USA > Virginia > The generall historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer isles: with the names of the adventurers, planters, and governours, from their first beginning, an. 1584. To this present 1626. With the proceedings of those severall colonies > Part 20
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The benefit of fishing, according to ancient Authors. 215
Nations to ciuilitie and humanitie, whose eternall actions fills our Histories.
Lastly, the Portugals and Spaniards, whose ener-liuing actions before our cies will testifie with them our idlenesse, and ingratitude to all posterities, and the neglect of our du- ties, in our pietie and religion. We owe our God, our King and Countrey, and want of Charitie to those poore Saluages, whose Countrey wee challenge, vse and possesse; except wee be but made to vse, and marre what our fore-fathers made, or but onely tell what they did, or esteeme our selues too good to take the like paines. Was it vertue in them to prouide that doth maintaine vs, and basenesse in vs to doe the like for others? Surely no. Then seeing we are not borne for our selues, but each to help other, and our abilities are much alike at the houre of our birth, and the minute of our death: seeing our good deeds or our bad by faith in Christs · merits, is all we haue, to carie our soules to heaven or hell. Seeing honor is our lues ambition, and our ambition after death to haue an honorable memory of our life: and secing by no meanes we would be abated of the dignities and glo- ries of our predecessors, let ys imitate their vertues to be worthily their successors: to conclude with Lucretins.
Its want of reason, or its reasons want Which doubts the minde and judgement, so doth .dant, That those beginnings makes men not to grant.
Ihn Smith writ with his owne hand.
216 The benefit of fishing, according to Mr. Dee and others.
Here followeth a briefe Discourse of the Trials of New England, with certaine Observations of the Hollanders se and gaine by Ashing, and the pre- sent estate of the happy Plantation, begun but by siatie weake men, in the yeere of our Lord 1620. and how to build a fleet of good ships to make a little Nauy Royall, by the former Author.
[M. DER HIS REPORT. ] .
HE saith, that it is more then foure and forty yeeres agoe, and it is more then fordie yeeres agoe since he writ it; that the Herring Busses out of the Low Countries under the King of Spaine, were fue hundred, besides one hundred French . men, and three or foure hundred saile of Flemings. The Coast of Wales and Lancashire was vsed by 300 Saile of Strangers. Ireland at Beliamore, fraughted yeerely three hundred saile of Spaniards, where King Edward the sixt intended to have made a strong Castle, because of the straight to haue tribute for fishing, Black Rocke was yerely fished by three or foure hundred saile of Spaniards, Portugals, and Biskiners.
The Hollanders raise yeerely by Herring, Cod, aud Ling, thirty thousand pounds: English and French, by Salt-fish, Poore-lohn, salmons, and I'ichards, three hundred thou- sand pounds: Hambrough and the Sound, for Soirgion, Lob- Sters and Ecles, one hundred thousand pounds: Cape Blanke for Tunas and Bullit, by the Biskiners and Spaniards, thir- ty thousand pounds.
That the Duke of Medina receiueth yeerely tribute of the Fishers, for Tunny, Mullit, and Porgos, more then ten thou- sand pounds. Lubecke hath seuen hundred ships; Hunt- brought six hundred; Emden lately a Fisher towne, one thou- sand foure hundred, whose customes by fishing hath nade them so powerfull as they be. Holland and Zeland not. much greater then Yorkeshire, bath thirty walled Townes. foule hundred Villages, and twenty thousand salle of Ships and fioles: three thousand six hundred are Fisher-men. whereof one hundred are Doggers, seuch hundred Pinkes and Well-Boss. seuen hundred Fraud boats, Bricters, and Tode-Boats, with thisccene hundred Busses. besides three
New-Englands trialls. 217
hundred that veerely fish about Yarmouth, where they sell their Gish for Gold: and fifteene yeeres agoe they had more then an bandred and sixtecne thousand Sca-faring men.
These fishing ships doe take yeerely two hundred thousand last of fish, twelve barrels to a last, which amounts to 300000. pounds by the fisher mens price, that 11. veeres agoe did pay for their tenths three hundred thousand pound, which. vent- ing in Pumerland, Sprustic, Denmarke, Lofelund, Russia, Swethland, Germany, Netherlands, England, or else where, &c. makes their returnes in a yeere about threescore and ten hundred thousand pounds, which is seuen millions; and yet in Holland there is neither matter to bvild ships nor mer- chandize to set them forth, yet by their industry they as much increase as other nations decay; but leauing these vncertain- ties as they are, of this I am certaine,
That the coast England, Scotland and Ireland, the North Sea with Ilund and the Sound, Neufound-land and Cape Blanke, doe serue all Europe, as well the land townes as ports, and all the Christian shipping, with these sorts of staple fish, which is transported from whence it is taken ma- ny a thousand mile, viz. Herring, salt fish, Poore-lohn, Sturgion, Mullit, Tunay, Porgos, Cauiare, Buttargo.
