USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Bradford's history "of Plimoth plantation" from the original manuscript > Part 29
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Novbr 18. Anº 1631. By Mr. Peirce 0400. waight of beaver, & otters 20. July 13. Anº 1632. By Mr. Griffin 1348ª. beaver, & otters . · 147.
Anº 1633. By Mr. Graves 3366#. bever, & otters . 346.
Anº 1634. By Mr. Andrews 3738#. beaver, & otters . 234. Anº 1635. By Mr. Babb 1150#. beaver, & otters . 200.
June 24. Anº 1636. By Mr. Willkinson 1809ti. beaver, & otters . 010. Ibidem. By Mr. Langrume 0719#. beaver, & otters . . 199.
12150ti .* 1156.
* Not correctly cast; it should be 12530#.
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All these sumes were safly rceived & well sould, as appears by leters. The coat beaver usualy at 20s. pr pound, and some at 24s. ; the skin at 15. & some- times 16. I doe not remember any under 14. It may be ye last year might be something lower, so also ther were some small furrs that are not recconed in this accounte, & some black beaver at higer rates, to make up ye defects. [217] It was conceived that ye former parcells of beaver came to litle less then 10000". sterling, and ye otter skins would pay all ye charge, & they wth other furrs make up besids if any thing wanted of ye former sume. When ye former accounte was passed, all their debts (those of White- Angelle & Frendship included) came but to 47701. And they could not estimate that all ye supplies since sent them, & bills payed for them, could come to above 2000". so as they conceived their debts had been payed, with advantage or intrest. But it may be objected, how comes it that they could not as well exactly sett downe their receits, as their returnes, but thus estimate it. I answer, 2. things were ye cause of it; the first & principall was, that ye new ac- countante, which they in England would needs presse upon them, did wholy faile them, & could never give them any accounte; but trusting to his memorie, & lose papers, let things rune into such confusion, that neither he, nor any with him, could bring things to rights. But being often called upon to perfecte his
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accounts, he desired to have such a time, and such a time of leasure, and he would doe it. In ye intrime he fell into a great sicknes, and in conclusion it fell out he could make no accounte at all. His books were after a litle good begining left altogeather un- perfect ; and his papers, some were lost, & others so confused, as he knew not what to make of them him selfe, when they came to be searched & examined. This was not unknowne to Mr. Sherley ; and they came to smarte for it to purposs, (though it was not their faulte, ) both thus in England, and also here ; for they conceived they lost some hundreds of pounds for goods trusted out in ye place, which were lost for want of clear accounts to call them in. Another rea- son of this mischeefe was, that after Mr. Winslow was sente into England to demand accounts, and to excepte against ye Whit-Angell, they never had any price sent with their goods, nor any certaine invoyce of them; but all things stood in confusion, and they were faine to guesse at ye prises of them.
They write back to Mr. Andrews & Mt. Beachamp, and tould them they marveled they should write they had sent nothing home since ye last accounts ; for they had sente a great deale; and it might rather be marveled how they could be able to send so much, besids defraying all charg at home, and what they had lost by the French, and so much cast away at sea, when Mr. Peirce lost his ship on ye coast of Vir-
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ginia. What they had sente was to them all, and to them selves as well as Mr. Sherley, and if they did not looke after it, it was their owne falts ; they must referr them to Mr. Sherley, who had received [218] it, to demand it of him. They allso write to Mr. Sherley to ye same purposs, and what the others com- plaints were.
This year 2. shallops going to Coonigtecutt with goods from ye Massachusetts of such as removed theither to plante, were in an easterly storme cast away in coming into this harbore in ye night; the boats men were lost, and ye goods were driven all alonge ye shore, and strowed up & downe at high- water marke. But ye Govr caused them to be gath- ered up, and drawn together, and appointed some to take an inventory of them, and others to wash & drie such things as had neede therof; by which means most of ye goods were saved, and restored to ye owners. Afterwards anotheir boate of theirs (go- ing thither likwise) was cast away near unto Manoan- scusett, and such goods as came a shore were preserved for them. Such crosses they mette with in their be- ginings ; which some imputed as a correction from God for their intrution (to ye wrong of others) into yt place. But I dare not be bould with Gods judg- ments in this kind.
