USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > New Boston > History of New Boston, New Hampshire > Part 20
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9 And watered it with a watering-pot, at the rising of the sun and at the going down of the same, and at noon-day, until it was like unto the snow for whiteness.
10 Now they beetled it upon a rock, even the rock that stands unto this day, at the threshold of the door of the house of Peggy, the daughter of John, did they beetle it ;
11 And folded it in folds, and took it to the Fair, even the " Derry Fair," and sold it to the merchant-men of the city for shekels of gold and shekels of silver. (e)
12 Thus were they an helpmeet to their husbands.
CHAPTER VI.
CAVE OF MACHPELAH.
1 Now it came to pass that the chief people and elders as- 'sembled themselves together, and said one to another,
2 " Man that is born of woman tarrieth but for a season and passeth away, and we have not yet where to bury our dead."
3 And they communed with Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite saying, - .
4 " Sell unto us, for as much money as it is worth, the field and the cave therein, which layeth before Mamre, on the hill- side, above the river, even the Piscataquog, that runneth through the valley, for a possession of a burial-place, that we may bury our dead out of our sight."
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5 And Ephron answered and said unto them : "Hearken unto me my neighbors and townsmen ;
6 The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, - what is that betwixt me and you ? bury therefore thy dead."
7 And they hearkened unto Ephron, and weighed unto him the silver which he had named, even four hundred shekels cur- rent money with the merchants.
8 And the field and the cave of Machpelah, which lieth therein were made sure unto them for a possession of a burial- place, and there they bury their dead even unto this day.
CHAPTER VII.
BUILDING OF THE FIRST TEMPLE-CALLING OF SOLOMON.
1 Now after those things, the chief people and elders assem- bled themselves together the second time, and said one to another,
2 "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but we have not where to worship God on the Sabbath day."
3 Now they took counsel together, and builded a sanctuary on Mount Ephraim, on the north side thereof, near Cave Mach- pelah.
4 The length thereof was one score and ten cubits, and the breadth thereof was one score and five cubits, and the height thereof twelve cubits.
5 On the south side was the gate, or main entrance to the lower, or inner court of the sanctuary, and on the east, south, and west sides of the inner walls was an upper court, which is, by interpretation, a " gallery."
6 On the south of the upper court sat those who sang songs and played the harp, and on the east and west sides sat rebel- lious lads and " contrabands,"
7 While on the lower court sat the elders and assembled wis- dom of Israel.
8 Now there were on the east and west ends of the sanctuary, porches, or outer courts with side entrances to the lower court, and winding-stairs to the upper court.
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9 Now opposite the south gate on the north side, against the wall of the inner court, was the altar, whose height was three cubits and a span, and above the altar was there projecting from the wall after the similitude of the " shell of the tortoise," which is, by interpretation, a " sounding-board," that the truths spoken at the altar might not ascend, and be lost among the rafters, but descend, and find lodgment in the hearts of the hearers.
10 Now the color of the temple was diverse from that of the sepulchre unto which Christ likened the Jews ;
11 And the building might be likened unto an algebraic for- mula, thus : a + b - x -y = the whole, which is, by inter- pretation : a, the walls ; plus b, the roof ; minus x, the steeple ; ininus y, the bell = the house.
12 | Now they called Solomon from the isle of Scotia, be- yond the sea, a devout man, of much learning and wisdom, and of talents not a few.
13 And Solomon was anointed to walk in and out of the temple before this people, and he did so ; and his offerings were acceptable unto the Lord ; and multitudes turned from the error of their ways under his teachings.
14 And the temple was called the "Temple of Solomon."
15 Tradition says of Solomon, whose surname was Moor, that he was of large stature, and his countenance beamed with intelligence and good-humor,
16 And was known for his many proverbs and sayings, that abounded in wit and sarcasm, and was, withal, a good horse- man, and sat upon his horse after the similitude of one that commandeth an army.
17 | Now there was a man of much note in the land, whose surname was McLaughlen, who kept an inn on the hillside above the sanctuary, and many of the hearers of Solomon assembled there at noontide on the Sabbath day, and regaled themselves with new wine and strong drink.
18 Now on the altar, on the right hand of Solomon, stood a monitor, which is, by interpretation, an " hour-glass," to ad- monish the congregation of the distich in the primer, that
" As runs the glass,
Man's life doth pass."(f)
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19 And Solomon preached by the hour.
