USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Shawmut: or, The settlement of Boston by the Puritan pilgrims > Part 2
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woods about twelve miles from Salem, they came to a neck of land between two rivers, running into the bay, called by the Indians, Mishawum. Here, to their surprise, they found one English cottage, thatched and palisaded, situated near the river at the south side of the west hill. It was owned by Thomas Walford, a blacksmith, whose services and good conduct had procured him the favor and protection of the Indian sachem. They had no difficulty in getting permission to settle in this place. It was afterwards called Charlestown, in honor of the king.
The next year, 1629, a large company, con- sisting of three hundred and sixty souls, under the pastoral care of Rev. Francis Higginson, arrived in Salem. Of this company about one hundred removed to Charlestown.
These expeditions awakened an interest throughout the puritan population of England. Efforts had been made to obtain a charter for this company under the royal seal, which, after
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some delay, was granted March 4, 1629. By this charter the company was made a body politic, by the name of the Governor and Com- pany of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. The government was to be administered by a governor, deputy governor, and eighteen assist- ants, who were to be chosen annually by the members of the company. It was proposed that the charter should be transferred with the emigrants to the colony, so that the government might be administered on the spot. This was a momentous proposition, involving great polit- ical consequences, and was felt by many lead- ing members of the corporation to be a suffi- cient inducement to emigrate with their fami- lies. After serious debate, it was agreed to by general consent. By this act the company in
effect was to become "an independent pro- vincial government." Was it legal? It was but an agreement to hold the legal meetings of the corporation in Massachusetts, rather than
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in England; and in the sequel it was so allowed by the English courts.
This decision acted like a charm. Swarms of families now offer to emigrate. During the season, about fifteen hundred persons embarked in fourteen vessels, to form a new plantation in Massachusetts. This was the largest colony that ever left the old world for America. Mr. John Winthrop was elected governor, and Mr. Thomas Dudley deputy governor. Mr. Win- throp kept a journal of every important event from his first embarking in 1630, to the year 1644. The following will be interesting as his first entry :
" Anno Domini 1630, March 29th, Monday. Riding at the Cowes, near the Isle of Wight, in the Arabella, a ship of 350 tons, whereof Captain Peter Milburne was master, being manned with 52 seamen and 28 pieces of ord- nance. The wind coming to the N. by W. the evening before; in the morning there came aboard us, Mr. Cradock, the late governor, and
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the master of his two ships, Captain John Love, master of the Ambrose, and Mr. Nicholas Thurlston, master of the Jewel, and Mr. Thom- as Beacher, master of the Talbot, which three ships then rode by us ; the Charles, the May- flower, the William and Frances, the Hopewell, the Whale, the Success, the Trial, being at Hampton, and not ready. When, upon con- ference, it was agreed, that in regard it was uncertain when the rest of the fleet would be ready, four ships should consort together ; the Arabella to be admiral, the Talbot vice admiral, the Ambrose rear admiral, and the Jewel a captain ; and accordingly articles of consortship were drawn between the said captain and mas- ter ; whereupon Mr. Cradock took leave of us, and our captain gave him a farewell with four or five shot. About ten of the clock we weigh- ed anchor and set sail, with the wind at the N., and came to an anchor again over against Yarmouth, and the Talbot weighed likewise, and came and anchored by us."
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While waiting for favorable winds in the harbor of Yarmouth, they prepared and pub- lished an affectionate farewell to their native country.
" The humble request of his majesty's loyal subjects, the governor and the company, late gone for New England, to the rest of their brethren in the Church of England.