In ye year 1634, the Pequents (a stoute and war- like people), who had made warrs with sundry of
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their neigbours, and puft up with many victories, grue now at varience with ye Narigansets, a great people bordering upon them. These Narigansets held correspondance and termes of freindship with ye Eng- lish of ye Massachusetts. Now ye Pequents, being con- scious of ye guilte of Captain-Stones death, whom they knew to be an-English man, as also those yt were with him, and being fallen out with ye Dutch, least they should have over many enemies at once, sought to make freindship with ye English of ye Massachu- setts ; and for yt end sent both messengers & gifts unto them, as appears by some letters sent from ye Govr hither.
Dear & worthy S": &c. To let you know somwhat of our affairs, you may understand that ye Pequents have sent some of theirs to us, to desire our freindship, and offered much wampam & beaver, &c. The first messengers were dismissed without answer ; with ye next we had diverce dayes conferance, and taking ye advice of some of our ministers, and seeking the Lord in it, we concluded a peace & freind- ship with them, upon these conditions : that they should de- liver up to us those men who were guilty of Stones death, &c. And if we desired to plant in Conightecute, they should give up their right to us, and so we would send to trade with them as our freinds (which was ye cheefe thing we aimed at, being now in warr with ye Dutch and ye rest of their neigbours). To this they readily agreed ; and that we should meadiate a peace betweene them and the Narigan- setts ; for which end they were contente we should give the Narigansets parte of yt presente, they would bestow on us
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(for they stood [219] * so much on their honour, as they would not be seen to give any thing of them selves). As for Captein Stone, they tould us ther were but 2. left of those who had any hand in his death; and that they killed him in a just quarell, for (say they) he surprised 2. of our men, and bound them, to make them by force to shew him ye way up ye river ; ; and he with 2. other coming on shore, 9. Indeans watched him, and when they were a sleepe in ye night, they kiled them, to deliver their owne men ; and some of them going afterwards to ye pinass, it was suddainly blowne up. We are now preparing to send a pinass unto them, &c.
In an other of his, dated ye 12. of ye first month, he hath this.
Our pinass is latly returned from ye Pequents; they put of but litle comoditie, and found them a very false people, so as they mean to have no more to doe with them. I have diverce other things to write unto you, &c.
Yours ever assured, JO : WINTHROP.
Boston, 12. of ye 1. month, 1634.
After these things, and, as I take, this year, John Oldom, (of whom much is spoken before,) being now an inhabitant of ye Massachusetts, went wth a small vessell, & slenderly mand, a trading into these south parts, and upon a quarell betweene him & ye Indeans was cutt of by them (as hath been before noted) at an iland called by ye Indeans Munisses, but since by
119 in MS.
t Ther is litle trust to be given to their relations in these things.
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ye English Block Iland. This, with ye former about the death of Stone, and the baffoyling of ye Pequents with ye English of ye Massachusetts, moved them to set out some to take revenge, and require satisfaction for these wrongs ; but it was done so superfitially, and without their acquainting of those of Conightecute & other neighbours with ye same, as they did litle good. But their neigbours had more hurt done, for some of ye murderers of Oldome fled to ye Pequents, and though the English went to ye Pequents, and had some parley with them, yet they did but delude them, & ye English returned without doing any thing to purpose, being frustrate of their oppertunitie by ye others deceite. After ye English were returned, the Pequents tooke their time and oppertunitie to cut of some of ye English as they passed in boats, and went on fouling, and assaulted them the next spring at their habytations, as will appear in its place. I doe but touch these things, because I make no question they will be more fully & distinctly handled by them selves, who had more exacte knowledg of them, and whom they did more properly concerne.
This year Mr. Smith layed downe his place of min- istrie, partly by his owne willingnes, as thinking it too heavie a burthen, and partly at the desire, and by ye perswasion, of others; and the church sought out for [220]* some other, having often been disap-
120 in MS.
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pointed in their hops and desires heretofore. And it pleased the Lord to send them an able and a godly man,* and of a meeke and humble spirite, sound in ye truth, and every way unreproveable in his life & conversation ; whom, after some time of triall, they chose for their teacher, the fruits of whose labours they injoyed many years with much comforte, in peace, & good agreemente.
Anno Dom: 1637.
