration of our great loss we have allready sustained in setling ye first plantation ther ; so we agreed togeather to
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take it in our names. And now, as I said before, if you please to joyne with us, we are willing you should. M. Allerton had no power from you to make this new con- tracte, neither was he willing to doe any thing therin with- out your consente & approbation. Mr. William Peirce is joyned with us in this, for we thought it very conveniente, because of landing Ashley and his goods ther, if God please ; and he will bend his course accordingly. He hath a new boate with him, and boards to make another, with 4. or 5. lustie fellowes, wherof one is a carpenter. Now in case you are not willing in this perticuler to joyne with us, fear- ing ye charge & doubting ye success, yet thus much we in- treate of you, to afford him all the help you can, either by men, commodities, or boats ; yet not but yt we will pay you for any thing he hath. And we desire you to keep ye accounts apart, though you joyne with us; becase ther is, as you see, other partners in this then ye other; so, for all mens wages, boats-hire, or comodities, which we shall have of you, make him debtore for it; and what you shall have of him, make ye plantation or your selves debtore for it to him, and so ther will need no mingling of ye ac- counts.
And now, loving freinds & partners, if you joyne in Ashles patent & bussines, though we have laid out ye money and taken up much to stock this bussines & the other, yet I thinke it conscionable and reasonable yt you should beare your shares and proportion of ye stock, if not by present money, yet by securing us for so much as it shall come too ; for it is not barly ye interest yt is to be alowed & con- sidered of, but allso ye adventure; though I hope in God, by his blessing & your honest indeavors, it may soon be payed ; yet ye years yt this partnership holds is not long, nor many ; let all therfore lay it to harte, and make ye best use of ye time that possiblie we cann, and let every man
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put too his shoulder, and ye burthen will be the lighter. I know you are so honest & conscionable men, as you will consider hereof, [170] and returne shuch an answer as may give good satisfaction. Ther is none of us that would ven- ture as we have done, were it not to strengthen & setle you more then our owne perticuler profite.
Ther is no liclyhood of doing any good in buying ye debte for ye purchas. I know some will not abate ye interest, and therfore let it rune its course ; they are to be paied yearly, and so I hope they shall, according to agreemente. The Lord grant yt our loves & affections may still be united, and knit togeither ; and so we rest your ever loving friends,
JAMES SHERLEY. TIMOTHY HATHERLEY.
Bristoll, March 19. 1629.
This mater of ye buying ye debts of ye purchass was parte of Mr. Allertons instructions, and in many of them it might have been done to good profite for ready pay (as some were) ; but Mr. Sherley had no mind to it. But this bussines aboute Ashley did not a litle trouble them ; for though he had wite & abillitie enough to menage ye bussines, yet some of them knew him to be a very profane yonge man; and he had for some time lived amonge ye Indeans as a savage, & wente naked amongst them, and used their maners (in wch time he got their language), so they feared he might still rune into evill courses (though he prom- ised better), and God would not prosper his ways. As soone as he was landed at ye place intended, caled Penobscote, some 4. score leagues from this place, he
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write (& afterwards came) for to desire to be sup- plyed with Wampampeake, corne against winter, and other things. They considered these were of their cheefe comodities, and would be continually needed by him, and it would much prejudice their owne trade at Kenebeck if they did not joyne with him in ye ordering of things, if thus they should supply him; and on ye other hand, if they refused to joyne with him, and allso to afford any supply unto him, they should greatly offend their above named friends, and might hapily lose them hereby; and he and Mr. Aller- ton, laying their craftie wits togither, might gett sup- plies of these things els wher; besids, they considered that if they joyned not in ye bussines, they knew Mr. Allerton would be with them in it, & so would swime, as it were, betweene both, to ye prejudice of boath, but of them selves espetially. For they had reason to thinke this bussines was cheefly of his contriving, and Ashley was a man fitte for his turne and dealings. So they, to prevente a worse mischeefe, resolved to joyne in ye bussines, and gave him supplies in what they could, & overlooked his proceedings as well as they could; the which they did ye better, by joyning an honest yonge man,* that came from Leyden, with him as his fellow (in some sorte), and not merely as a servante. Which yonge man being discreete, and one whom they could trust, they so instructed as
* Thomas Willett.
