USA > Massachusetts > The history of Massachusetts, the provincial period. 1692-1775 v. II > Part 6
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1 Mr. Phips was in England at this time, as well as Mr. Mather.
Mather, Magnalia, b. ii., Life of 2 Phips, § 14.
3 " We have not lived so but that,
through the grace of Christ, we can defy all the malice of our enemies." I. and C. M., Postscript to Remarks on Calef, p. 70. See also ibid. p. 33.
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53
SIR WILLIAM PHIPS.
his religious opponents commended his piety, it will, perhaps, CHAP. be conceded, that there must have been qualities in the man III. 1692. which commanded respect, else would he never have been held in such esteem. That both father and son were confirmed politicians, no one can doubt ; and that they were thoroughly convinced of the truth of their creed, will probably be also admitted ; nor would it be strange, considering their tempera- ment and the circumstances in which they were placed, if, in some instances, they overstepped the bounds of that moderation, which is the golden mean between fanaticism on the one hand, and the excessive conservatism which clings tenaciously to old institutions, both of which disturb the harmonious action of the mind, and give to it a tinge of partiality and onesidedness. But if the Mathers had their failings, they were lovers of lib- erty. New England, to them, was a terrestrial paradise. Attached to its creed, and attached to its policy, they devoted themselves zealously to the promotion of its welfare. They were never found wanting in patriotism or loyalty. They were respected at home, and respected abroad. And every where their talents secured to them friends.1
Had Sir William Phips been less under the influence of the Mathers, it might, perhaps, have been better for him, and better for the country. The chief magistrate of a commonwealth should, of all men, be free from the bias which dependence cre- ates. He should possess, personally, the decision and energy becoming his station ; the political wisdom which marks the true statesman ; and that dignity of character and moral sensi- bility, which, equally removed from haughtiness on the one hand and vehemence on the other, give him the command at all times of his own temper, and render him self-possessed, affa- ble, and courteous. In most of these qualities Sir William was
1 For a noble tribute to the mem- ory of Cotton Mather, see Robbins's Hist. Second Church, Boston. Abun- dant testimony could be easily pro-
duced from the writings of contempo- raries, commending the piety of both father and son. The eulogies at their decease speak highly in their praise.
54
SIR WILLIAM PHIPS.
CHAP. wanting. He had energy enough, but not of the right kind ; III. he was comparatively destitute of political wisdom ; he had 1692. enjoyed few advantages for literary culture ; and so violent was his temper that he was hurried into excesses which weak- ened his influence, and eventually led to his recall from his government. No one impeaches his honesty or his courage. No one doubts that he was benevolent and friendly. Yet good judges have pronounced him " much better fitted to manage the crew of a man-of-war than to sit at the helm of the ship of state." 1
Justice, however, requires the concession that, whatever may have been his disqualifications for the office of governor, while in that office, "according to the best of his apprehension, he ever sought the good of his country." And if the statement of his biographer may be credited,2 " he would often speak to the members of the General Assembly in such terms as these : Gentlemen, you may make yourselves as easy as you will for- ever. Consider what may have any tendency to your welfare, and you may be sure that, whatever bills you offer to me, con- sistent with the honor and interest of the crown, I will pass them readily. I do but seek opportunities to serve you. Had it not been for this, I had never accepted the government of this province. And whenever you have settled such a body of good laws, that no person coming after me may make you uneasy, I shall desire not one day longer to continue in the government."
These sentiments are certainly liberal ; and had the admin- istration of Sir William corresponded to his professions, some little allowance might have been made for his personal defi- ciencies. Perhaps some allowance may at all events be claimed
.
1 Hutchinson, ii. 74; Holmes, Am. Ann. i. 456, 457, note.
2 Mather, Magnalia, Life of Phips, § 15. Calef, More Wonders, &c., p. 287 et seq., adm ts that Phips " aimed at the good of the people; " but, at
the same time, he thinks the state- ments of Mather are a little exagger- ated, and that achievements are as- cribed to the governor which he never performed.