" Reverend Fathers and Brethren : - The general rumor of this solemn enterprise, wherein ourselves, with others, through the providence of the Almighty, are engaged, as it may spare us the labor of imparting our occasion unto you, so it gives us the more encouragement to strengthen ourselves by the procurement of the prayers and blessings of the Lord's faithful ser- vants; for which end we are bold to have re- course unto you, as those whom God hath placed nearest his throne of mercy, which, as it affords you the more opportunity, so it im- poseth the greater bond upon you to intercede for his people in all their straits : we beseech
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you, therefore, by the mercies of the Lord Je- sus, to consider us as your brethren, standing in very great need of your help, and earnestly imploring it. And howsoever your charity may have met with some occasion of discourage- ment, through the misreport of our intentions, or through the disaffection or indiscretion of some of us, or rather, among us-for we are not of those that dream of perfection in this world-yet we desire you would be pleased to take notice of the principles and body of our company, as those who esteem it our honor to call the Church of England, from whence we rise, our dear mother, and cannot part from our native country, where she specially resideth, without much sadness of heart, and many tears in our eyes; ever acknowledging that such hope and part as we have obtained in the com- mon salvation, we have received in her bosom, and sucked it from her breasts ; we leave it not, therefore, as loathing that milk wherewith we were nourished there, but, blessing God for the
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parentage and education, as members of the same body, shall always rejoice in her good, and unfeignedly grieve for any sorrow that shall ever betide her ; and while we have breath, sincerely desire and endeavor the continuance and abundance of her welfare, with the enlarge- ment of her bounds in the kingdom of Christ Jesus. 1
" Be pleased, therefore, fathers and brethren, to help forward this work now in hand, which, if it prosper, you shall be the more glorious ; howsoever, your judgment is with the Lord, and your reward with your God. It is a usual and laudable exercise of your charity to com- mend to the prayers of your congregations, the necessities and straits of your private neigh- bors : do the like for a church springing out of your own bowels. We conceive much hope that this remembrance of us, if it be frequent and fervent, will be a most'prosperous gale in our sails, and provide such a passage and wel- come for us from the God of the whole earth,
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as both we shall find it, and yourselves, with the rest of our friends who shall hear of it, shall be much enlarged to bring in such daily returns of thanksgivings as the specialities of His provi- dence and goodness may justly challenge at our hands. You are not ignorant that the Spirit of God stirred up the apostle Paul to make continual mention of the church of Philippi, (which was a colony from Rome.) Let the same Spirit, we beseech you, put you in mind, that are the Lord's remembrancers, to pray for us without ceasing, (who are a weak colony from yourselves,) making continual request for us to God in all your prayers.
" What we entreat of you that are the minis- ters of God, that we also crave at the hands of all the rest of our brethren, that they would at no time forget us in their private solicitations at the throne of grace.
" If any there be who, through want of clear intelligence of our course, or tenderness of affection towards us, cannot conceive so well
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of us as we could desire, we would entreat such not to despise us; nor to desert us in their prayers and affections; but to consider rather that they are so much the more bound to ex- press the bowels of their compassion towards us, remembering always that both nature and grace doth ever bind us to relieve and rescue, with our sutmost and speediest power, such as are dear to us, when we conceive them to be running uncomfortable hazards.
" What goodness you shall extend to us on this or any other Christian kindness, we your brethren in Christ Jesus, shall labor to repay in what duty we are or shall be able to perform, promising, so far as God shall enable us, to give Him no rest on your behalf, wishing our heads and hearts may be as fountains of tears for your everlasting welfare, when we shall be in our poor cottages in the wilderness, overshadowed with the spirit of supplication, through the manifold necessities and tribulations which may not altogether unexpectedly, nor, we hope,
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unprofitably befall us. And so commending you to the grace of God in Christ, we shall ever rest."
A few days after leaving Yarmouth, while the fleet was passing down the channel, a scene took place of a somewhat tragic interest, which enlivened the commencement of a voyage not much characterized by marvellous incidents. It gives us a peep at the belligerent state of the world at this time. It is thus described in the journal :
" Friday, April 9th .- In the night we dis- covered, from the top, 8 sail astern of us, whom Captain Love told us he had seen at Dunninast in the evening. We supposing they might be Dunkirkers, our Captain caused the gun room and gun deck to be cleared, all the hammocks were taken down, our ordnance loaded, and our powder chests and fireworks made ready, and our landmen quartered among the seamen, and 25 of them quartered for musketeers, and every man written down for their quarter.