IN ye fore parte of this year, the Pequents fell openly upon ye English at Conightecute, in ye lower parts of ye river, and slew sundry of them, (as they were at work in ye feilds,) both men & women, to ye great terrour of ye rest ; and wente away in great prid & triumph, with many high threats. They allso assalted a fort at ye rivers mouth, though strong and well defended; and though they did not their pre- vaile, yet it struk them with much fear & astonish- mente to see their bould attempts in the face of danger; which made them in all places to stand upon their gard, and to prepare for resistance, and ernestly to solissite their freinds and confederats in ye Bay of Massachusets to send them speedy aide, for they looked for more forcible assaults. Mr. Vane, being then Govr, write from their Generall Courte to them hear, to joyne with them in this warr; to
* Mr. John Reinor.
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which they were cordially willing, but tooke oppor- tunitie to write to them aboute some former things, as well as presente, considerable hereaboute. The which will best appear in ye Gov" answer which he returned to ye same, which I shall here inserte.
S": The Lord having so disposed, as that your letters to our late Govr is fallen to my lott to make answer unto, I could have wished I might have been at more freedome of time & thoughts also, that I might have done it more to your & my owne satisfaction. But what shall be wanting now may be supplyed hereafter. For ye matters which from your selfe & counsell were propounded & objected to us, we thought not fitte to make them so publicke as ye cognizance of our Generall Courte. But as they have been considered by those of our counsell, this answer we thinke fitt to re- turne unto you. (1.) Wereas you signifie your willingnes to joyne with us in this warr against ye Pequents, though you cannot ingage your selves without ye consente of your Generall Courte, we acknowledg your good affection towards us, (which we never had cause to doubt of,) and are will- ing to attend your full resolution, when it may most season- ably be ripened. (2ly.) Wheras you make this warr to be our people, and not [221] to conceirne your selves, otherwise then by consequence, we do in parte consente to you therin ; yet we suppose, that, in case of perill, you will not stand upon such terms, as we hope we should not doe towards you ; and withall we conceive that you looke at ye Pequents, and all other Indeans, as a comone enimie, who, though he may take occasion of ye begining of his rage, from some one parte of ye English, yet if he prevaile, will surly pursue his advantage, to ye rooting out of ye whole nation. Ther- fore when we desired your help, we did it not without
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respecte to your owne saftie, as ours. (3ly.) Wheras you desire we should be ingaged to, aide you, upon all like occa- sions ; we are perswaded you do not doubte of it; yet as we now deale with you as a free people, and at libertie, so as we cannot draw you into this warr with us, otherwise then as reason may guid & provock you; so we desire we may be at ye like freedome, when any occasion may call for help from us. And wheras it is objected to us, that we refused to aide you against ye French; we con- ceive ye case was not alicke; yet we cannot wholy excuse our failing in that matter. (41y.) Weras you objecte that we began ye warr without your privitie, & managed it con- trary to your advise ; the truth is, that our first intentions being only against Block Iland, and ye interprice seeming of small difficultie, we did not so much as consider of taking advice, or looking out for aide abroad. And when we had resolved upon ye Pequents, we sent presently, or not long after, to you aboute it; but ye answer received, it was not seasonable for us to chaing our counsells, excepte we had seen and waighed your grounds, which might have out wayed our owne.
(5ly.) For our peoples trading at Kenebeck, we assure you (to our knowledge) it hath not been by any allowance from us; and what we have provided in this and like cases, at our last Courte, Mr. E. W. can certifie you.
And (6ly) ; wheras you objecte to us yt we should hold trade & correspondancie with ye French, your enemise ; we answer, you are misinformed, for, besids some letters which hath passed betweene our late Gov and them, to which we were privie, we have neither sente nor incouraged ours to trade with them ; only one vessell or tow, for ye better con- veace of our letters, had licens from our Govr to sayle thither .*
* But by this means they did furnish them, & have still continued to doe.
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Diverce other things have been privatly objected to us, by our worthy freind, wherunto he received some answer; but most of them concerning ye apprehention of perticuler dis- curteseis, or injueries from some perticuler persons amongst us. It concernes us not to give any other answer to them then this; that, if ye offenders shall be brought forth in a right way, we shall be ready to doe justice as ye case shall require. In the meane time, we desire you to rest assured, that such things are without our privity, and not a litle greeveous to us.