55
ADMINISTRATION OF PHIPS.
for him, on the score of inexperience, the peculiarities of his CHAP situation, and his embarrassments from the party opposed to III. his government. For there were,men in the province - at the 1692. head of whom stood Cooke and Oakes, both friends to the old charter, and averse to its surrender - who had organized a party vigilant to scrutinize the movements of the new gov- ernment, and determined to oppose it wherever it swerved from the line of fealty to the liberties of the people.1 From this time forward, indeed, party spirit will be found more prev- alent than ever under the old charter. The struggle for the continued ascendency of Puritanism against the aggressions of a more liberal theology ; the change in political relations, which had given birth to the parties of freedom and preroga- tive ; and the naturally progressive tendencies, springing from the activity of thought and the yearning for a higher freedom, which characterized the people of Massachusetts, - all these, combined, give to the period of our history now entered upon a singular complexity ; and the involution and evolution of the elements of strife and the germs of advancement render the labor of the historian, onerous enough under any circumstances, one of increasing perplexity, from the difficulty of penetrating the disguises of dogmatists, and detecting truth amidst the con- flicting and fluctuating statements of those whose interests inclined them to gloss over the faults which they wished to . conceal, or depreciate the virtues which they were unwilling to acknowledge.2
The part taken by Sir William in the extraordinary delusion which overspread the country at the date of his arrival has been already noticed ; and there were some who thought he had yield- ed too readily to popular feeling, and shown too much deference
1 Both Cooke and Oakes were cho- sen councillors by the people in 1693; but the governor refused his assent to Mr. Cooke, who, when in England, had opposed his appointment to the chief magistracy. Hutchinson, ii. 69, 70.
2 Even the statements of Hutch- inson must be taken cum grano salis, especially in those parts of his narra- tive in which he was personally inter- ested. Without doubt he designed to be impartial, nor was he probably conscious that he was not so.
56
RECALL OF GOVERNOR PHIPS.
CHAP. to the opinions of the clergy. But if charity mantles the fail- III. ings of his associates, the hem of that mantle should touch the 1692. chief magistrate, who was guilty of no greater excesses than many, his superiors in ability, who partook of his error.1 His vigilance in checking the inroads of the Indians, who were rav- aging the eastern settlements, was a commendable feature of his administration. It was at his instance, likewise, and under his inspection, that a fort was built at Pemaquid, as a barrier to these encroachments.2 And the league which he formed with the Indians, had it been kept, would have restored peace to many desolated homes, and have delivered the people from that state of alarm in which they were involved for about twenty years.3
1693. Aug.11.
The difficulties which led to the recall of Governor Phips originated from his collision with Mr. Brenton, of Rhode Island, who had been appointed collector for the port of Boston.4 A vessel had arrived from Bermudas, laden with fustic, which was purchased on speculation by Colonel Foster, a member of the council and a friend to the governor. From an alleged infor- mality in the captain's proceedings both vessel and goods were seized by the collector ; and upon Foster's complaint to the governor, he, from his commission as vice admiral claiming the right to exercise admiralty jurisdiction, which the king had reserved to himself, charged the collector with having over- stepped the bounds of his office, and upon his refusal to release the ship, went in person to the wharf and forced him to yield.5
1 See chap. ii.
2 On the fort at Pemaquid, see Niles's Indian Wars, in 3 M. H. Coll. vi. 231; Dummer's Defence, 25, ed. 1721; Mather, Life of Phips, § 17; Hutchinson, ii. 68; Neal's N. E. ii. 118; Holmes, Am. Ann. i. 442 ; Wil- liamson's Me., i. 635, &c. Massachu- setts disliked the erection of this fort. Hutchinson, ii. 68. It was called Fort William Henry, and was garrisoned with 60 men.
3 Mather, Life of Phips, § 17; Neal's N. E. 543; Charlevoix, vol. iii .; Hutchinson, ii. 72; Belknap's N. H. i. 265; N. H. Hist. Coll. ii. 235, 236.
4 This was before the establishment of custom houses in the plantations by act of Parliament. Hutchinson, ii. 74. 5 Mass. Rec's, and Hutchinson, ii. 74, 75.
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57
CHANGE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
There had been a misunderstanding, also, between the governor CHAP. and Captain Short, of the Nonsuch frigate, which ended in his III. caning Short, and committing him to prison.1 In consequence of these difficulties complaints were instituted against the gov- 1694. ernor, and he was ordered to England to answer to the same.2 Nov.17.