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" The wind continued N., with fair weather, and afternoon it calmed, and we still saw those eight ships to stand towards us; having more wind than we, they came up again, so that our Captain and masters of the consorts were more occasioned to think they might be Dunkirkers, for we were told at Yarmouth, that there were ten sail of them waiting for us ; whereupon we all prepared to fight with them, and took down some cabins which were in the way of our ord- nance, and out of every ship was thrown such matter as were subject to take fire, and we hove our long boat, and put up our waste cloths, and drew forth our men, and armed them with mus- kets and other weapons, and instruments for fireworks; and for an experiment, our Captain shot a ball of wild fire fastened to an arrow, out of a cross-bow, which burnt in the water a good time. The lady Arabella and the other women and children were removed into the lower deck, that they might be out of danger. All things being thus fitted, we went to prayer upon the
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upper deck. . It was much to see how cheerful and comfortable all the company appeared ; not a woman or child that showed fear, though all did apprehend the danger to have been great, if they had proved as might well be expected, for there had been eight against four, and the least of the enemy's ships were reputed to carry 30 brass pieces, but our trust was in the Lord of Hosts; and the courage of our Captain, and his care and diligence, did much encourage us. It was now about one of the clock, and the fleet seemed to be within a league of us ; therefore the Captain, because he would show he was not afraid of them, and that he might see the issue before night should overtake us, tacked about and stood to meet them; and when we came near, we perceived them to be our friends; the little Neptune, a ship of some twenty pieces of ordnance, and her two con- sorts, bound for the Streights ; a ship of Hamp- shire, and a Frenchman and three other Eng- lish ships bound for Canada and Newfoundland.
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So when we drew near, every ship as they met saluted each other, and the Mayflower and ours discharged their small shot; and so (God be praised) our fear and danger was turned into mirth and friendly entertainment, our danger being then over."
Detained on the coast by a variety of causes, it was not till the 11th of April that the little fleet was fairly out of sight of land. But now they feel themselves separated forever from their homes and many friends, and making their way over the mighty waters to a strange land. But there were noble hearts on board those ships, that knew well the greatness and holiness of the objects which had drawn them into the enterprise. They bore with them a charter authorizing them to establish a new common- wealth in the western world, and it was their purpose to make it a Christian commonwealth. This was the idea that made them look calmly upon all the sacrifices they made in leaving home, and encounter cheerfully all the perils
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and hardships of a new settlement in the wil- derness. They felt that God was with them in their wanderings, and his arm would guide them safely on.
On Tuesday, the 8th of June, they made sight of land, which proved to be Mount Desert. " We had now," says the journal, " fine sun- shine weather, and so pleasant a scene here as did much refresh us, and there came a smell off the shore like the smell of a garden. There came a wild pigeon into our ship, and another small land bird."
On the 12th the Arabella cast anchor under Baker's Island, a short distance from the har- bor of Salem, and Mr. Endicott came on board to welcome them. The governor, the assistants, and several gentlemen and ladies of the com- pany, hastened with joy to set their feet upon the long desired land of their adoption.
It was their original design to establish the whole colony in one place, but, for a variety of causes, when they arrived, they dispersed in
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different directions from Salem to Dorchester. The governor, in a few days after his arrival at Salem, went on an exploring tour to Charles- town, and up Mystic River about six miles. He selected Charlestown for his permanent residence. Here he and the other officers were accommodated with tenements in a building called the Great House, situated on the site of the present Market Square. The remainder of his company resided in booths and cloth tents in the neighborhood.
In a short time they began to suffer severely from sickness, and a large number died. This was attributed, in part, to a scarcity of water, for, strange to relate, but one spring of good water could be found. This was near the present site of the state prison, and was covered by the tide at high water.
Their rude habitations, also, were but a poor shelter from moisture and the vicissitudes of a changeable climate. A knowledge of their dis- tress awakened the sympathy of Mr. Blackstone,
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and he sent word to the governor that there were abundant springs of water at Shawmut, and invited him to remove thither. His gen- erous invitation was first accepted by Mr. John- son, a wealthy and leading man, who, with sev- eral others, removed to the peninsula in Au- gust, 1630. This led the way for others, and very soon Boston became the largest settlement in the bay. The first general court of the colony was holden here the 19th of October, 1630, at which time the governor and nearly all the people had removed from Charlestown, leaving but seventeen male inhabitants.