Now seeing all these sorts of fish, or the most part of them may be had in a land more fertill, temperate and plen- ufull of all necessaries, for the building of ships, boats and houses, and the nourishment of man, the seasons are so pro- per, and the fishings so neere the habitations we may there make, that New England hath much advantage of the most of those parts, to serue all Europe farre cheaper then they can, who at home haue neither wood, salt, nor food, but at great rates, at Sea nothing but what they carry in their ships. an hundred or two hundred leagues from the habitation .-- But New Englands fishings is neere land, where is helpe of Wood, Water, Fruits, Fowles, Corne or other refreshing > need- full, and the Terceras, Mederas, Canaries, Spaine. Portu- gall, Provaves, Savoy, Sicilia, and all loudly, as convenient markets for our dry fish, greene fish, Sturgion, Mullit, Ca- uiare and Buttargo. as Nonicay, Swethland, Lituania or Germany for their Herring, which is heare also in abundance for taking: they returning but Wood, Pitch, Tar, Sope-ashes, Cordage, Flax, Wax, and such like commodities; wee Wines, Oiles, Sugars, Silkes, and such merchandize as the Straits Vol. 2-DD
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218
New Englands trialls.
a cold, whereby our profit ray equalize theirs, besides the increase of shipping and barriners: and for proofe hereof,
Jo the yeere of our Lord 1614. you have read how I went from London: also the next yeere 1615. how foure good shi; - cut from London. and I with two more from Plimoth, with aff our accidents, successes and returnes: in the yeere 16%, Je I returned from France, the Londoners for all then hace by the Turkes, sent foure ships more; foure more also free. from Plimoth; after I returned from France, I was persuaded againe to goe to Plimoth with diuers of my friends with one hundred pound for our aduentures besides our charges, but wee found all things as vntoward as before, and all their great promises nothing but aire yet to prepare the voyage against the next yeere, hauing acquainted a great part of the Nobility with it, and ashamed to see the Prince his Highnesse till I had done some what worthy his Princely view; i spent that summer in visiting the Cities and Townes of Bristoll, Exeter, Bustable, Bodnam, Perin, For, Milborow, Sultash, Dartmouth, Absom, Tuttnesse, and the most of the Gentry in Corewall and Denonshire, giuing them Bookes and Maps, shewing how in six moneths the most of those ships had made their voyages, and some in Icsse, and with what good successe, by which incitation they seemed so well contented, as they promised twenty salle of ships should goe with mve next veere, and in regard of my paines, charge, and former losses, the westerne Commissioners in behalte of themselues and the rest of the Company, and them here- after that should be ioyned to them, contracted with me by articles indented vuder our hands, to be Admirall of that Country during my I fe, and in the renewing of their Letters- Patinis so to be nomined. Halfe the fruits of our ende- uchi- to be theits, che rest our owne; being thus ingaged, nos the business is made plaine and likely to prosper, some of se u would not only forget me and their promises, bur a obsemre me a> it I had neuer beene acquainted in the bu in ese, but i am not the first they haute deceived.
[ot] There was foure good ships prepared at Plimoth, but by : their disagreement, the season so wasted. as on iy
ard, the one bejeg of two hundred tunnes, ce- chr to PCmoth, and her mea in health, with-
the other of fourescore runnnes went for bilbow with drie fish and made a good returne. In thi
219
New-Englands trialls.
voyage Edward Rowcroft, alias Stollings, a valiant Souldier, that had boone with me in Virginia, and was with me also when I was betrayed by the French, was sent againe in those ships, and hauing some wrong offered him there by a French man, he tooke him, and as he writ to me, went with him to Virginia with fish, to trade with them for such com- modities as they might spare: he had not past ten or twolue men, and knew both those countries well, yet he promised me the next spring to meet me in Vere- England, but the ship and he both perished in Virginia.