The prejudice against him in England was great ; and it was not a little aggravated by the conduct of Dudley, himself anx- ious for the governorship, who, in connection with Brenton, instituted suits in actions of twenty thousand pounds damages ; but by the intervention of Sir Henry Ashhurst, the agent of the province, Sir William was bailed, and his friends were anti- cipating an accommodation of his affairs, and that he would be permitted to return to resume his government, when, partly in consequence of the humiliation of his arrest, a fever set in which 1694-95. terminated his life.3 Feb. 18
One incident, which occurred before the close of his admin- istration, merits particular notice. In the choice of deputies to the General Court, it had been customary to allow the country towns the privilege of choosing for their representatives resi- dents of Boston ; but this year, upon a motion for an address 1694. to the king against the removal of Phips, that motion was car- ried by a bare majority, twenty-six voting for it, and twenty- four against it. Most of the inhabitants of Boston who repre- sented the country towns voted against the address ; whereupon the friends of Phips, to prevent future trouble, inserted a clause in a bill then pending requiring residence as a qualification for
1 N. Eng. Ent's, iv. 76, quoted by Chalmers, MS. Pt. II .; Hutchinson, ii. 75, 76, and 78, note. Mather, in his Life of Phips, omits to notice either of these cases, perhaps because he felt that the conduct of the gov- ernor was open to. censure.
2 Mather, Life of Phips, § 20. Chal- mers, MS. Pt. II., says Phips was in- formed of the charges against him in February, 1694, and quotes N. Eng. Ent's, 4, 92, &c.
3 Mather, Life of Phips, § 20; Neal's N. Eng. 544, 545 ; Hutchin- son, ii. 77, 82. Chalmers, MS. Pt. II., on the authority of 7 Jour. 401, and 4 N. Eng. Ent's, 95, says Phips ar- rived in England in January, 1695, but before his case could be inquired into he died. The cause of his death was attributed by the lords justices to his "want of a fixed salary, which put him upon improper modes of support- ing himself"?
58
ADMINISTRATION OF WILLIAM STOUGHTON.
CHAP. town representatives. The change thus introduced by the pre- III. rogative, or court party, for merely personal ends, was highly
1694. important ; for, by requiring towns to choose one of their own citizens as delegates to the General Court, it brought the ques- tions of the day directly to their doors, and compelled them to take an immediate interest in political discussions. By this means the people were trained to investigate constitutional principles ; and from the country towns were sent to the legislature men of the first talents, to participate in its discussions, and in the exciting events which afterwards occurred.1
1650. 1676.
Upon the departure of Mr. Phips, the care of the govern- ment devolved upon William Stoughton, the lieutenant gov- ernor, who, though his sympathies were with the court party, enjoyed in a high degree the confidence of the people, from his supposed attachment to their civil and religious interests. A graduate of Harvard College,2 employed as an agent for the colony in England, and interested for many years in political affairs, he was not only acquainted with the views of the Eng- lish government, but knew also what suited the temper of his countrymen.3 Some, indeed, were opposed to him, because of his conduct as a councillor under Andros, and because of his participation in the persecutions for witchcraft; yet, on the whole, perhaps, it would have been difficult to have found one more acceptable ; and hence his administration was compara- tively tranquil. None of his measures awakened jealousy ; the
1 Mass. Rec's ; Hutchinson, ii. 77, 78; Everett's Orations, 495, ed. 1836. Douglass insinuates that this step was taken at the instance of the Mathers. 2 Mr. Stoughton was educated for the ministry, in which he continued above twenty years; but " the people judged him proper to take his father's place as a magistrate," and the rest of his life was devoted to politics. Hutch- inson, ii. 118; Quincy's Hist. H. Coll. i. 172.
3 Randolph, in 1686, said of him,
" Mr. Stoughton is inclined to the Nonconformist ministers, yet stands right to his majesty's interests." Hutch. Coll. 548. Cotton Mather, in his letter to his father, written to fa- vor the appointment of Stoughton to office, says, " Mr. Stoughton is a real friend to New England, and willing to make any amendment for the m'scar- riages of the late government. I wish that you might be able to do any thing to restore him to the favor of his coun- try." Hutchinson, i. 365, note.
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59
CHARACTER OF STOUGHTON.
affairs of the government were conducted with prudence ; and CHAP. a spirit of general contentment prevailed. III.