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CHAPTER V.
THE FATHER OF BOSTON. LADY ARABELLA. DEVAS- TATING SICKNESS.
MR. JOHNSON has been called the father of Boston, because he led the way of the settle- ment of the governor and the chief men of the company in this place. His lot was the spot between Court and School streets, and his house occupied the site of the court house. He now lies buried in the Chapel burying-ground, in Tremont street, which formed a part of his lot, and was after his decease made a public burying-ground. He lived only a few months after his arrival. The general sickness which afflicted the plantation while at Charlestown, continued after the removal to Shawmut, and carried two hundred persons to the grave. It was a most devastating sickness, and spread destruction into almost every family. Among
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its earliest victims was the Lady Arabella, the lovely and devoted wife of Mr. Johnson. She belonged to a noble family in England, and was brought up amidst the delicacies and luxu- ries of refined society, but her love for her hus- band, made her choose to brave the dangers of a sea voyage, and the hardships of a pioneer settlement in the wilderness. She only lived long enough to smile upon the commencement of the enterprise, and passed away to a better world. She was buried at Salem, where she died. Her loss preyed upon the health of her husband, and prepared him to sink under the first attack of disease. He was a husband wor- thy of such a wife, a wise, enterprising and holy man, "endued," says an early historian, "with many precious gifts, and chief pillar to support this new erected building, so that at his departure there were many weeping eyes, and some fainting hearts, fearing the failure of the undertaking."
Alarmed by the dangers which thickened
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around them, about a hundred persons, includ- ing some of the officers of the government, and leading men on whom the colony leaned with confidence as the main pillars of their enter- prise, returned in haste to England. Thus de- serted by their companions, and oppressed by untried difficulties and hardships, the devoted remnant did not despair. Looking up to the God of Heaven in solemn prayer, their courage increased with the emergency, and in hope they waited for better days. Nor did they wait in vain. Ships arrive from time to time, bear- ing to them various supplies, fresh emigrants fill the vacancies made by death, the rude and comely edifices multiply on every side, sickness disappears, to return no more in like manner to desolate their homes, and the dark clouds that overhung their prospect disperse forever.
The generous manner in which the settlers, in the time of their distress, administered to each other's wants, deserves to be commemo- rated. The poor kindly lent their services to
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the rich in their sickness, and the rich shared their scanty store of bread with the poor. It is related that Mr. Winthrop was in the act of dividing his last handful of meal with a poor neighbor, when the signal was given that a ship from England, laden with provision, had ap- peared in the offing.
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CHAPTER VI.
ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST CHURCH. RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS. PORTRAITS OF REV. MR. COTTON, AND REV. MR. WILSON.
THE first church was organized soon after 1 the colonists landed at Charlestown. In the midst of their afflictions, the governor proposed to hold a day of fasting and prayer, which was observed on Tuesday the 30th of July, 1631. The services were conducted in the open air, under the canopy of heaven. After worship it was proposed that " such persons as knew each other," should enter into a church covenant. Accordingly Governor Winthrop, Deputy Gov- ernor Dudley, Mr. Johnson, and Rev. Mr. Wil- son, signed the following covenant :
" In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in obedience to his holy will and divine ordi- nance,
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" We, whose names are here underwritten, being by his most wise and good providence brought together into this part of America, in the bay of Massachusetts, and desirous to unite into one congregation or church, under the Lord Jesus Christ, one head, in such sort as becometh all those whom he hath redeemed and sanctified to himself, do hereby solemnly and religiously, as in his most holy presence, promise and bind ourselves to walk in all our ways according to the rule of the gospel, and in all sincere conformity to his holy ordinances, and in mutual love and respect to each other, as near as God shall give us grace."