20 Now on the morrow after the Sabbath, a certain man re- proached Solomon, in this wise : -
21 " Thou didst weary us yesterday with thy much speaking, and the hour dragged heavily upon us."
22 Whereupon Solomon replied, and made the ears of him to whom he spake to tingle : " What have I to do with thee, thou wicked and perverse son of Belial ? for thou wilt take two glasses from Mac with an easy grace, and canna' take one glass from me without grumbling."
23 Now all the days of the ministration of Solomon among this people were one score and seventeen years ; and he died, and was buried in the cave upon the hillside, and a horizontal slab, supported at its four corners, with inscriptions thereon, showeth his history unto this day.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SECOND ADVENT. (g)
1 Now it came to pass, that about one score and ten years after the coming of the first tribe, there came also from the sea- shore, even Beverly and Hamilton, in the " Old Bay State," another tribe and people, whose speech and dialect were unlike the speech and dialect of the former people, for they said " Sib- boleth."
2 Now they multiplied and became much people, so that the name became more numerous than any other name in the land.
3 They also waxed in riches, and became money-changers and tax-gatherers,
4 And owners of much land, and cattle, and sheep, and swine,
5 And horses, and asses, and " contrabands," and he-goats, and rams, and bulls, whose bellowings were like the bellowings of the " bulls of Bashan," when they encompassed the psalmist round about.
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CHAPTER IX.
THE WITCH OF ENDOR(h)-WHAT SHE DID-THE FATE OF ISAAC-THE DEATH OF THE WITCH.
" I tell the tale as it was told to me."
1 Now as it was in the days of the man of Uz, so it was in the early settlements : "Satan came also," in the person of a witch, that he might annoy and vex the feeble ones, and pro- voke them to " curse God and die."
2 Now she entered into the swine, and choked them with their victuals ; and she possessed the house-dog, that he howled dismally, and the cat, that she screeched wildly about the house,
3 And also the cock did crow, and the geese did cackle at unseasonable hours of the night.
4 Now an incubus fell upon the sleeper, that he awoke with fright, and the infant screamed and refused its mother's breast.
5 Now the kine gave blood instead of milk in the pail, and the churner of cream received naught for her labor, and swine's flesh turned to oil in the pot with the dinner of herbs.
6 All this, and more, did this witch do, to the great annoy- ance and affright of the people, and against the peace and dignity of Israel.
7 T Now Isaac, the son of Eliab, conceived a passion for Me- hitable, the daughter of John, who lived a long mile distant across the wood, and he tarried with her until a late hour of the night, and departed for his father's house.
8 Now the witch confronted him at the water-ford, in the depth of the wood, and Isaac saw an " unco sight,"-phantoms and ghosts, and Father Time with his scythe danced before him, and blazing fires flitted fantastically upon his right hand and upon his left.(i)
9 The big owl hooted, and the small owl screeched over his head, and the hare rustled the dry leaves at its feet.
10 Now Isaac perceived that he was tormented by a witch, and was sore afraid, and said, "If I cross the stream, she will cause my feet to slip, and I shall be choked in the waters ; and if I turn, and flee to the house of Mehitable, she will cut the sinews of my heel, and I shall be roasted alive."
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11 Now Isaac was in a great strait, and wot not what to do, and left not his track till the crowing of the cock.
12 Now Isaac never tarried with Mehitable more.
13 T Now the death of the witch was after this wise : -
14 A housewife, who had churned from the rising of the sun until the eleventh hour of the day, and brought no butter, said, " How long shall I be troubled with this, mine adversary ?"
15 And she took a horse-shoe, that had been worn, and heated it to redness seven times, and cast it into the churn, which made the contents to seethe and boil, and again beat the cream with the dash, as it were a dozen strokes, and took out butter by the pound.
16 Now it came to pass, at the self-same hour, that two men were passing the house of the witch, and heard a scream from within, as of one in distress ;
17 And they entered, and lo! the woman lay dead on the floor, with a mark on her forehead after the similitude of a horse-shoe.
18 Now it was a proverb in Israel, that if the housewife churned, and brought butter before sunrise, on the first morn- ing of the fifth monthi of the year the spell of the witch would be broken, and the woman would be in luck with her dairy.
CHAPTER X.
THE BAPTISTS-COMING OF ISAIAH, AND BUILD- ING OF THE TABERNACLE-DEATH OF ISAIAH.
1 In the beginning of the nineteenth century came Isaiah the prophet, crying,
2 " Ho, all ye that pant after the water brooks, come unto mne, and I will immerse you beneath the waters of Jordan.