Now for ye joyning with us in this warr, which indeed concerns us no other wise then it may your selves, viz. : the releeving of our freinds & Christian [222] breethren, who are now first in ye danger; though you may thinke us able to make it good without you, (as, if ye Lord please to be with us, we may,) yet 3. things we offer to your consideration, which (we conceive) may have some waight with you. (First) yt if we should sinck under this burden, your opportunities of seasonable help would be lost in 3. respects. 1. You cannot recover us, or secure your selves ther, with 3. times ye charge & hazard which now ye may. 2ly. The sorrowes which we should lye under (if through your neglect) would much abate of ye acceptablenes of your help afterwards. 3ly. Those of yours, who are now full of courage and forwardnes, would be much damped, and so less able to undergoe so great a burden. The (2.) thing is this, that it concernes us much to hasten this warr to an end before ye end of this somer, otherwise ye newes of it will discourage both your & our freinds from coming to us next year; with what further hazard & losse it may expose us unto, your selves may judge.
The (3.) thing is this, that if ye Lord shall please to blesse our endeaours, so as we end ye warr, or put it in a hopefull way without you, it may breed such ill thoughts in our people towards yours, as will be hard to entertaine
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such opinione of your good will towards us, as were fitt to be nurished among such neigbours & brethren as we are. And what ill consequences may follow, on both sids, wise men may fear, & would rather prevente then hope to re- dress. So with my harty salutations to you selfe, and all your counsell, and other our good freinds with you, I rest Yours most assured in ye Lord,
Jo : WINTHROP.
Boston, ye 20. of ye 3. month, 1637.
In ye mean time, the Pequents, espetially in ye win- ter before, sought to make peace with ye Narigansets, and used very pernicious arguments to move them therunto : as that ye English were stranegers and be- gane to overspred their countrie, and would deprive them therof in time, if they were suffered to grow & increse ; and if ye Narigansets did assist ye English to subdue them, they did but make way for their owne overthrow, for if they were rooted out, the English would soone take occasion to subjugate them ; and if they would harken to them, they should not neede to fear ye strength of ye English; for they would not come to open battle with them, but fire their houses, kill their katle, and lye in ambush for them as they went abroad upon their occasions ; and all this they might easily doe without any or litle danger to them selves. The which course being held, they well saw the English could not long subsiste, but they would either be starved with hunger, or be forced to forsake the countrie; with many ye like things ; in-
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somuch that ye Narigansets were once wavering, and were halfe minded to have made peace with them, and joyed against ye English. But againe when they con- sidered, how much wrong they had received from the Pequents, and what an oppertunitie they now had by ye help of ye English to right them selves, revenge was so sweete unto them, as it prevailed above all ye rest ; so as they resolved to joyne with ye English against them, & did. [223] The Court here agreed forwith to send 50. men at their owne charg; and wth as much speed as posiblie they could, gott them armed, and had made them ready under sufficiente leaders, and provided a barke to carrie them provisions & tend upon them for all occasions ; but when they were ready to march (with a supply from ye Bay) they had word to stay, for ye enimy was as good as vanquished, and their would be no neede.
I shall not take upon me exactly to describe their proceedings in these things, because I expecte it will be fully done by them selves, who best know the car- rage & circumstances of things; I shall' therfore but touch them in generall. From Connightecute (who were most sencible of ye hurt sustained, & ye pres- ent danger), they sett out a partie of men, and an other partie mett them from ye Bay, at ye Narigansets, who were to joyne with them. Ye Narigansets were ernest to be gone before ye English were well rested and refreshte, espetially some of them which came last.