This yeere [1619]againe, diuers ships intending to goefrom Plimoth, so disagreed, there went but one of two hundred tunnes, whostayed in the Countrey aboutsix weeks, which with eight and thirty men and boies had her fraught, which she sold at the first penny for 2100. besides the Furres: so that euery poore Sailer that had but a single share had his char- ges and sixteene pound ton shillings for his seuen meaer's worke. Master Thomas Dirmire an understanding and indus- trious Gentleman, that was also with me amongst the French-
men, hauing lived about a veere in Verrfoundland, return- ing to Plimoth, went for New- England in this ship, se touch approved of this Country, that he stated there with five or six men in a little Boat. finding two or three French mon amongst the Saluages who had lost their ship, augmented his company, with whom he ranged the Coast to Virginia, where he was kindly welcommed and well refreshed, thence returned to New England againe, where having beene a yeere, in his backe returne to Virginia he was so wounded by the Saluages, he died vpon it; let not men artribute these their great adventures, and vrtimely deaths to vifortunate- nesse, but rather wonder how God did so long preserue them with so small meanes to doe so much, leauing the fruits of their labours to be an incouragement to those our poore vi- dertakings, and as warnings for vs not to vadertake such great workes with such small meanes, and this for aduan- tage as they writ vnto me, that God bad laid this Country open for vs, and slaine the most part of the inhabitants by ciuill warres and a mortall disease, for where I had seeno one hundred or two hundred Saluages, there is scarce ten to be found, and vet not any one of them touched with any sick- nesse but one poore French man that died:
. 220
'New-Englands trialls.
They say this plague vpon them thus sore fell, It was because they pleas'd not Tantum well.
From the West Country to make triall this yeere [1620] one- ly tofish, is gonesix or seuen saile, three of which I am certainly informed made so good a voyage, that euery Sailer that had a single share had twenty pound for his seuen moneths work, which is more then in twenty moneths he should have got- ten, had he gone for wages any where. Now although these former ships bane not made such good voiages as they expected, by sending opinionated veskilfull mon, that had not experienced diligence to sauc that they tooke, nor take that there was, which now patience and practice hath brought to a reasonable kinde of perfection; in desnight of all detractors and calumniations the Country yet hath satisfied all, the de- fect hath beene in their vsing or abusing it, not in it selfe nor me: But,
A due desert, for fortune makes prouision For Knaues and Fooles, and men of base condition.
Now all these proofes and this relation I now called New- Englands triall. I caused two or three thousand of them to be printed, one thousand with a great many Maps both of Virginia and New-England, I presented to thirty of the chiefe Companies in London at their Halls, desiring either genera !- ly or particularly (them that would) to imbrace it, and by the vse of a stocke of five thousand pound, to ease them of the superfluity of the most of their companies that had but strength and health to labour; neere a yecre I spent to yn- derstand their resolutions, which was to me a greater toile and torment, then to haue beenc in New-England about my businesse bat with bred and water, and what I could get there by my labour; but in conclusion, seeing nothing would be effected, I was contented as well with this losse of time and charge as all the rest.
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A Plantation in New-England.
A Plantation in New-England.
Vroy these inducements some few well disposed Gentle- men, and Merchants of London and other places, prouid- ed two ships, the one of a hundred and threescore tunnes, the other of threescore and ten, they left the Coast of England the two [one] and thirtieth of August, with about a hundred and twenty persons, but the next day the lesser ship sprung a leake, that forced their returne to Plimoth, where discharge- ing her and twenty passengers; with the greater ship, and one hundred passengers besides Sailors, they set saile againe the sixt of September, and the ninth of Nouember fell with Cape James, but being pestred nine weekes in this leaking rnwholsome ship, lying wet in their Cabins, most of them grew very weake and weary of the Sea; then for want of experience, ranging two and againe six weekes he- fore they found a place they liked to dwell on forced to lie on the bare ground without couerture, forty of them died, and threescore were left in very weake estate at the ships comming away, about the fifth of Aprill following, and arriu- ed in England the sixth of May. Though the Harbour be good. the shore is so shallow, they were forced to wade a great way vp to the knees in water, and vsel that that did them much hurt: and little fish they found but Whailes, and a great kinde of Mustell so fat, that few did cat of them that were not sicke: these miseries occasioned some discord, and gaue some appearance of faction, but all was so reconciled, that they vnited themselves by common consent vnder tik ir hands, to a kinde of combination of a body politike, by vertue whereof to inaet and constitute lawes and ordinances, and Officers from time to time, as should bee thought most con- uenient for their generall good.