A month afterwards, on Friday, another fast was held, at which time the congregation chose Mr. Wilson for their teacher, Mr. Increase Nowell for elder, and Dr. Gager and Mr. As- pinwall for deacons. These were all installed by imposition of hands, with a solemn declara- tion that it was only by way of election, and not to set aside Mr. Wilson's previous ordina-
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tion in England .. Notwithstanding by these acts the church did in effect separate herself from the English establishment, and adopted the Congregational order, of which an example had been set by the church at Plymouth. This was a revolution into which they naturally fell ; for having left the shores where they had suf- fered so much from prelacy, they could not but desire to be entirely free from its dominion. It was not, however, deemed necessary nor pru- dent to make any parade about secession. Roger Williams, while pastor at Salem, refused to commune with the church in Boston, be- cause they would not make a public declaration of repentance for ever having connection with the Church of England.
Two years afterwards, a contribution of 120 pounds was made to build a church and par- sonage on opposite sides of State street. At this time there were one hundred and thirty male members, and twenty female members, in full communion. There was a distinction of
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offices then that does not now exist. Mr. Wil- son, who had been installed as a teacher, was now chosen pastor. They endeavored to make the celebrated Mr. Eliot ( afterwards missionary to the Indians) their teacher, but he preferred to settle in Roxbury. Mr. Thomas Oliver was chosen ruling elder. He and Mr. Wilson were both ordained in form; the two deacons first imposing hands upon the elder, and then the elder and two deacons upon the pastor. The next year the Rev. John Cotton, a man of dis- tinguished eloquence and piety, arrived from Boston in England, and was ordained teacher. The ceremony of calling upon the people to signify their election of the candidate, and on him to acknowledge his acceptance, and the presentation of the right hand of fellowship by the neighboring ministers, was introduced on this occasion. The doctrines of the church were Calvinistic. It was the custom after a sermon for any one who pleased to bear witness to the truth of what was preached; and once a
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week the members of a church held a meeting at which they repeated the sermons they heard on the Lord's day, and discussed the doctrines. Thursday there was a public lecture, after which a town meeting was held for the trans- action of business. The ministers had great influence in the government, and often took occasion to discuss political topics at the Thurs- ? day lectures. One day before the election of
officers, Mr. Cotton preached the election ser- mon, and advanced the doctrine that the people had no more right to turn a magistrate out of office, than the magistrate to turn a man out of his freehold, without a public trial. His ser- mon, however, did not have the effect he pro- bably intended; for the freemen proceeding forthwith to vote for a governor and deputy, Mr. Winthrop was left out, and Mr. Dudley chosen in his place, and Mr. Roger Ludlow elected deputy.
The support of the clergy and the mainte- nance of religion was at the public expense,
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and was assessed upon all the pew-holders, and levied like all other taxes. At the first meeting of the court of assistants, which was held on board the Arabella, anchored at Charlestown, on Monday the 23d of August, a few days be- fore the installation of Mr. Wilson, as before described, the first question settled was, how shall the ministers be maintained ? It was or- dered that houses should be built for their ac- commodation at the public charge, and that Mr. Wilson should have twenty pounds per annum until his wife arrived from England.
Thus when the church and the state were composed of the same persons, did the state assume the burden of supporting the church ; and this practice was not wholly abolished until a recent date. But the civil government as- sumed no authority to control the faith of the church, or to interfere with its internal regula- tions. They had seen the evil of this in the mother country. Yet it was decreed that no person should be a freeman of the colony who
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was not a member of the church. And when the church adjudged a member heretical or disorderly, the arm of the civil law was em- ployed to enforce the judgment. A year after the settlement commenced, Governor Winthrop records an incident which illustrates the policy of that day.
"The congregation at Watertown, whereof Mr. G. Phillips was pastor, had chosen Richard Brown for their elder, before named, who, per- sisting in his opinion of the truth of the Romish church, and maintaining other errors withal, and being a man of a very violent spirit, the court wrote a letter to the congregation, direct- ed to the pastor and brethren, to advise them to take into consideration whether Mr. Brown were fit to be continued their elder or not ; to which, after some weeks, they returned answer to this effect ;- that if we would take the pains to prove such things as were objected against him, they would undertake to redress them.
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