Mr. Stoughton was a Puritan of the commonwealth mould. 1695. Of a phlegmatic temperament ; rigidly attached to the Puritan creed ; thoroughly versed in the knowledge of men ; knowing how to accommodate himself to a variety of circumstances, yet superior to all ; he was one who, in any situation, was calcu- lated to succeed. Prudently deferring to the counsels of others, that they might share the responsibility of his measures, he rarely acted from impulse, but always from the maxims of a judicious policy. Possessing none of the softness which springs from a warm heart, and uninspired by the influences of domestic life, he looked upon men from his isolated position as beings to be governed by minds of a superior cast ; and if he succeeded in ruling them, it was by humoring their prejudices, and conciliating the favor of the most influential. If he occa- sionally lost the confidence of the community, he had the address to recover it by the gravity of his deportment, and by studiously avoiding all that might offend. Hence, to the day of his death, notwithstanding there were some whose 1701. friendship he could never secure, the body of the people re -. garded him with favor ; and he left as few enemies as any one who had taken so active a part in the government, and who had passed through so many eventful vicissitudes.1
At the commencement of Mr. Stoughton's administration, it was not expected that it would be of long continuance ; for, if Governor Phips did not return, it was supposed that a new chief magistrate would soon be appointed. Joseph Dudley, a native of Massachusetts, and conspicuous for his zeal in the overthrow of the old charter, aspired to this office ; and, upon the death of Phips, he solicited for it with strong hopes of
1 Foran elaborate notice of Stough- ton, see Quincy's Hist. H. C. i. 172- 180. Mr. Stoughton was a munifi- cent benefactor of the college; and
before his death a building was reared at his expense, which took the name of Stoughton Hall.
July 7.
60
CHIARACTER OF DUDLEY.
CHAP. success. The character of Mr. Dudley is one of that class III. which it is difficult to portray, because the anomalies it pre- 1695. sents embarrass the judgment in forming an estimate of its failings and its virtues. That he was inordinately ambitious, no one can deny ; and that he was not over-burdened with principle, his whole life proves. Yet, from the gracefulness of his person and the politeness of his address, he possessed in a remarkable degree the power of influencing those who were sus- ceptible to flattery, and of imposing upon those least acquainted with his true disposition ; though there were some whom, with all the " uncommon elegancies and charms of his conversation," he was unable to deceive. It is often the case with such men that religion is used as a cloak to conceal their vices, or rather to invest them with an air of respectability ; and there may have been, with Mr. Dudley, that commingling of fervor and respect to the forms of godliness often witnessed in minds of a worldly stamp, while, at the same time, judged by the standard which raises spirit above forms, he may have been lacking in the constituents of genuine piety, however zealous and devoted as a religionist.1 Let it not be supposed, however, that he was destitute of good qualities. He was frugal in his habits, gen- tlemanly in his manners, accomplished as a scholar, and talented as a lawyer ; and in his private relations he was affectionate to his children, affable to his servants, and agreeable in his ad- dress. Few men are without friends ; and Mr. Dudley had his, who clung to him through life, from sympathy or policy. But his conduct while president of the colony was generally condemned ; and it is apparent, from his course when Andros came into power, that, if he had any regard for his country, he had more regard for himself ; that his patriotism was of the questionable kind which expends itself on one person ; and that it was not so absorbing a passion as to prevent him from
1 His eulogist, indeed, says of him, " He truly honored and loved the reli- gion, learning, and virtue of New Eng-
land, and was himself a worthy patron and example of them all." Boston News Letter, No. 834.
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61
CHARACTER OF DUDLEY.
loving the crumbs from the royal table. He was as honest as CHAP. one can be who loves himself and loves office above all things III. 1695.
else, and lays his holocaust on the shrine of ambition.1
Upon the overthrow of Andros, Mr. Dudley was one whom the patriots of Boston seized and imprisoned. The result of that imprisonment has been elsewhere noticed. At his release he was commissioned chief justice of New York, and held that office for three years, when he returned to England. A royal- ist at heart, his sympathies did not flow in the same channel as those of the fathers of New England, with whom resistance to tyrants was obedience to God. Yet his situation in Eng- land was far from pleasant. He was distant from his child- hood's home ; and, with all his faults, he loved the spot which had cradled his infancy.2 Had he loved the institutions of his country as well as its soil ; had he drank in the free spirit which breathed from its hills ; had he identified his own inter- ests with the interests of the people, he would have been emi- nently fitted to have adorned the highest station ; and his appointment as governor would have been welcomed with joy. But he sought office for the power it conferred, and for the consequence it gave him. Hence he was constantly scheming to secure his return to America, and to secure it in such a way as to gratify his pride. But his plans were not immediately successful ; for Ashhurst, and Constantine Phips, the agents of the province in England, vigilant to defeat his appointment, drew up a bill, which was passed, for reversing the attainder of Leisler, the former governor of New York, and Milborne, his son-in-law, who had been barbarously executed with the 1691.