Sixteene or seuenteenc daies they could doe little for want of their Shallop which was amending, vet Captaine Miles Standish, vnto whom was ioyned in Councell, William Brad- for, Stephen Hopkins and Edward Tilly, went well armed a shore, and by that time they had gone a mile, met fiue or six Indians that fed into the Woods: we traced them by the footing eight or ten miles, then the night approaching we made a fire. by which we lay that night, and the next mor- ning followed the Sanages by their tract, thinking to lind-
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992
A plantation in New-England.
their habitations, but by the way we found a Decre amongst many faire springs of water, where we refreshed our selues: then we went a shore and made a fire, that they at the ship might perceiue where we were, and so marched to a place where we supposed was a Riner; by the way we saw many Vines, Saxefras, hanuts of Deere and Fowle, and some fifty Acios of plaine ground bad beone planted by the Indians. where were some of their graues; from thence we followed a path that brought ys through three or foure fields that had bin planted that veere; in one graue we digged, we found a basket or two of ladian Corne, so much as we could carry we tooke with vs, the rest we buried as we found it, and so proceeded to the place we intended, but we found it not such a Harbour as we expected; and so we returned, till the night caused ys take vp our lodging under a tree, where it rained six on seuen hours: the next morning as we wandred, we pass- cil by a tree, where a young sprig was bowed downe ouer a bough, and some Acornes strewed vnder it, which was one of their Gins to a catch a Deere, and as we were looking at it, Bradford was suddenly caught by the leg in a noosed Rope, made as artificially as ours; as we passed we see a lease of Bucks, sprang some Partriges, and great flocks of wilde Geese and Ducks, and so we returned well wearied to our ship.
Master Jones our Master with foure and thirty men, also went up and downe in the frost and snow, two or three daies in the extremity of the cold, but could finde no harbour; only among the old graues we got some ten bushels of Corne, sonic Beanes and a bottle of Oile; and had we not thus hap- Iv found it, we had no Corne for seede, so that place we ener called Comne-hill; the next day Master fones with the Corne and our weakest men returned to the ship, but eigh- teene of us quartered there that night, and in the morning following the paths, we found in the Snow in a field a great- er hill or graue then the rest, digging it we found first a Mat, vnder that a boord three quarters long, painted and carued with three Tyns at the top like a Cronet, betweene the Mats also were Bowles, Traies and Dishes and such trash, at length we found a faire new Mat. and vnder that two bun- dles, the one bigger the other lesse; in the greater we found a great quantity of fine red powder like a kinde of imbabe- ment, and yeelded a strong but no offensive smell, with the
223
The description of New-England.
bones and skull of a man that had fine yellow haire still on it, and some of the flesh vnconsumed, a Knife, a Pack-needle, and two or three old Iron things was bound vp in a Sail- ers canuase Cassocke, also a paire of cloth Breeches; in the lesse bundle we found likewise of the same powder, and the bones and head of a little childe; about the legs and other parts of it was bound strings and braslets of white beades. there was also a little Bow, and some other odde knacks, the prettiest we tocke, and couered againe the corps as they were: not farre from thence were two of their houses, where were a great deale of their miserable houshold stuffe, which we left as wee found, and so returned to our Boat, and lay aboord that night.
Many arguments we had to make here our Plantation of not; in the Maxim. Mistris White was brought to bed of a young sonne, which was called Perigrine: and a Sailor shooting at a Whale, his peece flew in peeces stocke and all, yet he had no hurt. A foolish boy discharging his fathers peece hard by halfe a barrell of Powder, and many people by it, it pleased God it escaped firing, so that no hurt was done.
But to make a more certaine discouery where to seat our selues, Captaine Standish, Master Curver. William Brunfind. Edward Winstoe, Toha Tilly, Edward Tilly, with diures . others to the number of seventeene, spon the sixt of Decent- ber set ssile, and having sailed six or seuen leagues, we es- pied eight or ten Saluages about a dead Grampus: still fol- lowing the shore we found two or three more cast vp by the ill weather, many we see in the water, therefore we called it Grampus Bay: Ships may ride well in it, but all the shore is very shallow flats of sand; at last seuen or eight of vs went a shore, many fields. we saw where the Saluages had inhabi- ted, and a buriall place incompassed with a Palizado, so we returned to our Shallop, in the night we heard a hideous crv and howling of Wolves and Foxes in the morning to Ma were ready to goe into our Shallop, one of our men being ia the woods, came running crying, Indians, helians, mal y ih all their Arrowes flying amongst vs, some of our men being in the boat, and their Armes a shore. so well it ch med. Cap- taine Standish with two or three more discharged their pee- ces till the rest were . cady, one Salange more stout then the rest kept under a tree till he had shot three or foure Arrowes, an I endured three or foure Musket shot, but at last they all
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The description of New-England.
fed: this was about breake of day in the morning when they saw ys, and we not them.