3 " For all other rites and ceremonies concerning baptism are but as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals, of none effeet."
4 Now many followed Isaiah, and they builded a tabernacle in the land, in the north part thereof, near the habitation of Issachar, whose length was twenty cubits, and whose breadth twenty cubits, and whose height was twelve cubits and a span.
5 At the south end thereof was the gate that led to the altar at the north end ;
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6 From the gate to the altar was an aisle ; upon either side thereof were seats for the hearers ;
7 On the west of the aisle sat those who wore beards; and on the east sat those whose heads were decked with the roses of Sharon, and wore long hair for a covering.
8 Thus were man and wife separated in the sanctuary.
9 Now Isaiah, whose surname was Stone, prophesied among them many years, and was gathered unto his fathers.
CHAPTER XI.
WINTER EVENING FESTIVALS-WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WIFE OF THE MILLER.
1 Now it was a custom among the first tribe, that after ear- ing and harvest, they made feasts, each man at his own house, and bade those of his kin and tribe, that his house might be filled.
2 And he sat before them the fruits of his stall, and fowl and wild game and honey ;
3 Also did he set before them the fruits of his orchard and vintage.
4 Now they ate and drank, and repeated anecdotes of olden time, and recounted personal exploits and deeds of daring, and made merry until a late hour of the night.
5 Thus did they spend a winter's eve.
6 T Now there was a man at a feast, an elder of the church, of uprightness and integrity ;
7 And he brake the wheat and the barley between the upper and nether millstone ;
8 And his fame was known through all the region round about, as there was no mill, for fine flour, like unto the " Dea- con Cristy Mill."
9 Now, like Noah of old, he looked upon the wine when it was red, and tarried long at the inn of him that sold strong drink.
10 Now it came to pass that his wife said unto him at the feast,
11 " Wist ye not that it is the twelfth hour of the night ?" And he said, " We will go."
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12 Now he drove fine horses, even a span ; and the horses ran furiously, and overturned the sleigh, and threw the woman upon the ground, even at their own door.
13 And she arose with a fright, and shook the snow from her garments, and said,
14 "I have reason to thank my Maker that I am not killed."
15 Now the saying of his wife displeased him much, inas- much as it wounded his pride ; for he accounted himself a good reinsman.
16 And he lifted up his voice and said unto her, "Thank your Maker ! thank your Maker ! Woman, verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou hast far more reason to thank thy driver."
17 Now this has been a saying and a byword in Israel, until the present day.
CHAPTER XII.
CALLING OF EPHRAIM-BUILDING THE SECOND TEMPLE - BURIAL OF EPHRAIM.
1 Now the people lamented the death of Solomon ; for a faithful shepherd he had been over them.
2 And they said " Who now will go up to the sanctuary before us, and baptize our little ones, and give our daughters in marriage, as Solomon has done ?"
3 And they prayed that the Lord might direct them in their choice.
4 T Now Thomas, an elder in the church, fell into a deep sleep, and saw as in a vision, and behold there stood up before him a young man in stature like unto Saul the son of Kish, whom the Lord directed unto Samuel.
5 And his countenance beamed with intelligence and joy, and was like unto the face of one divinely inspired to preach glad tidings.
6 And he spake many tongues, and his voice was sweet and harmonious, like a band of well-tuned instruments ;
7 And his eloquence was like unto the eloquence of Saul of Tarsish when pleading before Agrippa.
8 Now Thomas awoke, amazed at his dream, and declared it unto the brethren ;
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9 And they said : "Is it not Ephraim, the son of John, a hero of the Revolution ? Lo, he tarrieth at Carmel, at his father's house."
10 And they sent messengers unto Ephraim, and Ephraim came, and was anointed to walk in and out before this people.
11 And never was there so large a multitude gathered to- gether in Israel as on the day of the anointing of Ephraim.
12 [ Now in the eighteenth year of the ministration of Ephraim, being the three and twentieth year of the nineteenth century, the chief people and elders assembled themselves to- gether the third time, and said, -
13 " Behold our children and children's children worship with us in the sanctuary, and their number is legion, and lo, the temple our fathers built is too straight for us."
14 Now they took counsel together, and builded a second temple upon the plain, in the field of Ami, a furlong east from the first temple ;
15 Now the length thereof was forty cubits, and the width thereof was forty cubits, and the height thereof was eighteen cubits,
16 And the porch before the temple was four cubits, and its length twenty cubits.
17 On the south end of the temple was the tower, whose height was four score cubits, with a dial upon three sides there- of, made " without hands." (i)
18 On the south are three doors that open into the porch or outer court, and from the porch are three doors that open into the sanctuary, and winding-stairs that lead to the upper chamber or gallery, on three sides thereof.