1 Mr. Dudley seems to have inher- ited a large share of his father's tena- city of purpose, joined to an innate pride, and love of power, which led him to esteem more highly the notice of the great, than to covet a place in the affections of the humble. See the pamphlet entitled " The Deplorable
State of New England," &c., printed at London in 1708, and reprinted in 1721. A curious correspondence be- tween him and the Mathers may be seen in 1 M. H. Coll. iii. 126-138, which furnishes some insight into the character of both parties.
2 Hutchinson, ii. 114.
1690. 1693.
62
THE EARL OF BELLAMONT.
CHAP. concurrence of Dudley.1 By this intervention he failed to III. obtain the government of Massachusetts ; and having been
1693. appointed lieutenant governor of the Isle of Wight by the interest of Lord Cutts, whose friendship he had secured, he continued to hold that office for a period of eight years, and was elected a member of the Parliament of William.2
1695.
June.
1
1697.
Jun. 18.
The Earl of Bellamont was the next most prominent can- didate for the governorship ; and during the summer he received the appointment, though his commission was not dated until two years later, nor did he take up his residence in the country until the year following, during which time the admin- istration continued in the hands of Mr. Stoughton.3 Lord Bellamont was probably indebted for his appointment to the fact that he was supposed to be the most competent person to enforce obedience to the laws of trade, which had been so much neglected that the seas swarmed with buccaneers, who, in times of peace, made their depredations upon the Spanish ships and settlements, and brought their plunder to New York and other ports.4 The adventures of Captain Kid give an air of romance to the proceedings of these freebooters ; and the treas- ures which were supposed to have been hidden by him on Long Island, and at other haunts, gave rise to many Quixotic enter- prises to search for concealed riches, conducted with the mys- tery with which the superstition of the age invested such deposits, watched as they were by spirits of darkness, whom it was necessary to circumvent by meeting at midnight, and ob- serving the ceremonies requisite on such occasions.5
1 I. Mather, in 1 M. H. Coll. iii. 127 ; Deplorable State of N. Eng. p. 5 ; Hutchinson, ii. 83, and note ; Ban- croft's U. S. iii. 55; Hildreth's U. S. ii. 185. On the other side of this sub- ject, see the " Modest and Impartial Narr. of several Grievances and great Oppressions to the Inhab's of N. Y. under Leisler," in Lib. Mass. Hist. Soc., shelf 3, vol. 8, tract 4.
3 MS. Continuation of Chalmers's Polit. Annals ; Hutchinson, ii. 84, 96, notes, and 103; Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, i. 390, where is a notice of the earl ; Smith's N. Y. 150, ed. 1814; N. Y. Colon. Doc'ts, iv. 266-273; Dunlap's N. York, i. 229; Drake's Hist. Boston, 516, 517.
4 Chalmers, Revolt, i. 269, 279. 5 Hutchinson, ii. 83, 84, 109-113;
2 Boston News Letter, No. 834, for Dunlap's N. York, i. 231, 232. April 4-11, 1720 ; Hutchinson, ii. 114.
63
ADMINISTRATION OF BELLAMONT.
Finally, the new governor embarked to assume the duties of CHAP. his office ; but as his commission included New York as well III. as Massachusetts,1 he touched first at the port of New York,2 1697. 1698. where he was waited upon by a committee from Massachusetts, Apr. 2. who tendered him the congratulations of the people upon his arrival. During his residence in that province, he was fre- quently consulted by the magistrates of Massachusetts, all matters of importance were communicated to him, and his advice and direction were generally followed ; but the admin- istration of the government continued in the name of the lieu- tenant governor, as commander-in-chief.3 It is not improbable that the cordiality with which Lord Bellamont was welcomed by the Bay Province arose, in part, from the joy of the people in escaping from the rule of Dudley, who was nearly as obnox- ious as the memorable Kirke. Certain it is that the new gov- ernor was so desirous to conciliate esteem, that he maintained a constant correspondence with Mr. Cooke, whose election as a councillor had been opposed by Governor Phips, but allowed by Mr. Stoughton. By this step he secured the cooperation of that gentleman ; and he is said to have had more confidence in Cooke than in Stoughton, who was ever, at heart, attached to the Dudley party.4
Before the arrival of Lord Bellamont in America, a step was taken by the English government pregnant with importance in its bearings upon the colonies. This was the organization of a Board of Trade and Plantations, consisting of a president and seven members, known as the "lords of trade," who suc- ceeded to the authority first exercised by the Council for Trade and Foreign Plantations, and afterwards by the plantation committees of the privy council. This board, whose powers were somewhat extensive, continued till towards the close of
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