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keept Ashley in some good mesure within bounds. And so they returned their answer to their freinds in England, that they accepted of their motion, and joyned with them in Ashleys bussines .; and yet with- all tould them what their fears were concerning him.
But when they came to have full notice of all ye goods brought them that year, they saw they fell very short of trading goods, and Ashley farr better sup- pleyed then [171] themselves ; so as they were forced to buy of the fisher men to furnish them selves, yea, & cottens & carseys & other such like cloath (for want of trading cloath) of Mr. Allerton himselfe, and so to put away a great parte of their beaver, at under rate, in the countrie, which they should have sente home, to help to discharge . their great ingagementes ; which was to their great vexation; but Mr. Allerton prayed them to be contente, and ye nexte yere they might have what they would write for. And their in- gagmentes of this year were great indeed when they came to know them, (which was not wholy till 2. years after) ; and that which made them ye more, Mr. Allerton had taken up some large sumes at Bristoll at 50. pr cent. again, which he excused, that he was forcte to it, because other wise he could at ye spring of year get no goods transported, such were their envie against their trade. But wheither this was any more then an excuse, some of them doubted; but how-
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ever, ye burden did lye on their backs, and they must bear it, as they did many heavie loads more in ye end.
This paying of 50. pr cent. and dificulty of having their goods trasported by ye fishing ships at ye first of ye year, (as was beleeved,) which was ye cheefe season for trade, put them upon another projecte. Mr. Allerton, after ye fishing season was over, light of a bargan of salte, at a good fishing place, and bought it; which came to aboute 113" .; and shortly after he might have had 30". cleare profite for it, without any more trouble aboute it. But Mr. Winslow coming that way from Kenebeck, & some other of ther partners with him in ye barke, they mett with Mr. Allerton, and falling into discourse with him, they stayed him from selling ye salte; and resolved, if it might please ye rest, to keep it for them selves, and to hire a ship in ye west cuntrie to come on fishing for them, on shares, according to ye coustome; and seeing she might have her salte here ready, and a stage ready builte & fitted wher the salt lay safely landed & housed. Instead of bringing salte, they might stowe her full of trading goods, as bread, pease, cloth, &c., and so they might have a full supply of goods without paing fraight, and in due season, which might turne greatly to their advantage. Coming home, this was propounded, and considered on, and aproved by all but ye Gov", who had no mind to it, seeing they had allway lost
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by fishing; but ye rest were so ernest, as thinkeing that they might gaine well by ye fishing in this way ; and if they should but save, yea, or lose some thing by it, ye other benefite would be advantage inough ; so, seeing their ernestnes, he gave way, and it was referd to their freinds in England to alow, or disalow it. Of which more in its place.
Upon ye consideration of ye bussines about ye paten, & in what state it was left, as is before remembred, and Mr. Sherleys ernest pressing to have Mr. Allerto to come over againe to finish it, & perfect ye accounts, &c., it was concluded to send him over this year againe; though it was with some fear & jeolocie; yet he gave them fair words and promises of well perform- ing all their bussineses according to their directions, and to mend his former errors. So he was accordingly sent with full instructions for all things, with large let- ters to Mr. Sherley & ye rest, both aboute Ashleys bussines and their owne suply with trading comodities, and how much it did concerne them to be furnished therwith, & what ye had suffered for wante therof; and of what litle use other goods were [172] in com- parison therof; and so likewise aboute this fishing ship, to be thus hired, and fraught with trading goods, which might both supply them & Ashley, and ye benefite therof; which was left to their consideration to hire & set her out, or not; but in no case not to send any, exepte she was thus fraighte with trading
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