19 Now the height of the altar opposite the middle door of the porch, on the north side of the sanctuary, is nine cubits, and is overlaid with cushions of scarlet, and at the four corners therof hang tassels of purple.
20 Behind the altar was placed a window, and around the window hang curtains of scarlet, and above the curtains is written in letters of gold, as upon the arc of the rainbow, . " Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever."
21 Now there was no temple in all the country round about so beautiful and comely in all its proportions as the "Temple of Ephraim."
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22 AT Now all the days of the pilgrimage of Ephraim were three score and eight years, and all the days of his ministry among this people were one score and nineteen years, and he died.
23 And his people made great lamentation over him : " My father, my father! the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof."
24 Now they carried the body of Ephraim into the aisle be- fore the altar, and John, a learned divine, spake unto them, and comforted them with precious words.
25 Now they buried Ephraim in the cave upon the hillside, where they buried Solomon and the saints in Israel that had gone before him, even the cave of Machpelah which they pur- chased from Ephron the Hittite.
26 And they erected a monument of marble, with inscrip- tions and devices thereon, that the sons and daughters of Israel, sojourning in far countries, as they make pilgrimages once more to the homes of their childhood and graves of their sires, might see the spot where they laid him.
CHAPTER XIII.
COMING OF JOHN THE PHYSICIAN, -MARRIAGE PROCLAMATION-DEATH OF JOHN.
1 Now there came a young man of fair exterior, of good report, and of knowledge and understanding, and his manner and speech were pleasing unto the people, and his name was John, and he healed the people of their infirmities for many years.
2 Now John was withal a good penman, and was chosen many years the people's scribe, to chronicle the votes and laws of the town.
3 Now it was so that the sons and daughters of Israel were many,
4 And the sens were diligent husbandmen, and cunning workers of wood and iron, and tradesmen ;
5 And the daughters were comely and fair, even fairer than the last daughters of Job ; and they were skilled in the use of the needle and management of the dairy.
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6 T Now as it was in the days of Noah, so it was in these latter days, they were " married and given in marriage."
7 Now it was the custom that when a young man was be- trothed to a maiden, he gave the chief scribe money, even five dimes, to proclaim it three times at the festivals and public gatherings of the people.
8 Now John the scribe, as was his custom, sat with those who sang and played the harp in the temple of the Lord on the Sabbath day.
9 Now when Ephraim the priest had done exhorting the peo- ple, and the singers had sung, John stood up in his place and proclaimed in a loud voice, in this wise, and all the congrega- tion gave heed : - -
10 " Marriage is intended between Major Jesse Obadiah and Miss Frances Matilda Zachariah !"
11 " Also between Captain Jacob Hezekiah and Miss Maria Antoinette Zepheniah ; all of this town."
12 " Also between Colonel Elias Tobias, of Joppa, and Miss Hannah Annis Mordechias, of this town !"
13 Thus did John proclaim them that their parents and friends might show cause, if any they had, why it should not come to pass, or forever hold their peace.
14 T Now John, whose surname was Dalton, fell sick, and died, and a large multitude gathered at his burial.
15 And the body of John was borne to the tomb by men wearing white aprons and gloves; and they lamented the death of John, and threw sprigs of evergreen upon the coffin in the grave.
CHAPTER XIV.
A BURIAL
SCENE.
1 Now the age of Ninian, whose surname was Clark, - one of the early fathers, an honorable and upright man, and a mag- istrate for many years, - was four score and eight years, and his eyes waxed dim, and he called to his bedside his children,
2 Even William, his son, and Lydia and Letitia, his daugh- ters, for his other sons, Hamilton and Robert and David and
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Jonathan, were already dead, and Samuel, his youngest, lived a great way off;
3 And he said unto them, "Gather yourselves together, your wives, your husbands, and little ones, and hearken unto Ninian, your father.
4 " Behold, the days of my pilgrimage are fulfilled, and I go hence, and the place that knows me will soon know me no more forever."
5 And he charged them, and said unto them, "I am to be gathered unto my people ;
6 Bury me in the cave in the field of Machpelah, which I and my neighbors bought of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burial-place.
7 There we buried Solomon, our beloved pastor, and there I buried Mary, the mother of you all, and there I also buried her sons, David and Jonathan."