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It should seeme their desire was to come upon ye enemie sudenly, & undiscovered. Ther was a barke of this place, newly put in ther, which was come from Conightecutte, who did incourage them to lay hold of ye Indeans forwardnes, and to shew as great forward- nes as they, for it would incorage them, and expedi- tion might prove to their great advantage. So they went on, and so ordered their march, as the Indeans brought them to a forte of ye enimies (in which most of their cheefe men were) before day. They ap- proached ye same with great silence, and surrounded it both with English & Indeans, that they might not breake out; and so assualted them with great courage, shooting amongst them, and entered ye forte with all speed ; and those yt first entered found sharp resist- ance from the enimie, who both shott at & grapled with them; others rane into their howses, & brought out fire, and sett them on fire, which soone tooke in their matts, &, standing close togeather, with ye wind, all was quickly on a flame, and therby more were burnte to death then was otherwise slain; it burnte their bowstrings, and made them unservisable. Those yt scaped ye fire were slaine with ye sword; some hewed to peeces, others rune throw with their rapiers, so as they were quickly dispatchte, and very few es- caped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400. at this time. It was a fearfull sight to see them thus frying in ye fyer, and ye streams of blood
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quenching ye same, and horrible was ye stinck & sente ther of; but ye victory seemed a sweete sacri- fice, and they gave the prays therof to God, who had wrought so wonderfuly for them, thus to inclose their enimise in their hands, and give them so speedy a victory over so proud & insulting an enimie. The Narigansett Indeans, all this while, stood round aboute, but aloofe from all danger, and left ye whole [224] execution to ye English, exept it were ye stoping of any yt broke away, insulting over their enimies in this their ruine & miserie, when they saw them dancing in ye flames, calling them by a word in their owne lan- guage, signifing, O brave Pequents ! which they used familierly among them selves in their own prayes, in songs of triumph after their victories. After this ser- vis was thus happily accomplished, they marcht to the water side, wher they mett with some of their vesells, by which they had refreishing with victualls & other necessaries. But in their march ye rest of ye Pe- quents drew into a body, and acoasted them, thinking to have some advantage against them by * reason of a neck of land; but when they saw the English pre- pare for them, they kept a loofe, so as they neither did hurt, nor could receive any. After their refreish- ing & repair to geather for further counsell & direc- tions, they resolved to pursue their victory, and follow ye warr against ye rest, but ye Narigansett Indeans
* Be in manuscript.
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most of them forsooke them, and such of them as they had with them for guids, or otherwise, they found them very could and backward in ye bussines, ether out of envie, or yt they saw ye English would make more profite of ye victorie then they were willing they should, or els deprive them of such advantage as them selves desired by having them become tributaries unto them, or ye like.
For ye rest of this bussines, I shall only relate ye same as it is in a leter which came from Mr. Win- throp to ye Gov" hear, as followeth.
Worthy S": I received your loving letter, and am much provocked to express my affections towards you, but strait- nes of time forbids me; for my desire is to acquainte you with ye Lords greate mercies towards us, in our prevailing against his & our enimies; that you may rejoyce and praise his name with us. About 80. of our men, haveing costed along towards ye Dutch plantation, (some times by water, but most by land,) mett hear & ther with some Pequents, whom they slew or tooke prisoners. 2. sachems they tooke, & beheaded; and not hearing of Sassacous, (the cheefe sachem,) they gave a prisoner his life, to goe and find him out. He wente and brought them word where he was, but Sassacouse, suspecting him to be a spie, after he was gone, fled away with some 20. more to ye Mowakes, so our men missed of him. Yet, deviding them selves, and rang- ing up & downe, as ye providence of God guided them (for ye Indeans were all gone, save 3. or 4. and they knew not whither to guid them, or els would not), upon ye 13. of this month, they light upon a great company of them, viz. 80. strong men, & 200. women & children, in a small Indean
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towne, fast by a hideous swamp, which they all slipped into before our men could gett to them. Our captains were not then come togeither, but ther was Mr. Ludlow and Captaine Masson, with some 10. [225] of their men, & Captaine Patrick with some 20. or more of his, who, shooting at ye Indeans, Captaine Trask with 50. more came soone in at ye noyse. Then they gave order to surround ye swampe, it being aboute a mile aboute ; but Levetenante Davenporte & some 12. more, not hearing that comand, fell into ye swampe among ye Indeans. The swampe was so thicke with shrub- woode, & so boggie with all, that some of them stuck fast, and received many shott. Levetenant Davenport was dangerously wounded aboute his armehole, and another shott in ye head, so as, fainting, they were in great danger to have been taken by ye Indeans. But Sargante Rigges, & Jeffery, and 2. or 3. more, rescued them, and slew diverse of ye Indeans with their swords. After they were drawne out, the Indeans desired parley, & were offered (by Thomas Stanton, our interpretour) that, if they would come out, and yeeld them selves, they should have their lives, all that had not their hands in ye English blood. Wherupon ye sachem of ye place came forth, and an old man or 2. & their wives and children, and after that some other women & children, and so they spake 2. howers, till it was night. Then Thomas Stanton was sente into them againe, to call them forth; but they said they would selle their lives their, and so shott at him so thicke as, if he had not cried out, and been presently rescued, they had slaine him. Then our men cutt of a place of ye swampe with their swords, and cooped the Indeans into so narrow a compass, as they could easier kill them throw ye thickets. So they continued all ye night, standing aboute 12. foote one from an other, and ye Indeans, coming close up to our men, shot their arrows so thicke, as they pierced their hatte brimes, & their sleeves,
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