Haning the wiade faire, we sailed along the coast 8. or 10. leagues, thinking to haue got to a Harbour where one of om company had beone, within 8, leagues of Cape Cod, for nei- ther cricke nor Harbour in this bay we could finde; and the wind so increased. our Rudder broke, and our Mast few ouer-boord, that we were in danger to be cast away, but at last it pleased God we were in a barbor we knew not. think- ing it cae we were acquainted with, this we found to be an Ile where we rid that night, and hauing well viewed the land about it, and sounded the Bay to be a good Harbonr for our ship, compassed with good land, and in it, two faire Iles, where there is in their seasons innumerable store of all sorts of' fish and fowle, good water, much plaine land, which hath beene planted; with this newes we returned to our ship, and with the next faire wind brought her thither, being but with- in the sight of Cape Cod; in the meane time Goodwife Al- derton was delinered of a soune, but dead borne. Vpon the 28. of December so many as could went to worke vpon the hill, where we purposed to build our Platforme for our ord- Dance, which doth command all the Plaine and the Bay, and and from whence wee may see far into the Sea, and be easi- ly impalled, so in the afternoone we weat to measure out the grounds, and divided our company into 19. families, alotting to euery person halfe a poule in bredth and three in length, and so we cast lots where cuery man should lie, which we staked out, thinking this proportion enough at the first to impale for lodgings and gardens.
1
Francis Billington from the top of a tree seeing a great water some three miles from vs in the land, went with the Masters Mate, and found it two great Lakes of fresh water, the bigger fae or six miles in circuit, and an Ile in it of a Cables length square; the other three miles in compasse, full of fish and fow les and two brooks issuing from it. which will be an excellent helpe in time for vs, where they saw seuen or eight Indian houses, but no people. Foure being sent a mile or two from our plantation, two of them straggling into the woods was lost, for comming to a Lake of water they found a great Deere, having a mastino Bitch and a Spaniell with them, followed so farre they could not finde the way backe, that afternoone it rained, and did freeze and snow at
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Their conference and conditions with the Saluages. 225
night; their apparell was very thin, and had no weapons but rio sickles, nor any victuals, nor could they finde any of the Saluages habitations: when the night came they were much perplexed that they had no other bed then the earth, nor co- uerture then the skies, but that they heard, as they thought, two Lions roaring a long time together very nigh them, so not knowing what to doe, they resolued to climbe vp into a tree, though that would be an intollerable cold lodging. ex- pecting their comming they stood at the trees root, and the bitch they held fast by the necke, for she would have beene gone to the Lions or what they were, that as it chanced came not nigh them, so they watched the tree that extreme cold night, and in the morning trauelling againe, passing by many lakes, brooks and woods, and in one place where the Saluages had burnt 4. or 5. miles in length, which is a fine champion Country, in the afternoone they discouered the two Iles in their Bay, and so that night neere famished they got to their Plantation, from whence they had sent out meu cuc- ry way to seeke them; that night the house they had built and thatched, where lay their armes, bedding, powder, &c. tooke fire and was burnt, the Coast is so shoule, the ship rides more then a mile from the Fort, but God be thanked no man was hurt though much was burnt.
All this time we could not haute conference with a Saluage, though we had many times scene them and had mauy ala- rums, so that we drew a Couneell, and appointed Captaine Standish to have the command of all martiall actions, but enen in the time of consultation the Saluages gaue an alarum: the next day also as wee were agreeing vpon his orders, came a tall Saluage boldly amongst vs, not fearing any thing, and kindly bade vs weicome in English; he was a Sage su, towards the North, where the ships vse to fish, and did know the names of most of the Masters that vsed thither: such victuall as we had we gaue him, being the first Saluage we yet could speake with, be told us this place where we were was called Patuxet, and that all the people three or foure yeeres agoe there died on the plague: in a day or tivo we could not be rid of him, then he returned to the Masstosayis from whence he came, where is some sixty people, but the Nawosits are 100. strong, which were they encountred our people at the first. Two dates after this Sonoset, for so was his name, came againe, and brought fine or six of the Mas-
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