S Now after Ninian had made an end of commanding his children, he drew up his knees in the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
9 Now when the day of his burial had come, his children and children's children gathered themselves together, clothed in sackcloth, and a large multitude gathered there also.
10 Now Ephraim, the priest, stood up in their midst, and comforted them, and when he spake to them of the faith and hope and charity of Ninian, he moved the multitude to tears.
11 Now they passed around the coffin, and looked upon the face of Ninian, their father and friend and neighbor, and wept.
12 And the body was borne to its burial, and a large proces- sion followed ; according to the age and relation of the deceased, did they follow in order.
13 Now when the coffin was let into the grave, John, the physician, and conductor of the ceremony, uncovered his head, and spake aloud, saying,
14 "In behalf of the chief mourners, I thank you, O friends and neighbors, for this last tribute of respect for the deceased, and for burying their dead out of their sight. The bearers and friends are requested to return to the house of mourning."
15 Now the children and children's children, and friends and relatives of Ninian, returned to the house of mourning, and
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ate of the fatted calf, and drank wine, as was the custom in those days, and each then departed unto his own house.(i)
CHAPTER XV.
COMING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.
1 In those days came John the Baptist, like one crying in the wilderness,
2 "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight."
3 Now many believed in the preaching of John, and were baptized of him in Jordan, which is, by interpretation, " Scoby Brook."
4 Now this same John was clothed in raiment of broadcloth and fine linen, with a white scarf about his neck, and sandals upon his feet.
5 Now during the faithful administration of John, the church increased an hundred-fold.
6 And they also waxed in pride, for they said, " Behold the temple of Ephraim, and the unpainted tabernacle our fathers worshipped in is a hissing and a by-word."
7 Now they took counsel together, and builded a second temple in the valley, by the river's bank,
9 Where dwelleth the innkeeper and the merchant-men of Israel, and they that heal the sick, and the miller, and the workers of wood and iron, and he that stitcheth blinkers with an awl ;*
10 And where is also the tabernacle of learning, and the grand sanhedrim, where the people do yearly congregate to do penance, by taxing themselves, and choose whom they shall serve, or who shall serve them, and make long harangues, and pass some lawful and many unlawful acts.
CHAPTER XVI.
BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST, OR JACKSON BARBACUE.
1 Now it came to pass, in the last year of the reign of John the second, whose surname was Adams, that the Whigs, who had chosen John aforetime, said among themselves,
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2 " John doeth well, and we will choose him to sit at the head of the assembled wisdom of the nation, yet other four years."
3 But the Democrats said " Nay ; we will choose Andrew, a valiant warrior, and hero of many battles, to preside over the destinies of the nation."
4 Now the Democrats strove against the Whigs, and vexed them sore, and cast out John, and put Andrew in his place.
5 Now it happened on a day, which is to say, the first month of the year, and eighth day of the month, which is the day when Andrew overthrew the hosts of the king, and slew them hip and thigh, that there were none left to tell the tale,
6 That Samuel, whose surname was Trull, an innkeeper in the land, made a great feast, and bade the friends of Andrew without stint.
7 And Samuel slew an ox, and sacrificed him whole upon the party altar.(1)
8 And multitudes came and filled his house, and ate of the ox, and drank of his wine, and sang songs, and danced, and made merry in their hearts ;
9 For they said, " We have conquered our political enemy, the Whigs, and digged about them, and hedged them in, inas- much as we have chosen Andrew over John."
10 Now there was a man at the feast whose head was whitened with the frosts of many winters, a councillor in the land for many years, and his name was the name of the Lord's anointed, even Samuel.
11 Now Samuel stood up among them, leaning upon his staff, and prophesied unto them, saying,
12 " I hath, as I hoping, that Jackson seed may ne'er depre- ciate, but increase from generation to generation, until e'en the mules themselves do bring forth their young."
13 Now the prophecy of Samuel pleased them much, and the multitude sent up three shouts like unto the shouts of the hosts of Joshua, that rent the walls of Jericho.
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CHAPTER XVII.
COMING OF FRANCIS AND JAMES AND NELSON.
1 Now after John, came Francis, fresh from the " Whited Sepulchre filled with dead men's bones," skilled in the art of healing, and filled with medical lore.(m)
2 Now Francis, whose surname was Fitch, was of a perverse and obdurate heart, steeled against the smiles and fascinations of women ; for he said, like Paul, "' It is better that all men should be as I am ; '
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